Professor Richard Wanley (Edward G. Robinson), an instructor of psychology at Gotham University, has just sent his family on an extended trip to Maine. He spends the evening with his friends, Dr. Barkstane (Edmond Breon) and New York District Attorney Frank Lalor (Raymond Massey). Several hours - and drinks - later, Richard exits the club and pauses to admire The Woman in the Window (1944), a portrait in the gallery next to his club. He's stunned to realize that, standing next to him is THE woman (Joan Bennett), who after some conversation, invites him to her apartment. His response to her query will change his life forever. At the 2019 Noir City DC, we were treated to an introduction to this film by film historian Foster Hirsch. The film, he said, was about submerged desires, and what happens when these desires bubble to the top. Certainly, there is a sexual aspect to the interactions between Alice and Professor Wanley (at least, on his part!). But I disagreed that this was the result of a loveless or sexless marriage. We see Professor Wanley seeing his wife (Dorothy Peterson) and children (Robert Blake and Carol Cameron). He gives his wife a warm departing kiss; we later see him writing to her, and starting the letter "My Dearest Darling". This is certainly a long-time marriage, but he clearly still loves his wife, and very much misses his family. Seeing Edward G. Robinson in anything is a treat, but he really outdoes himself in this film. The juxtaposition between the nebbishy professor and the calculating criminologist is fascinating to watch. This was Mr. Robinson’s first film with Joan Bennett, and the chemistry between them is perfect - so good, in fact that the two would be reunited the following year for the impressive Scarlet Street. Given Mr. Robinson's career of playing vicious murderers, it is intriguing to see him as a victim - though one who has a real crime on his hands.
Merle Oberon was at one point considered for the role of Alice (AFI catalog), but it is hard to picture anyone but Joan Bennett in the role. She is so enormously sexy that it's easy to picture the three clubmen (Dr. Barkstane, Frank Lalor, and Professor Wanley) discussing their dream girl based merely on a picture in the window of an art gallery. With her dark hair (a change she made in 1938, which opened a new range of films for her), deep voice, and her seductive tones, she is a siren, wooing men to their doom. Her interactions with both Mr. Robinson and Mr. Duryea are letter-perfect. It's no wonder that Hollywood wanted this dream team to be reunited the following year. Ms. Bennett, her husband, Walter Wanger, and Fritz Lang were the producers on the film; this opened up new opportunities to director Lang, whose vision for film had being circumscribed by producers like Darryl F. Zanuck. (TCM article) The film's ending was Lang's idea; producer and screenwriter Nunnally Johnson wanted a different ending, but he was overruled.
Dan Duryea (Heidt) is appropriately smarmy as the bodyguard hired by his company to tail Claude Mazard (Arthur Loft) - a wealthy man who has a reputation for losing his short temper and getting into fights. While we initially think Heidt will be easily fooled by the Professor and Alice, we find he is by no means stupid, though he is avaricious and vengeful. Mr. Duryea spent the greater part of his career playing the villain, but he's never boring. His scenes with Ms. Bennett sizzle with tension.
The film's initial title was Off Guard. It received a single Oscar nomination for Score (Hugo Friedhofer and Arthur Lange)., losing to Miklós Rózsa's Spellbound. Ms. Bennet, Mr. Robinson, and Mr. Duryea reunited to perform a Lux Radio Theatre version in June of 1945. If you've never seen Woman in the Window, do get hold of a copy. It's a real treat. I'll leave with the trailer:
Norah Larkin (Anne Baxter) is deeply in love with her fiance, George, a soldier serving in Korea. After a long silence, she receives a letter from him; she decides to save it so that she can open it on her birthday evening. Sitting alone in her apartment, a glass of champagne in her hand, she reads the letter to discover George has met someone else and is breaking his engagement to Norah. The telephone rings; a devastated Norah answers it. The caller, Harry Prebble (Raymond Burr) assumes Nora is her roommate, Crystal Carpenter (Ann Sothern). Harry, an artist who has been working in her office, invites Noar to dinner at The Blue Gardenia (1953) and hangs up. Norah decides she will keep the date, with shocking results.
Welcome to the world of Film Noir and our contribution to The Noirathon, a chance visit other blogs and read about some of the amazing - and oft ignored - films noir. Our contribution is a well-paced film with just the right number of twists and very little fluff - The Blue Gardenia, a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging mystery. It has an excellent cast, with strong performances from Raymond Burr, Anne Baxter, and Ann Sothern. Director Fritz Lang and cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca create an almost claustrophobic atmosphere, with much of the film shot indoors or at night (TCM article).
Allegedly, Margaret Sullavan had originally been approached for the role that went to Anne Baxter (Wikipedia). Ms. Baxter is convincing as a woman plagued by guilt for a crime that she doesn't remember committing. Her scenes with roommates Jeff Donnell (Sally Ellis) and especially Ann Sothern, add to our understanding of the character. Equally engaging are her interactions with Raymond Burr - she suffered a torn ligament in their fight scene (AFI Catalog) and the intensity of their battle translates to the screen. Ms. Baxter had already won an Oscar for her performance as Sophie in The Razor's Edge (1947), and been nominated for her role as Eve Harrington in All About Eve (1950). Though she moved to Australia for four years, following her second marriage to Randolph Galt (The Washington Post), she continued to work in film, television, and on Broadway until her death in 1986. [She wrote about her time in Australia in Intermission: A True Story.]
Prior to Perry Mason, Raymond Burr was best known as a villain, and he doesn't disappoint in this film. Harry Prebble is a serial rapist, pure and simple. He could be just a stock bad guy, but Mr. Burr manages to make him interesting. You don't, by any means, root for him. However, you grasp why women might succumb to his date requests, despite his reputation as a Lothario. Partly, it's his work as an artist; with many men aware in Korea, his competition is also diminished. But, it's mostly Mr. Burr's skill as an actor, talents he would get to really demonstrate on television. Like Ms. Baxter, Mr. Burr also worked up until his death, primarily in a series of Perry Mason movies that were hugely popular - and reunited him with his good friend, Barbara Hale. He'd spend much of his off-screen time raising orchids, one of which is named after Ms. Hale, with his life-partner, Robert Benevides. He died of liver cancer in 1993.
Ann Sothern is an actress who rarely missteps, and she is in top form in this film. She wisecracks, she teases, but she is a support to her friend in a time of need. It's rather a shame that she is so often a supporting player, rather than the lead, but it's also true that Crystal gets the best lines in the script, like " Honey, if a girl killed every man who got fresh with her, how much of the male population do you think there’d be left?" We were not as intrigued with Richard Conte as reporter Casey Mayo. It's not all that interesting a part, and unfortunately, Mr. Conte doesn't make it more compelling. Casey is supposed to be a powerful, popular journalist, but Mr. Conte not very dynamic. He also should be more comfortable with the police, as represented by George Reeves (Captain Sam Haynes). We wondered what would have happened if Mr. Conte and Mr. Reeves switched parts - quite frankly, Mr. Reeves is a lot sexier and stronger. As an aside, Ruth Storey, who plays Harry's former victim, Rose, was Mr. Conte's wife at this time.
The lovely title song is performed by the unforgettable Nat "King" Cole. As is often the case with African-American performers in films of the period, Mr. Cole is removed from the action - playing the piano in the Blue Gardenia nightclub. The only "interaction" he has with the cast is with Celia Lovsky (May, the blind flower vendor), who approaches the piano to place a flower on it. In venues that objected, the scene could have been eliminated. But the song could not, as it turns out to be integral to the storyline. Whether he was physically visible or not, Mr. Cole is felt throughout the film. In his interview with Fritz Lang in Who the Devil Made It: Conversations with ...
Peter Bogdanovich called the film "a particularly venomous picture of
American life" Lang replied that "it was the first picture after the
McCarthy business, and I had to shoot it in twenty day. Maybe that's
what made me so venomous." [Lang was never called before the committee,
but he did have difficulty getting work as a result of HUAC's
investigations (Continental Strangers: German Exile Cinema, 1933-1951 by Gerd Gemünden)]. I'm not sure that I would call the story "venomous" but in the era of #metoo, it is a sad reminder that women have long been victimized by men, whether it is the Harry Prebbles, Casey Mayos, or Georges of the world.
Based on the short story The Gardenia by Vera Caspary (it was re-titled to capitalize on the Black Dahlia mystery of 1947),the story was reprised on the Lux Radio Theatre in November 1954, this time starring Dana Andrews and Ruth Roman. Bosley Crowther didn't like the film in his New York Timesreview, calling it "routine melodrama. He also tries to ruin the film by revealing the ending, so be warned if you choose to read the review. We heartily recommend The Blue Gardenia for your viewing pleasure. We'll end with this trailer, featuring Nat "King" Cole:
Writer Tom Garrett (Dana Andrews) attends an execution with his future father-in-law, crusading newspaper editor Austin Spencer (Sidney Blackmer). Spencer has been advocating for the repeal of the death penalty, because of his belief that circumstantial evidence is being used to convict people unjustly. He and Tom come up with an idea - they will concoct evidence against Tom regarding the recent murder of a hooch dancer named Patti Grey. Once Tom is convicted and sentenced, Spencer will come forward with the information that will show it was a setup, and that the conviction could not have been Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956). I try very hard to avoid spoilers in the films we discuss; quite frankly, this is a hard one. The main reason being that the film seems to be going along on a traditional plain. You are sure you know where it is going and how it will end. And then everything hits the fan, and you are gobsmacked to find you were completely wrong. Our group went into this film knowing very little about it, and we were glad; the beauty of the film is in the surprise towards the end.
Dana Andrews is excellent as the writer who is attempting to bring down a District Attorney (Philip Bourneuf as Roy Thompson). He's treading a fine line in the film, and he does it beautifully. You would never believe that he was in the midst of an alcoholic crises that resulted in his arriving at the studio late with immense hangovers and after automobile accidents (Hollywood Enigma: Dana Andrews by Carl Rollyson). It would take awhile, but Mr. Andrews was able to control his illness by the late 1960s. In 1972, he became a spokesman for the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and was able to say he had not had a drink in four years (New York Times).
We were not as impressed with Joan Fontaine (Susan Spencer). Susan is a decidedly unappealing character - she's spoiled, she's unemotional; Ms. Fontaine seems stiff and uncomfortable in the role. One never feels any love between her and Tom. When she reads a newspaper article that shows him slumming with exotic dancer Sally Moore (Barbara Nichols), Susan is offended that Tom has publicly embarrassed her. She seems far less concerned that he is sleeping with another woman. Ms. Fontaine holds the character distant from everyone, and Susan is uninterested in anything that requires thinking. With a father as intelligent as Austin Spencer, one expects a daughter more like Polly Fulton in B.F.'s Daughter. What Ms. Fontaine gives us is an enigma who cares for nothing.
While one is never sure of the motives of Roy Thompson, Jonathan Wilson (Shepperd Strudwick) and Bob Hale (Arthur Franz) are portrayed as lawyers who are honorable. The discussions between Hale and Thompson in particular, are fascinating, and display Bob's ethics in contrast with Roy's ambitions. This was director Fritz Lang's final film in America (TCM article). In fact, film editor Gene Fowler, Jr. put the film together with Lang's instructions - the director had already left the country. The director of M (1931) and Fury (1936) would make three more films in Germany; after which he essentially retired. Upon retirement, he returned to Los Angeles, where he died in 1976, at the age of 85.
Before Bert Friedlob acquired the script, Ida Lupino had intended it as a vehicle for herself, Howard Duff and Joseph Cotton (AFI Catalog). Unfortunately, the film didn't do well on release and received mixed reviews. Variety called it a "melodrama [that] never really jells." The New York Timesreview by Bosley Crowther, however, praised the "forceful" Mr. Andrews and said that "this a fairly intriguing and brain-teasing mystery film."
In recent years, the film has been discussed in a more positive light, as is demonstrated by these articles in Cineast and The Guardian. It was remade in 2009 with Michael Douglas as the prosecutor. We'll leave you with a trailer from the film. Try to avoid spoilers before you view this movie. You'll appreciate the surprise.
