TomJH

SPOILER ALERT It's been a few years since I saw the '64 version of The Killers but one moment I recall appreciating is when Reagan, knowing he is about to be killed, accepts his imminent demise with a calm serenity. His character may have been a rat and arguably deserving of his fate but, at the end, you have to admire his style (as opposed to the way Angie Dickinson deals with it which, to be fair, is only human).

The mystery elements of any of the Thin Man films is always of minimum interest to me. It's also such a cliche when Nick gathers all the suspects to reveal the killer's identity. It's the light hearted banter and chemistry between Powell and Loy that brings interest to these films, even in the later lesser efforts. The first two films in the series were unquestionably the best, with Powell in peak form in both films. I may lean slightly towards After the Thin Man, the second in the series, as my favourite. The physical comedy was at a real peak in this one, with Powell in bathrobe in one scene chasing after Asta who is carrying something he wants (I forget what). Powell makes himself look quite silly when he runs in that robe. Broad comedy appealed to the actor, while Loy, by beautiful contrast, was more reserved. The second TM also gave Asta more screen time, along with Mrs. Asta and a dark haired Scottie that brought out Asta's barkie jealousy. The third TM film, Another Thin Man, while respectable enough as entertainment, also marked the beginning of the series' decline in quality. 1936 was unquestionably the peak year of William's Powell career, not only with After the Thin Man getting released but My Man Godfrey (and an Oscar nomination for him), Libelled Lady and The Great Ziegfeld which, while not a particularly outstanding film by modern standards, perhaps, did enjoy the status of being named Best Picture at the Oscars.

Also a bit of a turn off.

I further found that I Mobster was released as a full screen DVD by Universal Studios in 2005.

I can't picture Bainter playing Ivy in Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

I Mobster was done by indie producer Edward L. Alperson and originally released through Allied Pictures Corporation so I have no idea about copy right (especially television copy right) issues or who owns the film today. Eddie is a fan of Steve Cochran so I'm sure he would love to get it. But can he? By the way, I saw a pan and scan version of this Cinemascope release at tubitv.com. It would be nice if Noir Alley attained a widescreen print of it. The film, I see, has had a blu ray release.

Here's a picture of an outdoorsy Miriam that may appeal to you a little more, Stallion. Sorry, I'm just horsing around with you. This shot, by the way, is from The Stranger Returns (1933), which has been on TCM in the past.

A moderator with a trigger finger? The thread was there less than two hours ago.

I Mobster (1959) Director Roger Corman's tale of the rise and fall of a gangster remains an interesting portrait despite its limited production values (even if larger than the usual Corman film) and the predictability of its story. Much of this must be attributed to star Steve Cochran, recently returned from Italy after delivering an exceptionally strong performance as an emotionally tortured man in Antonioni's Il Grido. Once under contract to Goldwyn and Warner Brothers, the husky good looking actor, only fitfully allowed a strong role to show off a considerable acting range, brings charisma to spare in his role as a NYC hustler who gradually becomes a local gangland king pin. There's a sentimentality at the core of this gangster portrayal largely told in flashback. Cochran's Joe Sante (with the actor's dark looks he could pass as an Italian) only kills when he has to, loves his mama (who gradually comes to despise him for his gangster activities) to whom he sends financial support and is initially reluctant to let a nice Italian girl who loves him get involved in the seediness of the rackets. He's also surprisingly virtuous when it comes to the ladies, pushing away gangland tramps in favour of the nice girl. (I wonder how amused Cochran, one of Hollywood's legendary studs, was about that aspect of his characterization). In short, Sante's not a bad guy but he lets himself get trapped going down a very wrong, if lucrative, path which includes drug peddling. Despite the corniness of aspects of the story Cochran is attractive and convincing in his role. But then this underappreciated actor always gave a good show. Character actor Robert Strauss is good as a former gang boss who becomes an underling of Cochran. The rest of the no name cast are adequate in their roles, including Lita Milan as the nice Italian girl with whom Sante finds "true love" and Celia Lovsky as Mama. Yvette Vickers, of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman fame, appears as, what else, a loose woman. Strictly for exploitational purposes legendary stripper Lil St. Cyr appears as herself putting on a stage performance which includes a bubble bath. I find there are times when I can enjoy exploitation very much. Cochran's career was floating at this time. He would soon be a co-star in a Mamie Van Doren "B" and do a lot of television work, including a strong performance as a particularly nasty gangster in The Purple Gang, one of the best episodes of The Untouchables. 2.5 out of 4

Just the luck of the draw in roles, I suppose, but Rod Taylor was a good actor who was also a sexy guy with brimmed with screen charisma. His performance in 36 Hours is further proof of that. I always wondered why Taylor never became a bigger star. He got stuck in lot of minor features.

Can anyone who saw it forget Cicely's run and the emotion she brought to her reunion scene with Paul Winfield in Sounder?

Yeh, I know, Nip, you're too grounded for that. So have you worshipped on your knees before your John Wayne poster yet today?

My guess is that it's possible Tallulah had a drink or two.

That's the point of my comment. Lillian Gish was a wonderful actress and she is fine in this film as kind Rachel Cooper but watching her watch over her "flock" of children isn't a tenth as dramatically compelling as viewing the evil of Preacher Powell which dominates the majority of the film. When he comes stomping over the hill as the two children are fleeing to the river it's like watching the approach of a monster and virtually impossible to turn your head away. The only film ever directed by Charles Laughton is truly a great one. I just regret the divergent path taken by the story towards the end. It's been too many years since I read the Davis Grubb novel to recall if the film was faithful to the author's work in its final chapters. If so, then the flaw may well lie with the novel itself.

The Night of the Hunter is one of my favourite films but, as I've written before, I regard this film as a flawed masterpiece. The performances, direction, photography and musical score are all first rate. But it's the final chapter, when this dark fairy tale's focus switches from the Big Bad Wolf to Mother Goose, that I feel this film loses much of its tension and, with it, a large degree of interest. And Mitchum's Preacher Harry Powell, one of the most memorable of all screen psychopaths, deserves a better sendoff than to just hide in a barn after being confronted by little old lady with a gun and then taken away in a police car. One more note, directorial novice Charles Laughton would never have been able to create such a memorable visual noir experience without the assistance of veteran cinematographer Stanley Cortez. Cortez's contribution to this classic is inestimable.

Fire Over Africa (1954) One of those routine programmers shot in an exotic location that can be fun to watch if you park your brain and don't expect too much. A British production, partially shot at Spanish locations substituting for Africa, with interiors done in Shepperton Studios in London, it involves a search for the syndicate behind a dope smuggling operation in Tangiers (all you really need to know about the plot), with Maureen O'Hara as an American undercover agent who tangles with various creepy types, as well as Macdonald Carey as a character who keeps popping up making with the (not so) wise cracks and coming on to her a lot. O'Hara is the kind of undercover agent who draws attention from everyone in the city with her glowing complexion, fiery long red hair and array of bright flashy dresses. Binnie Barnes plays the owner of a club/bar. My favourite moment in the film is probably when O'Hara first walks into a night club in the city. All eyes, both male and female, are upon her (it's amusing when a row of prostitutes sitting on bar stools all turn in unison to look at her). But tops is a dialogue exchange between two English males when they sight Maureen. "My word." "Yes indeed" "Healthy type." Very English indeed. 2 out of 4

"Make another crack about my tie and I'll slap that blubbery face of yours so hard you'll look like a Dick Tracy character."

"Oh, really? I rather appreciate anyone who appreciates someone who wears a good bow tie."

Thanks for this insight into the troubled life of a delightful screen eccentric, Det. Jim. I had no knowledge of any of this. P.S.: I now see there is an excellent copy of this documentary on You Tube. I'll be watching it.

Well there can certainly be other descriptions of a character without a name other than his/her race. Juanita Moore in Witness to Murder, for example, could have been called "Hospital Ward Inmate" or "Singing Hospital Inmate."

Yes, I was surprised by the billing. I'm not certain that I've seen any other black actress billed that way in a film, though I assume Witness to Murder is not alone. I can't recall any film in which a black actor is billed as "Negro."

Yes, Moore was "Negress" in the film, which is the exact way she was billed in the credits. By the end of the decade, when Hollywood was feeling more liberal about race relations, she would receive an Oscar nomination for Imitation of Life.

Dishonored Lady (1947) Hedy Lamarr is the art director of a high class magazine living a precarious life of numerous affairs (a source of company gossip) who is on the verge of a breakdown. After smashing up her car in what may have been a suicide attempt outside a psychiatrist's home she starts seeing the shrink on a regular basis (professionally), only to walk off her job and relocate herself elsewhere where she meets a simple minded slob with whom she falls in love. Soon, however, faces from the past will reappear in her life, culminating in a murder trial. Trite melodrama is primarily a showcase for Lamarr of whom references are made to her beauty at least once every five or ten minutes, it seems. Hedy, a limited actress, is actually not bad in her role, quite convincing in one scene in which her character is tipsy. The supporting cast is a reasonable one of male admirers, ranging from Dennis O'Keefe as a scientist with whom she falls in love to John Loder (in real life at the time Mr. Lamarr, or is it that she was Mrs. Loder?) as a smug, self satisfied, filthy rich client of hers with whom she has a dalliance, as well as William Lundigan, unexpectedly cast against type as a smug associate who turns out to be a scoundrel. The film's ending is quite contrived. A minor but watchable film for fans of Lamarr and the melodramatically predictable. 2 out of 4

Absolutely. That is a chilling scene in the film because it could happen in real life. In fact, he has. Think of Frances Farmer, as a famous illustration.

Any excuse to post a pix of your fantasy boy friend, eh Nip?