mrroberts Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 What if . . . Dan Duryea as Rick in Casablanca. At least Ingrid wouldn't have had to stand in a hole when doing those romantic close up shots. Link to post Share on other sites
TomJH Posted July 19, 2015 Author Share Posted July 19, 2015 At least Ingrid wouldn't have had to stand in a hole when doing those romantic close up shots. Yet another solid reason why Dan would have been a great Rick! Link to post Share on other sites
mrroberts Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 It all comes down to Dan Duryea being a very good actor. I think he could have played many kind of characters well. He could have been a good Mister Roberts in fact. Link to post Share on other sites
TomJH Posted July 20, 2015 Author Share Posted July 20, 2015 It all comes down to Dan Duryea being a very good actor. I think he could have played many kind of characters well. He could have been a good Mister Roberts in fact. . . . meaning that if fates had been different for our man Dan , you might have a different avatar today. Here's a shot of family man Dan with his two sons, Richard and Peter. Assuming this is their home, it sure looks like Mr. Duryea did well for himself. (This pix was originally in Joe's Candids thread some years ago). Link to post Share on other sites
TomJH Posted July 20, 2015 Author Share Posted July 20, 2015 Black Angel, one of the few films of the '40s in which Dan Duryea was the lead. Link to post Share on other sites
mrroberts Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 In fact, Dan was such a good actor he could have played Roberts OR the Captain equally well. (Actually, I would have liked to see my main man Richard Widmark get a part) Link to post Share on other sites
jamesjazzguitar Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Black Angel, one of the few films of the '40s in which Dan Duryea was the lead. Universal did feature Dan as the lead male actor in two westerns with Yvonne De Carlo after making Black Angel, but after that he was back to being a secondary leading man. Looks like he just couldn't crack the celling. Link to post Share on other sites
AndyM108 Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 (edited) Black Angel, one of the few films of the '40s in which Dan Duryea was the lead. [...] Edited July 20, 2015 by TCMModerator1 Video removed due to copyright concerns Link to post Share on other sites
TomJH Posted July 20, 2015 Author Share Posted July 20, 2015 Thanks, Andy. For those who want to see Dan Duryea as a flawed hero, Black Angel is on YouTube. Link to post Share on other sites
TomJH Posted July 20, 2015 Author Share Posted July 20, 2015 Play ball! A clip of Dan Duryea, along with Winchester 73 co-stars Jimmy Stewart and Shelley Winters, meeting the Cleveland Indians. Watching Shelley's form at bat, it's apparent that she was wise to stick to her Hollywood career. [media] [media] 1 Link to post Share on other sites
AndyM108 Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Play ball! A clip of Dan Duryea, along with Winchester 73 co-stars Jimmy Stewart and Shelley Winters, meeting the Cleveland Indians. Watching Shelley's form at bat, it's apparent that she was wise to stick to her Hollywood career. [media] [media] Nice clip. That old guy in the Indians uniform was none other than Hall of Famer Tris Speaker. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
AndyM108 Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Thanks, Andy. For those who want to see Dan Duryea as a flawed hero, Black Angel is on YouTube. Just watched it, and while it's not quite up to Too Late For Tears, it's still a shame that it's a Universal that TCM hasn't yet gotten a hold of. Nice little plot twist at the end, even if it isn't too hard to figure out well before that. Link to post Share on other sites
DownGoesFrazier Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Just watched it, and while it's not quite up to Too Late For Tears, it's still a shame that it's a Universal that TCM hasn't yet gotten a hold of. Nice little plot twist at the end, even if it isn't too hard to figure out well before that. ..so it's not really a twist. Maybe we can go to Chubby Checker for a ruling. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
AndyM108 Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 ..so it's not really a twist. Maybe we can go to Chubby Checker for a ruling. Me, I go to the Chubster for his tasty Peppermint Lounge patties, but I'd still say that the ending to Black Angel would qualify as a twist. It's somewhat predictable only if you've seen a thousand noirs and can begin to pick up on plot patterns. Depends on how high a standard you'd be holding it to. Link to post Share on other sites
TomJH Posted July 21, 2015 Author Share Posted July 21, 2015 Black Angel is a pretty good noir, if my memory serves me correctly. Duryea is quite good, receiving top billing, for once. June Vincent I found a little hard to warm towards as the leading lady. On the other hand, the film benefits from the always intriguing, potentially lethal, presence of Peter Lorre as the nightclub owner. Link to post Share on other sites
jamesjazzguitar Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Me, I go to the Chubster for his tasty Peppermint Lounge patties, but I'd still say that the ending to Black Angel would qualify as a twist. It's somewhat predictable only if you've seen a thousand noirs and can begin to pick up on plot patterns. Depends on how high a standard you'd be holding it to. The ending of Black Angel is clearly a twist even if many in the audience could see it coming. The main reason being that the twist applied to the leading star of the picture. (not saying more since I don't wish to be a spoiler). Link to post Share on other sites
mrroberts Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Just a reminder that our man Dan Duryea gets the prime time spotlight again this Friday with CRISS CROSS, co starring with leads Burt Lancaster and Yvonne DeCarlo. CRISS CROSS is definitely a 1st rate noir film, not often aired and recently when TCM has run it, it has been in an off time slot. So getting the lead prime time 8pm est is most welcome. The whole night is once again loaded with solid films, BRUTE FORCE and ASPHALT JUNGLE are more well known (and shown) films but deserving of recognition here. I am also particularly pleased by the selection of DESPERATE, another one of those lower budget films with a lower profile cast and the excellent direction of Anthony Mann. This is a really good film that gives noir regular supporting player Steve Brodie one of his few chances to play the lead character and I think he does very well in it. Brodie did this film right before his appearance in the Mitchum film OUT OF THE PAST. I wish Brodie had gotten a few more chances at playing lead characters in the future. But I guess competition for roles was tough in the day. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
DownGoesFrazier Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Just a reminder that our man Dan Duryea gets the prime time spotlight again this Friday with CRISS CROSS, co starring with leads Burt Lancaster and Yvonne DeCarlo. CRISS CROSS is definitely a 1st rate noir film, not often aired and recently when TCM has run it, it has been in an off time slot. So getting the lead prime time 8pm est is most welcome. The whole night is once again loaded with solid films, BRUTE FORCE and ASPHALT JUNGLE are more well known (and shown) films but deserving of recognition here. I am also particularly pleased by the selection of DESPERATE, another one of those lower budget films with a lower profile cast and the excellent direction of Anthony Mann. This is a really good film that gives noir regular supporting player Steve Brodie one of his few chances to play the lead character and I think he does very well in it. Brodie did this film right before his appearance in the Mitchum film OUT OF THE PAST. I wish Brodie had gotten a few more chances at playing lead characters in the future. But I guess competition for roles was tough in the day. Interesting that two of the toughest, sleaziest noir actors, Duryea (Cornell) and Ryan (Dartmouth) were both Ivy Leaguers. Link to post Share on other sites
TomJH Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 Just a reminder that our man Dan Duryea gets the prime time spotlight again this Friday with CRISS CROSS, co starring with leads Burt Lancaster and Yvonne DeCarlo. CRISS CROSS is definitely a 1st rate noir film, not often aired and recently when TCM has run it, it has been in an off time slot. So getting the lead prime time 8pm est is most welcome. CRISS CROSS is a first rate film of its kind, in my opinion, and its final scene is one of the definitive moments of film noir. The film is quite thoroughly discussed earlier in this same thread (check out November, 2013). Beware, though, there are some spoilers in the writeups. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
mrroberts Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Leave us not forget that CRISS CROSS also has a familiar looking fellow by the name of Alan Napier in the cast. Didn't Bruce Wayne know he was hiring an ex con to be his butler? Holy secret past identity Batman! Link to post Share on other sites
cinemafan Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Just a reminder that our man Dan Duryea gets the prime time spotlight again this Friday with CRISS CROSS, co starring with leads Burt Lancaster and Yvonne DeCarlo. CRISS CROSS is definitely a 1st rate noir film, not often aired and recently when TCM has run it, it has been in an off time slot. So getting the lead prime time 8pm est is most welcome. The whole night is once again loaded with solid films, BRUTE FORCE and ASPHALT JUNGLE are more well known (and shown) films but deserving of recognition here. I am also particularly pleased by the selection of DESPERATE, another one of those lower budget films with a lower profile cast and the excellent direction of Anthony Mann. This is a really good film that gives noir regular supporting player Steve Brodie one of his few chances to play the lead character and I think he does very well in it. Brodie did this film right before his appearance in the Mitchum film OUT OF THE PAST. I wish Brodie had gotten a few more chances at playing lead characters in the future. But I guess competition for roles was tough in the day. Criss Cross - this is the one I can't miss on Friday. TCM's been showing the trailers all week - I'm ready to see it. Link to post Share on other sites
DownGoesFrazier Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Criss Cross - this is the one I can't miss on Friday. TCM's been showing the trailers all week - I'm ready to see it. Finally--the Friday film I most want to see is in the prime slot at 8PM. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Dargo Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 Thank you Tom, et al, for the heads-up on CRISS CROSS. Much enjoyed its showing this evening on TCM. I had never watched this one before, and besides noticing all the great acting done by the entire cast and the excellent directing job done by Robert Siodmak, this ol' native Angeleno especially enjoyed seeing as the backdrop of this film many of the locations in Downtown Los Angeles used before its revitalization done in the mid-1960s, such as all those old homes now gone along Hill Street such as the one Lancaster's mother lived in and the funicular of Angel's Flight. (...just one question though...how did De Carlo end up with the loot in Palos Verdes and without Duryea the actual perpetrator knowing where she was hiding?...did I miss somethin' here?) Link to post Share on other sites
DownGoesFrazier Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 Thank you Tom, et al, for the heads-up on CRISS CROSS. Much enjoyed its showing this evening on TCM. I had never watched this one before, and besides noticing all the great acting done by the entire cast and the excellent directing job done by Robert Siodmak, this ol' native Angeleno especially enjoyed seeing as the backdrop of this film many of the locations in Downtown Los Angeles used before its revitalization done in the mid-1960s, such as all those old homes now gone along Hill Street such as the one Lancaster's mother lived in and the funicular of Angel's Flight. (...just one question though...how did De Carlo end up with the loot in Palos Verdes and without Duryea the actual perpetrator knowing where she was hiding?...did I miss somethin' here?) A number of questions about the film------ For example,why did the nurse in the hospital think that the guy in the hallway was putting in a vigil for his injured wife? Didn't anyone check to see if there WAS an injured wife? Link to post Share on other sites
TomJH Posted August 1, 2015 Author Share Posted August 1, 2015 Thank you Tom, et al, for the heads-up on CRISS CROSS. Much enjoyed its showing this evening on TCM. I had never watched this one before, and besides noticing all the great acting done by the entire cast and the excellent directing job done by Robert Siodmak, this ol' native Angeleno especially enjoyed seeing as the backdrop of this film many of the locations in Downtown Los Angeles used before its revitalization done in the mid-1960s, such as all those old homes now gone along Hill Street such as the one Lancaster's mother lived in and the funicular of Angel's Flight. (...just one question though...how did De Carlo end up with the loot in Palos Verdes and without Duryea the actual perpetrator knowing where she was hiding?...did I miss somethin' here?) The viewer doesn't see it happen but de Carlo must have stole the armoury car money from Duryea (pretty loose security there obviously, particularly where she's concerned) then went to to the house by the sea where Burt had previously said he'd meet her. Things might have gone well for them except for the thug that Burt bribed to take him there (something Duryea hoped would happen, as he reveals in that last scene). Criss Cross is another film that benefits from those great location shots that you loved, Dargo, serving as a time capsule for parts of '49 LA. Wonderful atmosphere and sense of place captured in those street and property shots, adding to a feeling of authentity. I love Duryea's cool, understated performance in this film, making him more of a coiled cobra that the impulsive face slapper that he had been in other films previously. But the entire cast of Criss Cross is fine, Burt bringing a wonderful vulnerabilty to his naive "I'll do anything for her" romantic, while de Carlo is effective, too, in her more ambiguously sketched portrayal. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
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