Is Robert a Liar?

Larry Balantine (Robert Young) is on trial for the murder of his lover, Verna Carlson (Susan Hayward). His defense attorney has put him on the stand to tell his bizarre tale of adultery and larceny.  Our film tonight is They Won't Believe Me (1947).

Robert Young gives an excellent performance as a suave and rather creepy opportunist. Told in flashback, his story IS unbelievable, but the film leaves it entirely to the viewer to decide fact from fiction. That Larry is so reprehensible a human being makes the audience doubt his word. Yet, his story is so entirely ludicrous, one wonders if even he could make it up.

Mr. Young's film career started in 1931 (he had three uncredited appearances in short films in 1928 and 1929), with a small role in a Charlie Chan film, The Black Camel. He worked consistently in supporting and leading roles, appearing in H.M. Pulham, Esq.(1942), Crossfire (1947), and Three Comrades (1938). In 1954, he started a new phase of his career, as the star of Father Knows Best, a TV series which ran for six years. In 1969, he began work on another TV series, as the kindly Marcus Welby, M.D., which ran for seven years. He worked in television until 1988. Married to Betty Henderson for 61 years, he became a spokesperson mental health issues - he had suffered from depression and alcoholism for thirty years. The Robert Young Community Mental Health Center is named for him because of his work to support mental health issues with the passage of the 708 Illinois Tax Referendum. Mr. Young died in 1998, at the age of 91 - he was survived by his four daughters and many grandchildren.

Mr. Young is ably supported by three excellent actresses.  Susan Hayward is believable as Verna Carlson, his secretary and mistress. She's far smarter than Larry, ambitious, and independent. She's willing to marry for money - she's already planning to marry Larry's partner Trenton (Tom Powers) when Larry shows up. What at first begins as a flirtation turns into something deeper, as the pair try to decide if they want each other, or wealthy spouses. Ms. Hayward had been borrowed Walter Wanger, and RKO had to shoot around her as she finished up work on Smash Up: The Story of a Woman (1947) (AFI catalog).

Jane Greer's Janice Bell is also smart, but she is far more gullible than Verna.  Where Verna has no illusions about Larry's character, Janice believes he is better than he is, even falling for him when she has been convinced he might be a murderer.  Of the three actresses, her's is the least fleshed out character. It's hard to say we get to know Janice in great detail. But the part would bring her much more attention, landing Ms. Greer what is possibly her most famous film, Out of the Past (1947) (TCM article).

Rita Johnson is probably best remembered today for two villains - in The Major and the Minor (1942) and Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941). While Greta  Balantine  is a bit of conniver, she's a very sympathetic character.  For some reason, she genuinely loves Larry, even though she is well aware of his infidelities and the fact that he married her for her money.  Regardless, she's willing to overlook his straying, and give him some of the things he wants, but on her terms.  Sadly, Larry is better at thwarting her - he has no affection for her. She's merely a bank account.

The film was produced by Joan Harrison, who was at this time one of only three female producers in Hollywood.  Ms. Harrison's career was discussed in some detail in the Noir Alley intro and outro to the film.  Eddie Muller discussed Ms. Harrison's career with Christina Lane, the author of Phantom Lady: Hollywood Producer Joan Harrison, the Forgotten Woman Behind Hitchcock.

New York Times review by A. H. Weiler (A.W.) was positive, callinig the film "engrossing entertainment." Sadly, in 1957, 15 minutes were cut from the film in order to make it more attractive as part of a double feature. It was this cut version that was available from that time forward.  In 2021, the film was released on BluRay (and on Turner Classic Movies) with the cut scenes restored.

We highly recommend this excellent film - and try to see the original version.  We'll leave you with this excerpt featuring Robert Young, Susan Hayward, and Rita Johnson.

Is Bill a Murderer?

Sailor Alex Winkler (Bill Williams) finds a large sum of money in his pocket. He tells dance-hall hostess June Goffe (Susan Hayward) that he must have taken it from Edna Bartelli (Lola Lane) after she got him drunk. They return to her apartment to return the money, and find her dead. June agrees to help Alex locate the murderer before Alex's Deadline at Dawn (1946).

At first glance, this appears to be another "we only have six hours to find the murderer movie," but the plot has more twists and turns than a pretzel, making it an interesting ride.  It gets a bit long-winded at times - there is perhaps a twist too many and the ending seems to come from nowhere, but this is an enjoyable picture that will keep you watching.

Susan Hayward creates an interesting character in June. She's just on the border of jaded - tough, but still possessing enough faith in humanity that she is willing to come to the aid of this naive sailor. June hovers on the edge of acceptance - she wants to believe in Alex, but her experiences in the Big City have left her cynical. The audience spends the movie waiting for her to abandon Alex and is relieved when she doesn't. Ms. Hayward is a good choice for the part — her strength makes it acceptable as June takes on the more traditionally masculine role, while Williams is the "damsel" in distress. The film marks Ms. Hayward's return to the screen after giving birth to twin boys (AFI catalog).

Though Alex, as played by Bill Williams, is likeable, he can also seem dull and repetitive. Thankfully, as the film progresses, he becomes less childlike and more responsible. Mr. Williams is able to grow Alex - the film open with him recovering from the mickey that Edna gave him. As the movie goes on, we are aware that Alex's head is clearing, and while he is still a babe in the woods compared to June, he's far more intelligent than the early scenes led us to believe. Mr. Williams, who married Barbara Hale the year this film was released, maintained a friendship with Susan Hayward after the film - which apparently was not an easy task for a woman as guarded as she was (TCM article). 

Paul Lukas (Gus Hoffman) rounds out the stars of the film as a cab driver who befriends the pair. Mr. Lukas makes Gus a cypher - why he would want to help the couple is mysterious, but, like June, he appears to believe sincerely in Alex's innocence and goes to drastic lengths to clear him of a potential murder charge. Gus gets the opportunity to orate on the more philosophical elements of the film that were inserted into the script by Clifford Odets.

There are a number of outstanding character performances, headed by Lola Lane as the thieving Edna. The opening sequence of the film (you can watch it below), shows a deep close up of her face, with a fly dancing around her - is she dead, you wonder. Her appearance in the film is brief, but pivotal. Ms. Lane is always a pleasure and sadly often under-utilized - she never got the screen time offered to sister Priscilla.

Marvin Miller (Sleepy Parsons), who would later gain fame as Michael Anthony in the TV show The Millionaire, is excellent as Edna's compatriot, a blind pianist. Osa Massen (Helen Robinson) is also convincing as a woman who is somehow tied into the crime. Jerome Cowan (Lester Brady) has a brief appearance as another suspect.  The one character we could have done without was the creepy Edward Honig (played by Steven Geray). He was a bit too icky as a dance hall patron pursuing June, and didn’t seem relevant to the story.

The story was reprized by the Lux Radio Theatre in May 1946 with Mr. Lukas, Mr. Williams and Joan Blondell in the lead roles. The movie received a lukewarm review by Bosley Crowther in the New York Times. And while we agreed with the Times that the ending came out of nowhere, a lot of things that throughout the film made no sense do coalesce.  We will mention that that a couple of us needed to rewatch the ending to grasp all that was going on.

If not everything makes sense in the film, one can assume, like Eddie Muller says in his introduction to the film, that it is "a dream." We'll leave you with that opening scene,  which starts the twisty road.

Warner Loves Fay (and Ingrid)

Several months ago, we discussed a film with Warner Baxter, and decided we wanted to view another of his movies.  This week, we watched Adam Had Four Sons (1941), with Baxter as Adam Stoddard, Fay Wray as his wife Molly, and Ingrid Bergman as their governess, Emilie Gallatin. The action opens with the arrival of Emilie, a young woman from Europe, who is immediately accepted - and adored - by her four young charges, Jack (who will grow up to be Richard Denning), David (Johnny Downs), Chris (Robert Shaw) and Phillip (Charles Lind).  The story follows the hardships of this good family, and the woman who becomes an intrinsic part of it, through a stock market crash, the First World War, and interpersonal catastrophes.  Through it all, Adam, his four sons, and Emilie remain true to each other, despite the attempts of the world to break them apart.

The film emphasizes the strength of this family.  Despite everything, the brothers, their father, and even the adopted family member, Emilie, remain loyal to one another.  Torn apart by the world's events, they cope and regroup.  Even when one seemingly insurmountable outside force - Jack's wife, Hester, played with relish by Susan Hayward - tries to fracture the brothers, she cannot succeed.  It is interesting that their home is named Stonehenge,  symbolizing the durability and longevity of those that abide in the home. 

The film features several strong women characters.  Fay Wray's Molly is the heart of the family.  Meeting her, we understand WHY the boys are so good and loyal.  She is the epitome of the good wife and mother.  Yet, she is not cloying or ridiculous.  Ingrid Bergman's Emilie, the adopted mother, begins as a naive girl and grows into a powerful woman.  She comes to the family as an employee, is forced to leave because of Adam's sudden impoverishment, but returns, not as an employee, but as substitute for the mother the boys have lost.  This was only Bergman's fourth film in the United States, but you can already see her skills.  Cousin Phillipa (Helen Westley) is the traditional cagey old lady. She knows more than she says, hides her wisdom behind her relish for a good, stiff drink, but works for the good of her nephews.  Vance (played by June Lockhart) is another innocent.  The childhood sweetheart of Phillip, she does not waver in her love, even when Phillip is severely injured.  And then there is Hester.

Susan Hayward's Hester is quite the conniver.  She enters the story as the wife of David, but the audience knows immediately that she is up to no good.  Of course, while Emilie and Cousin Phillipa are also well aware that she is merely an opportunistic schemer, it takes the men a bit longer to catch on.  Hayward truly makes the part her own; she uses sly glances, and the most subtle of movements to convey who Hester really is beneath all the artifice, she makes you want to slap her silly!

Given the title, one would think this is a film about five men.  But, really, it isn't.  It is about a family, and the women in the family that help the men to remain true to themselves. Here, we see Emilie's return and the introduction of Hester: