Robert Meets a Shady Lady

Jeff Bailey (Robert Mitchum) owns a gas station in a small Connecticut town. He's in love with Ann Miller (Virginia Huston) and the two are discussing marriage.  But the arrival of Joe Stefanos (Paul Valentine) spells trouble for Jeff - he's been hiding out from Joe's boss, racketeer Whit Sterling (Kirk Douglas). Jeff - then named Jeff Markham - worked as a private investigator for Whit, and didn't finish up the operation to Whit's satisfaction. This week, we'll be discussing Out of the Past (1947).

Often cited as the penultimate film noir, Out of the Past is an excellent, albeit dense story, but with characters that completely hold your interest throughout. Frankly, it's a film that deserves several viewings, if only to puzzle out the sometimes confusing plot. Then again, Out of the Past is not really about the plot - it's about the multiple character relationships.  

Robert Mitchum has become so linked to this part, it's mind-boggling that he was not among the first considered for the role. Both Dick Powell and Humphrey Bogart were offered the lead part (Jacques Tourner: The Cinema of Nightfall by Chris Fujiwara) and Pat O'Brien and John Garfield were also in the running. Mitchum had been nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his work in The Story of G.I. Joe two years previously, but he was still being relegated to supporting roles (like The Locket) when he was cast as Jeff. He works well with all of his co-stars, though it has been said that he and Kirk Douglas did not immediately hit it off, and there was a bit of jockeying for position (TCM Behind the Camera). Ultimately, the two found common ground; their different styles of acting compliment one another. This intro and outro to the film, featuring Eddie Muller and Chris Mitchum (Robert's son) is worth a viewing for more insights into the production.The part of Kathie Moffat was originally intended for Lizabeth Scott; after she dropped out, Jane Greer (Kathie Moffat) took on the devilish dame. Ms. Greer is remarkable as a woman who goes from good girl to bad girl in the wink of an eye.  In a TCM interview, Ms. Greer discussed director Jacques Tourneur's instructions to her on getting to the heart of the character - "impassive." Though only 23 when she filmed the picture, she is marvelous - seemingly sweet an innocent, her portrayal is more a praying mantis waiting to consume her mate. She would later say that she had an excellent relationship with Robert Mitchum, who took brotherly care of her, even adjusting her dress when he realized it wasn't filming properly (TCM articles).

 

Kirk Douglas, in his third film, is an excellent choice for Whit. Though Lex Barker was in the running for the part (AFI Catalog), Douglas brings both an apparently congenial, but ultimately menacing vibe to the role.  His obvious differences from Robert Mitchum just enhance the danger in his performance - when you first meet the character, the screen hums with the tension between the two men.

Rhonda Fleming (Meta Carson) has a small but memorable part as a secretary with ulterior motives. She's quite good in a relatively small part. This was, in fact, only her fifth credited role. Sadly, the lovely Ms. Fleming died at age 97 shortly after we viewed the film. You can see the TCM tribute video to her film work here.

 

Dickie Moore (The Kid), Jeff's deaf-mute assistant in the garage also gives a convincing performance. By the end of the film, we almost feel that The Kid has, in fact, been our narrator. It is he who gives the picture its ending, and he is instrumental in aiding Jeff as his life spins out of control. 

Based on the novel Build My Gallows High by Geoffrey Homes, the New York Times review by Bosley Crowther focused on the complexities of the plot.  And there are many, but as Mr. Crowther pointed out even then, the "challenge was worth a try." Since then, it has become very highly regarded - it was added to the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1991, and is also on Eddie Muller's list of Top 25 Noir Films 

A 1975 remake using the novel's title fell through, but the film was remade in 1983 as Against All Odds, with Jane Greer and Paul Valentine in small roles. Robert Mitchum and Ms. Greer also guested on Saturday Night Live in a 1987 skit called "Out of Gas."  

If you are a fan of film noir, this is a picture that you must see. And, for film fans in general it is still "an essential". We'll leave you with the film's trailer:

Mommy Kay

In 1938's My Bill, Kay Francis plays Mary Colbrook, the widowed mother of four children.  3 of her little darlings are rude, selfish, graspy creeps.  But then there is Bill (played by Dickie Moore), who for some unexplained reason calls his mother "Sweetheart", and who is the only sensible member of this family. Though Kay was left some money on her husband's death, she has wasted every cent of it providing the selfish bunch with piano lessons and new dresses.  Now, she's broke. So the obnoxious 3 leave her (after she squanders more money on cabs and flowers); Bill remains, begins a paper route, and takes on the job of "Man of the Family" to support his mother.

I think it would be fair to call this an odd movie. It's based on a play (from 1928), but really the biggest problem is the character of Mary.  By the end, we get a lot more back-story (which does make her story more interesting), but she is such a scatterbrain that one wonders how she has survived as long as she has. Bill, however, is a stand-up young man, and Dickie Moore plays him with verve. Bonita Granville, Anita Louise and Bobby Jordan as the other three nightmarish offspring bring obnoxious to new heights. And Elizabeth Risdon as Aunt Caroline confirms they are from the correct gene pool.

This film came out the same year that Kay got labeled "Box Office Poison" (along with Katharine Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich); it's obvious it was less her and more some of the parts she was being given.  She does the best she can, but in a sense, this IS Dickie Moore's movie.  And he kinda runs with it.

Joan Sees "Red"

This week, we return to Joan Crawford with her 1937 outing The Bride Wore Red.  Anni Pavlovitch (Joan Crawford) is a singer in a cheap dancehall. One night, her performance is seen by aristocrats Count Armalia (George Zucco) and his friend, Rudi Pal (Robert Young). The Count bets Rudi that he could take a member of the lower class, and pass her off as an aristocrat.  Rudi laughs off the suggestion, and leaves; to prove his point, the Count offers Anni a two-week vacation, all expenses paid, in an elite resort, on the proviso that she convinces Rudi she is, in fact Anna Vivaldi, an aristocrat.  Anni is soon buying clothing, including a gaudy red evening gown - something she has desired her whole life - and is off to the country to live a life of leisure for two weeks.  However, she soon decides she would rather continue to live the life of an aristocrat - by seducing and marrying the already-engaged Rudi.  

Filmed during the period of time when Crawford was married to Franchot Tone (who plays the peasant Guilio, the postmaster who loves Anni at first sight), the movie is a bit slow in pace.  Crawford is excellent as Anni, but it is rather hard to understand why Guilio remains interested in her while she repeatedly is nasty to him; just as it is equally hard to understand why Maddalena Monti (Lynne Carver) stays true to Rudi.  We know early on he is a cad and philanderer.  Why such a nice girl would stay with him is a mystery.

Much of our discussion focused on Robert Young.  Though a good actor, he never really seemed to find his niche before he landed on TV.  On the small screen he easily engaged the audience, whereas on the big screen he always seems overshadowed by his costars.  Here too, Crawford and Tone are much more dynamic than Young.  It is hard to understand, money withstanding, why Anni would feel anything for Rudi.  Even as a skunk, he is rather banal.  

Certainly worth a look for this wonderful cast.  And be on the lookout for Mary Phillips as Maria, a former employee of Anni's dance hall who has found a better life as a maid in the resort; and for Dickie Moore as Guilio's young cousin Pietro.  They add to the film immeasurably. You'll also get a chance to hear Crawford sing.  Here is a clip: 

 
It is also worth noting that the film was directed by Dorothy Arzner, the only female director of this period.