Cry Terror! (1958)

Cry Terror! (1958) has a plot so taut with tension that I watched it wide-eyed at the edge of my seat in wonder and a bit of terror. Based on an original story by director Andrew L. Stone, this fantastic Film Noir from MGM benefits from a brilliant cast, a fast-moving storyline, great editing, excellent build up of suspense and a MacGuffin. A term made famous by director Alfred Hitchcock, a MacGuffin is something in the story that drives the characters to action. What's interesting about a MacGuffin it's only purpose is to drive the plot but ends up being of little importance in the overall scheme of the story. For Cry Terror! the MacGuffin is a bomb on a airplane with the threat to plant more. The real story however is about the kidnapping of the bomb's inventor and his family by terrorists.

Paul Hoglin (Rod Steiger) hires his old army buddy Jim Nolner (James Mason) to develop a bomb.
Jim thought he was working on a government project. Much to his surprise Paul is the head of a terrorist group and the bomb winds up in a commercial airplane. At first no one is hurt but the threat mobilizes FBI into action. Just as Jim was about to report his friend to the FBI, Paul shows up to the Nolner home and kidnaps Jim, his wife Joan (Inger Stevens) and their young daughter.  The kidnapping gives the terrorists time to put their plan into action which includes extorting the FBI for $50,000 which Joan must pick up and deliver to them.

Paul's terrorist group is made up of a bunch of misfit characters including Neville Brand as the Benzadrine addicted Steve, Angie Dickinson as Paul's girlfriend Eileen and Jack Klugman as Vince the thug. The FBI team led by Kenneth Tobey as Agent Frank Cole still believe Jim was part of this original group of terrorist. Once they learn that Jim was merely a pawn in the terrorist group's game they work to help save the kidnapped family. Little do Paul Hoglin and his co-horts know that they messed with the wrong family. The Nolners are never complacent and constantly scheme to fight back against the terrorists and protect their young daughter.

James Mason gets top billing but the two real stars of this movie are Rod Steiger and Inger Stevens who both deliver powerful performances. Steiger is truly terrifying and delivers a powerful yet nuanced performance as the lead villain. Stevens plays Mason's wife and while she is in a constant state of terror, she rises above being just a victim and proves to be a strong character. She fights tooth and nail to protect her family and never allows herself to be paralyzed with fear. The Nolners are a true power couple. When they're first kidnapped, the terrorists threaten to separate them from their daughter. This is simply unacceptable to the parents. They decide to walk out the door together to their certain death than to bear a separation. Such a move forces the terrorists to regroup and modify their plans. This is the first of many brave acts.

Steiger and Stevens dominate the film but James Mason has his moments to shine. There is a wonderful scene when Mason makes a daring escape through an elevator shaft.

Jack Klugman, Rod Steiger and Angie Dickinson in Cry Terror! (1958)

I'm a big fan of Angie Dickinson and Jack Klugman so I was delighted to see them both in this film. Neither of them though are truly effective as villains but Neville Brand makes up for it in spades. Brand's Steve is a serial rapist and murderer and we fear for Joan (Stevens) when they are left together. Those scenes are unsettling and add to the growing tension in the film.

Inger Stevens and Neville Brand

A few points in the film, the inner monologue of Joan (Inger Stevens) or Jim (James Mason) takes over as narrator. In most movies this sort of narration is not always effective. In this film it worked beautifully. Their thought processes help audiences understand their fear and gave us insight into their scheming.

The film was shot on location in New York City and Hoboken, NJ. There is an extended sequence where Stevens travels from NYC to NJ to deliver money and there are lots of great views of the drive. Rod Steiger and Inger Stevens suffered carbon monoxide poisoning when they filmed a scene in a real subway tunnel. They were given oxygen and suicidal Inger Stevens at first refused the help because she wanted to die. Stevens committed suicide 12 years later at the age of 35.

Provocative and effective and with excellent pacing, Cry Terror! (1958) is a must-see for Film Noir fans.

Cry Terror! (1958) is an MGM film available on DVD-MOD from Warner Archive.

Warner Archive Wednesday - On (random) Wednesdays, I review one title from the Warner Archive Collection. Thank you to Warner Archive for sending me this title for review!

2016 Summer Reading Challenge - Final Round-Up and Winners

That's a wrap! The 2016 Summer Reading Classic Film Book Challenge is officially over. A big thank you to everyone who participated. I'm impressed at the variety of books read and reviewed. And a special shout out to those who were inspired to read more books this summer even if they didn't participate in the challenge. I love that you took the time out to participate in your own way!

First Round-Up

Second Round-Up

Danny of Pre-Code.com

Dangerous Men: Pre-Code Hollywood and The Birth of the Modern Man by Mick LaSalle

Grezilda of Doesn't She Ramble

Hollywood Love Stories by Gill Paul

Java's Journey

Joan Crawford by Anna Raeburn

Karen of Shadows and Satin

Review of all her books

Strangers May Kiss by Ursula Parrott

Leave Her to Heaven by Ben Ames Williams

Star-Crossed: The Story of Jennifer Jones and Robert Walker by Beverly Linet

Scarlett O’Hara’s Younger Sister: My Lively Life In And Out Of Hollywood by Evelyn Keyes

Virginia Bruce: Under My Skin by Scott O’Brien

The Magnificent Heel: The Life and Times of Ricardo Cortez by Dan Van Neste

Kate Gabrielle of Silents and Talkies

Shoot the Piano Player by David Goodis

Truffaut: A Biography by Serge Toubiana and Antoine de Baecque

The Cinema of Cruelty by Andre Bazin

The Films in My Life by Francois Truffaut

Kristen of Journey

Doris Day: The Untold Story of the Girl Next Door by David Kauffman

Room 1219: The Life of Fatty Arbuckle, the Mysterious Death of Virginia Rappe, and the Scandal That Changed Hollywood by Greg Merritt

Le of Critica Retro

Casablanca: Creating an Involuntary Masterpiece by Renzo Mora

Lindsey of The Motion Pictures

Five Women I Love: Bob Hope's Vietnam Story by Bob Hope

Marya

Grand Hotel by Vicki Baum

Noelle

The Garner Files: A Memoir by James Garner

'Tis Herself by Maureen O'Hara

Phyllis of Phyllis Loves Classic Movies

Star Style: Hollywood Legends as Fashion Icons by Patty Fox

The finalists who completed the challenge having read and reviewed a total of 6 books (or more!) include:

Danny of Pre-Code.com

Karen of Shadows and Satin

Java of Java's Journey

Lindsey of The Motion Pictures

Marya on Instagram

Raquel of Out of the Past

Vanessa on Goodreads

I don't qualify for the prizes and Danny graciously bowed out of this portion so that leaves 5 possible winners. Chosen by Random.org here they are!

Grand prize winner is Java of Java's Journey! She wins a copy of Conversations with Classic Film Stars, Helen Twelvetrees: Perfect Ingenue by Cliff Aliperti and a Warner Archive DVD.

Runner-up Marya on Instagram! Marya wins a copy of Conversations with Classic Film Stars.

Thanks again to everyone who participated. Any suggestions for changes to the challenge are welcome and will help me in planning for 2017!

The Unconscious Actor by Darryl Hickman

The Unconscious Actor: Out of Control, In Full Command
The Art of Performance in Acting and in Life
by Darryl Hickman
312 pages
April 2007
Small Mountain Press
Hardcover ISBN: 9780977680924

Amazon - Barnes and Noble - Powells

At the 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival, I had the wonderful opportunity to talk to actor Darryl Hickman on the red carpet. You can watch our discussion on my red carpet YouTube video. I asked Hickman about any interesting memories he had from being a child actor. He told me I should read his book. And so I did.

But let's be clear, this book is not Darryl Hickman’s memoir. First and foremost, and as the title and subtitle strongly conveys, Hickman’s book is a guide on becoming an “unconscious actor”. That is to say, how to tap into that reserve of instinct and emotion that will allow you to become an effective performer. How do you do this? By being simultaneously out of control and in full command. Those might sound like contradictory terms but with well plotted out instructions, explanations and insights Hickman makes the connection between the two clear.

“Acting in its purest form is an urge from deep in the human psyche to celebrate our aliveness, to act our dreams and fantasies in a public display of our most private selves.” – Darryl Hickman

Hickman tapped into the concept of unconscious acting as a child actor. The decision to pursue the craft came from Hickman’s mother who had aspirations of stardom but was too shy to pursue them. As Hickman reflects in the book, “my career would be her career; it was as simple as that.” At the tender age of 3, Hickman didn’t know what he was doing. Any parts he played he did unconsciously and not with the control that comes from methodical training. This made him an effective and sought after child star. Bing Crosby gave Hickman’s career a boost while they were making the film The Star Maker. Crosby guided the young boy, encouraged him and set him up with an agent. Soon after, Hickman became a regular at MGM thanks to a long-term contract.

  

He worked with top directors such as Ford, McLeod, Ratoff, C. Brown, Thorpe, Minnelli and Cukor as well as experienced actors and actresses too.  The child actor learned by working with them and listening to their guidance and advice. Hickman details the strengths and differences between each of the major directors and shares some background of working on films such as The Grapes of Wrath, Men of Boys Town, Keeper of the Flame, Song of Russia and others. Several of his most well-known films, including Leave Her to Heaven, are left out.

“Acting is reacting.” – Spencer Tracy

What drew directors to Hickman was his unconscious acting. He wasn’t trying to prove something or to be something. He was just a normal kid. This would prove vital in the second phase of his acting career. Hickman was out of work for several reasons: he was an awkward teen, briefly flirted with the idea of being a Passionist monk and was drafted into the army. Unsure if would ever be a Hollywood actor again, to his surprise he was offered a part in Tea and Sympathy.  Robert Anderson, the playwright, wanted Hickman in the role because he was the only actor “who didn’t look or act like an actor.” Unconscious acting was on Hickman’s side again.

Influenced by these early years but also by studying the masters Stanislavsky and Strasberg, the Method and reading extensively from many sources, Hickman developed his own methodology. He put it into practice first when he had the opportunity to be a substitute teacher in an acting class. From there he developed the ideas and practices that are clearly outlined in this book. It’s the heart of the text and Hickman’s passion for teaching acting shines.

By reading The Unconscious Actor, budding performers will learn Hickman’s 7 Principles of Acting and will be offered plenty of examples of how to be out of control yet in full command. Hickman’s book is a valuable resource and I would be doing him a disservice by giving away too much of the methodology in this review. Instead I thought I’d share a handful of my favorite quotes and reflections from Darryl Hickman:

“Go with the flow always. Don’t push the river.” 

“In any field, it’s the relaxed interviewee who gets the job.” 

“Visual information trumps the dialogue every time.” 

“A cast of professional actors is, from star to bit player, a true democracy, each individual equal to his or her fellow players, interdependent, open-hearted, a member of a team.” 

“Too much conscious mind mucks up the artist’s natural creativity.”

“Intellect and intuition must accommodate each others differing functions, embracing a partnership in which they work together as a creative team.”

“Dramatic art is about nervous, frightened, anxious, on-edge people. Good characters are forever in trouble.” 

– Darryl Hickman

Darryl Hickman told me to read his book and so I did. I was looking for some of those childhood stories but instead read a magnificent guide to unlocking creativity and imagination. Hickman's writing is superb and I could tell this book was written by a well-read and wise man. Even though I don’t have any aspirations to become an actress, if I ever change my mind I’ll have Hickman's guidance to kickstart my career.

Note that “The Unconscious Actor” and “ Out of Control, In Full Command” are trademark terms by Darryl Hickman.

This is my sixth and final review for the 2016 Summer Reading Classic Film Book Challenge.