Classic Movie Hub Blog

Western RoundUp: Apache Rifles (1964)

Posted on April 24, 2025 by Laura Grieve

Western RoundUp: Apache Rifles (1964)

Over the last few years I’ve periodically reviewed new-to-me Westerns with one of my favorite Western stars, Audie Murphy.

Previous Murphy Westerns reviewed in this column are Destry (1954), Seven Ways From Sundown (1960), Hell Bent for Leather (1960), and Showdown (1963). I loved the first three and had mixed feelings about the last film on that list, Showdown.

This month I’m taking a look at another Audie Murphy film, Apache Rifles (1964), which has the latest release date of his films reviewed here to this point. It was filmed in May 1964, when Audie was 39, and released the following November.

The film is set in Arizona of the late 1870s. Audie plays Army officer Captain Jeff Stanton, charged with the responsibility of returning Apache Indians to their reservation.

Captain Stanton feels animosity toward Indians, who killed his father years before, but he’s also a responsible and ethical man and successfully negotiates a truce with Victorio (Joseph A. Vitale) and his son Red Hawk (Michael Dante).

Some local miners are upset about being forced off Apache land as part of the peace agreement and complain to higher-ups in Washington. This results in Captain Stanton being replaced by Colonel Perry (John Archer), who also dismantles the patrol system set up by Captain Stanton to protect the Apaches from the miners. Bloody conflicts ensue.

This is a solid Western which runs a well-paced 92 minutes. The screenplay was written by Charles Smith from a story by Kenneth Gamet and Richard Schayer.

It was filmed by Arch R. Dalzell and directed by longtime Western specialist William Witney, whose work in Westerns went back to the late ’30s. Witney directed countless Roy Rogers films, among other Westerns, and also worked extensively in television.

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Witney’s son at the Lone Pine Film Festival and hearing some of his memories of his father’s career. William Witney wrote a uniquely titled memoir, In a Door, Into a Fight, Out a Door, Into a Chase: Moviemaking Remembered by the Guy at the Door.

I found the Apache Rifles story a little top-heavy in battle sequences, but that’s balanced by fast-paced plotting and interesting characters.

Murphy brings depth to Captain Jeff Stanton, as his character wrestles with multiple conflicts: Wariness of Indians due to family history vs. the fact he’s a good man at heart; loyalty to the army vs. dismay when Col. Perry goes back on Jeff’s word to the Indians; love for a beautiful half-breed missionary, Dawn (Linda Lawson), vs. his feelings about Indians.

Among these dilemmas, I especially liked the fact that Jeff struggled a bit with his feelings for the spunky Dawn; she’s thoughtful, but no shy and retiring miss, and I liked their repartee. In my opinion the film would have benefited from a couple more minutes spent on their relationship, with a little less action on the battlefield.

One of the most interesting characters in the film is the doctor (J. Pat O’Malley) who reminds Captain Stanton that everyone is the same on the inside. Archer also does well as Col. Perry, who initially comes across as rather unpleasant but proves in the end to be more willing to recognize Captain Stanton’s strengths than we might expect.

Peter Hansen, later a star of TV’s General Hospital for decades, plays the captain Jeff relieves of duty at the beginning of the movie. Hansen’s first film, back in 1950, was the Alan Ladd Western Branded (1950), and as a producer Ladd cast Hansen in a trio of films in the ’50s, including the Western Drum Beat (1954).

The cast also includes L.Q. Jones, Ken Lynch, Robert Brubaker, Eugene Iglesias, and Robert Karnes.

The film benefits strongly from extensive location shooting, mostly at Red Rock Canyon. The majority of the scenes are exteriors, which contribute enormously to the movie’s feeling of authenticity. Moreover, I don’t believe any of the exteriors were faked in a soundstage.

Over the decades countless Westerns, horror, and sci-film movies filmed at Red Rock Canyon, which I’ve visited several times. Here’s a selection of photos I took at Red Rock Canyon a couple of years ago.

The movie also shot at Bronson Canyon, which I wrote about here in a locations column in 2022.

I viewed Apache Rifles via a new Blu-ray I purchased which was released by Kit Parker films. It’s a 4K transfer from the original 35mm camera negative, and it looks terrific.

Apache Rifles is presented on the Blu-ray with optional English subtitles, and it has an informative featurette on the film’s background narrated by Westerns historian Toby Roan. The featurette runs a little over six and a half minutes.

The film is part of a “Saddle Up Western Double Feature” disc with a similarly restored version of a favorite Rod Cameron Western, Panhandle (1948), which I wrote about here in Hidden Gems, Vol. 1. The double feature set is available in both Blu-ray and DVD editions.

Like Apache Rifles, Panhandle comes with an introduction by Toby Roan which runs just over six minutes. I’m looking forward to revisiting Panhandle soon and checking out the restored print.

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– Laura Grieve for Classic Movie Hub

Laura can be found at her blog, Laura’s Miscellaneous Musings, where she’s been writing about movies since 2005, and on Twitter at @LaurasMiscMovie. A lifelong film fan, Laura loves the classics including Disney, Film Noir, Musicals, and Westerns. She regularly covers Southern California classic film festivals. Laura will scribe on all things western at the ‘Western RoundUp’ for CMH.

Posted in Films, Posts by Laura Grieve, Western RoundUp | Tagged apache rifles, Audie Murphy | Leave a comment

Noir Nook: Ten Things You May Not Know About Sunset Blvd

Posted on April 17, 2025 by Karen Burroughs Hannsberry

Ten Things You May Not Know About Sunset Blvd

There are numerous noirs that I could among my favorites, and countless features from the era that I watch over and over again. Sunset Blvd. (1950) fits both of these descriptors. As one of the film’s reviewers raved, it’s “undoubtedly the best Hollywood story ever filmed.” For my money, it’s practically perfect in every way – stellar casting, perfect direction, and sharp, smart writing brimming with unforgettable and endlessly quotable lines.

Helmed by Billy Wilder (who co-wrote the screenplay with Charles Brackett and D.M. Marshman, Jr.), Sunset Blvd. tells the story of Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), an eccentric former silent screen star who lives in a world of her own, and Joe Gillis (William Holden), a struggling screenwriter who finds himself inextricably ensconced in Norma’s orbit. Joining these two to form a creepy quartet are Max von Mayerling (Erich von Stroheim), Norma’s butler, right-hand man, and first husband, and Betty Schaefer (Nancy Olson), a sweet, young aspiring writer who gets more than she bargains for when she falls for Joe.

This month’s Noir Nook shines the spotlight on Sunset Blvd. classic by serving up 10 things you may not have known about this unforgettable film.

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1) In early versions of the screenplay, the William Holden character was named Dan, then Dick (later changed to Joe); the producer played by Fred Clark was named Kaufman (later Sheldrake); Gillis’s car was a 1941 Buick convertible, instead of the 1946 Plymouth that Holden drove in the film; and Norma Desmond’s sought-after car was originally a Rolls Royce and then a Hispano -Suiza, before finally landing on the Isotta-Fraschini used in the movie. (By the way, Norma Desmond shared that she paid $28,000 for the car in 1932, which would equal approximately $649,250 in 2025 dollars.) Also, in the original script, Gloria was writing her memoirs when she encountered Joe Gillis; in the final version, this was changed to the screenplay for Salome.

2) Originally, the story for Sunset Blvd. started with the body of Joe Gillis being transported to the city morgue. Once there, Joe and his fellow morgue-mates begin to talk about how they came to their respective ends. When the film – with this opening – was screened in Evanston, Illinois, and Poughkeepsie and Great Neck, New York, the preview audiences laughed at the morgue scene. “I walked out of the preview,” director Billy Wilder recalled years later, “Very depressed.” The scene was scrapped.

3) The revised – and final – opening scene shows Joe lying face down in a swimming pool, dead, with the audience looking up at Joe’s body from below. To set up this show, the film’s art director, John Meehan, placed an 8×6-foot dance rehearsal mirror at the bottom of a portable process tank, and sank the tank to the bottom of the pool. Cinematographer John Seitz set up the camera at poolside, pointed it downward toward the mirror, and filmed Holden’s reflection. (The water temperature, incidentally, had to be kept at around 40 degrees to avoid the build-up of natural gases that would impact the light transmission.)

4) The exteriors for the film were shot at the William O. Jenkins house at the corner of Wilshire and Irving Boulevards in Los Angeles. Jenkins, who was said to have been the richest man in Mexico, built the house in the early 1920s, but he only lived in it for about a year. It sat vacant for a decade before it was sold to millionaire J. Paul Getty. In the early 1950s, Getty initiated plans to develop the property and, despite community opposition and a lawsuit to preserve the mansion, Getty had the structure torn down in 1957. (A few years before its demolition, the house was used for filming in the 1955 James Dean feature, Rebel Without a Cause.)

5) Gloria Swanson stood just four feet, 11 inches – although she claimed to be five foot one.

6) Throughout the film, Max never calls Norma Desmond by name, always referring to her as “Madame” – until the last scene, when he asks her, “Are you ready, Norma?”

Sunset Blvd, Norma and Joe watching Queen Kelly — William Holden and Gloria Swanson

7) In one scene, we see Joe and Norma watching one of her old movies; the clip shown in the film is from an actual movie – Queen Kelly – that starred Swanson and was directed by Erich von Stroheim. With less than half of the film completed, von Stroheim was fired from the film for going over budget and it was never released in the United States.

8) When Nancy Olson was cast as Betty Schaeffer, she was only 21 years old and had never even heard of Gloria Swanson. “I had to ask my mother who she was!” she said in a recent interview.

Sunset Blvd, Nancy Olson was 21 when filming began — Nancy Olson and William Holden

9) At the time that Sunset Blvd. was filmed, Hollywood had two top gossip columnists: Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons. Hopper played a small part in the picture. According to one story, Parsons was asked to appear in the film as well, but she turned down the invitation when she found out that Hopper had been signed first. Another story states that Parsons was never offered a part, and that Hopper was selected because she’d had a previous career as an actress. In addition, another gossip columnist of the day, Sidney Skolsky, was filmed in a scene set in Schwab’s Drugstore, but his performance ended up on the proverbial cutting room floor. Wilder later claimed that Skolsky panned the film because “I cut him out.”

10) The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, but only won three – for best art direction, best original story and best screenplay, and best scoring of a dramatic or comedy picture. As for the other categories, Swanson lost the Best Actress Oscar to Judy Holliday for Born Yesterday, William Holden lost Best Actor to Jose Ferrer in Cyrano de Bergerac, Nancy Olson lost Best Supporting Actress to Josephine Hull in Harvey, and von Stroheim lost Best Supporting Actor to George Sanders in All About Eve. Also, in the category of Best Film, Sunset lost to All About Eve.

And that’s it! I hope this list contained at least a few tidbits that you didn’t already know. Stay tuned for future Noir Nooks for trivia on your favorite noirs!

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– Karen Burroughs Hannsberry for Classic Movie Hub

You can read all of Karen’s Noir Nook articles here.

Karen Burroughs Hannsberry is the author of the Shadows and Satin blog, which focuses on movies and performers from the film noir and pre-Code eras, and the editor-in-chief of The Dark Pages, a bimonthly newsletter devoted to all things film noir. Karen is also the author of two books on film noir – Femme Noir: The Bad Girls of Film and Bad Boys: The Actors of Film Noir. You can follow Karen on Twitter at @TheDarkPages.
If you’re interested in learning more about Karen’s books, you can read more about them on amazon here:

Posted in Films, Noir Nook, Posts by Karen Burroughs Hannsberry | Tagged billy wilder, charles brackett, gloria swanson, nancy olson, Sunset Blvd, Sunset Boulevard, william holden | Leave a comment

Monsters and Matinees: In ‘Venom,’ a Kidnapping with Unexpected Bite Turns a Thriller into a Horror Film

Posted on April 12, 2025 by Toni Ruberto

A Kidnapping with Unexpected Bite Turns a Thriller into a Horror Film

One of nature’s most powerful killing machines is loose. Not only is it the deadliest in its class, but the fastest, too. Beyond its physical abilities are its lethal personality traits: it is unpredictable, paranoid and deadly aggressive.

That’s the key to the 1981 British horror thriller Venom (unrelated to the Marvel character). Think of it as a variation on O. Henry’s The Ransom of Red Chief, where kidnappers get more than they bargained for after abducting a wealthy man’s spoiled child. Venom makes that story look like child’s play as the kidnappers of a British boy face the world’s most dangerous snake, the black mamba.

The black mamba killing machine slithers into the most unexpected places in *Venom*.

Venom also has a great cast with Klaus Kinski, Oliver Reed, Susan George, Nicol Williamson, Sterling Hayden and Sarah Miles. (It’s not hard to figure out who plays the bad guys.)

Young Tommy is a smart, likable 10-year-old with asthma, an overprotective mother and a “zoo” off his bedroom with adorable bunnies, birds and gerbils. We meet him reading an oversized book on snakes as his wealthy mom is fussing over him being outside. Grandpa, played by the reliable Sterling Hayden, is a world-renowned hunter and wildlife authority, which will come in handy.

Time is not wasted on playing coy with the identity of the bad guys or in setting up the kidnapping. We know all early with the introduction of the lovely housekeeper Louise (played by Susan George) who has seduced the family chauffeur Dave (the great Oliver Reed) into becoming part of the scheme. His role in the caper is to get Tommy’s mom on a flight to Rome, leaving the boy in the three-story townhouse alone with Louise.

These two guys just don’t get along. Klaus Kinski stars as the mastermind of a kidnapping plot who picks on his weak co-conspirator Oliver Reed throughout *Venom*.

Dave drops off mom, then immediately picks up a man in a white trench coat with a thick accent and shock of blonde hair. (His photo would work in the dictionary under “stylish European movie villain,” like we would later enjoy personified by Alan Rickman in Die Hard.) Played by Klaus Kinski, you’ll believe it when he leaves the much more physically menacing Oliver Reed quivering with a simple slap across the face.

The bad guys have rented a secluded house with a bedroom set up for the boy with the same breathing machine he has at home, books and a metal grate across a window. It was a lot of work for nothing since they’ll never make it there. Everything that can go wrong will, trapping the kidnappers, Tommy and Grandpa in the townhouse with a killer snake inside and the police outside.

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Sarah Miles discovers something is wrong after a harmless snake has been delivered to her lab instead of the dangerous black mamba in *Venom*.

How did we get there?

At the London Institute of Toxicology something is wrong with a new snake. “It’s not a mamba – it’s not attacking anything,” the lab assistant says to his boss, Dr. Marion Stowe (Sarah Miles).

But we know what happened: There was a mix-up at the “pet shop” where Tommy was mistakenly given the mamba to take home and his African house snake – a harmless pet – was delivered to the institute.

The kidnapping plot is thrown off from Tommy’s impromptu visit to the pet shop, his insistence on opening the small crate to see his new pet snake and Grandpa’s early arrival home. Then there’s the policeman sent to the townhouse to inquire about the snake and – did I mention the nervous chauffeur has a gun?

Sterling Hayden protects his terrified grandson played by Lance Holcomb from kidnappers and a killer snake in *Venom*.

Venom is an engaging, multilayered thriller. There’s only one snake in the film, but it’s the worst in the world, and I found it more terrifying than films with multiple snakes or even a giant one because you don’t see this one coming.

Death via a mamba is excruciating – there’s no eating you in one bite and getting it over with. Instead, it’s a slow, agonizing death from the mamba’s venom and, as the saying goes, it’s not something to wish on your worst enemy.

It looks so calm and pretty – but it’s the world’s most dangerous snake.

The snake’s-eye view of the surroundings works well because it is used sparingly and in the right situations such as when it enters the “zoo” in Tommy’s bedroom where the mamba sees his prey in the sweet pets like the ill-fated bunny.

Venom does get crazy at times because there’s so much going on but that’s good for the viewer. Tommy and his Grandpa are fighting to survive the kidnappers and the snake. The bad guys – who don’t play well with each other – are battling threats from the black mamba and the police while still thinking they can salvage their kidnapping plot. And it is fun to watch the imposing Oliver Reed play a sweaty, nervous guy who unravels before our eyes.

The police, led by Nicol Williamson and his great screen presence, have their hands full trying to subdue the kidnappers, fend off the snake and keep innocents alive. Things don’t even go right all the time for them despite the help of the toxicologist.

This great shot shows how things are unraveling as a nervous chauffeur with a gun awaits the other kidnappers and young boy trying to escape a deadly snake.

Venom is an engaging, multilayered thriller and that’s what I like most about it. Take take away the horror element and you’re left with a solid thriller that stands on its own. Adding the killer snake means there’s no respite for the viewer who, like the characters, is caught up in the whirlwind of so much that has gone wrong.

And though there’s only one snake in the film, it’s the worst in the world, and I found it more terrifying than movies with multiple snakes or even a giant one because you don’t see this one coming.

We expect the snake will get in and out of small spaces, but there is something deeply menacing about the way the mambo easily slithers through the house – and especially the air ducts – that gives the film a relentless tension. It could be anywhere – and is everywhere. That’s a deadly lesson you don’t want to learn.

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A newly remastered 4K version DVD/Blu-Ray of Venom is now available via Blue-Underground with new features including an interview with makeup artist Nick Dudman and editor/second unit director Michael Bradsell, along with previously released extras.

– Toni Ruberto for Classic Movie Hub

You can read all of Toni’s Monsters and Matinees articles here.

Toni Ruberto, born and raised in Buffalo, N.Y., is an editor and writer at The Buffalo News. She shares her love for classic movies in her blog, Watching Forever and is a member and board president of the Classic Movie Blog Association. Toni was the president of the former Buffalo chapter of TCM Backlot and led the offshoot group, Buffalo Classic Movie Buffs. She is proud to have put Buffalo and its glorious old movie palaces in the spotlight as the inaugural winner of the TCM in Your Hometown contest. You can find Toni on Twitter at @toniruberto or on Bluesky at @watchingforever.bsky.social

Posted in Horror, Monsters and Matinees, Posts by Toni Ruberto | Tagged Blue-Underground, Klaus Kinski, Nicol Williamson, Sarah Myles, Venom | Leave a comment

Silver Screen Standards: Them! (1954)

Posted on April 10, 2025 by Jennifer Garlen

Silver Screen Standards: Them!

Capitalizing on nuclear anxiety, Them! (1954) helped to usher in a new era of monster movies guaranteed to give post-WWII Americans nightmares about the possible consequences of the Atomic Age. In Japan, this metaphorical threat took the colossal form of Godzilla, who also made his debut in 1954, but Them! suggests that no place on Earth is safe, not even the middle of the desert. Creepy creature and alien movies would become standards for the growing drive-in culture and the teens who flocked there, but few of the later pictures boast the same quality performances, practical effects work, and cinematography that make Them! such an influential classic of the genre.

Them, Sandy Descher, James Whitmore — Sgt. Ben Peterson (James Whitmore) finds a traumatized little girl (Sandy Descher) wandering alone in the desert.

James Whitmore stars as Sgt. Ben Peterson, a police officer whose beat covers a desolate area of desert near White Sands, New Mexico. When Peterson and his partner, Ed Blackburn (Chris Drake), find a young girl (Sandy Descher) alone and catatonic, they at first suspect a psychopath, but the evidence soon shows that no human being is behind the killings and destruction. FBI Agent Bob Graham (James Arness) arrives on the scene and is soon followed by a father and daughter pair of myrmecologists, Doctors Harold and Pat Medford (Edmund Gwenn and Joan Weldon). Together they discover the giant mutant ants and pursue newly hatched queens who could produce enough monstrous offspring to destroy humanity.

Them, Main Characters Office — Our core characters, including Pat’s father, Dr. Harold Medford (Edmund Gwenn), meet when the two myrmecologists arrive with a terrifying theory.

Sci-fi movies of the 1950s are often derided for their wooden acting, but Them! features an excellent cast that invests each character with personality and gravity. Most modern viewers will find stars like James Arness, Edmund Gwenn, and even Fess Parker more familiar, but James Whitmore is really the central hero of this story, a regular guy driven first by his concern for the little girl and then for his community, country, and planet as the scope of the threat becomes clear. Whitmore had already earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Battleground (1949), and in 1975 he would garner a nomination for Best Actor for the film adaptation of his one-man show, Give ‘em Hell, Harry! (1975). Edmund Gwenn, who plays the elder Dr. Medford, had actually won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his appearance as Santa Claus in Miracle on 34^th Street (1947), and he had picked up a second nomination for Mister 880 (1950). These are lofty accolades for actors in a movie about giant ants, but even the less lauded performers sell us on their characters and the peril they face. James Arness is solid as Bob, a government man right down to his willingness to keep a sane man locked up in a psych ward, and Fess Parker has a brief but memorable scene as the unfortunate pilot Bob sacrifices to government secrecy.

Them, Joan Weldon, Ant — Dr. Pat Medford (Joan Weldon) comes face to face with one of the giant mutant ants.

One of the things I personally appreciate about this movie is its treatment of its female characters. We only have two, but Them! would not be such a compelling classic without them. Sandy Descher sets the tone for the whole movie with her memorable performance as the sole survivor of the Ellinson family. Her blank face and stare testify to unfathomable horror, and her plight makes the danger personal rather than abstract. The film stays with her long enough to show us her dramatic reawakening and assure us that she has extended family who will take care of her, but it also uses her character to demonstrate the quiet decency of Ben Peterson. When Pat Medford arrives, her presence sheds more light on Bob’s character and its limitations, especially where his typically sexist attitudes are concerned. Pat’s father is more enlightened, and I love the way he calls her “Doctor” when they converse because he really sees her as a valuable and respected peer. Pat pushes back against Bob’s chauvinism and courageously enters the ants’ tunnels to ensure that all of the queens are destroyed, and it’s exciting to see her suited up and plunging into the dark with the men. We sense the low-key attraction between Pat and Bob, but the movie wisely keeps the focus on their mission and never implies that Pat will or would even consider giving up her important scientific work to wash socks for a husband. It’s a shame that Them! didn’t inspire sequels to tell us more about the later adventures of Pat Medford and even the Ellinson girl, who might have grown up to join an agency like Godzilla’s Monarch organization. On the plus side, their presence helps pave the way for later female characters in science fiction, including iconic figures like Ripley and Newt in the Alien franchise or Dr. Ellie Satler and Lex in the Jurassic Park series.

Them, Joan Weldon, James Arness, Ant — FBI Agent Bob Graham (James Arness) tries to ward off Pat’s attacker with a pistol.

In 2023, there were reports of director Michael Giacchino remaking Them! with a modern twist, but it’s unclear if the project has progressed since then. Gordon Douglas, who directed the original version, also directed Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950), Only the Valiant (1951), and Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964), to name just a few. If you love Them! and the whole genre of giant monster movies, I do recommend the Apple TV+ series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, which has wrapped production on a second season. For more from the 1950s, see The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953), Tarantula! (1955), Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957), The Blob (1958), and the wonderfully terrible Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959), which I particularly enjoy inflicting on my loved ones.

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— Jennifer Garlen for Classic Movie Hub

Jennifer Garlen pens our monthly Silver Screen Standards column. You can read all of Jennifer’s Silver Screen Standards articles here.

Jennifer is a former college professor with a PhD in English Literature and a lifelong obsession with film. She writes about classic movies at her blog, Virtual Virago, and presents classic film programs for lifetime learning groups and retirement communities. She’s the author of Beyond Casablanca: 100 Classic Movies Worth Watching and its sequel, Beyond Casablanca II: 101 Classic Movies Worth Watching, and she is also the co-editor of two books about the works of Jim Henson.

Posted in Films, Posts by Jennifer Garlen, Silver Screen Standards | Tagged Edmund Gwenn, james arness, james whitmore, Joan Weldon, sandy descher, Them | Leave a comment

Silents Are Golden: 7 Early “Passion Plays” And Other Religious Silent Films

Posted on April 5, 2025 by Lea Stans

7 Early “Passion Plays” And Other Religious Silent Films

The Christian tradition of the “Passion Play,” a stage production depicting scenes from the last days of Jesus Christ, dates back hundreds of years. Originating in medieval Europe, these carefully staged spectacles helped educate people about the life and passion of Christ during the solemn season of Lent.

In the 1890s, lectures with illustrated slides representing scenes from passion plays had been popular for a number of years (marketed for “the Exhibitor who likes Church or Missionary Work”). Films bringing those scenes to life were the next logical step, and a number of filmed passion plays started springing up as early as 1897. Initially, some churches doubted whether the new medium was right for these sacred subjects. But in time it was agreed that cinema was a fresh new way to bring religious stories to the public.

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7. The Horitz Passion Play (1897)

This was the first filmed passion play that was shown in the U.S., and while several similar films were made that same year the Horitz version is considered the most ambitious. It was the creation of the Lumière brothers’ U.S. representative Charles Smith Hurd, who visited the quaint European village of Hortiz (located in what is now the Czech Republic) and saw the locals’ passion play. He met with the actors and asked: would they like to star in a film version?

The filming was done over several months on location in Horitz. The finished project was an hour and a half long and consisted of lantern slides, music, a lecture and brief filmed scenes ranging from “Adam and Eve running about in a quaint little Garden of Eden” to Christ’s crucifixion. Unfortunately little from the film has survived, but contemporary reviews mentioned it having a “primitive” charm and praised it for its straightforward reverence.

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6. La Vie et la Passion de Jésus-Christ (1898)

La Vie et la Passion de Jésus-Christ (1898)

Directed by Louis Lumière and Georges Hatot, La Vie et la Passion de Jésus-Christ is the earliest filmed passion play that currently still exists. While a simple film consisting of thirteen brief scenes starting with the visit of the Magi and ending with the Resurrection, it gives us a good sense of what these films were like in a time when cinema itself was very new.

The production is essentially a filmed stage play shot with sets lit by sunlight. Some of the painted backdrops were used for more than one scene, and some scenes were likely inspired by paintings or old medieval traditions. One of the most charming scenes is the “flight into Egypt” with a large Sphinx painted on the backdrop. Some choices are a bit baffling to anyone familiar with the Gospels. During the Last Supper Jesus suddenly appears at the table and surprises the disciples–something which only happens after the Resurrection.

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5. Vie et Passion du Jésus Christ (1907)

This 44-minute French film is not only one of the most well-known and charming religious silents from the 1900s, but it’s sometimes considered one of the first feature films. Directed by Lucien Nonguet and the creative Ferdinand Zecca, it first debuted in 1903. It was revised over the next few years until being remade by Zecca in 1907 with cinematography by Segundo de Chomón .

Consisting of over 30 reverent scenes, each introduced with a title card, Vie et Passion was beautifully shot and staged. The tastefully painted backdrops (some with three dimensional elements like pillars and trees) were designed with care, and color was painted on by hand one frame at a time. Early special effects such as dissolves and jump cuts were also used. Surviving in good condition, it’s still an enjoyable watch today.

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4. From the Manger to the Cross (1912)

This important early feature is considered by some to be the first five-reel film–in a time when one- and two-reel films were the norm. It was directed by Sidney Olcott, who had made a name for himself with the popular Ben-Hur (1907) and a number of Irish-themed films which he made in the Emerald Isle itself in the early 1910s.

From the Manger to the Cross wasn’t only ambitious in length, but in its production values. Olcott filmed it on location in the Holy Land and based the cinematography on a series of popular religious paintings by James Tissot. While the film might seem a bit stilted today, the acting was more naturalistic for its time and it had a stronger narrative structure. It was a huge hit, apparently nabbing the Kalem studio over $1,000,000–a huge leap from its budget of $35,000!

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3. Intolerance (1916)

This multi-hour “spectacular” by D.W. Griffith had four parallel storylines, set in modern times, ancient Babylon, the Huguenot era of France, and Judea during the life of Christ. Most famed today for its eye-popping Babylon scenes–especially the immense “Hall of Babylon” set that loomed over Sunset Boulevard for years afterwards–it’s easy to overlook the Judean scenes, which also had a shorter share of the run time. Griffith might’ve assumed audiences were already familiar with the Gospel stories. At any rate, the theme of “intolerance” is perhaps clearest in his telling of the story of Christ’s passion and death.

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2. I.N.R.I. (1923)

This film is an unusual one in the pantheon of early religious movies since it was directed by Robert Wiene–the director of the German Expressionist classic The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). While not as experimental as Caligari, it does have some tell-tale dramatic uses of brightly lit figures against dark backgrounds and its hundreds of extras gave it an epic feel.

It was filmed in Germany’s Staaken Studios, which was in a former zeppelin hangar. Actress Asta Nielson played Mary Magdalene, and Werner Krauss of Caligari appeared as Pontius Pilate. Jesus Christ was played by Ukrainian actor Gregori Chmara. It was the most epic production made by Wiene, although it unfortunately didn’t make as big a splash at the box office as he’d hoped.

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1. The King of Kings (1927)

No one less than Cecil B. DeMille brought the life of Jesus Christ to the big screen during the late silent era–and it was one of his biggest hits. He took the responsibility of making a reverent religious film very seriously, even having Mass said on set before filming.

While DeMille couldn’t resist adding a bit of kitsch in the early scenes featuring Mary Magdalene, the elegant cinematography, the sincerity of the production and the fine performances by his distinguished cast were all much-praised and helped make The King of Kings a major box office success.

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–Lea Stans for Classic Movie Hub

You can read all of Lea’s Silents are Golden articles here.

Lea Stans is a born-and-raised Minnesotan with a degree in English and an obsessive interest in the silent film era (which she largely blames on Buster Keaton). In addition to blogging about her passion at her site Silent-ology, she is a columnist for the Silent Film Quarterly and has also written for The Keaton Chronicle.

Posted in Posts by Lea Stans, Silents are Golden | Tagged Ferdinand Zecca, From the Manger to the Cross (1912), Georges Hatot, I.N.R.I. 1923, Intolerance 1916, La Vie et la Passion de Jesus-Christ, louis lumiere, Lucien Nonguet, Passion Play, Sidney Olcott, The Horitz Passion Play, The King of Kings 1927, Vie et Passion du Jesus Christ | Leave a comment

Classic Movie Travels: Robert Harron

Posted on April 3, 2025 by Annette Bochenek

Classic Movie Travels: Robert Harron

Robert Emmett Harron was born on April 12, 1893, to John and Anne Harron in New York, New York. He was the second oldest of nine children growing up in this Irish Catholic family. Over the years, his father worked several different jobs, including working at an oil station, as a stableman in a livery stable, and as a night watchman.

Harron attended Saint John Parochial School in Greenwich Village and, by age 14, started to work as an errand boy at the Biograph Company. There, he cleaned and appeared in occasional shorts to help earn money for his family.

While at Biograph, Harron caught the attention of director D.W. Griffith and quickly became one of his favorite actors. Gradually, Harron appeared in more significant film roles. He initially appeared in comedic shorts for Griffith. As he entered his teen years, his roles transitioned to naïve boy characters meant to broadly appeal to American moviegoers. By 1912, Harron appeared in almost forty films for Biograph and was one of the studio’s rising stars.

Harron’s most significant roles were in Griffith’s epics: Judith of Bethulia (1914), The Birth of a Nation (1915), and Intolerance (1916). Among his most popular roles was his starring role alongside Lillian Gish in Griffith’s romance, True Heart Susie (1919).

Harron routinely worked with other top Biograph stars, including the likes of Lillian Gish, Dorothy Gish, and Mae Marsh. Off-screen, he was romantically involved with Dorothy Gish.

By 1920, his leading man roles began to diminish, with these roles more frequently being assigned to Richard Barthelmess. Griffith ultimately loaned Harron out to Metro Pictures for a four-film deal. His first film for Metro would incidentally be the last film of his career: Coincidence (1921), released one year after his passing.

In August of 1920, Harron traveled from Los Angeles to New York City to attend the premiere of Griffith’s Way Down East (1920) as well as a preview of Coincidence (1921). Harron checked into the Hotel Seymour with friend, screenwriter, and director Victor Heerman. The two of them attended the preview screening but it reportedly received a poor reception from its audience. Following the screening, Harron returned to the hotel and sustained a gunshot wound to his chest. Reports claim that Harron had a gun in his trunk and that, while removing clothes from the trunk, the gun fell out and discharged. Harron called the hotel desk for help, initially refusing an ambulance and wishing for a doctor to visit his room instead. When a doctor could not immediately be found, he agreed to have the hotel call for an ambulance. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital. While receiving treatment, he was arrested for possessing a firearm without a permit. As a result, he was placed in the hospital prison ward.

After the injury, there were also reports speculating that he was disappointed in his not being cast in Way Down East (1920) and attempted suicide as Barthelmess was cast in the leading man role; however, his friends and peers fiercely denied this theory.

Though Harron appeared to be recovering, his health took a turn four days after he was shot. He died on September 5, 1920, at age 27. He was interred at Calvary Cemetery in Queens, New York City. Altogether, he appeared in roughly 220 films.

On September 26, 1920, a joint memorial service was held for Harron, actress Clarine Seymour (who died after undergoing emergency surgery while filming Way Down East), Orner Locklear (a daredevil stunt pilot and actor who perished in an airplane crash), and actress Olive Thomas (who passed from an accidental overdose). All were eulogized by director William Desmond Taylor, whose own still unsolved murder occurred 18 months later.

Today, some of Harron’s homes remain.

In 1910, his family resided at 49 King St., New York, New York, which stands.

In 1916, he maintained a residence at 641 St Paul Ave., Los Angeles, California, which has since been razed.

In 1917, he resided at 323 W. 14^th St., New York, New York, which also stands.

In 1920, he shared a home with his parents and siblings at 1751 Vine St., Los Angeles, which has been razed.

Bellevue Hospital remains the oldest public hospital in the United States.

…

–Annette Bochenek for Classic Movie Hub

Annette Bochenek pens our monthly Classic Movie Travels column. You can read all of Annette’s Classic Movie Travel articles here.

Annette Bochenek of Chicago, Illinois, is a PhD student at Dominican University and an independent scholar of Hollywood’s Golden Age. She manages the Hometowns to Hollywood blog, in which she writes about her trips exploring the legacies and hometowns of Golden Age stars. Annette also hosts the “Hometowns to Hollywood” film series throughout the Chicago area. She has been featured on Turner Classic Movies and is the president of TCM Backlot’s Chicago chapter. In addition to writing for Classic Movie Hub, she also writes for Silent Film Quarterly, Nostalgia Digest, and Chicago Art Deco SocietyMagazine.

Posted in Classic Movie Travels, Posts by Annette Bochenek | Tagged robert harron, true heart susie | Leave a comment

Western RoundUp: 2025 Western News RoundUp

Posted on March 27, 2025 by Laura Grieve

2025 Western News RoundUp

I was surprised to realize it’s been a couple of years since my last “Western News RoundUp,” and with lots of interesting new developments on the Western movie front, this is a particularly good month to share news!

In this column I’ll be sharing information about recent and upcoming Western film-related events, Blu-ray releases, and more.

As I wrote this, I realized that a significant amount of the news related back to past columns in one way or another, so where relevant I’ve included those links, which might be especially useful to newer readers.

McCrea Ranch has announced its spring 2025 fundraiser barbecue, which will be held at the ranch on May 17th. Advance tickets are required, with information found here.

For a look at past BBQ fundraisers and another event held at the longtime home of actors and Western stars Joel McCrea and Frances Dee, please visit my June 2019, July 2023, and September 2023 columns. The ranch is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a fascinating melding of film and California history.

The ranch will also be hosting an April 26th screening of the World War I film Lafayette Escadrille (1958) starring Tab Hunter and directed by William Wellman. The McCreas’ son, Jody McCrea, appears in the movie in a small role.

The TCM Classic Film Festival will be held in Hollywood this year from April 24th to 27th.

At least one Western, Gunman’s Walk (1958), will be among the films shown at this year’s festival. It’s a world premiere restoration of the movie, which was directed by Phil Karlson and stars Van Heflin, James Darren, Tab Hunter, and Kathryn Grant (Crosby). It was filmed on locations in Arizona and Northern California.

Roughly 40 films have yet to be announced for this year’s TCM Fest, so those attending will want to keep an eye on the list of films for this year’s festival. Late Update: A 35mm VistaVision screening of Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) has now been announced as well. I reviewed it here in 2023.

Please visit my June 2024 column for a look at the Western screenings at last year’s TCM Fest.

Last week the Lone Pine Film Festival confirmed dates for the 2025 festival, which will be held this year from October 9th through 12th. Films, guests, and tours are due to be announced by June 15th.

Last year my husband Doug guided three sold-out horseback movie location tours in the Alabama Hills, and he plans to guide horseback tours again this year.

Those interested in attending Lone Pine’s celebration of Westerns filmed in the area can read more about the festival in my October 2024 column, and be sure to scroll down and check out all the extra links on past film fests and Lone Pine movie locations.

There’s lots of great news regarding Westerns on Blu-ray. First, the outstanding Anthony Mann-James Stewart Western Winchester ’73 (1950) was released on Blu-ray and 4K by the Criterion Collection at the end of January.

The disc has plentiful extras including an archival commentary track with James Stewart, a Lux Radio Theater production, and an essay by esteemed film historian Imogen Sara Smith.

You can read more about Winchester ’73 in my 2019 column about seeing the film at the TCM Classic Film Festival.

The Warner Archive Collection has announced an April 2025 Blu-ray release for Springfield Rifle (1952), a Civil War era Western starring Gary Cooper. Andre DeToth directed.

The Springfield Rifle print will be a 1080p master from a 4K scan of the original camera negative. Extras will include the trailer, a pair of cartoons, and a Joe McDoakes short.

In May and June of 2025, Kino Lorber Studio Classics will release two new sets of Audie Murphy Westerns!

Audie Murphy Collections IV and V Side by Side

Volume IV will contain The Kid From Texas (1950), The Cimarron Kid (1952), and Drums Across the River (1954), while the June set will feature Walk the Proud Land (1956), Seven Ways From Sundown (1960), and Bullet for a Badman (1964).

I wrote about the terrific Seven Ways from Sundown here, which teams Murphy with Barry Sullivan, half a decade ago.

Volume IV will contain commentary tracks by C. Courtney Joyner and Gary Gerani, with the extras for Volume V still to be announced. Update: Volume V will have one commentary track by Gary Gerani, with two more tracks by Toby Roan.

I also wrote a few years ago about The Proud Rebel (1958), a marvelous Western starring Alan Ladd and Olivia de Havilland which was directed by Michael Curtiz.

ClassicFlix has announced that its restoration of the film, in collaboration with the Library of Congress, will be released on Blu-ray and DVD in May 2025.

Extras will include a commentary track featuring Curtiz biographer Alan K. Rode. The disc will also feature Rode interviewing Ladd’s son David, who costars in the film. I’ve seen David Ladd speak about the movie in the past and found his memories very interesting.

The disc will also have an isolated music track, a trailer, and a restoration comparison.

Finally, many Western movie fans will be aware that last summer we sadly lost Jeff Arnold, longtime proprietor of the essential Western movie site Jeff Arnold’s West.

What may not be known is that two great fans of the site, “Bud” and “RR,” have not only ensured that Jeff’s blog is still accessible, but they are steadily adding new content.

Their blog posts over the past year include a tour of McCrea Ranch, a review of Robert Nott’s “Reel West” book on Ride the High Country (1962), and looks at films such as The Arizonian (1935) and Ride ‘Em Cowboy (1942). I hope my fellow Western fans, who might have assumed there was nothing new at the site, will check out their work. Bravo!

The McCrea Ranch photographs in this post are from the author’s personal collection.

…

– Laura Grieve for Classic Movie Hub

Posted in Posts by Laura Grieve, Western RoundUp | Tagged audie murphy collection, gunman's walk, Jeff Arnold's West, Lone Pine, Lone Pine Film Festival, McCrea Ranch, seven ways from sundown, springfield rifle, TCMFF, tcmff 2025, the proud rebel, winchester '73 | 1 Comment

Silents are Golden: A Closer Look At: Lois Weber’s Shoes (1916)

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Lea Stans

A Closer Look At: Lois Weber’s Shoes (1916)

Some of the most powerful silent films were crafted with surprising realism, especially in the early years that we often assume are full of “stagey” acting and hokey melodrama. The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912), The Italian (1915), Regeneration (1915) are just a few 1910s works full of humble details and restrained performances. And one of the finest from this period is certainly Lois Weber’s feature Shoes (1916).

In an era when a number of women worked behind the camera, Weber was one of the most prominent and respected female directors. Born in 1879, Florence Lois Weber was from a deeply religious Pennsylvania Dutch family. In her teens she worked with the Church Home Missionary and sang on street corners in urban red light districts. Hoping to bring edifying messages to larger crowds, she decided to join travelling stock companies. One of those companies was managed by former lawyer Wendell Phillips Smalley. Realizing they shared similar ideals, Smalley and Weber would marry in 1904.

Weber began writing freelance motion picture scenarios around 1906, becoming increasingly fascinated by the growing industry. She soon started learning how to direct and also co-starred with her husband in short dramas. After a few years they decided that cinema was the ideal medium for spreading “uplifting” stories and they began making their own films, with Weber getting much of the directing credits.

The couple quickly gained a reputation for quality dramas exploring class differences, romantic complications, and religion. One of their most well-known shorts today is Suspense (1913), which included a triptych effect that was sophisticated for its time. They also made waves with their feature Hypocrites (1915), which included the allegorical “Naked Truth” represented by a fully nude actress in double exposures. Weber defended the artistic integrity of these scenes: “Hundreds of thousands have seen Hypocrites, but those who went with evil thoughts for the gratification of a lustful curiosity uppermost in their mind, found a searchlight suddenly turned on their own conscience. I know, I saw it.”

lois weber Hypocrites (1915) — *Hypocrites* (1915)

In 1916, now the main director with her husband working more behind the scenes, Weber would release one of her most profound features: Shoes (1916). It was a simple story about the young Eva Meyer who struggles to set aside enough money for a much-needed new pair of shoes while also being the breadwinner for her impoverished family. Her shiftless father is no help, and her mother is busy looking after her siblings. Towards the end, with her old shoes on the cusp of literally falling to pieces, Eva makes a devastating decision.

Shoes was based on a short story by Stella Wynne Herron, who had been profoundly influenced by the book A New Conscience and an Ancient Evil by social reformer Jane Addams. Addams’ book had examined the tragic lives of poverty-stricken girls in Chicago who were coerced into prostitution. Weber’s film would treat its delicate subject with restraint and dignity, deeply sympathetic to the main character’s plight.

Part of the reason the film works so well is its subtle performance by the teenaged lead Mary MacLaren. MacLaren (formerly MacDonald) had worked as a chorus girl on Broadway and became an extra in Weber’s films. With her thick blonde hair and features that could be as pretty or as plain as needed, MacLaren was a “find” and Weber thought she’d be a perfect lead for Shoes. MacLaren played the role not as a naive waif but a jaded teen who was forced to grow up too soon. One critic would call her “a full-fledged star in about the fastest time known to screen history.”

Weber kept the plot succinct, closely following the Herron story, and insisted on realism for both the performances and the immersive sets. The well-stocked five-and-dime store and the fully furnished Meyer flat were built at the studio. During kitchen scenes Weber insisted on having real corned beef and cabbage cooking on the stove. The most significant departure from Herron’s story was a wistful “what might have been” sequence, showing how the Meyers might’ve fared if the father had actually been a success. The Meyers are shown well-dressed and part of “society,” and Eva’s shown being romanced by a country boy. The sequence was in the spirit of good taste, as the audience already knows the sad decision Eva’s been driven to make.

Shoes, released under Universal’s Bluebird Photoplays, was soon the branch’s most popular film. It received much critical praise for its realism and powerful story. Moving Picture World wrote: “…In dealing with its subject Miss Weber has surpassed herself in craftsmanship, turning out a picture that strikes the heart broadside and overwhelmingly instead of with the muted ‘punch’ of most encounters with problems.” A Wid’s Daily critic summed up its appeal: “It is a human drama, humanly told and humanly played.”

The success of Shoes led to more starring roles for MacLaren, as well as a supporting role in Douglas Fairbanks’s wildly popular The Three Musketeers (1921). She left films for a few years to marry a colonel, and returned to the industry after their subsequent divorce. Having a harder time getting substantial roles the second time around, by the 1940s she started taking in boarders.

MacLaren would struggle uncomplainingly for the next few decades. Hauntingly, the actress who rose to fame for playing an impoverished young woman would eventually sink back into poverty herself.

Destitute by the time she reached her eighties, her house of nearly seventy years became dilapidated and overrun by rats and her many pets. The city considered it a hazard and put it up for auction, moving the 85-year-old MacLaren to a nursing home. She only lived a few more weeks. And yet, according to everyone who knew her at that time, she remained a “lovely” and friendly lady, “just as sweet as could be” right up to the end.

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–Lea Stans for Classic Movie Hub

You can read all of Lea’s Silents are Golden articles here.

Posted in Posts by Lea Stans, Silent Films, Silents are Golden | Tagged lois weber, Lois Weber first American woman director, mary maclaren, shoes (1916) | 1 Comment

Noir Nook: Minor But Memorable

Posted on March 20, 2025 by Karen Burroughs Hannsberry

Minor But Memorable

There are characters in film noir that are bigger than life, that are in nearly every scene and who tower over the movie itself like the eponymous inferno.

And then there are those that you hardly see at all – characters so minor that they often don’t even warrant a last name (or a name at all) – and yet, they’re unforgettable.

This month’s Noir Nook takes a look at three of these characters: Madge in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), Girl at Bar in Shield for Murder (1953), and Sally in Sweet Smell of Success (1957).

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Madge (Audrey Totter) in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)

The Postman Always Rings Twice tells the tale of Cora Smith (Lana Turner) and Frank Chambers (John Garfield), illicit lovers who team up to murder Cora’s husband, played by Cecil Kellaway. As it turns out, both Cora and Frank get off scot-free (due to some courtroom machinations that, even after all these years and countless viewings, I still don’t quite understand), but that doesn’t mean there’s smooth sailing ahead. The two become adversaries, each threatening to turn the other one in, and when Cora leaves town for a family emergency, well – you’ve heard the old saying, “When the cat’s away, the mice will play”?

In this case, the mouse – that’s Frank – finds a lovely plaything in the person of Madge, who he meets in the parking lot of the train station. She was having a bit of a problem getting her car started, but she didn’t have any problems starting Frank’s motor, if you know what I mean. A brief mention about her thin skirt and the hot leather of the car seat, and he was off to the races.

Madge, like many a minor character, was only in one scene, with a handful of lines, but she made them count. She practically purred when she was talking to Frank, even if all she was doing was complaining about her job as a hash slinger or labeling Frank an “outlaw [who] can’t stand captivity.” Within just a few minutes, she’d made such an impression on Frank that he was proposing a trip with her to Tijuana, Mexico. She made an impression on us, to – and on the critic from the Hollywood Reporter, who wrote: “Audrey Totter, going the small part of a rather loose pick-up . . . proves again that she has a great future, with easy command of what made our top screen sirens stars.”

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Girl at Bar (Carolyn Jones) in Shield for Murder (1953)

One of my favorite lesser-known noirs, Shield for Murder stars Edmond O’Brien (who was also making his directorial debut) as Barney Nolan, a police detective who murders a bookie and relieves the corpse of a cool $25,000. But he’s not exactly pals with Lady Luck – his back-alley homicide was witnessed by a nearby resident, the bookie’s boss wants his money back, and the entire case is being investigated by a young detective (John Agar) to whom Barney serves as mentor and friend.

Stressed by his attempts to cover up his crime while evading the hoods on his trail, Barney visits a bar in a local restaurant, where he hopes to collect his thoughts (or maybe drown them). There, he encounters a young blonde with a knowing smile and come-hither eyes that run up and down Barney like a searchlight (as Olga from The Women [1939] would say). Sidling up next to Barney, she starts in with a line of patter that can best be described as eclectic. She teaches him how to “look tough” in the mirror. She flips her hair and confesses that her mother always thought she had “too much spirit.” And before you can say “Jack Robinson,” she and Barney are sitting cozily together in a booth. (By the way, even though the film credits her as “girl in bar,” we learn when she introduces herself to Barney that her name is Beth.)

Beth is a . . . shall we say . . . interesting young woman; between the mysterious bruise on her arm (“Somebody gave it to me, I guess,” she half-explains) and the way her hand forms into a claw on Barney’s face when she kisses him, we don’t know where this thing might end up. (We never find out, though, since Barney upends the evening by pistol-whipping two thugs in the middle of dinner.)

Along with Marla English, who played Barney’s girlfriend, Carolyn Jones was singled out by the critic for the L.A. Daily News; although he misspelled her name as “Carilyn,” he wrote that Jones and English “contribute just the right amount of femme charms to their roles, and although they don’t get much chance to really emote, both gals show promise.”

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Sally (Jeff Donnell) in Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

In Sweet Smell of Success, Burt Lancaster is all-powerful, Walter Winchell-like columnist J.J. Hunsecker, and Tony Curtis (in what is arguably the best performance of his career) is Sidney Falco, a sniveling, sycophantic, weasel of a man who will do anything to get ahead. And for Sidney, getting ahead means earning the favor of Hunsecker.

Sidney’s “office” (which has a nameplate taped onto the door and a bedroom in the back) is presided over by Sally, who serves as Sidney’s Girl Friday. She’s not the kind of glamour-girl assistant you might think a man like Sidney would have; her face is free of make-up, her clothes are ill-fitting, and her hairstyle is unattractive. She’s certainly efficient, though, and is adept at fielding a variety of calls, from dissatisfied clients to vendors trying to collect past-due bills.

Unfortunately for Sally, she’s clearly in love with Sidney – and she couldn’t have picked a worse candidate for her affections. When Sally points out to Sidney that he’s been left out of Hunsecker’s column for five consecutive days, Sidney snarkily snaps, “May I rent you out as an adding machine?” When she tells Sidney she wishes that she could help him, he responds, “You can help with two minutes of silence.” And when he refers to her “meaty, sympathetic arms,” he actually reduces her to tears. In just a short amount of time, Sally manages to evoke an assortment of reactions from the viewer; as we watch her look at Sidney with those liquidy, puppy-dog eyes, we want to simultaneously shake her, roll our eyes in annoyance, and give her a massive hug.

In the L.A. Examiner, Jeff Donnell was praised for her “good job” and the reviewer for the New York Times included her along with several other minor characters when he noted the “competent touches in their brief appearances.”

The next time you see The Postman Always Rings Twice, Shield for Murder, or Sweet Smell of Success, give an extra look to Madge, Beth, and Sally. All told, their appearances in these films probably don’t occupy a total of 10 minutes, but they’re undeniably unforgettable.

And deserve to be remembered.

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– Karen Burroughs Hannsberry for Classic Movie Hub

You can read all of Karen’s Noir Nook articles here.

Posted in Noir Nook, Posts by Karen Burroughs Hannsberry | Tagged audrey totter, Carolyn Jones, jeff donnell, shield for murder, Sweet Smell of Success, The Postman Always Rings Twice | Leave a comment

Silver Screen Standards: Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

Posted on March 13, 2025 by Jennifer Garlen

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

On my most recent visit to London, I went to see a stage production of Agatha Christie’s 1953 play, Witness for the Prosecution, and of course I had to rewatch the 1957 film adaptation again as soon as I got home so that I could see how they compared to one another. The 1957 film, directed by Billy Wilder and nominated for six Academy Awards, differs from the play in some significant ways but still earned Christie’s approval at its release. Perhaps, like most of us, she was won over by the outstanding performances of some of classic Hollywood’s greatest talents, including Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton, and Elsa Lanchester. Those performances ensure that Witness for the Prosecution remains as gripping and effective today as it was in 1957, especially if you don’t spoil the ending for a first-time viewer.

Tyrone Power, Witness for the Prosecution — Tyrone Power plays the defendant, Leonard Vole, who is accused of murdering a rich widow to get her money.

Tyrone Power stars as Leonard Vole, who asks barrister Sir Wilfrid Robarts (Charles Laughton) to defend him in the English courts against the charge of murdering a wealthy widow (Norma Varden). Having recently suffered a near fatal heart attack, Sir Wilfrid at first refuses but then becomes fascinated by the details of the case, including the involvement of Vole’s enigmatic wife, Christine (Marlene Dietrich). When Christine unexpectedly appears as a witness for the prosecution during Vole’s trial, Sir Wilfrid struggles to understand her motivation and defend his client against seemingly damning evidence.

Charles Laughton, Witness for the Prosecution — Sir Wilfrid (Charles Laughton) is an experienced barrister who hopes to prove Vole’s innocence in spite of the evidence against him.

Christie published the original version of this plot a century ago as a 1925 short story titled “Traitor’s Hands.” She changed the name to “The Witness for the Prosecution” in 1933 and made additional changes to the ending when she wrote the play (which is the same as the ending for the 1957 film). The play is very much a courtroom drama, but the film adaptation presents several key scenes that take place at other times and locations. We see how Leonard and Christine met during the war, and we see how Leonard met the dead woman, Emily French, and her suspicious housekeeper, Janet MacKenzie (Una O’Connor). We are even able to accompany Sir Wilfrid in search of a mysterious person offering last-minute evidence during the trial, which provides the film with one of its most memorable scenes. More importantly, the film makes Sir Wilfrid a heart attack patient and adds the completely new character of his nurse, Miss Plimsoll (Elsa Lanchester). I didn’t miss her character when I watched the stage production, but the stage version of Sir Wilfrid has no need for her, while Laughton’s fussy, temperamental take on the barrister really benefits from the adversarial relationship with the relentless nurse. By the time they appeared in this film, their tenth together, Laughton and Lanchester had been married for nearly thirty years, and their easy comedic sparring is so natural and delightful that it’s hard to imagine the movie without it. Both Laughton and Lanchester earned Oscar nominations for their performances, while Power and Dietrich were both shut out.

Elsa Lanchester and Charles Laughton, Witness for the Prosecution — Nurse Plimsoll (Elsa Lanchester) and Sir Wilfrid bring a lot of comic action to this dark story with their battle over Sir Wilfrid’s activities.

Despite the Oscar snubs, Power and Dietrich both deliver some of their best work thanks to the meaty, dramatic roles they have to play. In his last finished film before a fatal heart attack at the age of 44, Power looks haggard, a darker and world-weary version of the dashing heartthrob who had wooed audiences in the 1930s and early 40s. Power always wanted to be more than a pretty face and campaigned hard for films like Nightmare Alley (1947), and Witness for the Prosecution offers a final testament to the actor’s ability to tackle such roles. Dietrich was deeply disappointed when her performance yielded no Oscar nomination, but unlike Power she would live to make other great pictures, including Touch of Evil (1958), Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), and even an Oscar-nominated documentary about her life called Marlene (1984). As Christine (renamed from “Romaine” in the play), Dietrich is a mesmerizing, inscrutable sphinx, drawing us and Sir Wilfrid in because we never know what she’s really thinking. Her greatest contributions to the picture come in the most shocking scenes, which I won’t discuss here except to say that anyone who hasn’t seen the movie yet needs to do so immediately in order to appreciate Dietrich’s commitment and talent. It’s much easier to avoid spoilers by praising the supporting performers who populate the background of Leonard and Christine’s story, especially Norma Varden as the lovestruck Mrs. French and the great Una O’Connor as her loyal but cantankerous housekeeper. There are a lot of women in Leonard’s life, and he seems to inspire strong feelings in all of them, ranging from adoration to absolute loathing.

Marlene Dietrich, Witness for the Prosecution — Marlene Dietrich gives an outstanding performance as the mysterious Christine.

If, like me, you’re a fan of Agatha Christie film adaptations, check out And Then There Were None (1945), Murder She Said (1961), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), and The Mirror Crack’d (1980). After Witness for the Prosecution, Billy Wilder’s next directorial efforts would be Some Like It Hot (1959) and The Apartment (1960), both of which also earned him nods for Best Director, with The Apartment actually bringing wins for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Writing. Revisit Tyrone Power’s younger days with Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1938), The Mark of Zorro (1940), or Blood and Sand (1941), or see Marlene Dietrich’s only Oscar-nominated performance in Morocco (1930). For more of Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester together onscreen, see The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933), Rembrandt (1936), Tales of Manhattan (1942), and The Big Clock (1948). If you get the chance to visit London, don’t miss the fantastic stage production of Witness for the Prosecution in the historic courtroom at County Hall, where it has been running since 2017. Even better, make it an Agatha Christie double bill and see The Mousetrap at St. Martin’s Theatre, as well, but remember not to give away the endings for either show!