Tonight's Movie: This Gun for Hire (1942) at the Noir City Film Festival

Tonight's tribute to Alan Ladd at the Noir City Film Festival led off with the rarely seen THE GREAT GATSBY (1949) and continued with THIS GUN FOR HIRE, the film which made Alan Ladd a superstar.

THIS GUN FOR HIRE also launched the highly successful teaming of Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake, who would later costar together in THE GLASS KEY (1942), THE BLUE DAHLIA (1946), and SAIGON (1948), as well as in various Paramount films featuring all-star casts.

Ladd had languished in films for a number of years, playing bit parts and also larger supporting roles in films such as RULERS OF THE SEA (1939) and Disney's THE RELUCTANT DRAGON (1941). (Based on some of his later roles, including THIS GUN FOR HIRE, it's a bit mind-bending watching him as the smiling animator who narrates the Baby Weems cartoon in the latter film.) Ladd's career received a complete reboot with THIS GUN FOR HIRE, in which he received the billing "Introducing Alan Ladd as Raven."

Playing a psychopathic killer may have been an unusual way to launch a highly successful film career -- but it also worked a few years later for Richard Widmark. Ladd's Raven, a hired hit man, demonstrates early in the film that he'll dispassionately kill an innocent bystander without remorse. The only chink in Raven's armor is a fondness for cats.

When Raven is paid by an employer, Willard Gates (Laird Cregar), in marked bills, he sets off in pursuit and crosses paths with Ellen Graham (Veronica Lake), an entertainer who is helping the government investigate Gates. It seems Gates may be a traitor of the worst kind. Ellen's boyfriend Michael (Robert Preston), a police detective, is on the trail of both Raven and Gates, leading to a suspenseful climactic confrontation between all the characters.

Ladd has a magnetism which bursts off the screen. He's completely fascinating, and, like Lake, the audience begins to feel sympathy for his character, until reminded once more that he kills without mercy. He's well matched with Lake, a cool, savvy type who shows she can deal with him from their very first scene together on a train, when she demands he return money lifted from her purse.

I was rather pleased that I recognized the singing voice of Martha Mears dubbing Veronica Lake on "Now You See It, Now You Don't" and "I've Got You."

The screenplay by Albert Maltz and W.R. Burnett was loosely based on the novel by Graham Greene, A GUN FOR SALE, which was later republished under the film title.

The movie was directed by Frank Tuttle. The cinematography was by John F. Seitz. It runs 81 minutes.

THIS GUN FOR HIRE is available on DVD in the Universal Noir Collection. It also had a 1995 release on VHS.  (Update: This film is now available on Blu-ray from Shout! Factory.)

This film has also been shown in the past on Turner Classic Movies.

THIS GUN FOR HIRE is top-drawer film noir which belongs on the "must see" list of anyone who loves the genre.

Tonight's Movie: The Great Gatsby (1949) at the Noir City Film Festival

The 14th Annual Noir City Film Festival at Hollywood's Egyptian Theatre kicked off in fine style tonight, celebrating the work of Alan Ladd.

The first film on the evening's schedule was a brand-new 35mm print of the rarely seen 1949 film version of THE GREAT GATSBY. As Eddie Muller and Alan Rode of the Film Noir Foundation said in their introduction, one might not initially think of GATSBY as noir, but a film that's got Elisha Cook Jr. playing piano in a somewhat spooky house is close enough to qualify as noir...and besides, who wouldn't want to watch this hard-to-see film in a beautiful new print?

Ladd's daughter, Alana Ladd Jackson, was in the sold-out audience to watch THE GREAT GATSBY alongside the film that made her father a star, THIS GUN FOR HIRE (1942). (THIS GUN FOR HIRE was reviewed here.) Macdonald Carey's son, Steve, was also present, along with Paul Maibaum, the son of GATSBY screenwriter-producer Richard Maibaum.

Jay Gatsby was a role Alan Ladd fought to play, even threatening Paramount that he would go on suspension if the studio didn't allow him to make the film. The studio execs finally assented, and he is perfectly cast in the role. Ladd gives a nuanced performance that captures all aspects of the self-made man who is newly powerful yet also achingly vulnerable. He was, in a word, superb.

I also liked Macdonald Carey very much as Nick, who observes the unfolding story with a raised eyebrow; I've been a Carey fan for some time now, and other than Ladd, his was my favorite performance in the film. Ruth Hussey is entertaining as Jordan and provided the film with a needed light touch, but she didn't have enough to do and her character was a bit of a riddle. Barry Sullivan is also something as an enigma as Tom; Sullivan conveys a certain power, but the motivation for his unfaithfulness is never really explained, nor is his determination to hang on to Daisy.

It's been more years than I can count since I last read the novel, but I was completely mystified by Betty Field's portrayal of Daisy. Field's Daisy speaks in a lower-class squawk, she's not particularly attractive, and the character in general comes across as a helpless dimwit. Perhaps the audience was supposed to realize that Gatsby's idealization of Daisy isn't real, but I think it's more likely that Field was simply miscast as the object of Gatsby's dreams who ultimately leads to his doom.

Additionally, the black and white cinematography by John F. Seitz was rather curious. The male actors all look terrific, but Field and Hussey were harshly lit and not filmed looking their best. The photography may have subtracted from Field's portrayal, in particular.

The cast also includes Shelley Winters in one of her tiresome screechy floozy roles, with Howard Da Silva as her beaten-down husband.

THE GREAT GATSBY was directed by Elliott Nugent. It runs 91 minutes.

Whatever the film's flaws, it's fascinating viewing and a particular "must" for Alan Ladd fans. Alas, this Paramount film has never had a release on DVD or VHS.

For more information on the Noir City Festival and THE GREAT GATSBY, please visit Susan King's article in the Los Angeles Times.

February 2023 Update: Amazing news, THE GREAT GATSBY will be released in an authorized Blu-ray by the Australian line Viavision Imprint.

2025 Update: This film will be available in the United States on Blu-ray at long last!  It will be released as part of Kino Lorber's Dark Side of Cinema XXVI Collection and also as a single-title release.

Update: My review of the Kino Lorber Blu-ray may be read here.

A Visit to the 14th Annual Noir City Film Festival

Tonight was the opening night of the 14th Annual Noir City Film Festival at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

My husband and I arrived early and enjoyed dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe...

...before heading to the Egyptian Theatre, where a large crowd was waiting well in advance of the doors opening.

I had the pleasure of saying hello to Eddie Muller before the movies, and it was lovely that he remembered me from last year; in fact, he mentioned being aware that I hadn't been able to get in to a sold-out screening the other night at the TCM Classic Film Festival. Given how much I admire Eddie and appreciate all the work he does preserving film noir and putting on the Noir City Festivals, it's an honor to know he reads my blog.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Kim of the blog GlamAmor; those of you who saw Kim's interview with Robert Osborne last week know what a lovely lady she is. Here are some of Kim's excellent photos from the just-concluded TCM Classic Film Festival.

The Egyptian Theatre was completely sold out for opening night. It tickled Eddie Muller that while GUN CRAZY had a big crowd at the TCM Festival, it was Noir City that sold out every single seat in the house!

Eddie and Alan Rode introduced tonight's Alan Ladd Films, THE GREAT GATSBY (1949) and THIS GUN FOR HIRE (1942).
 

Alan Ladd's daughter, Alana Ladd Jackson, watched the films just a couple rows over from me, accompanied by her husband, former Los Angeles talk radio host Michael Jackson. Macdonald Carey's son Steve was present, and Paul Maibaum, a cinematographer who is the son of the film's producer-writer Robert Maibaum, read some of his father's thoughts on THE GREAT GATSBY from an interview a number of years ago.

Below, the page on THE GREAT GATSBY from this year's San Francisco Noir City program, purchased for $5.00 tonight:

Tonight's films were the first two of seven I hope to see by the end of the weekend. As I share my thoughts on each film, I'll also link to them at the bottom of this post. Coming tomorrow: Sterling Hayden Night!

Note: Posts may go up more slowly than usual over the next couple of days, due not only to seeing so many films but the fact that Blogger changed the format for composing posts tonight.  Writing this has thus been a much slower process than usual, as I learn where everything's moved and how to manage the new "look" for writing posts. I'm having some difficulty with spacing around photos and paragraphs disappearing, among other things.  It's frustrating when something that wasn't "broken" changes "just because," but such is life.  Hopefully I'll have it all figured out before too many days have passed.

Previously: A Visit to the 13th Noir City Film Festival (2011); A Visit to the Noir City Film Festival (2010).

New reviews of films shown at the 2012 Noir City Film Festival: THE GREAT GATSBY (1949); THIS GUN FOR HIRE (1942); NAKED ALIBI (1954); SUDDENLY (1954); THE WINDOW (1949); REIGN OF TERROR (1949); SLAUGHTER ON TENTH AVENUE (1957); JOHNNY ALLEGRO (1949); THREE STRANGERS (1946); NOBODY LIVES FOREVER (1946); CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE (1945); THE SIGN OF THE RAM (1948); and MARY RYAN, DETECTIVE (1949).

Previously reviewed films seen at this year's festival: PHANTOM LADY (1944); BLACK ANGEL (1946); SCENE OF THE CRIME (1949); JOHNNY O'CLOCK (1947); and KID GLOVE KILLER (1942).

Repost: Tonight's Movie: Desirable (1934)

Note: One of the films I've enjoyed most in the last couple years is a relatively unknown little charmer called DESIRABLE, starring George Brent and Jean Muir. I just rewatched it and enjoyed it as much the second time as I did the first. It's a short film, but it has a well-constructed plot line and well-developed characters. I recently found a post at Immortal Ephemera which says that DESIRABLE was Jean Muir's favorite of all her films.

Hopefully this film will be out from the Warner Archive before too long. In the meantime, watch for it to turn up again on Turner Classic Movies! (January 2017 Update: It's now on DVD from the Warner Archive!)

Here's my review from March 2010, augmented with some additional photographs:

A businessman (George Brent) attempting to woo a famous actress (Verree Teasdale) instead falls head over heels for the actress's gangly but blossoming 19-year-old daughter (Jean Muir) in DESIRABLE. I enjoyed this delightful 68-minute romance as much as any other film I've seen this year; I watched most of it with a smile on my face and was sorry when it ended.

Age-sensitive actress Helen Walbridge (Teasdale) has hidden away her teenage daughter Lois (Muir) in boarding school, even insisting that Lois remain at school past the time when she should have graduated. Lois comes home unexpectedly due to a quarantine, and before her mother can find a new place to stash her, Lois meets her mother's would-be beau, Mac McAllister (Brent).

Mac is charmed by Lois, who is totally without artifice and doesn't hesitate to tell him how much she enjoys his company. This prompts a running joke as Mac repeatedly replies to Lois's honest compliments by saying, "Lois, you must never say that to a man," and when she asks why, he just smiles and says, "I'll tell you later." It's increasingly clear Mac's a goner, but he's reluctant to move too quickly, as the sheltered young Lois thinks of him as her best friend. Mac convinces Helen to allow Lois to remain in town. And then wealthy young Russ Gray (Charles Starrett) begins courting Lois...

It's such fun to discover a relatively unknown film like DESIRABLE. It has a briskly paced script which still allows time for interesting character development. It's well acted by an excellent cast. I especially liked Brent in this; by turns he's sensitive, romantic, and funny. Muir (seen last week in 1940's AND ONE WAS BEAUTIFUL) is an unusual leading lady as the coltish, awkward Lois, who is beautiful but out of her element when she is thrust into the social whirl of New York. Lois would rather chat with the maid (Theresa Harris) at a dance than deal with trying to fit in where she's not sure she belongs.

Teasdale (Mrs. Adolphe Menjou in real life) is effective as the brittle Helen, who is lovely but far too wrapped up in herself to have much left over to offer anyone else. Helen's acting ability also makes her quite a manipulator.

There are wonderful faces scattered throughout the film: John Halliday as one of Helen's admirers, Nella Walker as a dressmaker, Jane Darwell as a party guest, and Arthur Treacher as a butler.

This movie was directed by Archie Mayo. The cinematography was by Ernest Haller, and the costumes were designed by Orry-Kelly.

DESIRABLE has not been released on DVD or video, but it can be seen on Turner Classic Movies.

DESIRABLE is a charmer, one of those unexpected little surprises which provides a most enjoyable evening's entertainment.

January 2017 Update: DESIRABLE is now available on DVD from the Warner Archive.

Tonight's Movie: Island in the Sky (1953)

ISLAND IN THE SKY is an excellent aviation film directed by William Wellman, featuring an incredible cast. This movie would be worth seeing simply to catch the parade of great movie faces, but it's also a heck of a good story.

Sometime after WWII, a Corsair piloted by Captain Dooley (John Wayne) goes down in bad weather in the frozen, uncharted wilderness of Labrador. Dooley and his crew (Jimmy Lydon, Sean McClory, Hal Baylor, and Wally Cassell) survive the landing, but staying alive in the sub-zero environment won't be easy, especially with minimal food and limited radio power to contact rescuers.

Dooley's fellow private pilots band together with the military to launch a search, which will be the equivalent of trying to find a needle in a haystack. The actors playing the pilots include Lloyd Nolan, Andy Devine, James Arness, Paul Fix, Allyn Joslyn, and Louis Jean Heydt.

The co-pilots and other crew members of the search planes include Harry Carey Jr. (the real-life son-in-law of Paul Fix), Bob Steele, Fess Parker, Mike ("Touch") Connors, Herbert Anderson (DENNIS THE MENACE), Darryl Hickman, and Carl ("Alfalfa") Switzer. Walter Abel and Regis Toomey play a couple of the military men organizing the search.

It's an amazing collection of actors, and yet despite the huge cast, they have their moments to create distinctive personalities and characters. There are some excellent group scenes, such as the pilots making the difficult choice whether to return to their initial search area or look elsewhere, knowing that making the wrong decision will likely mean death for their stranded friends -- especially as bad weather is expected to blanket the area in 36 more hours. Watching that scene, I couldn't help thinking how amazing it would have been to be present when so many talented actors were all in the same room; as it is, we're fortunate it was preserved on film.

Among the many great faces in this film, my favorite performance was by Andy Devine as the low-key pilot, Willie Moon. The portly Moon is charming, whether talking to his wife (Ann Doran) on the phone or swimming at the Y with his boys (played by director Wellman's sons); Moon is simultaneously calm and completely in command, leaning back casually in his seat as he pilots his plane, but not missing a thing. When Moon's radio man (Bob Steele) asks the unflappable Moon "You getting excited?" it's quite a little moment. It's a wonderful part, perfectly put over by Devine.

The scenes with Wayne's crew, filmed around Donner Lake in Truckee, are almost painful to watch at times; the temperature in the room seemed to drop the longer I watched the movie! Wayne is outstanding in a subdued role as the quietly heroic captain who works hard to stay calm and think logically, giving his crew encouragement and helping them to stay alive.

The story is based on a true incident, and there were some interesting survival details one might not expect, such as that it was colder to sleep inside the plane, with its metal walls, than in a lean-to the men built in the snow. There are also many interesting details about the challenges of flying and navigating in that era, such as the navigators taking shots of the sun and checking their watches to help figure out their course.

The screenplay for this 109-minute film was by Ernest K. Gann, based on his book. The following year Gann, Wayne, and Wellman teamed again for the better-known aviation film THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY (1954). Director Wellman, incidentally, also served as the narrator of ISLAND IN THE SKY.

The black and white cinematography was by Archie Stout, with aerial cinematography by William Clothier. Clothier also provided the aerial photography for the recently reviewed film TOP OF THE WORLD (1955), which has a similar arctic survival theme. Clothier had a decades-long working relationship with Wayne, which ended with Clothier's retirement after shooting THE TRAIN ROBBERS (1973).

ISLAND IN THE SKY is available in a Collector's Edition DVD released by the John Wayne Estate. The extensive extras include a commentary track with contributors including Leonard Maltin, William Wellman Jr., Jimmy Lydon, and Darryl Hickman; an introduction by Maltin; the trailer; photos; and multiple featurettes. The DVD can be rented from Netflix or ClassicFlix.

The film can also be purchased for downloading from Amazon Instant Video.

ISLAND IN THE SKY is shown from time to time on Turner Classic Movies; you can watch the trailer on the TCM site.

Reviews of additional '50s aviation films: OPERATION HAYLIFT (1950), AIR CADET (1951), SABRE JET (1953), STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND (1955), TOP OF THE WORLD (1955), ZERO HOUR! (1957), and BOMBERS B-52 (1957).

June 2015 Update: I had a wonderful experience seeing this film again at UCLA as part of their William Wellman series.

Film Noir Series at Los Angeles County Museum of Art in May

There's a great film series coming to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in mid-May: The Sun Sets in the West: Mid-Century California Noir.

The series begins on May 18th and runs through May 26th. Ten films are on the schedule, including KISS ME DEADLY (1955), EXPERIMENT IN TERROR (1962), and SLIGHTLY SCARLET (1956).

There's even an opportunity to see CRISS CROSS (1949), which I had attempted to see via a standby ticket at the TCM Classic Film Festival last week! The only drawback is CRISS CROSS is playing opposite UCLA's double bill of PILLOW TALK (1959) and MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION (1954), which I'd been considering seeing that evening. Decisions, decisions...

I am very appreciative of the wonderful opportunities we have to see films on the "big screen" in Southern California. Additional film series coming to Los Angeles over the next few weeks: The 14th annual Noir City Festival will be held at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood from April 20th through May 6th, and UCLA celebrates the Universal Pictures Centennial in Westwood from May 4th through June 24th.

Update: Here are reviews of the films I was fortunate to see in this series: CRISS CROSS (1949), THE DAMNED DON'T CRY (1950), SLIGHTLY SCARLET (1956), and EXPERIMENT IN TERROR (1962).

D23's Destination D: 75 Years of Disney Animation

I'm very excited that I've secured tickets to attend D23's Destination D: 75 Years of Disney Animation.

The two-day event will take place at the Disneyland Hotel's Grand Ballroom this August 11th and 12, 2012. Tickets went on sale this morning.

Destination D is a relatively intimate seminar-style event. Unlike the big Disney Expo, which requires lining up repeatedly to attend desired panel presentations, at Destination D everything comes to the ballroom.

This year promises to be very special. The weekend will include "an extraordinary reunion of Disney voice talent," a special 75th anniversary tribute to SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS, a presentation on how Disney's animated films have influenced Disney parks, a Saturday evening concert by Dick Van Dyke, and a Sunday evening concert by composer Alan Menken.

I'm especially excited about the Menken concert, as he's written most of the music for Disney's modern-day classics, including THE LITTLE MERMAID (1989), BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991), ALADDIN (1992), POCAHONTAS (1995), ENCHANTED (2007), and TANGLED (2010).

As was the case two years ago, I'll be attending with my eldest daughter. She's a particularly big Menken fan and is especially excited about seeing him.

It's a bit ironic that I was disappointed there wasn't any room to see Van Dyke at last year's Disney Expo, as just a couple of months later I got to see him at a DICK VAN DYKE SHOW 50th Anniversary Celebration, and now I'll also have the opportunity to see him at Destination D.

The just-concluded TCM Festival included a special screening of SNOW WHITE; TCM even had a personal appearance by dancer Marge Champion, the live-action model for Snow White. I've only seen the film in a theater once, when my husband and I attended a rerelease in the early '80s, and I'm hoping that a showing might be part of the weekend's activities.

Previously: Destination D, Here We Come! (July 12, 2010); Today at Destination D: Disneyland '55 (September 24, 2010); Today at Destination D: Disneyland '55 (Day Two) (September 25, 2010).

Update: Reports on the 2012 Destination D: Day 1 (August 11, 2012); Day 2 (August 12, 2012).

TCM Announces 2013 Film Festival and January Cruise

Turner Classic Movies issued a press release today confirming what was announced at the end of the 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival: the TCM Festival will return to Hollywood for the fourth time in the spring of 2013.

Robert Osborne announced Sunday evening that TCM now considers the festival to be a permanent event, which will be celebrated in Hollywood every year.

TCM also announced its second Classic Cruise, which will take place in January 2013.

Visit the TCM Festival website for photos, blog posts, and more.

I enjoyed my brief visits to this year's festival, and I hope that in 2013 I'll be able to spend even more time enjoying the festival and sharing information about it here.

TCM has a good thing going with the festival, and it's wonderful to hear that it's anticipated to continue far into the future.

Tonight's Movie: She Couldn't Say No (1954)

Two years after starring in the classic film noir ANGEL FACE (1952), Robert Mitchum and Jean Simmons reunited for a much different film, a small-town romantic comedy titled SHE COULDN'T SAY NO.

Simmons plays Korby Lane, a wealthy young woman educated in England (hence her accent) who returns to a little town in Arkansas for the first time since she was young. She wants to anonymously repay the town's citizens for donating for an operation which saved her life when she was a toddler and her family had no money.

The town is a sort of early version of Mayberry, a slow-paced place filled with "characters." Doc (Mitchum) spends much of his time fishing, and if he's needed for an emergency there's an alarm button on his house which sets off a racket loud enough to pull him out of the river. Doc's constant companion is a cute little boy named Digger (Jimmy Hunt).

It's the kind of town where the general store owner (Edgar Buchanan) leaves the store unlocked overnight in case anyone needs anything, and Doc brings half a dozen eggs to leave in the store as payment when he has a late-night yen for a milkshake.

There's the local vet (Wallace Ford), the mailman (Pinky Tomlin of TIMES SQUARE LADY), the town tippler (Arthur Hunnicutt), the hypochondriac who perennially sits by his roadside mailbox (Gus Schilling), the judge (Raymond Walburn), the farmer (Dabbs Greer) who pays Doc with a couple of pigs for delivering his baby, and the pretty young woman (Eleanor Todd) who tries to get Doc's attention with a daily delivery of a jar of homemade cole slaw.

When Korby's anonymous gifts start raining into this little country paradise, the results aren't quite what she expects...

This is, plain and simple, a good-natured, cute little movie. I liked the people, I liked the town, and I liked the movie. It may not be a four-star classic, but it made me smile while I watched it, and that counts for a lot.

I especially enjoyed Mitchum in a laid-back, attractive role. Simmons is cute in the title role as the girl with a good heart who doesn't foresee how her kind largesse will impact the town. (As a side note, Simmons is saddled with the kind of ultra-short '50s haircut I've complained about before; I'll never understand why women in the '50s thought it was chic to cut off most of their hair.) My only wish for the film would have been a little more development of Doc and Korby's relationship.

The screenplay had multiple contributors, including William Bowers, who did excellent work on films such as CRY DANGER (1951). The movie was directed by Lloyd Bacon. The film runs 89 minutes.

Leonard Maltin's CLASSIC FILM GUIDE gave this film a scathing 1-1/2 star review, particularly denigrating Mitchum's performance. I'm glad I tried it anyway, because I think the reviewer on Mr. Maltin's staff must have gotten out of bed on the wrong side the morning he or she watched the movie. The three star review in Steven Scheuer's rating guide was much closer to the correct assessment, in my opinion.

SHE COULDN'T SAY NO has been released in Europe on Region 2 DVD, but it has not had a DVD or VHS release in the United States.

I recorded SHE COULDN'T SAY NO from a previous airing on Turner Classic Movies. By coincidence, the movie will air again tomorrow on Tuesday, April 17th.

The trailer is available on the TCM website.

Around the Blogosphere This Week

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...the TCM Classic Film Festival Weekend Edition!

...Many moviegoers at the TCM Classic Film Festival saw HOW THE WEST WAS WON (1962) in Cinerama at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood this morning. The L.A. Times takes a look at the challenges of projecting this film.

...I'd have loved to see home movies shown at the TCM Festival and hope they'll become available to a wider audience in the future.

...Here are two more interesting articles related to the TCM Festival, on Stanley Donen and film noir femme fatales.

...And over at the New York Post, Lou Lumenick interviewed Debbie Reynolds, who's been an integral part of this year's festival.

...TCM's national theatrical presentation of CASABLANCA (1942) in March was so successful that there will be an encore on April 26th. The list of theaters is here.

...Susan King of the Los Angeles Times recently interviewed actress Julie Adams, while Robert Lloyd of the same paper talked to Robin Ellis of TV's POLDARK.

...The consequences of studios abandoning film for digital can be scary. Read what almost happened to both TOY STORY and TOY STORY 2.

...Tales of the Easily Distracted and Classic Becky's Brain Food will be cohosting a fun blogathon this summer: The Best Hitchcock Films Hitchcock Never Made. The fun kicks off July 7th.

...The L.A. Times describes the ArcLight Cinema in Los Angeles. My oldest daughter has been there a couple times and appreciates some aspects, including being able to reserve a seat and also see hard-to-find movies. She was surprised, however, that it's not better maintained, given the pricing and its reputation.

...Kristina has posted a new round of "Quick Reviews" at Speakeasy, including two fun Loretta Young films.

...Mike Clark reviewed the Warner Archive release of THE STEEL TRAP (1952), which reunited SHADOW OF A DOUBT (1943) costars Joseph Cotten and Teresa Wright.

...Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson are said to be the potential stars of SAVING MR. BANKS, an upcoming film about the relationship between Walt Disney and MARY POPPINS author P.L. Travers.

...ClassicFlix reports there's a pre-Code collection of Columbia films coming in July from the TCM Vault. The titles will include Barbara Stanwyck in SHOPWORN (1932). There's no information or cover posted yet at TCM; I'll have more details in the future.

...Caftan Woman has a nice post up on the wonderful singer-actor Richard Kiley. I hope his miniseries A YEAR IN THE LIFE is released on DVD in the future!

...This new book looks interesting: TACO USA: HOW MEXICAN FOOD CONQUERED AMERICA. The author is Gustavo Arellano; it was just published.

...The Dodgers have had a great start to their season, including pulling off an exceptionally rare triple play in today's game. It was only the second triple play in the half-century history of Dodger Stadium.

Have a great week!

Tonight's Movie: It Came From Outer Space (1953)

Having watched EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS (1956) a couple Sundays ago, today it was time to step out of my movie comfort zone again and watch another '50s sci-fi film. Today's movie was the seriously creepy IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE, starring one of my favorite actors, '50s sci-fi hero Richard Carlson.

IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE is based on a story by Ray Bradbury. One night John Putnam (Carlson) and his fiancee Ellen (Barbara Rush) see a giant meteor crash to earth. But when John investigates, he discovers the meteor is actually a spaceship. Since the ship is almost immediately buried by a landslide, no one but Ellen believes John, and indeed, the townspeople make fun of him, especially the sheriff (Charles Drake).

Then strange things begin to happen, as townspeople disappear one by one, replaced by robotic-acting lookalikes. What's going on, and what do the aliens want?

The story is presented in a quietly compelling manner. Carlson's low-key demeanor makes him very believable, as least as far as the audience is concerned, and at the same time it's understandable that the townspeople disregard his fantastic story. The aliens adopting the bodies of the local citizens as their "clothes" is quite well done; the audience is still able to discern the aliens from the real people, strictly based on behavior.

The film prompted the age-old movie question: when something spooky happens, why do people get out of their cars and investigate instead of getting the heck out of Dodge? Of course, if they left, then there wouldn't be a scary movie! The tension in this film gradually ratchets up in a very effective manner.

This was one of several science fiction films Richard Carlson made in the '50s; his credits also included THE MAGNETIC MONSTER (1953), CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954), and RIDERS TO THE STARS (1954). There's additional information about Carlson's career and sci-fi connections in my review of RIDERS TO THE STARS.

Russell Johnson plays one of Carlson's friends. Years before he played the Professor on GILLIGAN'S ISLAND, Johnson was quite a handsome young man. I particularly enjoyed him as the hotheaded Jimmy in the Western LAW AND ORDER (1953), released the same year as IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE.

The cast also includes Joe Sawyer (OPERATION HAYLIFT), Kathleen Hughes, and Dave Willock.

This movie was directed by Jack Arnold, who also directed Carlson in CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON. The screenplay was by Harry Essex, with cinematography by Clifford Stine. The movie runs 81 minutes.

IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE was released on a nice DVD with extras including a commentary track and a documentary. The DVD can be rented from Netflix or ClassicFlix.

It was also released on VHS.

Amazon Prime members can watch this film at no charge on Amazon Instant Video.

IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE is a well-done film which is recommended for fans of Richard Carlson and/or '50s sci-fi.

October 2015 Update: Here's an account of seeing the movie with costar Kathleen Hughes in attendance at the Palm Springs Classic Science Fiction Film Festival.

Tonight's Movie: Gun Crazy (1950) at the TCM Classic Film Festival

The second time was the charm for me at this weekend's TCM Classic Film Festival: Although Thursday night's screening of CRISS CROSS (1949) sold out, there were plenty of standby seats available this evening at the Egyptian Theatre for an extra-special showing of the iconic film noir GUN CRAZY.

This was my first time to see GUN CRAZY, and it couldn't have been under better circumstances, with a 35mm print introduced by the Film Noir Foundation's Eddie Muller. Best of all, British actress Peggy Cummins made her first visit to the United States in over six decades in order to discuss the film with Muller prior to the screening.

Cummins, who is 86, was the picture of elegance and charm as she shared stories of her brief Hollywood career. She was originally brought to the U.S. to star in FOREVER AMBER (1947), but it was decided she wasn't "sexy enough" and the role was recast with Linda Darnell. She particularly mentioned having a good experience making MOSS ROSE (1947) with Victor Mature, Vincent Price, and Ethel Barrymore. She also mentioned a brief run-in with Howard Hughes.

Cummins also had good things to say about GUN CRAZY. She wasn't sure what the producers saw in her when they cast her as wild, feral (Eddie Muller's adjective) gunslinger Annie Laurie Starr. She spoke favorably of John Dall and said that working with good actors raises your own performance, and said that everyone who brings their talents to a film helps the actors put over a successful performance on screen.

Cummins spent considerable time discussing the famous bank robbery sequence, filmed in a single take; she said her wild driving made the crew in the back of the car nervous! With cinematographer Russell Harlan capturing it all on film, Cummins and Dall ad-libbed their dialogue as they drove through the town and looked for a parking place, then she chats up a cop on the sidewalk, Dall returns to the car after the robbery and they speed away. It's a remarkable set piece, lasting four or five minutes, and it's well worth seeing the film for that sequence alone.

Eddie Muller mentioned the fact that the film was written by the blacklisted Dalton Trumbo. Trumbo was later asked if he felt exploited by the film's producers, who could hire him at a lower price under the circumstances, but Trumbo said to the contrary, they were the only ones who would hire him and he was grateful to have an income for his family.

GUN CRAZY tells the story of Bart Tare (Dall), who has been obsessed with guns since he was a child (played by Russ Tamblyn, then billed as "Rusty"). A veteran of both reform school and the military, Bart meets his perfect -- but destructive -- match in Annie Laurie Starr (Cummins), a carnival sharpshooter with a dark past.

Bart and Laurie soon marry, but when funds run low Laurie makes it clear she wants the nicer things in life, and she wants them quickly. She wheedles Bart into committing an armed robbery, and they're literally off and running, robbing their way across the country, in an endless downward spiral of holdups, car thefts, train hopping, and ultimately killing.

Did I like the film? Yes and no. It's a downer story, and I've never been much of a fan of films exclusively about criminals; for example, I similarly don't care much for Westerns which focus on outlaws. It's inevitable that the characters and the story will come to a bad, sad end.

On the other hand, the execution of this film is brilliant in every regard, including the performances, costumes, black and white photography, and location choices. In addition to the bank robbery sequence, I especially liked the staging of the robbery at the meat packing company, Bart and Laurie's visit to the Ocean Park Pier, and the final foggy sequence in the marsh. While GUN CRAZY isn't my favorite kind of film, I nonetheless enjoyed and admired it.

The director of this 87-minute film was Joseph H. Lewis, a stylish director whose films also included MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS (1945) and THE BIG COMBO (1955). I was fortunate to see THE BIG COMBO on a big screen in February at the Million Dollar Theater in Downtown Los Angeles.

Fans of GUN CRAZY should be sure to read Robby's post on the movie locations at Dear Old Hollywood. One sequence, where Dall buys a newspaper, was filmed on Las Palmas Avenue in Hollywood, which is a street bordering the block where the Egyptian Theatre is located! The newsstand, a longtime favorite of my father's, is still there over six decades later, as is the Baptist church glimpsed at the end of the block.

Six decades later, they also still stop you at the California state line and ask if you're bringing fruit into the state. I got a particular kick out of Ray Teal as the cranky border inspector.

Nedrick Young, who plays Dave, later won the Oscar for writing the screenplay for THE DEFIANT ONES (1958). Anabel Shaw plays Bart's sister Ruby, Morris Carnovsky plays the judge who sends Bart to reform school, and Harry Lewis plays Bart's childhood friend, Deputy Clyde Boston.

GUN CRAZY is available on DVD in the Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. I. Extras include a commentary track by Glenn Erickson of DVD Savant. The DVD can be rented from Netflix or ClassicFlix.

GUN CRAZY was also released on VHS.

All in all, it was a great evening, and the icing on the cake was the chance to meet Jill of Sittin' on a Backyard Fence and The Cinementals, Will of The Cinementals, Jandy of The Frame and Row Three, and Trevor of A Modern Musketeer. I'm really delighted that I had the chance to experience a bit of the TCM Festival this year...and starting next weekend, I'll be regularly reporting on the Noir City Festival which takes place at the Egyptian Theatre from April 20th to May 6th, 2012.

March 2013 Update: Here's my experience seeing GUN CRAZY again at the UCLA Festival of Preservation, including an interview with Russ Tamblyn.