Sudden

 

 (imdb)

SUDDEN FEAR-1952-Playwright Myra Hudson (Joan Crawford) doesn't think the lead actor in her new play, Lester Blaine (Jack Palance) is right for the role and has him fired. Later, they meet on a train. After dinner, dancing and smoking cigarettes they have a fling. He almost leaves her but she changes his mind and they get married. They seem happy until Irene (Gloria Grahame), a woman from Lester's past shows up. It soon becomes clear Lester wants more than love from Myra. Soon she finds evidence that Lester with the help of floozy Irene want to do away with her. When the evidence is accidentally destroyed, Myra comes up with an intricate plan to thwart the macabre duo. 

Suspense filled film noir directed by David Miller (LOVE HAPPY (1949)) with great performances all around. Crawford (also one of the exec-utive producers) was nominated for a best actress Academy Award (her last) and Palance got a best supporting nomination. Also with Bruce Bennett, Mike “Touch” Con-nors and in smaller roles Arthur Space, Bess Flowers and Selmer Jackson. It's based on a novel by Edna Sherry.

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Everyone Breaks The Law

 

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THE STEEL TRAP-1952-Jim Osborne (Joseph Cotton), a bank VP plans to steal a million dollars from his firm and high tail it to Brazil with his wife, Laurie (Teresa Wright) and their young daughter. They have a million complications on their way but somehow they get to Brazil. When Laurie finds out his real plan she leaves him. Later, despite all his efforts, he decides to return the money. Also with Walter Sande, Jonathan Hale and William Hudson. 

Nice little border line film noir thriller, written and directed by Andrew Stone who had previously made STORMY WEATHER IN 1943 and went on to make THE LAST VOYAGE (1960) and RING OF FIRE (1961). Stars Cotten and Brewer had appeared together in Hitchcock's A SHADOW OF A DOUBT in 1943.

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In Like Flynn

 

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CRY WOLF-1947-After the death of Jim Demarest, his widow Sandra (Barbara Stanwyck) shows up to claim his estate. His brother Mark (Errol Flynn) doesn't seem to know anything about the marriage or so he says. He keeps a tight rein on his niece Julie (Geraldine Brooks) who hears strange noises and screaming that seem to come from Mark's mysterious and forbidden lab.

Interesting film noir with a twist ending directed by Peter Godfrey who made THE TWO MRS. CARROLLS with Humprey Bogart the same year. Also with Richard Basehart & Jerome Cowan. It's based on a novel by mystery writer Marjorie Carleton.

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Dark Bogart

 

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DARK PASSAGE-1947-Escape convict Vincent Parry (Humphrey Bogart) is helped by painter Irene Janson (Lauren Bacall). It's all a mystery to him. She says she thinks he got a raw deal at his trial. Parry plans to have plastic surgery. He discovers that a woman (Anges Moorehead) who testified against him knows Irene and also a guy named Bob (Bruce Bennett). There are a few twists and turns and a nightmare sequence, but the strange part is the Parry character. The first part is shown from a POV shot, then he's seen with bandages. Finally, Bogart is seen and everything is revealed. Wonder how many name stars would have accepted this kind of role? 

Different type of film noir from co-writer- director Delmar Daves who made the equally mysterious THE RED HOUSE with Edward G. Robinson the same year. Co-writer David Goodis wrote the novel the film is based on. Years later when the ABC series “The Fugitive” debuted, Goodis sued the production company saying the TV show was based on his novel “Dark Passage”. The suit dragged on long after Goodis' death in 1967 and was finally settled in 1972. French new wave director Francois Truffaut based his film SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER on the Goodis novel “Down There”.

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More Price Magic

 

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THE LONG NIGHT-1947-A mysterious stranger is shot at a rooming house. The police investigate and when they go to the room of Joe Adams (Henry Fonda) he shoots at them through the door. When he won't cooperate, they shoot at him from a building across the street but that doesn't work. A flashback relates what has happened Joe, a factory worker who meets Jo Ann (Barbara Bel Geddes), who works in a flower shop. They fall in love and he wants to marry her. She seems hesitant (of course she's hiding a secret). Joe follows her to a smoky nightclub where magician Maximillan the Great (the one and only Vincent Price) performs. Jo meets with Max for some unknown reason. Max's assistant Charlene (Ann Dvorak) gives Joe the lowdown on her boss. He and Charlene begin a friendship. Max says he's Jo's father despite her being an orphan. He thinks Jo is no good for Joe. Then Jo has a flashback where we find out Max is not her father but a guy who tried to put the moves on her. He wants to break the couple up and says “Do I have to apologize for superior imagination?”. When Max goes to see Joe, he won't shut up and Joe shoots him. Back in the present Jo talks Joe out of the apartment amid a teargas attack. 

A bevy of characters appear: Elisha Cook Jr., Queenie Smith, Charles McGraw, Bobby Barber, Ellen Corby, Byron Foulger, Mary Gordon, Richard Reeves, Ray Teal, Dick Wessel and Will Wright. This kind of crime drama/love story/film noir was directed by Anatole Litvak (THE SNAKE PIT) after spending most of the WW2 years making a short film documentary series “Why We Fight” with Frank Capra. 

The movie succeeds if you are not looking for a huge payoff in the finale, otherwise it's a slight disappointment. It also depends on your point of view with Joe's predicament. He doesn't really evoke that much sympathy. This was lead actress Bel Geddes' movie debut. Among other things, she's remembered as the lead on TV's “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” episode “Lamb To The Slaughter”.

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Who Doesn"t?

 

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I LOVE TROUBLE-1948-PI Stuart Bailey (Franchot Tone) investigates the past of the wife named Jane (Lyn Merrick) of a "public figure" (Tom Powers). It leads to a night club run by Keller (Stephan Geray) & Reno (John Ireland). After he's threatened and slugged, Bailey meets a woman (Janet Blair) who says she's Jane's sister. This leads Jim to Caprlllo (Eduardo Ciannelli) and young wife Ligia (Janis Carter) and their shady chauffeur Martin (Donald Curtis). Later he's beaten up by Reno and his henchman (Raymond Burr). Bailey escapes their clutches and suspects Jane of murdering an ex-con cook (Sid Tomack). Glenda Farrell is his secretary and Adele Jergens is a helpful showgirl. 

OK typical film noir with Tone giving a good performance as the cool PI. Screenwriter Roy Huggins later created the TV show “77 Sunset Strip”. This is one of the last movies made by director S. Sylvan Simon (ABBOTT & COSTELLO IN HOLLYWOOD (1945)) who died suddenly of a heart attack in 1951.

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Seeing Double

 

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THE DARK MIRROR-1946-Police Lt. Stevenson (Thomas Mitchell) investigates a murder. Olivia de Havilland plays twin sisters Terry and Ruth. One of them may be a murderer. Stevenson asks twin expert psychiatrist Dr. Elliot (Lew Ayres) to help distinguish which one is a murderer. Though questions and ink blots the shrink determines one of them is insane. Richard Long (in his third role after Orson Welles' THE STRANGER) has a small role. This is nice but overlooked little psychological film noir directed by Robert Siodmak (he made THE KILLERS the same year) It has an excellent dual performance by de Havilland and good use of trick photography.

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Noir Thing

 

THE MAN WHO DIED TWICE-1958-A Kansas City cop Bill Brennon (Rod Cameron) investigates the death of his mobster brother TJ (Don Megowan) in Chicago. Two hit man Hart (Gerald Milton) & Santoni (Richard Karlan) want a package of dope TJ's widow Lyn (Vera Ralston) might have. Nightclub bartender Rak (Mike Mazurki) is also after the stash and is in love with Lyn. There's a plot twist toward the end in this minor film noir crime drama directed by Joseph Kane and written by Richard C. Sarafian. 

Co-star Vera Ralston (sometimes billed as Vera Hruba Ralston) was a former Olympic skater for Czechoslovakia who it's said once insulted Hitler to his face. She retired from acting after this film. 

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The Beat

 

MURDER IS MY BEAT-1955-Cop Ray Patrick (Paul Langton; later in IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE) searches for nightclub singer Eden Lane (Barbara Payton), a suspect in the murder of Frank Dean. He tracks her to a snowbound cabin. He arrests her and after she's convicted he accompanies her to the state pen and she convinces Ray she saw Dean alive on a platform. He helps her escape and investigates but all his leads go cold. He also falls in love with her. Later Eden disappears. This part is actually a flashback told by Ray to his boss (Robert Shayne). Ray convinces his boss to help him. 

There's an interesting conclusion in this little film noir masterpiece by the one and only Edgar Ulmer. 

The film also features un-billed roles by Harry Harvey, William Fawcett and Hank Patterson. 

MURDER was written and produced by Aubrey Wisberg who also did the screenplays for THE NEANDERTHAL MAN (with Robert Shayne) and THE MAN FROM PLANET X. This was the last feature role for the notorious Barbara Payton who was once involved in a violent relationship with actor Tom Neal who ten years earlier had starred in Ulmer's classic DETOUR. A public fight between Neal and actor Franchot Tone in which Payton received a black eye helped sink her sagging career. She drank herself to death and died at age 39 in 1967.

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Crime Drama

 

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CRIME WAVE-1953-Parolee Steve Lacey (Gene Nelson) and his wife Ellen (Phyllis Kirk) become entangled in the escape plan of his escaped con pals Doc Petty (Ted DeCorsia) and Ben Hastings (Charles Buchinsky Bronson's first film credit). Since Lacey is a pilot they want him to fly them to Mexico. Ridiculously surly cop Lt. Syms (Sterling Hayden) is on their trail unmercifully hounding Lacey . Un-billed Timothy Carey shows up midway holding Kirk hostage while the others hold up a bank. 

Gritty little film noir also has Dub Taylor, Jay Novello, Fritz Feld and Iris Adrian. Director Alex DeToth later used Kirk and Buchinsky in HOUSE OF WAX. Hayden, DeCorsia and Carey were all in Stanley Kubrick's THE KILLING in 1956.

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Tierney Returns

THE HOODLUM-1951-Vincent Lubeck (Lawrence Tierney) is released on parole thanks to the pleas of his mother (Lisa Glom) even though the warden (Gene Roth) was against it. He goes to work in the gas station owned by his brother Johnny (Edward Tierney; real life brother of Lawrence). Unfortunately it's right across the street from a bank! He finds the armored car in front very enticing. Also the bank's secretary who comes in to get her car fixed. It's clear Lubeck has other things on his mind. When Rosa (Allene Roberts), Johnny's girlfriend tries to talk to him, he puts some unwanted moves on her. He runs into old pal Marty (John DeSimone) and convinces him to join his plan to steal the armored car. He has an affair with Rosa, then wines and dines the secretary (Marjorie Riordan) to get info. When Rosa becomes pregnant, Vince dumps her and she commits suicide. He figures out a plan and his newly acquired gang execute it. One of them dies as do two guards. They use a funeral procession as a cover but when they go to divvy up the loot Vince gets too greedy and the others knock him out and take the swag. Newspaper headlines tell us that the gang is captured and finger Lubeck as the ringleader. He goes to the secretary but she makes him leave at gunpoint. Then he visits his mother who tells him off, regretting all the times she defended him. Then she dies. Johnny wants to kill him but can't and Vince is fatally shot by a police Lt. (Stuart Randall) in the city garbage dump. 

This gritty forgotten film noir crime drama should have been called "Women and mothers are stupid. Wardens and brothers are smart". This was the third film German born director Max Nosseck made with the infamous star Lawrence Tierney. DILLINGER and KILL OR BE KILLED are the two other must see thrillers. THE HOODLUM may also be the first American film to have a character use the word “pregnant”.

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Pre-Perry Burr

PLEASE MURDER ME-1956-Interesting film noirish murder mystery. Attorney Craig Carlson (Raymond Burr) breaks some bad news to his best friend Joe Leeds (Dick Foran), a guy who even saved Carlson's life during WW2. He's is in love with Joe's wife Myra (Angela Landsbury) and she's going to divorce hubby and marry his best bud. Joe takes in all in stride. A few days later he seems to make a decision, writes a letter and asks a friend to mail it. He then goes and visits his wife. A shot rings out and the next morning hubby is dead and Myra is charged with his murder even though she claims self defense. Carlson defends her and she gets off but then he discovers the mysterious letter Joe wrote and Carlson begins to see the error of his ways. 

Clever film also features John Dehner as the prosecuting attorney and Denver Pyle as a detective. England born Director Peter Godfrey was a former actor and by this time was mostly directing for TV.

Burr became famous the next year when he starred in the long running TV show PERRY MASON.

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Crime

THE LINEUP-1958-Strange little crime drama about 2 psychotic hitmen Dancer (Eli Wallach) and Julian (Robert Keith) trying to retrieve a cache of heroin from some innocent tourist with the help of their alcoholic driver (Richard Jaeckel). Meanwhile two cops (Warner Anderson and Emile Meyer) track him down. This film noir-ish crime film directed by Don Siegel and written by Stirling Stilliphant was actually based on a TV (and radio) series that ran from 1954 til 1960 and also features future Mr. Dysdale (on TV's THE BEVERLY HILLBILLES) Raymond Bailey and familiar character actor Vaughan Taylor as “The Man”. 

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1957! What a Great Year!

THE BURGLAR-1957-Dan Dureya leads a small band of criminals who steal a valuable necklace from an eccentric philanthropist. His partners are a jewel expert (Peter Capell), a thug (Mickey Shaunessy) and his adopted sister (Jayne Mansfield) who everyone has eyes for. The quartet hold up in a house and eventually get on each others' nerves. Meanwhile a weird detective tries to crack the case. When things shift to Atlantic City the story takes a mysterious turn and there are some plot twists. Jayne appears in a bath suit in a very short scene. The screenplay is by author David Goodis who also wrote the novel it's based on. He also penned the novels Dark Passage (adapted by director Delmar Daves 10 years earlier) and Down There (the basis for Francois Truffaut's SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER).

THE BURGLAR is no classic but it's a good little film noir which marked the film debut of director Paul Wendkos who later made GIDGET and BECAUSE THEY'RE YOUNG and did tons of TV work.

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Not Frankenstein

THE UNDYING MONSTER-1942-An ancient curse (The Hammond Monster) plagues a family in Wales. The last of the Hammonds are a brother and sister, Oliver (John Howard) and Helga (Heather Angel). After Oliver is attacked the local inspector (Audrey Mather) calls in the Sherlock Holmes like Robert Curtis (James Ellison; I WALK WITH A ZOMBIE) from Scotland Yard who uses science to solve crimes and doesn't believe in the supernatural. He has a female assistant named Christy (Heather Thatcher) who talks a lot ("This place is colder than a tax collector's heart!") and is kind of psychic. Bramwell Fletcher (THE MUMMY) is the suspicious family friend Dr. Colbert. The family butler Walton (Halliwell Hobbs) hangs around mysteriously. A werewolf seems to be responsible.

THE UNDYING MONSTER is in a way an underrated masterpiece. It's certainly one of the best "you never really get to see the monster until the end"  horror tales. Star James Ellison is very good in the lead and his character could have easily starred in a sequel (along with his assistant Christy). The resolution may be a little too pat but hey it's only 63 minutes!

Germany born director John (nee Hans) Brahm does an excellent job creating a eerie atmosphere using shadowy effects and interesting close-ups. After this Brahm made 2 more famous film noirs THE LODGER and HANGOVER SQUARE (both starring the ill-fated Laird Cregar) and THE MAD MAGICIAN with Vincent Price. He ventured into TV in the 1950's and was a busy director in the '60's (ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS, THRILLER, THE MAN FROM UNCLE).

Future tough guy Charles McGraw makes his film debut as a poacher.

It's based on the novel "The Undying Monster: A Tale of the Fifth Dimension" written in 1922 by Jesse Douglas Kerruish.

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2 O'Clock

TWO O'CLOCK COURAGE-1945-Interesting early low budget film noir from director Anthony Mann. Tom Conway is a victim of amnesia who with the help of a female cabbie (Ann Rutherford) tries to figure out who he is. He might be guilty of murder! A book of matches, a play (called Two O’clock Courage), the actor and actress stars and 500 hundred dollars are all clues. Though it is a serious drama there are some comedic scenes mostly involving a a police inspector (Emory Parnell) and a newspaper reporter (Richard Lane). At a running time of only 68 minutes a lot happens.

Mann made THE GREAT FLAMARION starring Erich Von Stroheim the same year. Tom Conway was also starring in THE FALCON series at the time. Screenwriter Robert Kent later penned many exploitation films for director Edward L. Cahn. 

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Cold War 50's

SHACK OUT ON 101-1955-A greasy spoon on the California coast is the setting for this cold war film noir drama and it's cast of characters: short tempered owner George (Keenan Wynn), sexy waitress Kotty (top billed Terry Moore from MIGHTY JOE YOUNG), sleazy cook Slob (Lee Marvin, who was in BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK the same year) and Sam (Frank Lovejoy from HOUSE OF WAX), a professor at the nuclear facility who's also Kotty boyfriend (talk about an odd couple!). Also featured is Whit Bissell as George's friend Eddie who has a fear of blood.

Between the characters talking about their problems and feelings some espionage goes on as Slob is passing micro film from the professor's facility (with the help of delivery man Len Lesser) to unknown agents. One night Kotty hears Sam and Slob talking and realizes her stuffed shirt of a lover is part of a spy ring. Frank DeKova shows up in one scene as a crooked professor who gets killed. Some comic scenes involving Wynn using barbells and scuba equipment are thrown in as well.

It's an ok low budget thriller with Marvin kind of stealing the show especially when he turns violent in the finale. Donald Murphy who later played the mad doctor in FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER has a small role as a federal agent posing as a truck driver.

Director Edward Dein went on to make the vampire western CURSE OF THE UNDEAD. Earlier he made SOUL OF A MONSTER.
http://moviemeltdown.blogspot.com/2010/03/not-that-much-soul.html

I could write another whole entry on co-star Frank Lovejoy, who as I have mentioned before seems to have none of his last name in any of his acting. His love scenes with Terry Moore are awkward at best!

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Happy Thanksgiving! Have A Blast.....

BLAST OF SILENCE-1961-Hit man Baby Boy Frankie Bono (writer/director Allen Baron who resembles Robert DeNiro) comes to NYC on Christmas Eve to shadow a potential hit job in this low budget film noir that for years was undeservedly over looked.

A narrator (un-billed Lionel Stander) provides cynical narration. Checking out a future hit (a minor gangster) provides great shots of New York in the early ’60’s (especially of Harlem in front of The Apollo Theater and Rockefeller Center). He buys a gun from Big Ralphie (Larry Tucker), a whispering fat guy with an apartment full of caged rats. After a Christmas walk, he meets Petey “from the orphanage”. He introduces Frankie to his sister Lori (Molly McCarthy) and he goes to their Christmas party where dances and rolls a peanut with his nose! He has a Christmas Day dinner date with Lori but kind of blows when he puts the moves on her too strongly. Meanwhile, he keeps following his prey learning his moves and routines. He then takes time to go to The Village Gate where a conga player singer named Dean Sheldon does two great songs! When Big Ralphie tries to blackmail Frankie they have a terrific, violent fight amid the escaped rats. Frankie decides he doesn’t want the hit. He’d rather make time with Lori but it turns out she has a steady boyfriend. He goes off and makes the hit but winds up shot to death on Long Island (because the mob doesn’t trust him anymore).

I really like BLAST OF SILENCE. It's gritty low budget photography really sets the mood. I read about it many years ago but never saw hide nor hair of it until it was “re-discovered” a while back. Star/director/writer Baron helmed one other feature TERROR IN THE CITY in 1964 then went into TV. The sometimes over the top narration was written by future Academy Award winner Waldo Salt. Producer/cinematographer/editor Merrill S. Brody shot CUBAN REBEL GIRLS in ‘59.

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Mann Noir

RAILROADED!-1947-is an interesting film noir directed by Anthony Mann. John Ireland stars as a gangster who frames an innocent man for robbery and murder. Hugh Beaumont (10 years before he became father of TV's Beaver Cleaver) plays the detective out to stop him. Sheila Ryan plays the innocent man's sister who tries to help out too. 

Jane Randolph (ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN) gives a nice performance as Ireland's drunken moll. Mann gives the film some great classic touches but the climax is a little too dark and quick for me.

Mann went on to make many more movies but has always been a little underrated in my book.

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They Live...

THEY LIVE BY NIGHT-1949- is an incredible film noir by Nicolas Ray.

It stars Farley Granger (who had just been in ROPE and would go on to co-star in STRANGERS ON A TRAIN for Hitchcock) and Cathy O'Donnell as doomed lovers involved in robbery, deception and killing.

Director Ray creates an undercurrent of doom in this film that is unbelievable. You know things can never work out. You just watch and wait for it to fall apart. Ray would go on to make REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, JOHNNY GUITAR and KING OF KINGS but he never really made another one like this.

Howard Da Silva (who was later blacklisted) and Jay C Flippen ( a veteran character actor later in Kubrick's THE KILLING and THE WILD ONE) are the guys who lead Granger's character astray. O'Donnell was headed for stardom until she incurred the wrath of Samuel Goldwyn. She made sporadic film appearances after that (her last film was BEN-HUR in 1959). She died of cancer in 1970 at the age of 45.

THEY LIVE BY NIGHT also includes in it's cast Will Wright, Ian Wolfe, William Phipps and my favorite character of all time Byron Foulger!

Granger (still alive at the time of this writing) would later on star in SENSO for Luchino Visconti but wound up playing in mostly low budget films in Europe and America....

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