Robert Mitchum Video #4 ~ The Night of the Hunter (1955)

The famous scene from The Night of the Hunter (1955) in which Robert Mitchum's character Harry Powell tells the story of Love versus Hate (Good versus Evil) using the tattoos on his knuckles and by dueling with his fists. This scene has become iconic in film history and is referenced in Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing (1989).

#drinkpeople

I had some fun yesterday with the Twitter hashtag that was making the rounds yesterday. The goal is to take a person's name and turn it into a pun using a beverage. People came up with great ones including Oprah Whiskey, Hot Cocoa Chanel (@modcloth), Vodka Mortensen (@d_whiteplume) and Betty White Russian (@tommysalami). I tried to stick to classic film stars as much as I could. Here is what I came up with. Some are clever and some are just a real stretch. I did have fun with this and I encourage you to share any that you can come up with here or on Twitter. You can find me there @quellelove .

Raquel Welch's Grape Juice

Margarita Hayworth

Lizbeth Scott-ch and Soda

Scotch on the Rocks Hudson
Doris Daiquiri

Shirley Temple

Bloody Mary Astor

Nat King Colada

Dean Martini

Marlon Brandy

Jack Daniels Nicholson

Ginger Beer Rogers (or Ginger Ale Rogers)

Mountain Drew Barrymore

Iced Tea Leoni

Jack Lemmonade

Dean Jigger

Gin and Tonic Randall

Laurence Olive Martini

Ocean Sp-Ray Milland

Gordon MacRye Whiskey

Gin Lockhart and Gin Arthur and Gin Simmons and Gin Crain 

(Gene Jean and Jeanne)

Lauren Bacardi

Gene Iced Tierney

Mint Julep Christie

Vermouth Hussey (Ruth)

Deborah Side-Kerr (Sidecar)

Ann Miller Lite
Granita Page

Robert Mitchum Video #3 ~ Calypso is Like So... Playlist

If you are not at least somewhat amused by this album, you have no soul. My favorites are "Coconut Water" and "From a Logical Point of View". Some lyrical gems include:

from a logical point of view
better marry a woman uglier than you
from a logical point of view
always marry a woman uglier than you


an ugly woman give you your meals on time
and try to make comfortable in mind
a time when you lie sick in your cozy bed 
she will both caress you and scratch your head


Fill yourself a glass of coconut water, sit back and enjoy the album in its entirety.

Robert Mitchum sings... Calypso?!

All you need to record a Calypso album is a bottle of rum and a hot chick. Right?

The last thing you think of when the name "Robert Mitchum" comes to mind is Calypso music. That along with puppies, rainbows and soft fluffy clouds. This big lug of a man didn't seem quite suited to the fun and lively rhythms of the Calypso beat. Yet in 1957, Capitol Records gave the world Robert Mitchum's album "Calypso is Like So...".

In 1956, Mitchum had taken a much needed vacation in Trinidad and Tobago. As an actor, Mitchum was a workhorse, doing film after film after film and he rejected the Hollywood lifestyle. So his work could get to him sometimes and he  really needed the type of escape that only the Caribbean could provide. After his jaunt, he returned to the States and was so excited about all the Calypso music he had heard while away that he hit up singer-songwriter Johnny Mercer with the idea of doing a Calypso album. Mercer had referred him to Capitol Records.

You may be asking yourself why a big-wig like Capitol Records would agree to a Mitchum Calypso album? They were already salivating over the idea of a Mitchum music album to capitalize on his stardom. Also, another actor, Harry Belafonte, had done a Calypso album that was a hit on the airwaves. Big name star. Popular type of music. Ka-ching Ka-ching.

In March of 1957, Mitchum hit the studio to record the album. Capitol Records got a motley crew of songwriters, back-up singers and musicians to help Mitchum create "Calypso is Like So...". While Mitchum did a good job capturing the stereotypical Caribbean accent (whatever that is) and singing the Calypso songs with a lively air, the album flopped. No worries though. Mitchum was at the top of his game as an actor in Hollywood and a little Calypso album wasn't going to impede that.

Stay tuned because my next post will include music from Mitchum's foray into Calypso.

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retold from an excerpt of Lee Server's biography Robert Mitchum: Baby I Don't Care

Extra note: The lady on the cover of Mitchum's album was intended to look vaguely Caribbean (dark) but still be accepted to a Caucasian audience (not too dark).

James Mitchum in Thunder Road (1958)

Robert Mithcum's oldest son, James Mitchum, had a difficult time developing a career as an actor. It didn't help that he looked so much like his father who at that point had a very recognizable face and a well-established acting career. If you take a look at the pictures below, you'll see why. James had his father's sad eyes, square face, pouty lips and even his dimpled chin! These are screen caps taken from James Mitchum's screen debut in Thunder Road (1958).

Robert Mitchum Video #2 ~ "The Ballad of Thunder Road"

The theme song of Thunder Road (1958) was co-written and sung by Robert Mitchum.

Thunder Road (1958)

Thunder Road (1958) has one of the most interesting backstories of all the films Robert Mitchum made in his long career as an actor. It's not as dramatic as perhaps the one for Out of the Past (1947) which starts with a plane crash, but it's still full of juicy bits of trivia that will keep any film buff entertained.

Thunder Road is a Robert Mitchum production. For some time, Mitchum had played with the idea of writing a story about moonshiners. He wanted to create an adventure story that dealt with the illegal production and distribution of moonshine in the South and the prosecution of the moonshiners by government officials. Mitchum singled out the town of Asheville, North Carolina as the perfect place to base the story and shoot the film and he almost singlehandedly put this film together.

After doing extensive research for the story, he began collecting the people who would help him make the film. First there was screenwriter James Atlee Philips who was enthusiastic to work with Mitchum on the screenplay and also had a connection with the government tax office. Then came Mitchum targeted Arthur Ripley to be the director of the film. Ripley had a reputation for being super efficient and shooting whole films in 3-5 days. Mitchum chose Ripley because he saw one of his films a long time ago and liked it very much indeed (not that he could remember which one). Mitchum's choice seems an odd one, especially considering how Mitchum was so laid back in his work style and never much cared for deadlines or schedules.

Mitchum then set his eye on, of all people, Elvis Presley! He wanted the 22 year old to play the character of Robin Doolin, Mitchum's character's younger brother. Presley was a big fan of Mitchum and even modelled his famous pompadour hairstyle after Mitchum's wavy locks. Despite Presley's interest in the project, Presley insisted that Mitchum discuss the matter with his manage, the infamous Colonel Tom Parker. Mitchum wanted to deal with Presley directly and even invited Presley to the Mitchum house to have dinner and share stories to kind of woo him into the project. But Presley left things with his manager, who demanded the King be paid a salary that ended up being more than the film's entire budget. Mitchum, not one for dealing with managers or with Hollywood politics, decided to use his own son, James Mitchum, in the role instead.

Mitchum's next target was singer Keely Smith.He had heard one of her records and was very impressed. She had very little to no acting talent but Mitchum wasn't fazed by this. He had to have her in the movie and that's how it was going to be. Keely Smith playing the part of singer/love interest. The music part of the movie was very important to Mitchum. He cowrote two songs for the film. "The Ballad of Thunder Road" is the theme of the movie shown during the opening credits. Mitchum sang the ballad and it was so popular it even made it onto the pop charts! Another song, "The Whippoorwill" based on a poem, was sung by Keely Smith.

Once Mitchum had arranged the cast of characters that would bring his film to life, he and his crew headed to Asheville, NC for several weeks of filming. The local women were delirious with delight over the big movie star being in town. Mitchum was a notorious womanizer and he had the pick of the litter. He didn't even have to pursue, they came to him. His wife Dorothy had come to stay with him for a while during shooting. After a weekend of hardcover drinking, Mitchum woke up to see a strange woman in his bed. In a panic, he rushes out of the room and out of the house, leaving behind a beloved watch which was a gift from his wife and had been inscribed with his name and a personal message.. He knew he would be in the dog house with his wife if he didn't find that watch. That morning, Dorothy surprises him by handing him the missing watch.Turns out he had left it on their bedstand. The strange woman was really his wife!

Robert Mitchum wore many hats for this film including that of writer, researcher, sometimes director, producer, casting director, lyricist and singer. On top of all this, he also starred in the film. After years of being under the creative restraints of the eccentric Howard Hughes, Mitchum was finally free to be creatively independent. Thunder Road is a shining example of how versatile and talented Robert Mitchum could be.

Ryan's Daughter (1970) and the merits of CGI

My friend Kirk and I were discussing the merits of CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) in film. He prefers films with lots of action and a good amount of CGI whereas I prefer realism and a good story. I scoffed at Kirk for liking pretty fluff instead of a movie that had more meat in it. With the success of Avatar (2009), many of us classic film fans are retreating into our lairs and consoling ourselves with our precious old movies. All this fancy technology, seems to be taking away the merits of intelligent stories, witty dialogue and good old-fashioned plot development. The only CGI-laden film that I've really enjoyed was 300 (2006) mostly because of my interest in mythology, the graphic novel's influence on the book industry and how the film upheld the traditions of ancient storytelling (repetition, grandiose language, emphasis on immortality, pride and patriotism, etc.). But otherwise, CGI is a hard sell for me.

Over the weekend, I went to a late night showing of a documentary and the trailer for Ironman 2 (2010) was shown. And then something clicked. I finally understood. Anyone who goes to see Ironman 2 or any other film with some amounts of CGI wants a visual spectacle. They want something they can't get at home. They want their movie experience to be the equivalent of a roller coaster ride. They want to be on the edge of their seats, hearts pounding, eyes wide open; they want the thrill.

This isn't new. Ever since the advent of Television, movie studios have relied on technological advances to woo movie goers away from their living room and into the theater. CGI is one way. 3-D is another. Weird musicals with Gene Kelly yet another.

So what does this have to do with Ryan's Daughter (1970)? This David Lean epic isn't an outstanding film in terms of story. Sarah Miles stars as Rosy, local pub owner Ryan's daughter, who marries sheepish school teacher Robert Mitchum. She's Irish and has a wild extra-marital affair with a British soldier played by Christopher Jones. Miles and Mitchum are terrific in the film as are Trevor Howard and John Mills. They deliver first-rate performances. But the story is so-so and Christopher Jones is a big disappointment.

What makes this film truly amazing is it's incredible cinematography. It's pure eye-candy; a feast for the eyes. You are transported from your seat into a seaside town in Ireland circa late 1800s. The breathtaking cinematic quality of this film is lost on a TV and it begs to be watched on a big screen.

I created a Flickr slideshow of some of the best visuals from the film. I've also included my favorites below.

Robert Mitchum Video #1 ~ The Reluctant Star

This is an hour long documentary on the career of Robert Mitchum, provided to you by Hulu.com.

It's a Veritable Robert Mitchum Explosion

So I've been preparing for months. And months. And months for a Robert Mitchum Week. A follow up on my highly successful Norma Shearer Week. It made sense. Norma Shearer is my favorite actress so why wouldn't I do a second themed week with my favorite actor Robert Mitchum.

I read the Robert Mitchum biography Baby I Don't Care by Lee Server and I watched various documentaries on Mitchum's life and work. I've been viewing Robert Mitchum movies from various sources: old videotapes, Netflix, YouTube, even Hulu. I've even been listening to his Calypso album! So why couldn't I pull off Robert Mitchum week?

First off, I wanted to write all the pieces together. In one fell swoop. Every time I came up with a brilliant idea for a post, I'd tuck back into the recesses of my brain for later use only to have said ideas lost in the void that is my mind. Plus I had way too many ideas to cram into just one week. I thought about doing a whole Robert Mitchum month but I didn't have enough content for that. And that was a lot of pressure to put on myself.

How about a Robert Mitchum 1 week and a half? Or two weeks and a third?

Did I mention I have to write a review on a Mitchum-related book for a publisher? Yeah. I better get on that.

Then there was the bio. Oh how I dreaded writing that bio. How am I going to cram Robert Mitchum's crazy life and prolific career into a few paragraphs?

So this morning I decided to toss Robert Mitchum Week out the window and just have what I call "A Veritable Robert Mitchum Explosion". I'm going to post lots of Mitchum stuff, willy-nilly, no form, no structure, just Mitchum stuff spewed onto this blog, in post form. And you know what, I feel liberated. I feel like a poet who was try to cram thoughts into a haiku but decided to use free-form poetry instead.

Watch this space as I proceed to post about Mitchum, in all his glory, with no schedule or structure at all.

Queen Norma Shearer ~ Their Own Desire (1929) now on DVD

I cannot tell you how happy I am that one of my top favorite Norma Shearer films is now out on DVD, thanks to the Warner Archive Collection. And now that they are doing nice original packaging for these DVD-Rs (instead of that boring navy blue swirly design they were previously using), Their Own Desire (1929) gets an awesome treatment with this funky contemporary colorized cover!

The movie itself is a feast for the eyes. Many scenes were shot at the Norconian Resort in Norco, California which was an Art Deco paradise. I secretly dream of breaking into the abandoned resort and looking for the lost and decaying Art Deco treasures. The resort boasted an amazing Art Deco swimming pool and Norma Shearer got to show off her diving skills in a great scene with Robert Montgomery. They both hit the water and share an underwater kiss which to me is an iconic representation of the film, the resort and the era.

There is lots more for the eye to feast on! A dancing scene with moving lights and shadows is the essence of cool Art Deco/1920s style. The rich soak up the sun and get some exercise with a nice game of polo. And the clothes. Oh the clothes. I want them all.

Believe it or not, there is a story too but this is where I separate from other folks. Most people do not like the story because they feel it's lacking in substance and is full of predictable cliches. However, I am very drawn to stories about rich jaded people who are so bored and numb that they manipulate lives to get themselves to feel something. Bonjour Tristesse (1958) anyone? And that's what this is. A story about rich people bored with life. To me that's fascinating. Norma Shearer stars as Lally, a young beautiful rich girl who escapes to a resort with her mother after they have found out that her father, Lewis Stone, is having an affair with another woman. At the resort, Lally meets Jack, Robert Montgomery, and they fall in love. Trouble is, Jack is the son of Beth, the woman who is having an affair with Lally's father. Oops! It's the type of soap opera that only a really excellent Pre-Code film can provide.

I wrote a short review back in 2008 when I first saw the film on TCM and I forsee writing more about this in the future. Now that this is on DVD, I hope to purchase it and make some lovely screen cap collections of all the Art Deco beauty of this film. Maybe I'll even make it a week long affair. Stay tuned... 

Tony Rome (1967) is pretty darn cool

When Tony Rome is out and about, trouble is sure to follow. I really loved this movie, so much so that I watched it twice in a row. Once for the story and a second time for the atmosphere. I'm a gal who loves details and this film had a lot to savor. Here are some things I picked up on. Enjoy.

Flimsy nightgowns and balcony bar service

7-digit phone numbers without Area Codes

Old-fashioned product logos. In this case, beer cans.

Old-fashioned cars like this blue Ford.

Cocktail stirrers

Iconic shots such as this one.

Young Gena Rowlands

Old-fashioned hair clips

Jill St. John and her outfits

Going to bed with full make-up on

Ginormous pools in really fancy seaside hotels

Smaller Floridian seaside hotels. My dad used to own one back in the early 1970s.

Old-fashioned staplers.

Telephone Books/Yellow Pages

Typewriter-typed documents

Typewriters

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Do you like to look for certain details in movies? What do you look for? I particularly like searching for objects that today are obsolete. There is some charm in things we used to rely on but don't anymore. Or even things like staplers that we use today but older versions seem to be of higher quality.

Norma Shearer

This was a guest post on Silents and Talkies. Artwork is created by Kate Gabrielle. Go visit her new blog Scathingly Brilliant.
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Norma Shearer was a sight to behold. She was simply stunning and had an elegance and grace that translated well on film and in photographs. Shearer loved the camera and the camera loved her, but their courtship started off on very rocky footing. Over the years Shearer, along with the help of studio stylists and photographers, developed tricks and techniques for her so that the camera always captured her in the best light possible.

If Norma Shearer was so beautiful, what could she have had to hide? Shearer's biggest physical flaw was the slight cast in one of her eyes. Technically it was not a lazy eye but it was ever so off center, enough to make her look cross-eyed. At one point she had surgery to correct this, but it never did fully go away. So what did she do? She dealt with it. If you watch Norma Shearer's films or see any of her photographs, she'd always tilted her head and face at an angle. It created a dramatic look, showcased her spectacular profile and hid her major flaw. It took years of practice and it wasn't until well into her talkie career in which her crossed eyes are completely unnoticeable. She learned an effective trick from photographer George Hurrell that if she looked towards directly in the camera's direction she had to look past it, as though she was looking beyond at something very far away.

As I got to learn more and more about Norma, I discovered that she had even more physical flaws that she withheld from the camera. She had a short dumpy figure, a result of thick legs and arms on a petite body. She was also knock-kneed, something clearly visible when you see her silent film He Who Gets Slapped (1924). Shearer learned to hide her legs with long skirts and dresses and showcase her torso which was slender. She got very knowledgeable about lighting and refused to be shot at any unflattering angle. This oftentimes made her clash with her co-stars who also wanted to look their best on screen. The most notable one is Clark Gable, Shearer's co-star in A Free Soul (1931), Strange Interlude (1932) and Idiot's Delight (1939). Gable had huge ears which were very noticeable and everything possible was done to hide them. He was banned from wearing bowler hats, he had to always look away from the camera and oftentimes his ears were taped to his head so they would lay flat. You can imagine all the work it took to get the best lighting and positioning for when Gable and Shearer shared a scene. It must have been quite a battle!

Beyond the physical, Norma used her natural charisma to enhance her beauty. She always had lively expressions and elegant hand and arm movements. Her vibrancy was electric and seemed to light up the screen. Who would be searching for flaws when they would be too busy being entranced by her charm?

So why do Norma's flaws matter? Norma Shearer acknowledged what she had and what she didn't and worked very hard to be her best. It's something that made her notorious as a diva but to me it showed her admirable diligence to overcome obstacles in her path. I've learned from her and even I've developed tricks so I can look my best on camera.

Super-Sensitive Viewer; How Violence Is NOT GOOD

Today is the 15th anniversary of the murder of Tejano singer Selena. So I'm in a bit of a sad mood.

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Several things have happened recently which just reiterate the fact that I'm a super-sensitive viewer.

On Saturday night, I was at some trashy bar and there were some 100 screens showcasing the UFC 111 - Ultimate Fighting Championship. My eyes could not avoid the fight. I would have to look down at the ground or up at the ceiling if I didn't want to see two guys beating the living daylights out of each other. We had seen 3 fights and when they were on the George St. Pierre vs. Dan Hardy fight, I had had enough. My heart couldn't bear seeing Hardy's eye almost pop out of his head and both his arms be almost dislocated. I just had to get out of that bar and away from that fight.

Please don't beat up this guy. He's got a nice mohawk! And he's from Nottingham, England.

On Sunday, by good friend Mark (super genius awesome author extraordinaire) wrote a post about the film Beyond Rangoon (1995). It's a film I could never bring myself to watch. I had caught a pivotal scene in the beginning of the movie on TV some years ago and I have been traumatized ever since. The scene involved Patricia Arquette's character arriving at her home only to discover that her husband and young son have been brutally murdered. I immediately switched channels and have not touched the movie since. That one scene still haunts me to this day.

A couple of weeks ago, Classicflix randomly chose to send me Crime School (1938) in the mail and I'm glad they did. It was such a wonderful movie and I can see why certain bloggers like the Dead End Kids. My beau Carlos found many correlations between this movie and Brubaker (1980) and encouraged me to watch the latter and compare the two films. The plots are very similar yet Brubaker has a lot more violence. In one part of the movie, the new warden played by Robert Redford discovers that one of the prisoners has been there a few years longer than his sentence required. Just as this older gentlemen is to be released the bad bad prison guards decide to kill him since he holds many secrets, including the locations of the graves of murdered prisoners. When I asked Carlos if the sweet old man was going to die, he admitted that he would and I burst into tears. We had to stop the DVD so I can regain composure. Needless to say, we had to skip over that part because I just couldn't deal.

Do you remember when I told you that I hyper-ventilated the first time I saw Strangers on a Train (1951)? Yeah.

Something about an old lady being choked at a party just rubbed me the wrong way.

Anyways, Carlos tried to calm me down by telling me that these were only actors and this wasn't real. EXCUSE ME? For me at least, the whole point of watching a movie is to be swept away by it. Not to see it as something fake, but to momentarily be taken into another world, into other people's lives, into other experiences. Carlos likes to find goofs, bad cuts and other errors. He likes to figure out the plot as early on as possible. I like to find literary/cultural references and to ride the magical ride that the plot takes me on. So no. To me this isn't fake this is the real deal.

And guess what? Brubaker is based on a real story.

And guess what else? The older gentleman who was murdered in the story died in real life before the movie hit theaters. So no Carlos. This isn't fake. That man really did die. So yes, I have a real reason to shed my tears.

So for me this is all to real. I can't take the violence. Fake violence (Brubaker) or real violence (UFC 111), to me it's bad. Really really bad. I find it sad that most people are so immune to images of violence that it doesn't even faze them. I don't want to be immune. When I see someone being hurt, I want to be able to empathize. I don't want to be insensitive.

So when the character Bullen (played by the delightful David Keith) tells us about his unfortunate upbringing and the brutal murder of his twin brother, we should feel empathy. When the prison guards eletrocute him a bit to punish him, we should feel empathy. When Bullen meets his demise, we should be sad.

Isn't that the whole point of a story? That it should get us to feel something? It makes me feel too much because I am too sensitive but I worry about those who don't feel anything anymore.

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P.S. Carlos doesn't force me go to trashy bars, watch UFC fights or see violent movies against my will. He's a very sweet boyfriend, I promise!

The Glass Wall (1953)

The construction of United Nations Secretariat building in New York City, New York was completed in 1952. Although it is in New York and activities that happen on the premise are under state and local jurisdiction, the land on which this building stands is considered international territory. The edifice stands at 505 feet tall and has almost 40 stories. It was designed by architects Le Corbusier and Oscar Niemeyer who created a modern building that stood out from the classic architecture that surrounded it. What is unique about the Secretariat building is that it looks like a giant glass wall. You can see the reflection of the city's skyline in the continuous rows of windows. It represents the uniting of nations to create a more cohesive world yet the building seems less like a beacon and more like a giant impediment. On the other side of the building is the East River which flows into the Atlantic. In some ways, the building looks like a wall blocking the US from the world and the world from the US. And the building, it's significance, it's placement and it's appearance proved to be perfect fodder for film noir.

The UN Secretariat building features prominent in The Glass Wall (1953) making the title of the film very apropos.  Peter Kaban (Vittorio Gassman) has reached a glass wall. He can see through the wall to the other side, where there lies hope for a new life and for freedom. But the wall is an illusion and he can't get through. He tries to shatter the glass wall but doing so comes with major repercussions.

After spending nearly 10 years in concentration camps and watching his entire family die in a gas chamber, Peter escapes Aushwitz and walked 300 miles to get on a shipping vessel headed towards America. He gets on the ship as a stowaway and when he gets there, he is denied entrance because of his illegal entry. He tries to reason with the goverment officials using Statute Six which allows people of Allied forces who have helped the American cause to enter America. Peter helped an American soldier named Tom but only knows very rudimentary information about his American friend and cannot convince the officials. Determined not to go back to Europe, as it would be a death sentence for him, he escapes the docked vessel and goes on the lam, looking for his friend Tom. Tom is his one chance at staying in America and for his salvation but like any good film, finding Tom isn’t easy, even when Tom starts looking for Peter.

Peter has a naivete and a wholesomeness that makes us sympathize with him. He's been through so much and it pains us to watch him go through more pain and anguish. There is an amazing scene where Peter walks around Times Square and looks around in wonderment and awe at all the flashing lights, people and general hussle and bussle. He is the film noir equivalent of a lost puppy and we are desperate to save him.

Peter becomes a psuedo-celebrity. His face is plastered on the front page of the newspaper and many people in the city recognize him because of that. He runs and runs even past the point when he doesn't have to run anymore and running would do him more harm than good. We watch Peter’s slow descent into delirium as his body starts to lose it's battle against the broken ribs that threaten to puncture his surrounding organs. His physical deterioration adds to the ascent to the story's climax. When Peter reaches The Glass Wall, he sees the reflection of the building through a puddle. It's the last beacon. It's his final destination. It's his biggest obstacle that he must face. Can he make it? Can he push himself just a bit more? Can he take himself to the brink of death in order to save his life?

I would be remiss if I didn’t talk a bit about the film’s biggest shining star, Gloria Grahame. She has a formidable role of Peter’s love interest and friend, Maggie. Maggie is disillusioned by the same system which has also rejected Peter. She's used to men wanting her body and forcing themselves on her. She's fed up with not having money. She has nothing to fight for until she meets Kaban and she'll rob small children to help him out. Maggie is as desperate as Peter and in this way they complement each other. Grahame always excelled in roles in which the character’s were jaded and fed up. She emoted frustration very well especially with her characteristic frown and pout.

This film comes at a time when Americans are still reeling after the effects of WWII and of the horror that has come to light about the Holocaust and concentration camps. A massive influx of WWII refugees infiltrated the United States, many coming through Ellis Island which is also featured in the film. Many of these immigrants were know settling into their new lives in the US and trying to become part of the local fabric. Many abandoned their pasts for their futures while others never forgot where they came from. When Peter (a Hungarian) is on the lam, he runs into a sympathetic Hungarian-American who takes him in to her home. The sympathy they show for a complete stranger, and a well-known criminal at that, really demonstrates the bond between immigrants and the people from their homeland.

This is what I call an effective movie. It’s relevant to the times, it’s shot on location, the characters are interesting and sympathetic, the pacing works and the rising tension keeps you at the edge of your seat. There are some great shots of New York City and the inside of the UN Secretariat building. The pinnacle of the film is a superb monologue delivered by Vittorio Gassman (Peter) in an empty UN conference room. If that scene doesn’t move you, you have no soul.

The Glass Wall (1953) is highly underrated and overlooked. In my honest opinion, it has to be one of the best and effective film noirs out there. I’m very appreciative that it’s finally got it’s debut on DVD through the Bad Girls of Film Noir Vol 1 boxed set. And maybe with it’s availability, this little noir will get the recognition it deserves.

Happy Birthday Carlos!

This is a special Happy Birthday greeting to my beau Carlos who turns ::mumbling:: years old today. xoxo

This is Carlos channeling Paul Newman as Fast Eddie Felson in The Hustler (1961):

Guest Post on Noir of the Week

Please go check out my guest post on Noir of the Week on the excellent Noir The Glass Wall (1953). I'll be reposting it here with my own pictures when the next noir replaces mine. Check out this excellent poster that Steve picked out for the post!

Les Girls (1957)

The year is 1957. Major movie studios are feeling pressure to get people back into the theaters and away from their television sets. Cinemas were losing business and subsequently closing locations. International moviemakers, who had fewer restrictions in showing sex and other themes in the films that were not friendly to the still active Hays-Code, were luring American viewers away from domestic films. So what we see during the late 1950s are American studios making desperate attempts to produce films that will capture the public's eye and make movie goers reach for their wallets.

What we get during are a lot of films that push boundaries and test the waters. Films like Baby Doll (1956), The Night of the Hunter (1955), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) and Anatomy of a Murder (1959). Studios were using the shock value of their new films to keep themselves in business. So where does a tame little movie like Les Girls (1957) come in?

Let's take a look at what was on television in 1957:


Perry Mason
Leave it to Beaver
Zorro
Have Gun - Will Travel
Maverick
Wagon Train
Gumby!

What did 1957 American television not have?:

A Metrocolor musical directed by George Cukor starring Gene Kelly with Cole Porter songs and wardrobe designed by Orry-Kelly.

Who cares if Les Girls (1957) comes out like Les Blech?! As long as it's pretty, has song and dance numbers, has a lot of big names attached to it all while Gene Kelly's ego can be fed, then why the heck not. It's pure money.

For the moviegoer who can't go to Broadway to watch a big theatrical production, a film like Les Girls is the next best thing. It's a reason to get out of the house. It's a reason to abandon the TV. It's a reason to spend some of your money.

And yes. I feel a bit strange having seen this film on my own home television.

I didn't much care for this movie. It seems like the sort of film that was made just so Gene Kelly could be pleased (and hey, it was his last musical so why not!). As Millie from ClassicForever describes it, the film is Gene Kelly's love letter to himself. However, this film still managed to fascinate me. I think it's mainly because it's so different from the other 1950s films that I'm normally drawn to.

I like how it's a sign of the times. I like how it's so bad that you can't help but watch the whole thing. I like how pretty all the women look and how I want each and every single outfit they wear. I like the fact that the title is "Les Girls" but it's really about "L'homme".

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And on a final and somewhat related note, I'm oddly curious about Kay Kendall, and have been ever since I saw The Reluctant Debutante (1958) . She passed away of Leukemia in 1959 at the tender age of 33, only a couple of years after Les Girls (1957) hit theaters and after she had been diagnosed. At the time of her diagnosis, she was having an affair to then-married Rex Harrison. He learned of her diagnosis, knew she only had two years to live, didn't tell her about it, divorced his wife and immediately married her to take care of her. But Harrison and his original wife planned to remarry after Kendall died. Huh?! She went on working in films, theater and television until the day she died. All the while she thought she had an iron deficiency. Harrison never remarried his original wife because she fell in love with someone else. How did Harrison get the diagnosis? Why didn't the doctor tell Kendall? Doesn't this strike you as odd?