Noir Alley

[JamesJazGuitar]

48 minutes ago, cinemaspeak59 said:

Repeat Performance has quite an interesting setup for a film noir. I agree about the plot holes. But with such a handsome production, snappy dialogue, and interesting characters, Repeat Performance works splendidly. Take, for example, Louis Hayward, bored senseless in Los Angeles, referring to California as a sun-kissed purgatory. Does it matter the supernatural element wasn’t explained? Not one bit. The film was an enjoyable melodrama, a women’s picture in the best sense, as the women were the decisive, take-charge characters. But we have our femme fatale, two actually: Joan Leslie in the first act, looking sexy and furtive; and then later Virginia Field takes over as the manipulative playwright.

It was nice seeing Virginia Field in this film since it is one of her better performances.    She was in many Mr. Moto films and one Charlie Chan film for 20th Century Fox.

I assume she is most well known (by us studio-era fans),  for Waterloo Bridge (the Taylor \ Leigh version):  

[misswonderly3]

27 minutes ago, cinemaspeak59 said:

Repeat Performance has quite an interesting setup for a film noir. I agree about the plot holes. But with such a handsome production, snappy dialogue, and interesting characters, Repeat Performance works splendidly. Take, for example, Louis Hayward, bored senseless in Los Angeles, referring to California as a sun-kissed purgatory. Does it matter the supernatural element wasn’t explained? Not one bit. The film was an enjoyable melodrama, a women’s picture in the best sense, as the women were the decisive, take-charge characters. But we have our femme fatale, two actually: Joan Leslie in the first act, looking sexy and furtive; and then later Virginia Field takes over as the manipulative playwright.

Thanks for your comments,  cinemaspeak.  I would like to clarify a slight misunderstanding on your part, regarding my post about the plot holes in Repeat Performance.   I don't consider the "supernatural element" to be  a plot hole at all, and I did not say I thought it should have an explanation.  In fact,  I said I liked that aspect to the story and thought it was somewhat Twilight Zoneish.  What I said about that part of the story was this:

"....But for heaven's sake, don't start thinking too much about the plot, or you'll find a lot of holes.  I'm not talking about the Twilight Zone -ish wish fulfillment of Sheila's getting to live 1946 all over again,  I can go with that, in fact I like that kind of story."

I do have a slight problem with the actual plot holes in the film, which I pointed out in the same post where I said I liked its supernatural element. However,  most noirs have plot holes of one kind or another, in fact, most movies, period,  have plot holes.  Repeat Performance was entertaining enough that I was willing to overlook them.

[misswonderly3]

On 1/9/2022 at 2:10 PM, Thompson said:

The three women carried the movie.  They were just terrific.  Tyrone with his long eyelashes and bushy eyebrows came through in the end.  I really liked him when he started to slide down hill.  Believable acting.  All the whiskey bottles ended up empty, dead soldiers one and all.  I was impressed with Pete and  his alcoholic shakes.  He pulled his scenes off well.  It’s true, you know, you can’t drink wood alcohol or rubbing alcohol.  If things get bad you have to drink filtered  sterno through stale French bread.  Or beg the neighbor for some vanilla extract.

Something I really like about Nightmare Alley is the general seediness of most of the settings  ( most, but not all.)  I especially enjoy that scene, it's right after Stan has realized he's lost everything and may have to stay on the run for the rest of his life, or at least, for some time.

He's in some crummy hotel room, probably near the railway tracks.  The bellboy comes to take away his untouched food, asking him why he doesn't want to eat.  Stan replies that he's not hungry,  but can the kid get him something to drink?   The bellboy whips out a bottle of gin.  What ?!  He just happens to be carrying a bottle of gin in his pocket,   just for customers like Stan?   I love that !  

I also really like the  h0nky-tonk tinkly piano music that's playing the whole time in that scene.  I don't know where it's coming from, but it doesn't matter.  It's perfect for the general low-life feel of the setting.  All that's missing is a train whistle in the distance.

The whole scene is like a Tom Waits song.   

[Thompson]

I’ll never kiss a gun street girl again.  

[TomJH]

On 1/13/2022 at 2:53 PM, misswonderly3 said:

Something I really like about Nightmare Alley is the general seediness of most of the settings  ( most, but not all.)  I especially enjoy that scene, it's right after Stan has realized he's lost everything and may have to stay on the run for the rest of his life, or at least, for some time.

He's in some crummy hotel room, probably near the railway tracks.  The bellboy comes to take away his untouched food, asking him why he doesn't want to eat.  Stan replies that he's not hungry,  but can the kid get him something to drink?   The bellboy whips out a bottle of gin.  What ?!  He just happens to be carrying a bottle of gin in his pocket,   just for customers like Stan?   I love that !  

I also really like the ****-tonk tinkly piano music that's playing the whole time in that scene.  I don't know where it's coming from, but it doesn't matter.  It's perfect for the general low-life feel of the setting.  All that's missing is a train whistle in the distance.

The whole scene is like a Tom Waits song.   

And one more final touch to this same scene, MissW, is at the end of it when Stan tips his head back to take those first swigs from the bottle director Edmund Goulding has his camera pull back, making him a smaller figure in the room as he disappears into darkness, as though swallowed before our eyes by his descent into addiction. Accompanying these visuals on the soundtrack, and this is crucial as it foreshadows Stan's future, are the faint screams of a geek.

The scene is a memorable portrayal of seediness and degradation.

 

[misswonderly3]

23 hours ago, TomJH said:

And one more final touch to this same scene, MissW, is at the end of it when Stan tips his head back to take those first swigs from the bottle director Edmund Goulding has his camera pull back, making him a smaller figure in the room as he disappears into darkness, as though swallowed before our eyes by his descent into addiction. Accompanying these visuals on the soundtrack, and this is crucial as it foreshadows Stan's future, are the faint screams of a geek.

The scene is a memorable portrayal of seediness and degradation.

 

You said it, Tom !  I appreciate the way you notice the technical, cinematic aspects of a scene - the lighting, the camera movement, etc.  Although I like to think I notice those things too,  I think you are especially good at being aware of such touches, and bringing them to our attention.

[mr6666]

 

[Thompson]

Matt Crowley as Smoothie was really good.  Never heard of him.  As the stomach turns is what happened to me in every scene with Broderick drinking that white wine and beer combo.  You don’t mix the grape with the grain, and you certainly don’t mix the grape with the hops.  New Orleanians are peculiar folks, but they are not that peculiar.  Kudos to Eddie for clearing that up in the outro.  The Mob lacked that certain desperation thing that seems indicative to noir.  Did anybody notice that very cool and unique cigarette gizmo at the party?  Did BC put a penny in it to make it work?  And the water jar on the bar with the free drink penny try was cool.  I thought the hotel bar was very realistic, with that barfly sort of atmosphere.

[ElCid]

The Mob was a good movie and well made.   Glad Eddie showed it as I had not seen it before.   My wife and I frequently watch episodes of Highway Patrol, which are entertaining.   Eddie' s DUI explanation on Crawford explains why Crawford is seldom (if ever) seen on a regular road and why they use so many dirt roads in the series.

Next week's Over-Exposed with Cleo Moore is another good one.  We have it on the Bad Girls of Film Noir DVD set.

[misswonderly3]

The Mob was a double treat for me, because a)  I'd never seen it before, or even heard of it,  and a fresh noir from the classic era is something I appreciate,  and b)  not only was it "fresh" to my eyes, but I actually liked it and thought it was kind of good.

I loved all the seedy waterfront scenes,  the docks and the sleazy hotel and the dark streets  ( with lots of rain and streetlamp light ).  Small criticism, but it doesn't really matter:  true,  I'm not familiar with New York City, the way it looks now and certainly not the way it looked then. But even I could tell this was not NYC.  At one point you could even see palm trees !   I don't know why they didn't just set it in Los Angeles , where it was clearly filmed. .....Oh, maybe there wasn't that whole  stevedore /waterfront / corrupt union boss thing happening in L.A.   I wouldn't know.

Regardless,  the film held my attention and interest throughout  - always a good thing to not be bored by these offerings  ( by the way, I rarely am.)

I enjoyed Broderick Crawford's performance-- hey,  everybody notice he shaved his moustache when he went undercover?  I guess longshoremen tend to be clean-shaven.  No matter.

SPOILERS AHEAD

The Clancy character really kept me guessing.  First this guy is Crawford's friend, then you start to think he's in with the union mob bosses, or maybe even is one  ( I thought for a while that Clancy was  "Bl@ckie  Clegg"), then you find out he, too, is an undercover cop, then for a while I thought he was a double agent, pretending to be a cop but really working for "Castro"  ( Ernest Borgnine), then he disappears from the story altogether til the end of the film, when his wife gives Crawford a truly long kiss. 

Clancy's character could have been played by Edmund O'Brien,  exact same type.  Even the same physical type as O'Brien.  I looked up the actor who played Clancy; turns out this guy, Richard Kiley, was in several respectable noirs,  including Pickup on South Street,  The Sniper,  and The Phoenix City Story.   Trivial observation from a female perspective:  "Clancy" was a lot more attractive as the rough dock worker guy with slightly messy hair than he was when we saw him all combed and smooth and wearing a suit.  That neat and tidy oiled hair style so many men had then, along with the suits,  is never as sexy as seeing a man kind of messy, hair NOT combed,  maybe in a white T-shirt and jeans.  ( they did wear jeans then, I think;  it's just that they seemed to think they were more attractive in suits.  Nope.)

Bear with me, one last observation about The Mob:   I got to see Chester !  Neville Brand  ( who played the psycho guy "Chester" in D.O.A. ,  and ever since whenever I see him in anything I go "Hey,  it's Chester !  Oh Boy ! " )  always played some kind of heavy - I guess with a face like that, them's the roles you get.  But he's always memorable in anything he's in, and I really like him.

[Thompson]

I don’t get mustaches.  They look wrong.  But I missed that connection.  I just thought his acting got better and never put the two and two together.  Good catch.

[Hoganman1]

I really liked THE MOB too. It was interesting to see Broderick Crawford as a good guy. I vaguely remember HIGHWAY PATROL and the stories about his DUIs. Also it was kind of neat seeing Bronson, Brand and Kiley so early in their careers.  Like many of you I'd never see it before and agree with those that think this film is a top shelf noir. 

[JamesJazGuitar]

4 hours ago, ElCid said:

The Mob was a good movie and well made.   Glad Eddie showed it as I had not seen it before.   My wife and I frequently watch episodes of Highway Patrol, which are entertaining.   Eddie' s DUI explanation on Crawford explains why Crawford is seldom (if ever) seen on a regular road and why they use so many dirt roads in the series.

Next week's Over-Exposed with Cleo Moore is another good one.  We have it on the Bad Girls of Film Noir DVD set.

Looks like Eddie took us up on our request a few months back for a Cleo Moore film.      Note that like The Mob,  Over-Exposed is a Columbia film.

Maybe TCM made a deal to lease some Columbia crime\noir films?      I hope so.   I have seen both The Mob,  Over-Exposed and most of the Hugo Haas\Cleo Moore films on GET-TV but seeing them without interruptions on TCM is always a treat.

     

[TomJH]

Over Exposed will not be that in Canada on TCM. We get The Maltese Falcon in its place.

Thank goodness, I was afraid I might be corrupted by too much Cleo Moore.

[Vautrin]

I saw The Mob a year or so ago on YT.  Kind  of a solid meat and potatoes crime  flick that keeps things basic.  While the various wisecracks

are fun, after a while one is kind of watching out for them. Okay, here comes one now. Badda bing. But that's minor point. I liked  it that

Crawford's girlfriend wasn't a twenty year old blonde fox, but someone more suited for him. Richard Kiley was also a pretty regular presence

on TV shows a little later  on, usually playing a more upscale type than  he did in The Mob. 

[misswonderly3]

2 hours ago, Vautrin said:

I saw The Mob a year or so ago on YT.  Kind  of a solid meat and potatoes crime  flick that keeps things basic.  While the various wisecracks

are fun, after a while one is kind of watching out for them. Okay, here comes one now. Badda bing. But that's minor point. I liked  it that

Crawford's girlfriend wasn't a twenty year old blonde fox, but someone more suited for him. Richard Kiley was also a pretty regular presence

on TV shows a little later  on, usually playing a more upscale type than  he did in The Mob. 

Yes, I really liked it that Crawford's fiance was age appropriate.  An attractive woman, but no 25 year old.

[Mr. Gorman]

HIGHWAY PATROL is on every morning here in middle GA.  On Channel 32. 

At 5 AM . . . here's HIGHWAY PATROL with Broderick C.!    (Followed by DRAGNET 1967-70). 

[txfilmfan]

22 minutes ago, Mr. Gorman said:

HIGHWAY PATROL is on every morning here in middle GA.  On Channel 32. 

At 5 AM . . . here's HIGHWAY PATROL with Broderick C.!    (Followed by DRAGNET 1967-70). 

That's part of MeTV's overnight detective/cop show schedule (mostly 70s CBS shows): Mannix, Cannon, Barnaby Jones, Highway Patrol, and Dragnet.

[Vautrin]

4 hours ago, misswonderly3 said:

Yes, I really liked it that Crawford's fiance was age appropriate.  An attractive woman, but no 25 year old.

Yeah, if it had been some hot  young babe that would have put it into sci-fi  territory. 

[Dargo]

Maybe this should go in the "Lookalikes" thread, and maybe it might be because I still might have had Nightmare Alley on my mind from last week, but the actress who played Crawford's loyal girlfriend in this movie, German-born Betty Buehler, looked to me like she could've been Coleen Gray's older sister...

Anyone else seein' that here?

(...and yep, I liked this film quite a lot too, and for the very reasons many of you have said here)

 

 

[Dargo]

11 hours ago, misswonderly3 said:

I looked up the actor who played Clancy; turns out this guy, Richard Kiley, was in several respectable noirs,  including Pickup on South Street,  The Sniper,  and The Phoenix City Story. 

And MissW, you might also remember Kiley as the teacher who the delinquent students rough up and break his record collection in the film Blackboard Jungle...

[Thompson]

There’s a Tom Waits quote from some interview that goes something like - “You keep up with me, kid, and you’ll sound like Broderick Crawford in a week.”

[JamesJazGuitar]

12 hours ago, Dargo said:

And MissW, you might also remember Kiley as the teacher who the delinquent students rough up and break his record collection in the film Blackboard Jungle...

Hey punks,  don't mess with my jazz records!    

[Dargo]

12 minutes ago, JamesJazGuitar said:

Hey punks,  don't mess with my jazz records!    

LOL

Ever have to use this line yourself, James?   

[JamesJazGuitar]

MOVIES-TV showed Miami Expose (1956) as part of their Sunday Night Noir line-up.    This Columbia film features Lee. J. Cobb,  Patricia Medina,  Edward Arnold and Alan Napier (charming and nasty which was the best thing about the film).

Running at 75 minutes it was entertaining enough.   Cobb plays a very hardboiled cop and he does so without overacting.   (which is often not the case with him).

Edward Arnold has a meaty role in what would be his last role  (something the studio used to their advantage in their PR).