Classic Movie Hub Blog

Film Noir Review: The Brasher Doubloon (1947)

Posted on September 1, 2022 by Danilo Castro

“Rule 1 for private detectives: always deposit retainer before client changes mind.”

We all love Philip Marlowe. He’s the essence of film noir distilled to a single character, and he’s responsible for more classics than most screen detectives combined. The roster of actors who have played him is staggering as it is star-studded: Dick Powell, Humphrey Bogart, Robert Montgomery, James Garner, Elliott Gould, Danny Glover and James Caan. Each of them brought a specific aspect of Marlowe to the fore, proving just how versatile and multi-faceted the character has been.

That being said, Marlowe is not an automatic boon for a film. While his screen adventures have fared better than, say, Mike Hammer or Lew Archer, there have been instances where an adaptation completely drops the ball. Case in point: 1947’s The Brasher Doubloon. A film that flirted with greatness at nearly every turn during pre-production, and somehow wound up with the least compelling final product imaginable.

Let’s backtrack slightly. Raymond Chandler, the author behind Marlowe, was the hottest ticket in Hollywood circa 1945. He landed an Oscar nomination for co-writing Double Indemnity (1944), and adaptations of the novels Murder, My Sweet (1944) and The Big Sleep (1946) resulted in critical and commercial success. 20th Century Fox took notice, and they dusted off the rights to Chandler’s novel The High Window with the hopes of churning out yet another hit. What could go wrong?

It turns out, a lot. Fasten your seatbelts, because the number of legendary actors that were connected to the film at one point or another is whiplash-inducing. The first official word on The Brasher Doubloon came in May 1945, when it was announced that Fred MacMurray would be playing Marlowe. Before the ink had dried on said report, MacMurray was out and John Payne was in. Curious to see Payne step into Marlowe’s well-worn shoes? Too bad, he got axed two months later to make way for Victor Mature. 20th Century Fox became so committed to making Mature the next Marlowe, in fact, that he was taken off the musical Three Little Girls In Blue (1946) so that he could be given the necessary time to prepare.

Fred MacMurray was the first actor attached to the film.

It doesn’t stop there. Mature eventually walked, which left the door open for Dana Andrews. A report made by the studio in January 1946 confirmed that Gene Tierney would be cast opposite Andrews’s Marlowe, and that John Brahm would be brought in to direct. One part of the report turned out to be true, and it had nothing to do with the stars of Laura (1944). Pressed for options, and with no committed stars in sight, the studio turned to Robert Montgomery. On paper, the actor was as good a choice as any, but he had already committed to a different Marlowe adaptation for RKO, Lady In the Lake (1947), and the double-dip proved too big a hurdle to overcome.

I’ve spent so much time on the casting possibilities of The Brasher Doubloon because any one of these actors would have made an excellent Marlowe. MacMurray and Mature would have harnessed the detective’s steadfastness, Payne would’ve tapped into his underlying tenderness, and Andrews could have given us a steely, slightly uncharacteristic take (akin to the aforementioned Lady In the Lake). There is a fascinating film to be with each of these men, especially when one considers the fact that each of them were in their commercial prime.

Nancy Guild and George Montgomery struggle to get their footing.

What we got instead was George Montgomery and a 1947 release. Now I’m not one to criticize actors outright, and Montgomery was a likable cowboy in Cimarron City (1958-59), but he has no business taking up the mantle of Marlowe. He’s an open book and it shows. He’s too broad and chiseled, and he communicates none of the internal problem-solving that a character like Marlowe requires to make compelling. He’s also too broad-minded. From the opening scene, he aggressively flirts with his client’s secretary (Nancy Guild), despite her making it clear that she has more pressing matters on the brain. Granted, Marlowe has always had a tendency to romance the women he encounters, but Montgomery’s unrelentingness makes the whole enterprise feel, well, creepy. Less Spade and more Archer if you catch my drift.

Guild, who took on the role of timid secretary after Tierney and Ida Lupino (!) passed, is given little to do but look frightened. She fares decently with what she has, but her chemistry with Montgomery is stiff at best, making them easily the least electric pairing in any Marlowe adaptation. Noir enthusiasts will perk up whenever bit players like Roy Roberts (Force of Evil) and Houseley Stevenson (Dark Passage) appear, but they’re gone before they’re able to spike the momentum of the film in any significant way.

Montgomery as the only mustachioed Marlowe to date.

The screenplay doesn’t do the cast any favors. Dorothy Bennett and Leonard Praskins attempt to stay faithful to Chandler’s novel by incorporating narration, but they wind up overexplaining the plot to such an extent that all tension is removed. Marlowe figures things out in record time, and the unconvincing performances make it clear when a particular character is lying. The moment where Guild’s character pulls a gun on Marlowe should be a shocker, but Guild has played all of her previous scenes with such exaggerated innocence that the whole thing feels telegraphed. Even the shamus looks unsurprised.

It’s not all bad. John Brahm is one of those directors who’s only as good as his material, but he manages to stage some interesting visuals nonetheless. Marlowe gets knocked down at one point, and when he looks up, the camera assumes his POV as his captors stand above him. It’s a neat shot, and one that captures the grittiness of the novel. I also like the use of architecture to communicate the gothic ties of Marlowe’s client, the Murdock family.

“You better go easy on that whiskey, Miss Davis. That sounded like a direct answer to a direct question.”

At the risk of making a correlation sound like a causation, the Marlowe adaptations slowed down after the release of The Brasher Doubloon. The film received mixed to negative reviews, and the character wouldn’t be seen again on the big screen until 1969’s Marlowe. The character has obviously survived, leaving this subpar release as little more than a curiosity for noiristas and Raymond Chandler completists. It’s one of those rare, unfortunate films that’s more interesting to read about than it is to watch.

TRIVIA: The film was released under its original title, The High Window, in the UK.

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You can find all of Danilo’s Film Noir Review articles here.

Danilo Castro is a film noir aficionado and Contributing Writer for Classic Movie Hub. You can read more of Danilo’s articles and reviews at the Film Noir Archive, or you can follow Danilo on Twitter @DaniloSCastro.

Posted in Film Noir Review, Posts by Danilo Castro | Tagged George Montgomery, nancy guild, raymond chandler | 2 Comments

Western RoundUp: Western Film Book Library – Part 6

Posted on August 29, 2022 by Laura Grieve

Western RoundUp: Western Film Book Library – Part 6

It’s been over a year since my last “Western Film Book Library” post, and in the intervening time I’ve made several interesting additions to my library, so this seems like a good time for a fresh look at some books on the Western genre!

For those who might be new to this topic, my past columns with additional book recommendations are linked at the bottom of this column.

The Heroine or the Horse: Leading Ladies in Republic’s Films by Thomas Burnett Swann is one of the earliest titles I acquired when I was first building my film book library as a teenager. It was published by A.S. Barnes & Co. in 1977. Despite its age, used copies of this book are readily available online for reasonable prices.

The Heroine or the Horse isn’t entirely focused on Westerns, but since Westerns were a Republic Studios specialty, a significant number of the films discussed in the book are from that genre.

Some chapters group several actresses for discussion, such as a chapter on John Wayne‘s leading ladies; another chapter on “superstars” features actresses such as Hayworth, Crawford, and Stanwyck. Vera Hruba Ralston, who married studio head Herbert Yates, receives her own chapter, as does author favorite Adela Mara. The book contains varying amounts of biographical background mixed with information on the films the actresses made at Republic.

This 134-page book is filled with black and white photographs. At the time I first read it, many of the films and actresses seen in the photographs were completely unknown to me, which made it both educational and a tantalizing guide to films I might one day have a chance to see. Today I’m much better acquainted with most of the actresses discussed, but there are still many films mentioned in the book which I’d like to be able to see; Republic “B” films are not always easy to access!

Those Great Cowboy Sidekicks, like several other books I’ve discussed here over the years, was a find at the Lone Pine Museum of Western Film History. It was written by David Rothel, who also wrote the wonderful book on Tim Holt which I recommended here in 2019.

Those Great Cowboy Sidekicks
by David Rothel
Those Great Cowboy Sidekicks (revised)
by David Rothel

The book can be found with very different covers, including the two above, as it’s been republished a couple of times since its original publication in 1984. It was most recently republished for the Lone Pine Museum by Riverwood Press in 2013; that edition runs 354 pages.

The book is divided into three sections, with the first one focusing on the “Big Three”: George “Gabby” Hayes, Smiley Burnette, and Al “Fuzzy” St. John. The second chapter covers more familiar faces such as Richard “Chito” Martin, Andy “California” Clyde, Lee “Lasses” White, Fuzzy Knight, Raymond Hatton, and more. The final chapter of “strays” has even more actors who appeared as Western sidekicks during their careers, including Gordon Jones, Slim Pickens, Guinn “Big Boy” Williams, and Sterling Holloway.

The book’s photo spreads are quite beautiful, as seen above, and the photos also make the book a great resource for anyone trying to place a familiar face seen in a Western. The book contains a lot of good biographical information unlikely to be found elsewhere, including really interesting primary source interviews with both actors and relatives. Western filmographies are included as well.

The Films and Career of Audie Murphy, America’s Real Hero by Sue Gossett is yet another treasure found in Lone Pine. The museum does a remarkable job carrying not only recent books but older titles, such as this paperback from Empire Publishing, originally published in 1996 and republished in 2003.

Along with some biographical background, the book covers all of Murphy’s films in three- to four-page spreads which include the credits, a plot synopsis, and additional information such as a film’s critical reception. I particularly liked that each film’s locations are included, since that topic is always of particular interest to me.

While some of the material such as plots can be found online these days, the book was written by someone who clearly admires Murphy and it has many good photos, making it a nice career overview and companion to Robert Nott’s Last of the Cowboy Heroes, which was discussed in my 2021 book roundup. It’s worth noting that director Budd Boetticher and two of Murphy’s sisters were among those thanked for their support in the book’s opening acknowledgments.

John Wayne Was Here: The Film Locations and Favorite Places of an American Icon by Roland Schaefli was a key resource for me in finding the Rio Grande (1950) locations in the Moab area which I shared pictures of earlier this summer.

John Wayne Was Here is an impressive 313-page book published by MacFarland, and after using it this year I can say it is the book for anyone interested in Wayne locations as well as significant places in Wayne’s offscreen life, up to and including his gravesite in Corona del Mar, California.

For Rio Grande the book even provided the precise highway mile markers we’d need outside Moab, Utah. The book was remarkably helpful for our locations hunt, and it’s also an interesting read with plentiful photographs.

Where God Put the West: Movie Making in the Desert – A Moab-Monument Valley Movie History by Bette E. Stanton is one of two books on movie locations I came across in the gift shop at Arches National Park this summer. It was published by the Canyonlands Natural History Association.

I really liked this 184-page book, which as the title indicates covers the film history of both Moab and Monument Valley. Having now been to both locations made the book especially meaningful for me. It goes into considerable historical detail, with fairly small print, and contains unique photographs I’ve never seen anywhere else, such as the cast of Rio Grande on location at White Ranch outside Moab.

The book contains some excellent Western film history and will also be useful on future movie location visits.

Cinema Southwest: An Illustrated Guide to the Movies and Their Locations by John A. Murray is the other book I found at Arches National Park, and like the previous title it was published by the Canyonlands Natural History Association.

This 196-page book has heavy pages and glossy photographs, including many in color. It groups locations for seven states, from California to Texas. Although the southwestern U.S. locations naturally lead to most of the films discussed being Westerns, non-Westerns are covered as well.

Cinema Southwest includes a number of what I consider “newer” films, but the amount of information on older movies is substantial enough that I found the book worth my while. Like the previously mentioned location books, it also has useful information for visitors, such as describing for readers exactly how to get to Movie Road in the Alabama Hills outside Lone Pine.

A tidbit I was fascinated to learn from this book was that Clint Eastwood‘s High Plains Drifter (1973) filmed at Mono Lake, a site I’ve driven past countless times over the course of my life. That movie is now on my “watch” list!

For more ideas on Western film books, please visit my lists from July 2019, November 2019, May 2020, January 2021, and July 2021.

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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 Posts by Laura Grieve, Western RoundUp | Tagged Adela Mara, al st.john, Andy clyde, barbara stanwyck, book review, books, Clint Eastwood, Fuzzy Knight, George Hayes, Guinn Williams, Herbert Yates, High Plains Drifter, joan crawford, john wayne, Raymond Hatton, Richard Martin, rio grande, Rita Hayworth, slim pickens, Smiley Burnette, Sterling Holloway, Vera Hruba Ralston, western, western movies, Western Roundup, westerns | 6 Comments

Silents are Golden: A Closer Look At – The Sheik (1921)

Posted on August 18, 2022 by Lea Stans

**Silents are Golden: A Closer Look At – The Sheik (1921)**

One of the great sensations of the early 1920s screen, The Sheik (1921) is the kind of silent film that’s almost too easy to mock: it’s melodramatic, it’s cheesy, it’s based on a florid romance novel, and it features plenty of that exaggerated acting people always think was common back then (there was plenty of naturalistic acting, I promise…!).

Rudolph Valentino and Agnes Ayres in The Sheik (1921) — Rudolph Valentino and Agnes Ayres in *The Sheik* (1921)

And when it comes to analyzing its star, the legendary Rudolph Valentino, some might find themselves scratching their heads. The bulging eyes, the stilted love scenes–it’s a performance that admittedly hasn’t aged like a fine wine. But there are still moments that capture his charisma, helping us understand his singular mystique. And, of course, The Sheik is also a darn good example of early 20th century camp.

The Sheik (1921) Agnes Ayres and Rudolph Valentino — Valentino as The Sheik, Ahmed Ben Hassan, carrying Ayres, Lady Diana Mayo

After his breakout role as the fiery gaucho Julio in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921), oddly enough, Valentino’s subsequent roles weren’t exactly capitalizing on his talent. Camille (1921), for instance, was mainly an artsy vehicle for its star Alla Nazimova. He finally signed a contract with the more open-minded Famous Players-Lasky, which quickly decided the “exotic” young Italian would make a perfect Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan for The Sheik, their planned film version of Edith M. Hull’s wildly successful romance novel. His costars would be Agnes Ayres, an unassuming brunette whose petite frame made her costar seem taller than he was (various sources say Valentino was either 5’8” or 5’9”), and the dapper Adolphe Menjou.

The Sheik (1921) Rudolph Valentino, Agnes Ayres and Adolphe Menjou — Valentino, Ayres and Menjou

Not only was this novel popular, but it was very much in tune with the prevailing trend for all things “Oriental.” The Far East was considered a place of lush beauty and mysterious allure, where passions surely ran hot. Various starlets sported turbans and dresses made of “exotic” fabrics and decorated their homes with lacquered tables, painted screens and heaps of silk cushions. Interest in “Orientalism” signaled that you were more mystical and artistic than your average straitlaced type, and certainly more sensual.

In that atmosphere, Hull’s novel was practically made to order. It does have elements that really make us balk today. It tells the tale of Lady Diana Mayo, an adventurous young woman who insists on taking a trip into the Algerian desert accompanied only by a guide. She soon catches the eye of the Sheik Ahmed, who decides that he must have her. He dramatically kidnaps her, has his way with her, and keeps her captive for several months. Although she does attempt to escape, eventually Diana begins falling in love with Ahmed. When Diana’s kidnapped again by a rival sheik, Ahmed realizes that he loves her too, and after some twists and turns all ends happily… so to speak.

The Sheik novel by E.M. Hull — The novel *The Sheik* by E.M. Hull (1919)

With such a scandalous plot on their hands, Famous Players had to figure out how to get away with filming it. Parts were softened out of concerns that the film would be targeted for depicting miscegenation (despite an eyebrow-raising twist at the end that I won’t spoil here), emphasizing that Ahmed didn’t subject Diana to physical harm during her captivity. Rather awkwardly, Valentino’s narrow eyes were made up to appear rounder and his naturally tan skin tone was lightened. His hands are still noticeably darker than his face, contrasting strongly with Ayres’ delicate pale skin–likely on purpose since the script mentions Ahmed grasping her “white, trembling hands in his firm brown grip.” Interestingly, posters and lobby cards do show Valentino’s Ahmed with a darker complexion. His iconic “sheik” costumes of flowing robes, sashes, tassels and turbans were designed by his significant other Natasha Rambova, who was deeply interested in all things Far East herself.

The Sheik (1921) Rudolph Valentino Costume Design — Valentino’s extravagant costume design by Natasha Rambova

The Sheik was shot on location in the Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, where the desert dunes were a good stand-in for Northern Africa–or its romanticized version. The studio set up two large camps full of extras, making the production feel like a large-scale desert expedition. The director, George Melford, was a fan of westerns and enlisted a number of experienced horsemen for some of the shots. He was happy to discover that Valentino was already an experienced horseback rider and was game to do any sort of action the film needed. Natasha later said Valentino was “in his element.”

A bit of Hollywoodland magic was needed for some of the exotic exteriors. An oasis was created by designing a number of full-size palm trees out of painted wood and canvas. These trees would later end up as decorations in the famous Cocoanut Grove at L.A.’s Ambassador Hotel. Bits of Pathe stock footage of an Algerian town were spliced in for some scenes, giving a bit of realism–but not too much. The overall effect was supposed to be more of an exotic fantasy than strict recreation of real life, and many interior shots took place in elaborate tents where the sides gently fluttered in the breeze and lush curtains framed the scenes. Melford also liked filming scenes through Moorish-shaped doorways, trying to add as much atmosphere as he could.

The Sheik (1921) Rudolph Valentino Agnes Ayres lobby card — *“The Sheik is the hectic tale of an English girl in the clutches of an Arabian chief”*

The acting, a bit infamously, was also part of the fantasy. Melford like some of the pantomime-inspired tricks Valentino used, like widening his eyes to show desire, and encouraged it to an extreme. Similarly, Agnes Ayres shows a rather limited range of exaggerated emotions, mainly fear, anger, and of course, love. It all makes for a lot of amusement today, but there were a few scenes that Valentino managed to transcend–mainly a key scene where he feels remorse for frightening Diana. His gaze straight into the camera has an arresting quality that can still mesmerize us today.

The Sheik (1921) Rudolph Valentino — Valentino as Ahmed Ben Hassan

The Sheik was a big hit of course, although reviews were mixed. There was quite a bit of snark about the acting, and there were even many complaints that the plot wasn’t as spicy as the book. But it was generally agreed that Valentino carried the film well–and there’s no doubt that his fans thought so. The Sheik officially made the young actor a phenomenon, one of the biggest stars of the 1920s–and biggest names in film history in general. And while his first major starring film might be hard for 21st century audiences to take seriously, it also has a kitschy charm that’s hard to forget.

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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 Adolphe Menjou, Agnes Ayres, Alla Nazimova, Camille, Classic Movie Books, Far East, George Melford, Natasha Rambova, rudolph valentino, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik | 1 Comment

Monsters and Matinees: Exploring the Cinematic Roads to ‘The Lost World’

Posted on August 14, 2022 by Toni Ruberto

Exploring the Cinematic Roads to ‘The Lost World’

Meet Professor George Edward Challenger, a clever and gruff man with an adventurous spirit but impossible behavior.

He lives up to his name by being a challenge to everyone he meets while also issuing challenges to colleagues and foes. He’s a meaty character who is a “full-charged battery of force and vitality,” as described by his creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the 1912 novel The Lost World. No wonder he has attracted such actors as Wallace Beery, Claude Rains and John Rhys-Davies to play him in three of the multiple screen adaptations.

The 1925 silent version was the first screen adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s *The Lost World.*

Though Conan Doyle is better known as the literary father of Sherlock Holmes, The Lost World is famous in its own right. The slim novel opens with an extended scene of a young newspaper reporter whose girlfriend won’t accept his proposal until he does something memorable. Lucky for him, Professor Challenger has returned from South America where he claims he found the existence of dinosaurs. Instead of being heralded for the discovery, Challenger is a joke in the British science community where his ill-temper doesn’t help his case. Only a new expedition with witnesses will prove he’s not a fraud.

Though Doyle’s Lost World has dinosaurs, it is not the basis for the 2007 film of the same name, but rather a distant relative. Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton paid homage to Doyle’s novel by using the title The Lost World for his sequel to both the novel and film.

The first film adaptation of Conan Doyle’s novel was made in 1925, and though it was silent, the imagery was enough to startle and amaze moviegoers at the time.

The directing is tedious, but the dinosaur scenes often exceeded my expectations and I suspect they will at least surprise you. Of course, they can’t compare with today’s CGI-dinosaurs and other technological marvels, but, like Jurassic Park, the original Lost World film showed audiences something they previously could only imagine.

That’s thanks to the legendary Willis O’Brien, a pioneer in the art of stop-motion animation who created one of the greatest beasts in cinematic history with King Kong.

O’Brien had tinkered with dinosaurs starting with his first film, The Dinosaur and the Missing Link: A Prehistoric Tragedy (1917). It was one of several prehistoric shorts he would make for the Thomas Edison Company including The Ghost of Slumber Mountain (1918). But these were only about 5 minutes in length, and O’Brien, though always creative, was using primitive puppetry. Watch those shorts and you will be impressed by how much his talents progressed in only eight years for The Lost World, in which he used 18-inch dinosaurs, and then again when he shook the film world with King Kong.

Wallace Beery wears a perpetual frown as Professor Challenger in The Lost World (1925).

The original movie

Professor Challenger (played with bombast and wild hair by Wallace Beery) is suing the London Record Journal for doubting his tales of dinosaurs while on expedition on a South American plateau. The only “proof” Challenger has about the dinosaurs is a diary kept by another explorer, Maple White, that includes descriptions and hand-drawn pictures. White was lost on the original expedition and a diary is not enough to convince anyone that dinosaurs are alive.

The combative Challenger, now the joke of the science community, won’t talk to reporters to help his case. Still, clumsy young reporter Ed Malone (Lloyd Hughes), who needs to do something “dangerous” to win over his fiancée, volunteers to cover Challenger.

During a speech, Challenger challenges a room of doubters to join him on an expedition to prove the existence of the dinosaurs. Though he gets heckled, an expedition is set. Joining Challenger are the reporter Malone, big-game hunter Sir John Roxton (played by the esteemed Lewis Stone), doubting Professor Summerville (Arthur Hoyt) and Paula White (Bessie Love), daughter of Maple White.

We’re quickly on an expedition with dangers lurking before we spot our first prehistoric creature: there’s a native with a spear hiding in the bushes, an angry leopard, a mean-looking gorilla who will be lurking about throughout the film. (He’s clearly a guy in a suit, but ape-men are part of the original novel and later adaptations.)

A Pterodactyl sits at the top of a summit in the 1925 version of *The Lost World.*

Luckily, it doesn’t take long to spot our first dinosaur and it’s a spectacular Pterodactyl flying over the pinnacle where Maple White was lost (this pivotal scene is replayed in subsequent versions). Then there’s a Brontosaurus – perfectly harmless “unless it happens to step on us,” Challenger tells his group – but also the vicious meat-eating Allosaurus.

They reach the chasm where Maple White was last seen, cutting down a tree to help them cross to the other side. But trees have leaves, a perfect snack for a dino who accidentally dislodges the tree while munching and traps the explorers with seemingly no way back to camp.

If that’s not enough, a volcano decides to erupt. Our trusty adventurers now need to find a way down the pinnacle, escape the dinosaurs (and that pesky ape-man) and get away before the volcano erupts. Did I mention the love triangle, too? There’s plenty of drama.

An Allosaurus is in a fighting mood in *The Lost World* (1925).

Though the dinosaurs are often in long shot, the scenes still do their job. O’Brien has his creatures on the move through thick foliage, battles and running from lava. That movement lends them a realism they wouldn’t have if they were static.

Without really spoiling the story, they do make it back to civilization (was there any doubt?) with a specimen that, like all creatures that find themselves in a big city (King Kong, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms) will get loose and wreak havoc.

So break down The Lost World with me to its basics. A man claims to have seen dinosaurs/monsters. No one believes him. There is a diary with a map. Unimaginable danger lurks about. People get trapped with no way home. Mountain caves provide shelter. And there’s a volcano. Perhaps if they escape, they have a trophy to bring to the big city where it will surely get loose.

Sound familiar? Absolutely. The Lost World was the inspiration for a century of films to follow with similar elements such as King Kong, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, and yes, the Jurassic Park/Jurassic World/Lost World films. At the same time, Conan Doyle’s novel The Lost World followed a tradition of other grand adventures in new worlds such as those written by Jules Verne in the 1880s, Mysterious Island and Journey to the Center of the Earth (which also have multiple adaptations worth watching).

Dangers lurk everywhere in Irwin Allen’s colorful 1960 version of The Lost World.

Other adaptations of The Lost World

The timeless story of The Lost World has been irresistible to filmmakers with multiple versions made for film and television. They generally follow the same storyline with the same characters – Professor Challenger, Professor Summerlee, a reporter, a respected big-game hunter and a young woman with a relationship to someone in the story. The location may change, characters are added and some versions follow closer than others. But the actors playing Challenger are all up to the challenge and give viewers a jolly good time. Here are just two of the other adaptations, each called The Lost World.

1960 film. Directed by Irwin Allen.

Grab the popcorn. This is a fun and very colorful adventure yarn that throws in much more than dinosaurs with cannibals, a giant spider (as bad as it looks, it’s still a giant spider), carnivorous plants, dangerous caverns, a sea creature and lots of lava. We can clearly see Allen’s penchant for disaster films in an early stage.

The gang’s all here for Irwin Allen’s *The Lost World* including in the front row, Fernando Lamas, Michael Rennie, Jill St. John (and dog), Ray Stricklyn, Claude Rains and Jay Novello.

A red-haired and fiery Claude Rains and his umbrella lead the way as Professor Challenger, the regal Michael Rennie is Lord John Roxton and Al (David) Hedison is our reporter Al Malone. There is the addition of Fernando Lamas as a helicopter pilot named Gomez, who travels with his guitar and is apt to break into a lovely ballad. Jill St. John plays Jennifer Holmes, the publisher’s daughter, whose impractical outfits are reason enough to watch at times. A native girl (Vitina Marcus) helps them out.

David Warner, left, and John Rhys-Davies make excellent frenemies in *The Lost World* (1992).

1992 TV movie. Directed by Timothy Bond.

This clearly has that look of a made-for-TV movie, but I didn’t mind. Casting John Rhys-Davies and his bellowing voice as Professor Challenger is a no-brainer and ups the entertainment value substantially. The late David Warner play Summerlee; a young Eric McCormick is our newspaper reporter. There’s no Sir Roxton in this version, though he’s not missed because Summerlee has much more to do – and did I mention he’s played by David Warner?

The young female along this time is a photographer named Jenny Nielson (played by Tamara Gorski) whose rich family contributed to the trip. Also along for the ride: A young newsboy stowaway and pretty native Malu (Nathania Stanford) who will guide them and create a love triangle that thankfully doesn’t get in the way of the plot.

An adorable dinosaur in The Lost World (1992).

The action moves to Africa giving us more to fear, including two warring tribes, one of which likes to feed people to the dinosaurs. Still, this film has much more humor than the other versions and isn’t quite so scary since some of the dinosaurs look so warm and cuddly. At the end, our adventurers promise to return to their new friends which they do in the sequel Return to the Lost World, filmed simultaneously with the same cast and director.

And still more

Yes, there are more adaptations, although they aren’t as readily available for viewing. Here’s a super quick take on three. You can also find some animated versions, too.

1998: Handsome Patrick Bergin took on the role of Challenger in this American-Canadian made-for-TV film. Set in Mongolia, it goes for the terror instead of the laughs.

1999: This Australian-Canadian TV series aired for three seasons (22 episodes each) with New Zealand actor Peter McCauley as Challenger.

2001: Bob Hoskins is another solid choice as Challenger in this BBC production, considered the most faithful adaptation of the novel by the Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia. James Fox, Matthew Rhys and Peter Falk co-star.

– 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 of the Classic Movie Blog Association. Toni was the president of the former Buffalo chapter of TCM Backlot and now leads 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.

Posted in Horror, Monsters and Matinees, Posts by Toni Ruberto | Tagged Jurassic Park, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World, The Lost World 1925, Willis O'Brien | 3 Comments

Noir Nook: Femme Entrances – Part 2

Posted on August 11, 2022 by Karen Burroughs Hannsberry

Noir Nook: Femme Entrances – Part 2

Last month, I offered up four femmes who provided us with some of the best entrances in film noir: Cora Smith (Lana Turner) in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) in Double Indemnity (1944), Kathie Moffat (Jane Greer) in Out of the Past (1947), and Alice Reed (Joan Bennett) in Woman in the Window (1944). This month, I’m wrapping up this series with four more noir femmes with memorable entrances.

Rita Hayworth in Gilda (1946)

The story of Gilda has a number of themes and several moving parts, including jealousy, revenge, passion, and a “tungsten cartel” (whatever that is) – but at its core is the thin line between love and hate. In the title role, Rita Hayworth plays the mysterious Gilda, whose past is almost completely unfamiliar to us, except that we know she once loved and somehow lost one Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford), the right-hand man to casino owner Ballin Mundson (George Macready). We find this out when Ballin returns from a trip with a new wife: Gilda. And it’s Gilda’s reunion with Johnny that provides the backdrop for her iconic entrance. Johnny arrives at Ballin’s home, eager to see his boss after his time away. When Ballin opens the door to his bedroom, we hear – along with Johnny – the sultry sounds of a woman’s voice, vocalizing along with a record. As recognition slowly registers on Johnny’s face, Ballin calls out, “Gilda. Are you decent?” Our gaze is taken inside the room where Gilda, from a position below the camera, suddenly sits up, tosses back her mane of hair, and smilingly queries, “Me?” She then sees Johnny as he emerges from the shadows, and her smile fades. “Sure,” she says, pulling up her dress to cover one shoulder. “I’m decent.” It’s an introduction that will practically take your breath away.

Ava Gardner in The Killers (1946)

Ava Gardner and Burt Lancaster in The Killers (1946) — Ava Gardner and Burt Lancaster in *The Killers* (1946)

The Killers opens with two hitmen hunting down ex-boxer Ole Andersson (Burt Lancaster), and fatally shooting him in his bed. The remainder of the film focuses on the attempts of an insurance investigator (Edmund O’Brien) to find out who killed Ole and why. As the story unfolds through a series of flashbacks, we get to know Ole, his girlfriend Lilly Harmon (Virginia Christine, later the pitchwoman for Folgers Coffee), his best friend (Sam Levene), and Kitty Collins (Ava Gardner), the woman who steals his heart. More than 30 minutes into the film, we meet Kitty when Ole and Lilly attend a party. Upon their arrival, they’re greeted by the tinkling of piano keys and ushered over to the hostess of the shindig, Kitty, who’s seated on the piano bench with her back to us. She’s dressed in a satiny black, one-shoulder gown, and even before we see her face, we suspect that she’s something special. Mind you, her entrance isn’t at all flashy – it’s brief and low-key. When she’s introduced to Ole and Lilly, Kitty turns toward them, flashes a pleasant smile, offers a simple “hello” and then turns away again. The exchange lasts less than five seconds, but Ole’s drawn to her like he’s made of steel and Kitty has magnets sewn into the hem of her dress. (And in that same span of time, Lilly knows that her relationship with Ole has come to an end.)

Peggy Cummins in Gun Crazy (1950)

Gun Crazy tells the tale of Annie Laurie Starr (Peggy Cummins) and Bart Tare (John Dall), star-crossed lovers a la Bonnie and Clyde who are adept at gun play, fall madly in love, and go on a crime spree. The film’s action begins when Bart returns home after an army stint and hooks up with two boyhood chums to attend a local carnival. When the trio pays a visit to a sharpshooting show – which is right up the gun-loving Bart’s alley – he gets his first eyeful of Laurie. Before she enters, she’s introduced to the crowd by Packy (Berry Kroeger), the carnival’s owner and manager, who gives her quite a build-up, calling her “the famous, the dangerous, the beautiful… direct from London, England, and the capitols of the continent… so appealing, so dangerous, so lovely to look at!” Following this, we hear a series of shots and see smoke from the gunfire – and into the frame enters Laurie, dressed in a western outfit and a gun in each hand. With a sultry gaze, she surveys the crowd, spots Bart (who is excitedly leaning forward in his seat with a face covered in grin), points a gun at him, and pulls the trigger. Bart is hooked.

Jean Wallace in The Big Combo (1955)

One of my best-loved noirs, The Big Combo stars Cornel Wilde as Leonard Diamond, a highly principled detective who is determined to bring down local mob boss Mr. Brown (Richard Conte). Jean Wallace is Susan Lowell, a fragile, unstable socialite who is not only Mr. Brown’s mistress, but also the object of Diamond’s desire from afar. We meet Susan as the film opens, in the bowels of a boxing arena. Clad in a strapless black cocktail dress and heels and accompanied by the sounds of the roaring crowd, Susan is running in and out of the shadows; we soon see that she is being chased by two men – Mingo (Earl Holliman) and Fante (Lee Van Cleef), who are minions of Mr. Brown. After managing to elude them for a while, she’s finally caught, with one man on each side and Mingo holding onto her arm. Susan asks them to let her go, but they refuse. (“Mr. Brown is mad already. We lost you for two minutes.”) Susan promises that she won’t run away and Mingo releases her arm. When he does, without missing a beat, Susan smacks him in the face with her clutch purse, gives a haughty sniff, and walks away, her head held high. It may not be the first femme entrance you think of, but it’s one you won’t forget.

And that’s it! Do you have any favorite femme entrances? Let me know!

…

– 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 Noir Nook, Posts by Karen Burroughs Hannsberry | Tagged Ava Gardner, barbara stanwyck, burt lancaster, Cornel Wilde, Double Indemnity, earl holliman, Edmond O'Brien, femme fatale, gilda, gun crazy, Jane Greer, Jean Wallace, joan Bennett, john dall, lana turner, Lee Van Cleef, Noir, Noir Nook, out of the past, Peggy Cummins, richard conte, Rita Hayworth, Sam Levene, the big combo, The Killers, The Postman Always Rings Twice, the woman in the window, Virginia Christine | 8 Comments

Silver Screen Standards: Bombshell (1933)

Posted on August 10, 2022 by Jennifer Garlen

Silver Screen Standards: Bombshell (1933)

Bombshell (1933) Jean Harlow bed — With tousled curls, Lola wakes to another day of chaos and early morning studio calls.

Played a different way, Bombshell (1933) would be a tragic drama about the relentless pressures and manipulation faced by a young actress in 1930s Hollywood, and certainly that was a reality that many stars, including Jean Harlow, knew all too well. I find it difficult sometimes to watch Harlow, as sparkling and vivacious as she is, without being constantly aware of the devastating brevity of her life, but we owe it to her to celebrate her comedic genius by laughing at her salty, feisty characters, especially the impulsive, hard-working Lola Burns. Bombshell tells a lot of ugly truths about Hollywood, but it does so with satiric glee, and it features a wealth of crackerjack supporting performances that Harlow keeps pace with like a true champ.

Bombshell (1933) Lee Tracy and Jean Harlow — Despite their constant conflict, Space and Lola have history and chemistry together, and Space resents the other men in Lola’s life.

Harlow plays a semi-autobiographical role as Hollywood It Girl Lola Burns, who makes five pictures a year and supports an extravagant retinue of relatives, parasites, and pets. Her problems are compounded by the studio’s unscrupulous publicist, Space Hanlon (Lee Tracy), who torments Lola with his lies and setups but also jealously undermines her relationships with other men. Fed up with her household and Space’s manipulative plots, Lola flees to a desert resort, where she soon falls into a romance with handsome, aristocratic Gifford Middleton (Franchot Tone), who claims he has never even heard of the famous movie star.

Bombshell (1933) Franchot Tone, Mary Forbes, C. Aubrey Smith, Jean Harlow — Lola falls for Gifford (Franchot Tone), but his aristocratic parents (Mary Forbes and C. Aubrey Smith) are not impressed by her movie star status.

The action of Bombshell never lets up; it approaches comedy in a manner appropriate to its title, with gags blowing up every scene and conversation. It’s stuffed with wacky characters, played by iconic comic actors, and each of them seems determined to steal every scene. Fast-talking Lee Tracy leads the pack with his trademark wisecracks and patter, but Frank Morgan gives him stiff competition as Lola’s incorrigible father, blustering his way through whoppers and looking absurdly dapper in his striped trousers. The equally sharp Una Merkel plays Lola’s opportunistic secretary, Mac, who holds her own against Lola’s male relatives in both hilarity and crookedness, while Louise Beavers plays the loyalist of the lot as Lola’s maid, Loretta. Beavers’ role might have been just another stereotypical maid part for a Black actress, but Loretta gets some very good scenes early on, especially her bit about the ruined negligee and her bold retort to Mac about knowing where the bodies are buried. Even small roles are filled by top-notch players like Pat O’Brien, Ted Healy, C. Aubrey Smith, and Isabel Jewell.

Bombshell (1933) Frank Morgan Jean Harlow — Lola’s father (Frank Morgan) holds forth with another stream of lies about the family history for a magazine interview with the star.

It would be easy to get lost in such a whirlwind, but Harlow shines throughout. Her Lola is a woman of endless variety; she’s glamorous in spangled gowns, sweet for the orphanage committee, furious with Space, and gaga for Gifford, but Harlow makes each mood memorable. Her pining for a baby is noteworthy among the picture’s more dramatic moments, especially when Space’s machinations crush her dream. Just when we’ve decided that she’s really a victim and sensibly done with the movie business, Harlow reveals the truth about Lola’s ambition and vanity, with some help from the ever-scheming Space, of course. Lola thinks she wants retirement and domesticity, but she also wants to sign autographs, beat out her rival for a role, and have her disappearance talked about in all the newspapers. She isn’t charmed that Gifford has never heard of her; she’s shocked. She careens from romance to romance and from one urge to the next, making her departure from Hollywood just another mercurial whim. Only in the middle of the chaos does Lola look like the grounded one. Outside it, we realize that the whirlwind suits her. Harlow, known for her bad girl roles and sex appeal, makes both the softer side and the zaniness of Lola appealing, investing the character with her own tremendous screen presence.

Victor Fleming is uncredited for his directorial work on Bombshell, but he also directed Harlow in Red Dust (1932), the film Lola Burns is supposed to be shooting retakes for with the famous barrel scene. For more of Harlow’s most memorable roles, see The Public Enemy (1931), Dinner at Eight (1933), and Libeled Lady (1936). Lee Tracy also appears in Dinner at Eight, but you can see more of him in Pre-Codes like Doctor X (1932), The Half-Naked Truth (1932), and Blessed Event (1932). The delightful Una Merkel also teams with Harlow in Red-Headed Woman (1932), Riffraff (1936), and Saratoga (1937), while Franchot Tone reunites with her in The Girl from Missouri (1934), Reckless (1935), and Suzy (1936). I like Harlow in all of her pictures, but I’m especially fond of Hold Your Man (1933) and Wife vs. Secretary (1936).

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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 Posts by Jennifer Garlen, Silver Screen Standards | Tagged Blessed Event, Bombshell, c aubrey smith, dinner at eight, Doctor X, franchot tone, frank morgan, Hold Your Man, Isabel Jewell, jean harlow, Lee Tracy, Libeled Lady, mary forbes, Pay O'Brien, Reckless, red dust, red-headed woman, Riffraff, Saratoga, Suzy, The Girl from Missouri, The Half-Naked Truth, The Public Enemy, Una Merkel, Victor Fleming, Wife vs. Secretary | Leave a comment

Exclusive Interview with Greg Schreiner of Marilyn Remembered

Posted on August 5, 2022 by Annmarie Gatti

Marilyn Monroe – Her Life and Legacy

Classic Movie Hub is happy to share an exclusive interview — our friend and fellow film fan, Nina Boski interviews Greg Schreiner, the founding member and president of Marilyn Remembered, the longest-running Marilyn Monroe fan club in existence today. In this interview, Greg talks about, “Who is Marilyn Monroe?”

Please take a look at Nina’s interview as we celebrate the life and legacy of Marilyn Monroe during the 60th anniversary of the star’s death.

A big thank you to Nina for this interview!

Nina Boski is a producer and writer, known for Goodnight Marilyn and LifeBites Live (2012).

–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub

Posted in Interviews, Posts by Annmarie Gatti, Video Clips | Tagged marilyn monroe, Marilyn Remembered, Nina Boski | Leave a comment

Classic Movie Travels: Betty Grable

Posted on August 4, 2022 by Annette Bochenek

Classic Movie Travels: Betty Grable

Betty Grable was one of World War II’s most celebrated pin-up girls, in addition to being a gifted actress, singer, model, and dancer. A top box office star, she was one of the highest-paid women of her day.

Elizabeth Ruth Grable was born on December 18, 1916, in St. Louis, Missouri, to John and Lillian Grable. She was the youngest of three children. Her siblings were Marjorie and John Grable.

Grable was nicknamed “Betty” from an early age and was simultaneously pressured by her mother to work in the entertainment industry. She entered beauty contests and won many of them, though she possessed a fear of crowds. Grable also suffered from sleepwalking.

Baby Elizabeth Ruth "Betty" Grable — Baby Elizabeth Ruth Grable

At 12 years old, Grable and her mother traveled to Hollywood, where Grable studied at the Hollywood Professional School and Ernest Blecher Academy of Dance. Grable lied about her age to secure film roles, claiming that she was 15 years old. She made her film debut as an uncredited chorus girl in Happy Days (1929).

In the following year, Grable worked under the pseudonym Frances Dean and signed with Samuel Goldwyn, making her one of the initial Goldwyn Girls. As a result, she appeared in small movie roles, including Whoopee! (1930). Though she was also uncredited in this role, she led the film’s opening number.

By 1932, Grable signed a contract with RKO Radio Pictures. There, she attended acting, singing, and dancing classes through the studio’s drama school. Her first credited screen role was in Probation (1932). She could also be seen carrying out minor film roles in Cavalcade (1933), The Gay Divorcee (1934), and Follow the Fleet (1936).

Betty Grable young — a young Betty Grable

During this period, Grable married former child star Jackie Coogan in 1937. Unfortunately, Coogan was dealing with a lawsuit against his parents pertaining to the loss of his childhood earnings, which added stress to their relationship. They divorced in 1939.

After RKO, Grable moved on to a contract with Paramount Pictures. She appeared in a string of college films, including This Way Please (1937) and College Swing (1938). This led to her being typecast as a student in other film roles.

In 1939, she appeared with her then-husband Coogan in Million Dollar Legs (1939), which gave Grable her nickname. The film did not perform well and Grable was released from her contract.

At this point, Grable turned to Broadway, where she experienced success. She starred in DuBarry Was a Lady (1943) alongside Ethel Merman and Bert Lahr, which was an instant hit.

By 1940, Grable was tired of the entertainment industry and considering retirement. She was invited to go on a personal appearance tour, which she accepted. This tour brought her to the attention of 20^th Century-Fox studio head Darryl F. Zanuck. He was impressed by her work on Broadway and cast her as the female lead in Down Argentine Way (1940), with Grable replacing Alice Faye in the role. Grable’s performance of “Down Argentine Way” is a memorable moment in the film.

Betty Grable Down Argentine Way (1940) — Grable in *Down Argentine Way* (1940)

Thanks to the success of Down Argentine Way, Grable was cast in Tin Pan Alley (1940) alongside Faye. Despite tabloids touting a rivalry between Grable and Faye, both Grable and Faye admired each other and remained friends until Grable’s passing.

After casting Grable in musicals, Fox placed her in more dramatic roles for A Yank in the R.A.F. (1941) and I Wake Up Screaming (1941). Both films were career successes for her, though Grable would go on to thrive in the musical genre. Grable soon found herself the number-one box-office draw.

In 1943, Grable posed for her iconic pin-up shot for photographer Frank Powolny. She posed in a one-piece bathing suit with her back to the camera, peering over her shoulder. This pose was effectively chosen for Grable, who was pregnant with her first child. The picture was released as a poster and became the most requested photo for G.I.s stationed overseas, surpassing Rita Hayworth’s famous 1941 photo.

Betty Grable famous pin-up photo 1943 — Grable’s famous 1943 pin-up photo

At the same time, Grable married trumpeter Harry James in 1943. The couple had two children: Victoria and Jessica. While their marriage lasted for 22 years, it was challenged with alcoholism and infidelity, leading to divorce in 1965.

Grable went on to star in Pin Up Girl (1944) and Billy Rose’s Diamond Horseshoe (1945). She also appeared in The Dolly Sisters (1945) with June Haver, since Fox was promoting Haver as Grable’s blonde bombshell successor.

After Grable departed Fox, the studio struggled financially. She returned to Fox to appear in The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947), though the film was not a success for the studio. Her role in Mother Wore Tights (1947), however, was a hit.

By the 1950s, Grable worked to renegotiate her contract with Fox, in pursuit of stronger scripts and more varied roles. She appeared in Meet Me After the Show (1951), though soon went on strike when Fox refused her a higher salary and more autonomy in selecting film roles. Due to her strike, she was replaced by Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and by June Haver in The Girl Next Door (1953). When she reconciled with Fox, she starred in The Farmer Takes a Wife (1953), but the film was a flop.

Betty Grable and June Haver in The Dolly Sisters (1945) — Betty Grable and June Haver in *The Dolly Sisters* (1945)

Next, Grable appeared in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) with Monroe and Lauren Bacall. Tabloids falsely told of a rivalry between Grable and Monroe but the two got along. Grable later refused a lead role in There’s No Business Like Show Business (1954), which led to her being suspended from her contract again. After making a few more film appearances, her last role would be in How to Be Very, Very Popular (1955) for Fox.

After working in films, Grable developed a live act in Las Vegas, Nevada, performing at various hotels with then-husband Harry James. She went on to star in different stage productions in Las Vegas, including Hello, Dolly. She also reprised her role on Broadway in 1967.

Betty Grable in her Las Vegas performance of Hello, Dolly! (1966) — Grable in her Las Vegas performance of *Hello, Dolly!* (1966)

Grable was also romantically involved with dancer Bob Remick. They remained together until her passing.

Grable passed away from lung cancer on July 2, 1973, in Santa Monica, California. Her funeral occurred two days later and was attended by her two former husbands and many of her Hollywood peers. “I Had the Craziest Dream,” featured in Springtime in the Rockies (1942), was played on the church organ in her memory. Grable is entombed at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California. She was 56 years old.

Grable’s childhood home at 3858 Lafayette Ave., St Louis, Missouri, no longer stands. By 1940, Grable and her mother were residing at the Essex House, which is an Art Deco landmark. It stands at 160 Central Park South, New York, New York.

Betty Grable New York The Essex House Residence 1940's — The Essex House, Grable’s 1940’s NYC residence

Grable also has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame, located at 6350 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, Missouri.

Betty Grable's star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame — Grable’s star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame

Grable’s image is featured as nose art on Sentimental Journey, a B-17G Flying Fortress bomber, based at the Commemorative Air Force Museum in Mesa, Arizona. The bomber is featured at various airshows throughout North America. The Commemorative Air Force Museum is located at 2017 N. Greenfield Rd., Mesa, Arizona.

Betty Grable's famous pin-up photo featured on the Sentimental Journey bomber — Grable’s famous pin-up photo featured on the *Sentimental Journey* bomber

A bust of Grable is displayed in the Hall of Famous Missourians, within the Missouri State Capitol. The building is located at 201 W. Capitol Ave., Jefferson City, Missouri.

Betty Grable bronze statue the Hall of Famous Missourians — A bronze bust of Grable commemorating her in the Hall of Famous Missourians

In Hollywood, Grable has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, honoring her work in films. The star is located at 6525 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, California.

Betty Grable Hollywood Walk of Fame star — Betty Grable’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star

Additionally, Grable’s handprints and leg prints were immortalized in the forecourt of the TCL Chinese Theatre, located at 6925 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, California.

Betty Grable Grauman's Chinese Theatre handprints — Grable’s handprints at the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, CA

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–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 A Yank in the RAF, alice faye, bert lahr, Betty Grable, cavalcade, College Swing, darryl f zanuck, Diamond Horseshoe, Down Argentine Way, DuBarry Was a Lady, Ethel Merman, Follow the Fleet, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Happy Days, How to Be Very Very Popular, how to marry a millionaire, I Wake Up Screaming, Jackie Coogan, June Haver, lauren bacall, marilyn monroe, Meet Me After the Show, Million Dollar Legs, Mother Wore Tights, Pin Up Girl, Rita Hayworth, Samuel Goldwyn, Springtime in the Rockies, The Dolly Sisters, The Farmer Takes a Wife, The Gay Divorcee, The Girl Next Door, The Shocking Miss Pilgrim, There's No Business Like Show Business, This Way Please, Tin Pan Alley, Whoopee! | Leave a comment

Film Noir Review: The Wrong Man (1956)

Posted on July 28, 2022 by Danilo Castro

“An innocent man has nothing to fear, remember that.”

Alfred Hitchcock was nothing if not a dramatist. He loved taking trivial settings and inundating them with so much tension that something as trivial as delivering a glass of milk or watching a neighbor could be a matter of life or death. He was, after all, the “Master of Suspense.” What then, becomes of Hitchcock when he’s forced to tone down his exaggerated tendencies and tell a true story? The answer can be found in The Wrong Man (1956).

The Wrong Man is an outlier in so many ways. It’s the only Hitchcock film directly based on true events (others took real-life inspiration), the only one to eschew traditional set pieces, and the only one that sees the director’s trademark “mistaken identity” schtick explored to its grimmest and most logical conclusion. The Wrong Man is a devastating viewing experience when stacked against the cheeky thrills of North by Northwest (1959) or the drawing room intrigue of Dial ‘M’ for Murder (1954), and much of it comes down to its film noir ethos.

A lobby card featuring a deleted scene (and cameo from Hitchcock.)

Hitchcock and noir ran adjacently for the 1940s and 50s. They only occasionally overlapped, and when they did, a la Shadow of a Doubt (1943) or Strangers on a Train (1951), they still gave audiences a vicarious jolt. They may have had the window dressing of film noir, but they were thrillers at heart. The Wrong Man bucked this trend. It was Hitchcock embracing the unremittingly bleak, and it holds up remarkably well for being one of his less-celebrated releases.

The film revolves around Manny Balestrero (Henry Fonda), a jazz musician who never quite hit the big time. He carves out a meager living at the Stork Club in New York, but he still needs an influx of cash if he’s going to help his wife Rose (Vera Miles) pay for a dental procedure. He visits an insurance company with the hopes of finessing a deal, but while there, he gets identified as the man who robbed the company twice before. He’s taken into custody by the end of the night.

Henry Fonda dazzles in his only Hitchcock collaboration.

Manny’s arrest is among the most terrifying sequences in Hitchcock’s entire career. There are no stabbings or sudden bird attacks, but the depiction of his booking, fingerprinting, and subsequent incarceration is so unflinching that it borders on cruelty. We’re forced to sit and watch as Manny (and Fonda, one of our most beloved American actors) is treated like a common hood, even though we know he’s innocent. It’s maddening, and the film knows it.

Fonda is mesmerizing in what turned out to be his only Hitchcock collaboration. He radiates a put-upon decency from the moment he enters the frame, and the quiet dignity he musters despite being forced to suffer countless indignities is something that cannot be taught. Take, for example, the moment he gets handcuffed. While it could’ve easily been played up for dramatic effect, and used as a springboard for a Brando-esque breakdown, Fonda prefers to keep things subdued. He simply looks down at his shackled wrists, letting the sadness in his eyes communicate what we already know to be true.

A man trapped: Manny faces a life behind bars.

Another standout moment is when Manny is placed behind bars. Hitchcock’s camera launches through the slot in the jail cell, and what we find on the other end is a man who chooses to turn his back to us. We see a slight head tilt, then a head slumped in defeat. There’s a sense of moral humiliation that runs throughout Fonda’s performance, and it’s what makes The Wrong Man simultaneously powerful yet difficult to watch.

Hitchcock may have seemed an odd choice to tackle the material, which was adapted from the Maxwell Anderson novel The True Story of Christopher Emmanuel Balestrero, but in truth, he had been dying to tell this story his entire life. Hitch’s upbringing came with a crippling fear of the police, which many attributed to the night his father chose to punish him by sending him to jail for the night. The police are not demonized in The Wrong Man, but they are seen as intimidating forces who wield power far more callously than they ought to. Manny’s wife is pushed to the brink of sanity and then some over the course of the film, and the police do little to quell her concerns, or even suggest that Manny may be innocent.

Henry Fonda and Vera Miles in a promotional still.

The aesthetic choices support this unflinching outlook. The lush color palette that had adorned Hitchcock’s previous films is replaced with high contrast black-and-white. The elaborate crane shots are ditched for a gritty, documentary-style approach that made the whole thing feel like an A-list newsreel. Then there’s the jazz-tinged score by Bernard Herrmann. The composer was Hitchcock’s most important collaborator during his most fruitful period, and while The Wrong Man may not reach the highs of his other Hitch scores, Herrmann gives the film exactly what it needs.

I’m not going to pretend that The Wrong Man is Hitchcock’s crowning achievement as a filmmaker, or that it will top anybody’s list when it comes to listing his masterpieces, but there’s something to be said for the fact that it would be considered a minor classic were it made by any other filmmaker. The Wrong Man is creatively elevated by Hitchcock’s involvement, but commercially compromised because fans will always go into it expecting something slick and entertaining.

It’s left turns like these that would eventually allow Hitchcock to hit pay dirt with Psycho (1960), a film that not only recycled The Wrong Man’s casting of Vera Miles but the black-and-white cinematography and moral indifference. It’s well worth revisiting on its own as the most overt film noir in the director’s entire career.

TRIVIA: The Wrong Man boasts early, uncredited appearances by actors Tuesday Weld and Harry Dean Stanton.

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You can find all of Danilo’s Film Noir Review articles here.

Posted in Film Noir Review, Posts by Danilo Castro | Tagged alfred hitchcock, Henry Fonda, The Wrong Man | 1 Comment

Western RoundUp: Another Look at Western Movie Locations!

Posted on July 26, 2022 by Laura Grieve

Western RoundUp: Another Look at Western Movie Locations!

It’s time for another look at some Western movie locations!

This year I’ve visited several interesting film-related places, starting with Bronson Canyon in Los Angeles’s Griffith Park. Bronson Canyon is home to a cave which has appeared in numerous films; the most significant Western to be filmed there was John Ford‘s The Searchers (1956).

Many scenes in The Searchers were filmed in Monument Valley, but the scene where John Wayne says “Let’s go home, Debbie” to Natalie Wood was filmed at the “back” entrance to the cave. The cave is actually a tunnel with two entrances.

Natalie Wood and John Wayne in The Searchers (1956) — Natalie Wood and John Wayne in *The Searchers* (1956)

In the final scene John Wayne rides his horse down this hill:

The cave is currently blocked off with chain-link fences, but I have a photo from 2020 looking out the back of the cave toward where Ethan rides down the hill.

Bronson Canyon Cave — Bronson Canyon cave

The cave’s best-known role? It was the Bat Cave on the 1960s TV series Batman. Here’s a shot of the front of the cave, where the Batmobile would exit.

Bronson Canyon Cave entrance — Bronson Canyon cave aka the Bat Cave!

This spring we took a road trip which included a brief stop in Keeler, California. Keeler is a few miles from Lone Pine, a movie location I’ve written about here numerous times, and is close to being a ghost town; the current population is around ten people.

There’s a fascinating old train station, the Carson and Colorado Railroad depot, which looks as though it would blow over in a strong wind. The information I’ve found online indicates it may date from the 1880s.

This train station is seen in the Hopalong Cassidy film Sinister Journey (1948).

The station was also seen in the silent classic Greed (1924), directed by Erich von Stroheim.

John Ford’s 3 Godfathers (1948) filmed in Keeler, but I’ve been unable to match up train station shots from that film with what’s still standing. For good measure, the crime film I Died a Thousand Times (1955), starring Jack Palance, filmed at a gas station in Keeler.

Our next road trip destination was Utah, where we visited three national parks and one state park. We particularly loved Moab, which is perhaps the most significant John Ford location after Monument Valley.

One afternoon we drove down the highway outside Moab which parallels the Colorado River; thanks to books and websites we were able to find some wonderful locations, starting with Fisher Towers.

Fisher Towers is seen in the background of Ford’s Wagon Master (1950), one of my favorite films. The Bureau of Land Management sign at Fisher Towers even mentions the Ford connection!

First, here’s a screenshot from Wagon Master of Russell Simpson and Kathleen O’Malley on the lead wagon:

Fisher Towers Wagon Master (1950) — Fisher Towers seen here in *Wagon Master* (1950)

And here’s how Fisher Towers looks today:

Warlock (1959) with Henry Fonda and Richard Widmark also shot at Fisher Towers, as did the John Wayne film The Comancheros (1961).

A little further down the river is Red Cliffs Lodge, which was originally George White’s Ranch, where Rio Grande (1950) filmed.

There’s a big open area near some of the lodge’s guest cabins…

Set location for Rio Grande (1950) — Set location for *Rio Grande* (1950) today

… and it was quite a thrill to look at screenshots of the movie’s famous “Roman Riding” sequence and realize we were standing where Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr., and Claude Jarman Jr. filmed that wonderful scene.

Rio Grande (1950) "Roman Riding" scene — *Rio Grande* (1950) “Roman Riding” scene

The rock formations in the background match up perfectly!

We also found the spot on the Colorado River where Wayne and his officers rode into the “Rio Grande” to speak with the Mexican officer.

Here’s a screenshot of that scene to show how the backgrounds match up.

Taza, Son of Cochise (1954) and Rio Conchos (1964) also filmed in the Moab area; Taza filmed in Arches National Park and Rio Conchos filmed at Dead Horse Point State Park — as did the previously mentioned Warlock and The Comancheros.

Here’s one of the impressive vistas at Dead Horse Point State Park:

For additional Western RoundUp columns on Western film locations, please visit my past articles on Kanab, Corriganville, Lone Pine, and Iverson Movie Ranch.

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– Laura Grieve for Classic Movie Hub