Noir Alley

[jamesjazzguitar]

1 hour ago, LornaHansonForbes said:

Nice poster! 
both ALBERT DEKKER and EUGENE PALLETTE had, um, “issues” in their offscreen lives. Wonder if that’ll get mentioned.

Suspense was Pallette last film so he might get mentioned.   

[TikiSoo]

18 hours ago, jamesjazzguitar said:

Whoa what a suggestive image!

[cigarjoe]

Here is my review from 2012

Suspense 1946

Another weird Noir that's a mix of suspense, crime, love story and ice capades? Dir. by Frank Tuttle with Stars: Belita, Barry Sullivan, Eugene Pallette,  Albert Dekker and Bonita Granville.

spoiler

The proprietor of a boardwalk ice-skating show (Decker) promotes a peanut-vendor at the show (Barry Sullivan) to a management position based on suggestions he made to improve the act of the show's star (Belita), who also happens to be the owner's wife . However, he soon begins to notice that his new manager is paying more attention to his wife than he believes is appropriate, and begins to suspect that his new manager has designs not only on his wife but on his business.

During a trip to a hunting lodge in the Sierras Decker takes a pop shot at Sullivan and appears to perish in the resulting avalanche, complicating things an ex flame Granville, shows up to try and reclaim Sullivan.

This film has at least 3 icecapde/dance numbers interspersed through the story line. Belita is very cute and was in 2 or three Ice Capade related films, but the last 30 minutes of this Noir is a bit far fetched but with an unexpected twist.  Looks for the most part studio set bound also. Caught it on TCM 6/10

[cigarjoe]

PS couldn't get the spoiler hide [spoiler] to work anybody find a new way to do it since the format changes?

[LornaHansonForbes]

45 minutes ago, cigarjoe said:

PS couldn't get the spoiler hide [spoiler] to work anybody find a new way to do it since the format changes?

[spoiler]
 

No and it’s a crying out loud shame because I LOVED that function. I can’t imagine WHY they did away with it.

 

[Dargo]

Maybe we should hire a private eye to investigate this?

Betcha there was someone pretty darn shady behind them doing this.

(...but then again, maybe I've just been watching too many film noirs lately)

 

[jamesjazzguitar]

6 hours ago, cigarjoe said:

Here is my review from 2012

Suspense 1946

Another weird Noir that's a mix of suspense, crime, love story and ice capades? Dir. by Frank Tuttle with Stars: Belita, Barry Sullivan, Eugene Pallette,  Albert Dekker and Bonita Granville.

spoiler

The proprietor of a boardwalk ice-skating show (Decker) promotes a peanut-vendor at the show (Barry Sullivan) to a management position based on suggestions he made to improve the act of the show's star (Belita), who also happens to be the owner's wife . However, he soon begins to notice that his new manager is paying more attention to his wife than he believes is appropriate, and begins to suspect that his new manager has designs not only on his wife but on his business.

During a trip to a hunting lodge in the Sierras Decker takes a pop shot at Sullivan and appears to perish in the resulting avalanche, complicating things an ex flame Granville, shows up to try and reclaim Sullivan.

This film has at least 3 icecapde/dance numbers interspersed through the story line. Belita is very cute and was in 2 or three Ice Capade related films, but the last 30 minutes of this Noir is a bit far fetched but with an unexpected twist.  Looks for the most part studio set bound also. Caught it on TCM 6/10

Bonita was 23 when she made Suspense.      While an adult role,  the same year,  1946,   Bonita was in an Andy Hardy film:  Love Laughs at Andy Hardy.

[Dargo]

I believe Eddie presented this film just a couple of years ago, did he not?

I seem to remember looking up the history of the old Hollywood Polar Palace skating rink (destroyed by fire in 1963) which the watching of this film prompted me to do, anyway.

[Looney]

HA!  Thanks for all the responses.  I too scanned everything I posted and did not see PITFALL (1948), but I wanted to double check so I decided to ask the community. 

Funny thing Dargo, I've never found Lizabeth Scott particularly attractive.  And honestly I wasn't really a fan of her until I saw TOO LATE FOR TEARS (1949) on NOIR ALLEY.  I bought that Blu-Ray immediately.  I actually did not end up buying that PITFALL (1948) Blu-Ray this week.  Right after I posted here I was contacted by someone in the Babylon 5 community about an item I have been trying to get my hands on, so the money went to that instead.  The PITFALL (1948) Blu-Ray will eventually make its way into my collection.

Thanks again for the responses.  I haven't had TCM for quite some time, which has been awful, but it was great to come back and hear some familiar voices. LOL 

[Dargo]

1 hour ago, Looney said:

HA!  Thanks for all the responses.  I too scanned everything I posted and did not see PITFALL (1948), but I wanted to double check so I decided to ask the community. 

Funny thing Dargo, I've never found Lizabeth Scott particularly attractive.  And honestly I wasn't really a fan of her until I saw TOO LATE FOR TEARS (1949) on NOIR ALLEY.  I bought that Blu-Ray immediately.  I actually did not end up buying that PITFALL (1948) Blu-Ray this week.  Right after I posted here I was contacted by someone in the Babylon 5 community about an item I have been trying to get my hands on, so the money went to that instead.  The PITFALL (1948) Blu-Ray will eventually make its way into my collection.

Thanks again for the responses.  I haven't had TCM for quite some time, which has been awful, but it was great to come back and hear some familiar voices. LOL 

Yeah, Liz is sometimes a hard one to place on the ol' "Attractive Scale", isn't she. I sometimes find her so, but then other times think she's a bit harsh looking and almost manly in appearance.

(...and of course my earlier post was meant in jest, anyway) 

[cmovieviewer]

3 hours ago, Dargo said:

I believe Eddie presented this film just a couple of years ago, did he not?

This is the first time for Suspense (1946) on Noir Alley.  We do have some other repeats coming up - Tomorrow is Another Day (1951) on 12-5, Detour (1945) on 12-26, and Born to Kill (1947) on 1-23.  At least so far when Eddie does a repeat he has been providing new introductory material, so it’s worth watching that portion even for those who have seen the film before.

[ElCid]

6 hours ago, jamesjazzguitar said:

Bonita was 23 when she made Suspense.      While an adult role,  the same year,  1946,   Bonita was in an Andy Hardy film:  Love Laughs at Andy Hardy.

I wish she had made more Nancy Drew movies.  The four are some of our go to movies when we can't find something else to watch.

[kingrat]

On 11/27/2020 at 7:28 AM, LornaHansonForbes said:

This coming Sunday's feature looks pretty damn interesting, a BONITA GRANVILLE film I have never heard of!

SUSPENSE 1946

EDIT- THIS CLIP IS OF BELITA AND NOT MISS GRANVILLE

 

Having Belita and Bonita in the same film makes me think of Forbidden Broadway's "Chita/Rita" parody.

[LornaHansonForbes]

6 hours ago, kingrat said:

Having Belita and Bonita in the same film makes me think of Forbidden Broadway's "Chita/Rita" parody.

ALSO STARRING: 

MOVITA! 
MAIMITA!

and

AQUANETTA as THE PANTHER WOMAN! 

[LornaHansonForbes]

Watching SUSPENSE right now.

BELITA has been onscreen for about a minute and I 110% understand why Eddie is such a fan.

She’s like the Anna Magnani of ice skaters.

[LornaHansonForbes]

Also NO HINT of a British accent!

[LornaHansonForbes]

I’m enjoying this movie quite a bit so far, it’s one of those classic films that’s cliché-ridden, but the clichés are endearing. It also reminds me a lot of the black-and-white “moonlighting“ episode.
I’m really hoping this ends with BELITA skating south down the 405 with a bunch of LAPD vehicles chasing after her as she tries to take it on the lam in Tijuana.

[LornaHansonForbes]

Wow, BONITA  GRANVILLE looks great! It’s very surprising to see her play so cheap so well! 

[LornaHansonForbes]

It’s turned into GILDA ON ICE now.

[LornaHansonForbes]

Well, SUSPENSE wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. Also surprisingly light on suspense.

its a crime to have an actress as good as Bonita Granville in your film and give her a role this terrible though.
It’s kind of funny that Eddie mentioned in his wrapup that Barry Sullivan thought BELITA was a bad actress. She- Like all of Sullivan’s other female costars – blew him entirely off the screen.

I’ve really never understood why Barry Sullivan was an actor in such demand. Were WW II and Korea that much of a draw on our young male talent?

[cigarjoe]

I forgot about that Noir-ish opening ice dance that was impressive. 

 

[LornaHansonForbes]

9 minutes ago, cigarjoe said:

I forgot about that Noir-ish opening ice dance that was impressive. 

 

It was A LOT of fun! I would’ve enjoyed it more if there had been even more contemporary “Street” dance numbers throughout the film.

[cigarjoe]

18 minutes ago, LornaHansonForbes said:

It was A LOT of fun! I would’ve enjoyed it more if there had been even more contemporary “Street” dance numbers throughout the film.

I was thinking a whole Noir ice capade full of all the film noir tropes. Something like Pennies From Heaven. 

[LornaHansonForbes]

31 minutes ago, cigarjoe said:

I was thinking a whole Noir ice capade full of all the film noir tropes. Something like Pennies From Heaven. 

IF THE MUSIC AND (oops, caps lock) score had been more memorable, I think it would've make a big difference. Monogram should've gone all-out with the song budget and picked up the rights to a couple big tunes. (not SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW though.)

the music in the opening "street number" seemed rather derivative of STREET SCENE to me.

[TomJH]

I enjoyed Suspense. Not only does it have the expressionistic noir photography in many scenes but it's the only noir hybrid I know of to blend double crosses with double axels.

But was I the only one to cringe a bit when Barry Sullivan, whose character may lack charm but certainly not brashness, crashes in on Albert Dekker's cottage love nest just as he's sitting comfortably by a burning fire place with the missus? The next thing you know Barry's settling down in the couch beside Belita with more eye popping coming out of him towards her than the wolf in a Tex Avery cartoon. And within a minute of Dekker excusing himself to go to bed good ol' Barry's telling her to ditch the guy.

I can't say I really blame Albert for eventually deciding to take his rifle down from the wall. Speaking of which, I enjoyed Dekker's performance in this film but, then, I usually enjoy Dekker. He brings an intelligence and unruffled smoothness to his characterizations, be they villains or not. I'm just sorry he didn't have more scenes in the production.