Jean is No Angel

Ambulance driver Frank Jessup (Robert Mitchum) is wooed by Diane Tremayne (Jean Simmons) after he responds to an emergency call involving Diane's stepmother Catherine (Barbara O'Neil). Diane convinces him to accept a job with her family as a chauffeur, ostensibly to help Frank earn enough money to open a garage. However, Diane has other plans for Frank.  Our film this week is Angel Face (1953).

One of the great attractions of this film is the presence of three really strong women.  Mona Freeman, who finally gets to play a character with gumption; Jean Simmons playing the determined murderess; and Barbara O'Neill as the bane of Ms. Simmons existence.  These are all performances worthy of these excellent actresses.

Jean Simmons stars as the malevolent Diane, who hungers to again be alone with her father.  In the way is her wealthy stepmother, Catherine.  When Diane meets Frank Jessup, she sees him as a possible accomplice in the removal of her stepmother from Earth. Ms. Simmons is excellent in the role that she really didn't want. She was under contract to Howard Hughes, who was furious at Ms. Simmons for cutting her hair, and with 18 days left on her contract, forced her into this film. Mr. Hughes told director Otto Preminger to make the set as uncomfortable for Ms. Simmons as he could, so Mr. Preminger felt quite comfortable slapping Ms. Simmons one day when he was annoyed with her.  He came to regret his actions - Robert Mitchum punched him back in retribution (TCM article).

Once Diane sees Frank, she is determined to lock him in.  That means getting him away from his long-time girlfriend, Mary Wilton (Mona Freeman). Frank is quick to cheat on Mary - we wondered how many times he had done this before. While Mary is willing to give him the benefit of the doubt in the beginning, a meeting with Diane makes Mary question her feelings for Frank.  Ms. Freeman plays the character with resolve.  She's no meek mouse allowing a man to get away with anything.  She wants her man to love her, not every female in the vicinity.

Catherine Tremayne, on the other hand, is satisfied with being second in her husband's life. She's aware that her writer-husband (who's been unable to produce a book for years) married her for her money. But he has affection for her, She is generous to him, and to Diane, but Diane is obsessed with her father, and sees Catherine as a barrier to her relationship with her father. Barbara O'Neil paints a portrait of a warm woman who is being maligned by her ungrateful stepdaughter.

Which brings us to the male members of the cast.  Robert Mitchum does a good job playing a not very strong man - Diane especially leads him around by the nose.  Shortly after we meet Frank, he's lying to his long-time girlfriend - and we don't trust him. Frank is a fairly unambitious man. He's interested in Diane, but it's a lazy kind of interest.  

Herbert Marshall (Charles Tremayne) is a good companion to Frank - he too is subservient to the women in his life - both Diane and Catherine.  Charles is weak and has lost any drive he might have had. One can see Frank becoming the same person in later years. 

The story was loosely based on the case of real-life case of Beulah Louise Overell and George Gollum who were accused of killing her parents (AFI Catalog).  The New York Times review by Howard Thompson (H.H.T.) was unenthusiastic, but this is an excellent, dark movie, with references to Out of the Past, Double Indemnity, and The Postman Always Rings Twice, without being a copy of any of them.  For more detailed information on the film, I invite you to view Eddie Muller's Noir Alley intro and outro to the film's airing.  Here's a trailer to give you a peek at the picture.

John Hears a Bell - Twice

Frank Chambers (John Garfield) is awaiting execution on death row. He protests his innocence of the crime, and proceeds to tell his story, which begins when he arrives at the diner of Nick Smith (Cecil Kellaway). Frank accepts a job at Nick's urging, only to have his life become complicated by the presence of Nick's sultry young wife, Cora (Lana Turner). Our film this time is The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946).

This is a film that is regularly discussed as a touchstone for film noir, and with one very good reason. That's the star, John Garfield, who is perfect as Frank Chambers. Mr. Garfield has the laid-back and gritty sexiness that is required to make Frank convincing. Even when he is downright fresh to Cora, there is no doubt in your mind that she is falling for him. Why wouldn't you? Half the audience is falling in lust with him at the same moment.  Yet he was not the first (or even the second) choice for the part. It was originally offered to Joel McCrea (who said no) and Gregory Peck was also considered (TCM The Big Idea). We would have an extremely different film with either of those two remarkable (yet likely very wrong) actors in the leading role. Mr. Garfield almost had to pull out of the film. He was called up for the draft, and Cameron Mitchell was set to step in. However, Mr. Garfield's bad heart (which would cause his death in 1959, at the age of 39 (Los Angeles Times)) released him from active service in the military.

Lana Turner has never been better in any picture that she is here. From the moment her legs appear, garbed in snow white shorts, crop top, and turban (Cora is only seen in black once - when she is planning to kill Nick),  you're as hooked as Frank is. Her appearance justifies his intake of breath. She's a vision, but a tough one, and Ms. Turner plays every emotion that Cora experiences to perfection. It's hard not to compare her to Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity, because of the similarities in plot. The two actresses, however, build different creations, primarily because their motivations are so very different.  Cora is far less calculating, and her emotions are all over the place; her desire to be with Frank versus her need for security are very much in conflict. As the film progresses, we begin to realize just why she married Nick, and the life she was attempting to escape.  James M. Cain was so impressed by her performance that he gave her an inscribed, leather-bound copy of the novel (TCM Behind the Camera). 

Cecil Kellaway is an interesting casting choice for Nick. It's mentioned that he's thrifty to the point of cheapness, but he's a warm, loving man who is good to Cora and kind to Frank. MGM was hoping to mollify the censors by making Frank a likeable fellow. He was in fact, such a nice man, that Lana Turner would later state that "I adored Cecil Kellaway...so much so that I hated having to help kill him on camera." (Movies TV Network article). But the screenwriters do make you sympathize with Cora just a bit when we discover what her fate will be if she stays with Nick; Mr. Kellaway brings a selfish determination to the scene that makes it all the more convincing.

We especially enjoyed the performances of the two lawyers in the action - district attorney Kyle Sackett (Leon Ames) and defense attorney Arthur Keats (Hume Cronyn). Both capable character actors, their interplay - they have a bit of a friendly rivalry going on - is a real asset the film. The viewer is not really sure which of the two is more opportunistic. Both are using the case to their own advantage, rather than in the pursuit of justice. Another interesting performance is that of Alan Reed (Ezra Liam Kennedy) as a private investigator. Mr. Reed is best remembered today as the voice of Fred Flintstone.

This was Audrey Totter's (Madge Gorland) first appearance in a film noir. Her part is small - a great deal of it was cut when the original occupation of the character - a lion tamer - aroused way too much ridicule during the film's preview (James M. Cain actually crawled out of the theatre in embarrassment) ( TCM article). 

The novel was written in 1934 and was thought to be unfilmable because of the sexual content, though Mr. Cain attempted a stage adaptation in 1936, which he hoped would get it filmed. Le Derniere Tournant (1939), a French adaptation, did not do well and was not released in the U.S.  A 1942 Italian film, Ossessione, was also never released in the United States because it violated Mr. Cain's copyright (AFI catalog).

The title of the film (and novel) was a subject of discussion - there are several tales about how it got it's name, but it was important for the film that the title be eventually explained (by Frank, at film's end). This list of trivia outlines those stories). 

The New York Times review by Bosley Crowther was positive: "it is, indeed, a sincere comprehension of an American tragedy." Other reviews are varied (TCM Critics Corner).  The radio show Hollywood Soundstage aired a version in January 1952 with Eleanor Parker and Richard Widmark. The film was remade in 1981 with Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange.

This is a must-see film (don't bother with the remake - it's a pale copy), and we highly recommend it. In the meantime, we'll leave you with the trailer:

 

Van Investigates

The murder of police officer Ed Monigan bring his colleague Mike Conovan (Van Johnson) to the Scene of the Crime (1949). Though the papers are accusing Monigan of being on the take, Mike does not believe Monigan was murdered because he was taking bribes. The investigation, however, is disturbing Mike's wife, Gloria (Arlene Dahl) - she's terrified her husband will end up like Monigan, and is doing everything in her power to convince Mike that there are other career options than the police force.

This was Van Johnson's first appearance in a noir-ish role, and he's good as the dedicated police officer. Conovan is the main focus of the film - it's all about his relationships with his wife, his fellow officers, the son of his deceased friend, and finally the criminals he has to deal with on a daily basis. If Mr. Johnson doesn't quite give us a tortured man, he does convey the conflicts that are plaguing Mike.

The more interesting character is Lili, played by Gloria DeHaven. We found ourselves comparing her (favorably) to Jane Greer in Out of the Past. Like Kathy, Lili is a character who is not all that she appears to be on the surface. She is seemingly an innocent, tossed by circumstances into a world of danger but as the film progresses, we learn much more about her apparent innocence. Ms. DeHaven does an excellent job in making you believe in the roller coaster that is Lili. 

Arlene Dahl has a much less appealing role. Gloria spends most of the film looking upset. She does have some very good scenes (especially one at the film's end), but the focus of the part is to make Conovan doubt his ability to perform his job. Ms. Dahl was not the first choice for Gloria - Donna Reed was originally cast in the part (AFI catalog).  In what could have been a thankless role, Ms. Dahl does make the audience like and sympathize with Gloria, which is important, otherwise Mike's dilemma is pointless.

Given that this is an MGM film (an unusual venture for them to take on a noir (TCM article)), the film is gifted with a number of excellent supporting players. Tom Drake, as the straight arrow cop - nicknamed C.C., is fine as the neophyte studying under Mike. Leon Ames (surprisingly, without a mustache!) is also good in the small part of Captain A. C. Forster, Mike's understanding chief. Donald Woods makes Bob Herkimer into a quite unlikable character -  a reporter who is after the story at all costs, and doesn't let a little thing like friendship get in his way. 

Two actors, however, dominate the supporting ranks. The first is John McIntire (Fred Piper), who is excellent as the veteran who is nearing the end of his career as an officer. He brings a sturdiness to the role that demonstrate why he has been one of Mike's mentors.  

The actor who steals the show is Norman Lloyd (Sleeper). A stoolie who works for Mike, Sleeper is extremely creepy. Mr. Lloyd makes no attempts to make Sleeper in any way attractive, yet as repulsive as he is, there is a sort of sick humor that makes you keep watching. A theatre actor, who worked on Broadway, with the Civic Repertory Theatre, with the Federal Theatre Project, and with the Mercury Theatre, he came to film-going public's attention as the title character in Alfred Hitchcock's Saboteur (1941). Throughout the 1940s and early 1950s, he had steady work as a character actor in films such as Spellbound (1945 - also for Mr. Hitchcock), The Green Years (1946), and Limelight (1952). But work disappeared when he was greylisted. Alfred Hitchcock came to the rescue with the offer of work as a director and assistant producer for Alfred Hitchcock Presents, over the objections of studio executives who felt that hiring Mr. Lloyd could be dangerous (The Hollywood Reporter).  He spoke about those years at the TCM Film Festival in 214. Mr. Lloyd really came back to the public's attention as an actor when he was cast as Dr. Daniel Auschlander in the show St. Elsewhere. Mr. Lloyd is retired now - he is 106 at the writing of this post, and speaks regularly with his friend, Ben Mankiewicz.

The New York Times review  by Bosley Crowther was lukewarm, though he enjoyed the performances of Mr. Lloyd, Ms. Dahl and Ms. DeHaven. We had one complaint about the film - it really could use a better title - one that actually conveys what the story is about. Other than that, we found this an enjoyable film and one worth seeing.  In the meantime, we'll end with the film's trailer:

 

P.I. Robert Celebrates Christmas

Just before Christmas, private detective Philip Marlowe (Robert Montgomery) is invited to the office of Adrienne Fromsett (Audrey Totter) to discuss a mystery story he has written. When he gets there, he finds that Ms. Fromsett has something else on her mind - hiring Marlowe to find  Chrystal Kingsby, the missing wife of her boss, Derace Kingsby (Leon Ames). Our film this week is Lady in the Lake (1947), part of the 2nd Happy Holidays Blogathon, hosted by the Pure Entertainment Preservation Society. 

 

Lady in the Lake is remembered today for its innovative use of the subjective camera. With the exception of two framing scenes, the film is told entirely through the eyes of our hero, Philip Marlowe. The camera acts as his eyes; we only see Mr. Montgomery when he looks into a mirror. It's an interesting conceit, though some members of our group found it a bit off-putting. 

The plot in the film is also very dense - many subplots, many characters that seem irrelevant as you proceed. While the movie very carefully ties everything together at the end (and very neatly too), as you are watching you have to pay very close attention to what is going on - if you lose concentration at all, you can miss an essential plot point.

Audrey Totter has the hardest job in the film - verbally dueling with and making love to a camera. Most of her scenes involve just her and Robert Montgomery; but we rarely see him - we see her, and she does a magnificent job of making you believe that Philip Marlowe is standing just behind the audience. With a script full of taut, witty dialog, Ms. Totter makes Adrienne into a tough lady that you don't want to cross, but wouldn't mind having at your side - she's strong, realistic, and sexy, but an intelligent sexy.  At one point, Lana Turner was being considered for Miss Fromsett (AFI Catalog); frankly, it's hard to imagine anyone but Audrey Totter in the role.

This was Robert Montgomery's first credited directing role, and he decided to use the subjective camera technique. It was an idea Orson Welles had toyed with; new, lighter cameras and the crab dolly made the concept viable (Voices in the Dark: The Narrative Patterns of Film Noir by J.P. Telotte). MGM was not thrilled with the idea, and insisted on a prologue to the film, so audiences would get to actually SEE their star (Eddie Muller commentary), but they let him do it and used their marketing expertise to engage the audience, who were now part of the story. Mr. Montgomery emphasized that acting TO the camera was the most difficult part of the film for the actors - they were trained to NOT look at the camera; here, the camera was itself a character (TCM article).

 

Certainly, being off-screen for much of the action assisted Mr. Montgomery in his role as director, but he is excellent as the voice of the hard-bitten Marlowe - though it does seem like he spends a lot of the movie unconscious. His best scenes, not surprisingly, are with his good friend, Ms. Totter, who turned down the lead in The Killers (1946) in order to appear in this film.  

We are used to seeing Lloyd Nolan (Lt. DeGarmot) play a good guy.  Here, he gets to let his inner villain out, portraying a really bad police detective.  It's clear from the start that Lt. DeGarmot is not to be trusted - how bad he actually is becomes apparent as the film progresses. Mr. Nolan came to film from Broadway; he would ultimately appear in 9 productions, including The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, in which he appeared as Lt. Com. Philip Francis Queeg (the role that would eventually go to Humphrey Bogart in the film). His career was primarily B films, though he was often a supporting actor in films like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) and The Man I Married (1940). He moved into television, and is best remembered for Julia, in which he played Dr. Morton Chegley to Diahann Carroll's nurse. His first marriage to Mell Efrid lasted from 1933 to her death in 1981 (they had two children); he remarried in 1983.  He was worked to fund autism research (his son Jay was severely autistic). In 1985, he died of lung cancer at the age of 83.

One other actor worth noting is Jayne Meadows  (Mrs. Falbrook) in her second film appearance. It's a small, but pivotal role and she is quite convincing playing a woman with a number of different aliases.

Whether this is a Christmas movie is for the viewer to decide (rather like Die Hard) - it was released in January, but the music and parties make it a contender for a Christmas film. We're voting for it as a Christmas movie. It's worth noting that the setting for the book was NOT Christmas, and Raymond Chandler was not amused by the alteration.

The New York Times review by Thomas M. Prior (T.M.P.) was positive: "The picture is definitely different and affords one a fresh and interesting perspective on a murder mystery." In February of 1948 the story was recreated with a Lux Radio Theatre production starring Mr. Montgomery and Ms. Totter.

While not the best detective film ever made, this is well worth seeing (though you really have to concentrate). It's certainly an interesting addition to the pantheon of Christmas movies! We'll leave you with the trailer:

This blog post is part of the 2nd Happy Holidays Blogathon, hosted by the Pure Entertainment Preservation Society. 

 

Rosalind is on Stage

Valerie Stanton (Rosalind Russell) a star of the theatre, has spent her career in light comedies, but she wants to try her hand at more serious plays. She’s been offered the lead in Hedda Gabler, and she's eager for the opportunity. But she is being thwarted by her manager, Gordon Dunning (Leon Ames) who has also been her lover. Dunning threatens to tell her fiance, Michael Morrell (Leo Genn) of her past. As they argue, he physically attacks her. In a panic, she strikes him with a trophy. With Dunning dead, Valerie is in faced with owning up to the event or trying to hide it. Our film is The Velvet Touch (1948)

Rosalind Russell leads an exceptional cast in this noir drama, which concerns itself with the impact of guilt on our lead character's life. Valerie is less afraid of getting caught than she is of living with her crime - if the death of Gordon Dunning can really be labeled a crime.

Leon Ames plays Dunning as a cruel, careless bully. He's discarded his former lover Marian Webster (Claire Trevor) in favor of Valerie. He controls Valerie, as we can assume he did Marian. When Valerie seeks to end their relationship, he threatens her, not only with a revelation of their past to her new love, but also with death. When she hits him, there is a real sense of danger - it does appear he is about to strike out at her. It's because of Mr. Ames that we can sympathize with Valerie throughout the film.

The Velvet Touch was the first film made by Independent Artists, the production company formed by Ms. Russel and her husband Frederick Brisson (TCM article).  Mr. Brisson first saw Ms. Russell when she appeared in The Women (1939). Immediately smitten with her, he later asked his friend, Cary Grant, who was filming His Girl Friday (1940) to introduce him to her. Mr. Grant did (he brought Mr. Brisson along on a date he had with Ms. Russell). The rest is history - the couple married in 1941, had a son, and were together until Ms. Russell's death of breast cancer in 1976.

Rosalind Russell started her career on Broadway, so the setting of this film was not unfamiliar to her. In the 1950s, she returned to Broadway to make Wonderful Town and Auntie Mame - and starred in the film versions of both plays (and if you've never seen Auntie Mame, walk, don't run to get access to a copy). Before doing Wonderful Town, she appeared in the film My Sister Eileen (1942), upon which Wonderful Town was based. She won the Tony for Wonderful Town, and was nominated for Auntie Mame. Nominated 4 times for an Oscar, she received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1972

Claire Trevor gives us a characterization of a bitter, but weak, woman. It's almost unbelievable that she could have feelings for a heel like Dunning, but Marian is so dependent upon him for her self-image that she is lost by his abandonment and by his death. Ms. Trevor, an actress who spent her career in character parts, appeared in another movie the same year as this one - Key Largo, for which she was awarded the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress (Her competition that year was impressive: Agnes Moorehead in Johnny Belinda, Barbara Bel Geddes and Ellen Corby in I Remember Mama, and Jean Simmons in Hamlet.) This snippet from TCM features Ms. Trevor discussing her work on Key Largo - it's a fascinating story.

The actor that really gives Ms. Russell someone to bounce off is Sydney Greenstreet, in his final film (he would continue his radio career for several more years). His Captain Danbury is a cuddly detective, whose warm familiarity hides an intelligent, observant man. How much he knows and when he knows it is always the question in this film. And though the audience sympathizes with Valerie, we like Danbury and almost want him to succeed.

It is worth mentioning that we have some familiar actors in supporting roles. Frank McHugh as stage manager Ernie Boyle is always amusing; Dan Tobin as Jeff Trent appears in a few scenes, and Lex Barker as young actor Paul Banton was just two years into his film career.  We were excited to see Theresa Harris (Nancy) as Valerie's maid. Yes, she's a maid again, but Ms. Harris shines in everything she does, even with a role as minimally written as Nancy.

The costumes by Travis Banton are wonderful - we were especially impressed by a cape decorated in gold (yes, it's a black and white movie, but we know gold when we see it!). If we have any complaint at all with the film it is the ridiculous title song, which must have been written for another film. Don't listen to it when you watch the film - it will make you NOT want to watch the film!

Ms. Russell and Mr. Greenstreet reprised their roles for the Lux Radio Theatre broadcast in January 1949 (AFI catalog).  As demonstrated by the poster above, in one Latin country, the film was released with the title Hedda Gabler (which must have confused some audience members)! Not surprisingly, Bosley Crowther in his New York Times review was dismissive: "a long and tortuous survey of Miss Russell's efforts to elude discovery as the rather obvious murderess and get on with her promising career." We disagree - this is an enjoyable film that illustrates the impact of guilt on a good person.  We'll leave you with the opening scene from the film, and a suggestion that you take a look at it. 

Joan Joins the Fourth Estate

A murder in a small New York state town creates a firestorm for the locals, including the widow of the victim (Vivienne Osborne as Marcia Ferguson). a neighbor (Leon Ames, here listed as Leon Waycoff, as Judd Brooks) and a local reporter (Tom Brown as Bruce Foster).  In 1932's The Famous Ferguson Case, Joan Blondell is featured as one of the reporters that invades the town in search of sensation. 

On occasion, films from the thirties can feel a bit dated.  However, The Famous Ferguson Case is as timely as the paparazzi that stalk unwary celebrities.  The reporters that descent Cornwall like a plague of locusts are of the yellow variety - creating sensation when they don't find enough to feed their daily news reports; destroying lives in the name of "reporting the facts." Only one talks of the dangers of bad reporting, however no one listens (and quite frankly, he's not the strongest character you've ever met).

Blondell is interesting as the reporter who has seen the seamier side of her profession for all too long.  We are well aware that she has had an affair with Bob Parks (Kenneth Thompson), and she is just short of being appalled at his behavior in Cornwall, mostly because she is all too familiar with his modus apparendi.  Leon Ames is excellent as a man in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Watch for the scene where he finally gets to have HIS "say" in the proceedings.

We heartily recommend this one: an excellent film, with an enjoyable ending. Here's a trailer that might be of some interest.