Tonight's Movie: Red Sundown (1956)

Rory Calhoun, a favorite Western star, was born on August 8, 1922.

When I wrapped up work last evening I decided to honor Calhoun's birthday by watching him in RED SUNDOWN (1956).

RED SUNDOWN has been highly recommended to me by several people, including my dad and my friends Blake, John, Toby, and Kristina, among others! In fact it was on my list of 10 films I was planning to see last year; for various reasons I had to push the list forward into 2018 but I finally made headway and crossed this title off tonight!

Calhoun plays Alec Longmire, who finds outlaw Bud Purvis (James Millican) wandering on the prairie. Alec rescues Bud but they soon tangle with Rod Zellman (Leo Gordon), who chases after Bud and Alec, which leads to a memorable gunfight in which the seriously wounded Bud comes up with a unique (if more than a little creepy) way to save Alec.

Alec promises Bud he'll give up living by the gun, though he hadn't planned on an offer as deputy sheriff from Sheriff Murphy (Dean Jagger). The good-natured sheriff offers Alec the job and Alec accepts. The job is all the more appealing as the sheriff has a lovely daughter, Caroline (Martha Hyer).

The town is in the middle of a land war pitting Rufus Henshaw (Robert Middleton) and his goons (including John Doucette) against the townspeople. Creepy Chet Swann (Grant Williams) arrives in town to work for Henshaw, with orders to kill.

Like most '50s Universal Westerns, this is a colorful, relatively short film which packs lots of entertainment value into its 81 minutes. That said, it goes above and beyond the norm with interesting plotting and some wonderful performances.

Calhoun is always good in Westerns, but he's especially fine here as a young man struggling to go straight but finding it harder than expected, between the doubts of Caroline and the need to pick up his gun again, even if this time it's on the side of law and order.

Jagger is also wonderful as the sheriff who gives Alec a second chance. The dialogue when they meet is absolutely terrific, as the sheriff asks Alec if he's on any of the wanted posters in the sheriff's office and Alec says "Let's go look." The friendly, frank discussion which follows between the two men is an excellent scene.

The movie provides a heck of a part for character fave James Millican, who had been in films in bit parts since the mid '30s and gradually climbed into more substantive character roles in the late '40s and '50s. He was really hitting his stride in the mid '50s, in films such as this and DAWN AT SOCORRO (1954), where he played a Wyatt Earp type role opposite Calhoun's spin on Doc Holliday, but tragically Millican died of cancer in 1955, before this film was released. He was only 45.

Millican is unforgettable as the gunman who says if he had it all to do again, he'd get a real job; he gets a second chance at living, only to lose it again. In his final moments he finds a way to save Alec twice over, first keeping him from dying and then also obtaining Alec's promise that he'll go straight.

Hyer has sharp edges in this one, as the woman who seems attracted to Alec but doubts his character. She's particularly dismayed when she finds him with an old girlfriend, Maria, played by Lita Baron, who was then Mrs. Rory Calhoun in real life. Unbeknownst to Caroline, Maria is now actually Henshaw's mistress.

And then there's Williams, who would later work with director Jack Arnold on the heartbreaking sci-fi film THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN (1957). He's quite something as the deranged killer unleashed on the town by Henshaw.

The film has a succession of good action scenes, with my favorite being when Henshaw's men arrive and take over the saloon, but they have a surprise coming. A great moment.

The movie was filmed by William Snyder. The above-average score was by Hans J. Salter, and the title song was composed and sung by Terry Gilkyson. The supporting cast includes Trevor Bardette, David Kasday, Chuck Roberson, Rusty Westcoatt, Chuck Hayward, Lane Bradford, and Helen Brown.

Many thanks to my friend John Knight for providing a lovely widescreen print for me to watch. What an enjoyable experience! This is certainly a film which needs to be out on Region 1 DVD in the U.S.

Tonight's Movie: An Act of Murder (1948)

Mercy killing is the topic of AN ACT OF MURDER (1948), a somber yet engrossing film with an excellent cast.

Fredric March plays Calvin Cooke, a by-the-book judge confronted with an agonizing dilemma when his beloved wife Cathy (Florence Eldridge, March's real wife) is diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor.

Medication is unable to control Cathy's unbearable pain, so Judge Cooke somewhat impulsively commits what he intends as an act of murder-suicide, driving his car off the road on a rainy night while Cathy is obliviously sleeping.

Cathy dies, but the judge survives, and when he's physically recovered he turns himself in on a murder charge. A dedicated defense attorney (Edmond O'Brien) dating the Cookes' daughter (Geraldine Brooks) is appointed by the judge (John McIntire) hearing the case to represent Judge Cooke.

An autopsy raises the question of whether the judge actually killed his wife after all...but even so, he meant to do it.

I had expected that the film would focus more on the courtroom drama aspect of the story and was a bit surprised that the majority of the film is domestic/medical drama, with the courtroom sequences a bit rushed, almost tacked on as an afterthought. This was especially disappointing given that it limited screen time for O'Brien and McIntire, a pair of really interesting actors. I would have preferred if the pathos-filled personal story were condensed and the legal and ethical debates took center stage; it remains a relevant topic decades later.

Judge Cooke's closing speech on the importance of seeing into men's hearts and intentions being as important as following the law is also an opinion ripe for deeper consideration than it receives here.

Another interesting aspect of the film, Brooks' frequently fraught relationship with her father, is also somewhat pushed to the side. Judge Cooke doesn't approve of his daughter's boyfriend and refuses to open up to her when dealing with his personal dilemmas before and after his wife's death. A little more depth and resolution would have been welcome here.

I'd been curious to see this one, especially given my liking for O'Brien, Brooks, and McIntire, and despite my reservations I'm glad I watched it. It was an interesting and well-acted film, though I can't say it will lend itself to repeat viewing given the difficulty of watching a terminally ill woman suffer.

An interesting aspect for me was that some of the medical aspects are unintentionally amusing -- or troubling -- to a modern viewer, such as the doctor (Stanley Ridges) lighting up a cigarette in the middle of conducting extensive medical tests looking for a potential brain tumor. Later he pushes a cigarette on the emotionally reeling Judge Cooke. Similar scenes appear in other movies but they never lose the capacity to make me shake my head in wonder.

The doctor cheerily reassures his patient she's fine, then has the x-rays copied and overnighted to three nationally known specialists; once the verdict is in from his fellow neurologists, the doctor conspires with the husband to keep the truth of her condition from his wife. The husband protests that she has a right to know and plan the remainder of her life, but the doctor orders the husband to lie and then makes sure he cooperates by calling the wife to tell her she's fine! (Eldridge's radiance immediately after this news is both hauntingly beautiful and crushing. It's a fine moment for the actress.) It's hard to imagine the lawsuits the doctor's behavior would engender in modern times.

The supporting cast also includes Will Wright as another judge who's a family friend. Also in the film are Don Beddoe, Clarence Muse, Ray Teal, and Virginia Brissac.

With this film I've seen all of the seven films Geraldine Brooks made from 1947 to 1949, a most enjoyable group which includes EMBRACEABLE YOU (1948) and THE RECKLESS MOMENT (1949). She was in a couple Italian films released in 1950 and after that mostly worked in television, an exception being STREET OF SINNERS (1957) with George Montgomery. In 1962 she reunited with Edmond O'Brien for an episode of his SAM BENEDICT TV series. Brooks was an interesting actress I wish had had a longer film career.

AN ACT OF MURDER was directed by Michael Gordon and filmed in black and white by Hal Mohr. The screenplay by Michael Blankford and Robert Thoeren was based on a novel by Ernst Lothar. The film runs 91 minutes.

AN ACT OF MURDER is available on DVD in the Universal Vault Series. The print is mostly fine although there were a few scenes with lines in the picture. The sound quality was good.

May 2020 Update: Kino Lorber is releasing AN ACT OF MURDER on Blu-ray as part of their three-film Dark Side of Cinema IV Collection. It will be released in July 2020.

Tonight's Movie: Christopher Robin (2018)

Before I saw it I wasn't quite sure what to think of CHRISTOPHER ROBIN (2018), as the computerized Pooh and friends seen in the trailer looked more than a little odd.

Three things pulled me to try the movie: Hayley Atwell of AGENT CARTER (2015) and CINDERELLA (2015) playing Christopher Robin's wife; knowing that the film used Disney's Sherman Brothers Pooh songs and that Sterling Holloway's successor as Pooh's voice, Jim Cummings, continued to play him here; and my general love for Winnie the Pooh.

The endorsement of Leonard Maltin didn't hurt either!

CHRISTOPHER ROBIN tells a simple story: The adult Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) is stressed by the pressures of his job at a luggage company and has been gradually losing touch with the most important people in his life, his wife Evelyn (Atwell) and their daughter Madeline (Bronte Carmichael).

One day Christopher unexpectedly meets up with his old friend Pooh (Cummings) in a park and suddenly finds himself on an adventure to return Pooh to the Hundred Acre Wood and locate Pooh's missing friends. Along the way Christopher's childhood animal friends remind him of what's truly important in life.

I was a bit iffy during the opening sequence with Christopher as a child (Orton O'Brien), which I found slightly too mawkish, but the film improves as it goes. The computerized characters gradually grew on me, as they were perfectly voiced; Brad Garrett made an excellent Eeyore, and Cummings voiced Tigger with slightly Paul Winchell-esque overtones, along with voicing Pooh. Their dialogue was pitch perfect, both funny and incisive.

McGregor convinces us that it's perfectly natural to be holding a conversation with Pooh, which is particularly something considering he was acting opposite characters who weren't really there! Atwell does her typically good job in a smaller role as the exasperated wife, and Carmichael is quite natural as their daughter.

One of the film's pleasures is its use of the Sherman Brothers music, both subtly in the background and occasionally front and center, as in the wonderful moment when Tigger launches into "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers." I loved this connection to Disney's earlier Pooh films; be sure to stay for the end credits and a special treat with Richard Sherman.

Speaking of connections to earlier Disney, the sequence near the end with the company board reminded me just a bit of Mr. Banks and the bank directors meeting in MARY POPPINS (1964)! I liked Oliver Ford Davies as the company head, though I found Christopher's boss Giles (Mark Gatiss) too much of a caricature.

There's never any suspense about where the film is going, but there's quite a bit of pleasure in the journey. All in all, CHRISTOPHER ROBIN's more predictable aspects make it not quite a great film, but its heart and originality, daring to present Pooh and Company in the "real world," make it a very good one. It's a warm, soothing, and occasionally rib-tickling film.

Parental Advisory: This film is rated PG. There's nothing here to trouble a young child, other than a brief depiction of reaction to the offscreen death of a parent, but in all honesty I felt the movie was targeted more for adults than children. I saw the film in a theater packed with children, and the youngest ones sitting near me seemed restless. They seemed to settle down once Christopher Robin's daughter became a bigger part of the story in the last third or so of the film. (Update: I just came across a very good article by John Ehrett which echoes and elaborates on these thoughts. Please check out "CHRISTOPHER ROBIN: A Winnie the Pooh Movie for Adults.")

CHRISTOPHER ROBIN was directed by Marc Forster and filmed by Matthias Koenigswieser. The running time is a well-paced 104 minutes.

Related review: THE MANY ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE POOH (1977).

Finally, one of my occasional notes on the current state of moviegoing: As some readers may know from recent news coverage, the MoviePass service I've enjoyed for the past eight months, allowing subscribers to see a movie a day for $9.95 per month, has been struggling for survival this month. This was no surprise, really, as I wrote back in November 2017 I didn't see how the company could sustain its pricing over the long term; consequently I only signed up month to month, rather than risking paying for a long-term plan.

MoviePass is now retrenching with a new three-movie-a-month plan which seems to make considerably more financial sense. Whether they can make it over the long haul is anyone's guess, as at times this month the company has seemed likely to fold any minute.

When MoviePass became unusable two weekends ago, along with introducing "surge pricing" (rescinded under the latest plan), and also announced to subscribers via email that they would be cutting back on customer service, I decided it was time to move on and cancelled my subscription; instead I've joined Cinemark Movie Club. It's nowhere near the deal that MoviePass was, but that wasn't even sustainable for MoviePass (!), and since the two theaters I visit most often for "new" movies are in the Cinemark chain I will definitely benefit.

Tonight's Movie: Gunplay (1951)

I hadn't seen a Tim Holt Western since SADDLE LEGION (1951) last January, so I was overdue to see another one!

I chose GUNPLAY (1951), which like SADDLE LEGION is from the Warner Archive's Tim Holt Western Classics Collection Vol. 3.

GUNPLAY was entertaining enough, though I didn't care for the story as much as I usually do. Tim Holt (played by...Tim Holt!) and his buddy Chito (Richard Martin) have been hired by mail to work as ranch hands for Terry Blake (Joan Dixon). When they arrive at the ranch they're surprised but pleased to realize that Terry is an attractive woman.

The plot takes a detour here to follow Sam (Robert Bice) and Chip (Harper Carter) Martin. Martin has been done out of money by Landry (Mauritz Hugo) but after Martin forcibly claims his rightful property, Landry sends his henchmen (including Robert J. Wilke) to kill Martin and get the money back. Chip hides and survives but there's a disturbing scene when he finds his lynched father.

The above sequence setting up the story with the Martins took way too much time away from Tim and Chito and was more than a little troubling to watch; it was definitely darker than your average Holt Western! From that point the film improves, as Tim, Chito, and Terry search for the killers and plan Chip's future.

Regardless of the story, Holt and Martin are always terrific company. My enjoyment of the movie was also elevated by the presence of Joan Dixon, leading lady of the crime films BUNCO SQUAD (1950) and ROADBLOCK (1951).

Dixon appeared in five Holt Westerns including the previously reviewed LAW OF THE BADLANDS (1951). I look forward to seeing her in the future in the Holt Westerns PISTOL HARVEST (1951), HOT LEAD (1951), and DESERT PASSAGE (1952), along with the crime film EXPERIMENT ALCATRAZ (1950). At that point I'll have seen all of her movies, excepting a bit part she had in CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH AND POCAHONTAS (1953). it's a shame she didn't make more films as she's a striking presence.

The scenery in GUNPLAY, filmed in black and white by J. Roy Hunt, was only so-so; it was all done on Southern California movie ranches or the nearby area. IMDb says filming took place in Santa Clarita. No Lone Pine or Idyllwild this time!

GUNPLAY was directed by Lesley Selander. It runs 61 minutes.

Though GUNPLAY wasn't one of my favorite Holt Westerns, I've seen seven of the films in this Tim Holt Vol. 3 set and highly recommend it. In addition to the films being fun to watch, the set and the discs themselves are attractively produced. Western fans will love it along with the other three volumes in this series.

Tonight's Movie: Winter Meeting (1948) - A Warner Archive DVD Review

A pair of troubled introverts fall in love but may not be destined to remain together in WINTER MEETING (1948), available on DVD from the Warner Archive.

In this interesting Bette Davis film, she plays Susan Grieve, an unmarried poet of a certain age whose friend (John Hoyt) introduces her to a recently returned war hero, Slick Novak (Jim Davis).

The retiring Slick is drawn to quiet Susan and ditches his lovely but shallow and overly loquacious date (Janis Paige) in order to accompany Susan home. Susan and Slick have a push-pull relationship, moving tentatively closer, trading sharp words and stepping back again, then moving closer still.

Slick draws Susan out to discuss her father's suicide and her difficult relationship with her mother...but just when she's got that off her chest and is feeling increasingly serious about him, Susan learns why Slick is given to staring contemplatively into space: Marriage has never been in his plans, as he intends to be a Roman Catholic priest.

I enjoyed this flawed yet absorbing film. Catherine Turney's screenplay, based on a novel by Ethel Vance, is a little too talky for its hour and 44 minutes, and the movie could have stood a bit of trimming. The movie becomes a bit incoherent trying to effectively explain Slick's call to the priesthood, and the movie also contends with the issue that Jim Davis might have been a perfect cowboy star, but here he struggles to convey all the appropriate emotions.

He does just well enough to get by, however, and Bette Davis is outstanding, with enough dramatic breadth for two actors; she pulls her costar Davis along by sheer force of will. Incidentally, I initially felt there was a significant age gap between the two Davises, but when I looked it up I learned that she was only one year older than her leading man.

I also loved Davis's spot-on costumes, hairstyles, and her beautiful New York apartment! The movie's production values and thoughtful design make it a pleasure to step into its world.

The supporting cast includes Florence Bates and Walter Baldwin, along with Woody Herman and His Orchestra, who must have been the band playing in the opening nightclub scenes.

WINTER MEETING was directed by Bretaigne Windust and filmed in black and white by Ernest Haller. The score is by Max Steiner.

The print is rougher than the typical Warner Archive DVD, with plenty of speckles and scratches, though they're generally small. In the last hour the soundtrack didn't always match up with the actors' mouths, but it was close enough to be watchable. There were a few minor digital breakups partway through the disc so I suppose it's possible the soundtrack problem is specific to this DVD, but I have no way to know for sure.

The Warner Archive DVD includes the trailer.

WINTER MEETING was released by the Warner Archive some years ago, but as I periodically remind readers, since Warner Archive Collection films are made "on demand," titles remain just as available now as they were when first released.

As with the other Warner Archive films I reviewed earlier today, WINTER MEETING is imperfect yet also enjoyable and memorable, and I'm quite glad that it's available thanks to the Warner Archive.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this DVD. Warner Archive releases are MOD (manufactured on demand) and may be ordered from the Warner Archive Collection at the WBShop or from any online retailers where DVDs and Blu-rays are sold.

Tonight's Movie: The Steel Fist (1952) - A Warner Archive DVD Review

Roddy McDowall flees from behind the Iron Curtain in THE STEEL FIST (1952), just released on DVD by the Warner Archive.

I was unfamiliar with this film when the DVD release was announced, but I was immediately interested when I saw the film costarred Kristine Miller, who coincidentally was just reviewed here in Kino Lorber's new release I WALK ALONE (1947).

Miller plays Marlina, who works along with her brother Franz (Harry Lauter) as part of the underground in an unnamed Communist country. When college student Eric (McDowall) must flee over the border after starting a protest, he's put in contact with a shadowy network who guide him step by step toward safety.

Marlina and Franz shelter Eric in their small village, with Marlina keeping lovestruck Capt. Giorg Nicholoff (Rand Brooks) at bay until Eric can escape over the mountains.

That's pretty much the entire plot of this 73-minute movie, a Monogram Pictures film which was clearly made on a minuscule budget. Despite the low budget and simple story, I found it quite gripping and enjoyable, even if Eastern Europe looks suspiciously like Iverson Ranch.

The lead actors are all good and do a great deal to sell the story. They believe it so we do too. Miller is always a persuasive actress, and this is a nice good-sized role for Lauter, who is particularly memorable when he's forced to "dispose" of a wounded soldier who has spotted Eric.

McDowall, incidentally, made half a dozen films for Monogram, including the previously reviewed BLACK MIDNIGHT (1949).

Though sometimes derided today as "Red scare" films, melodramas such as this, THE IRON CURTAIN (1948), and NEVER LET ME GO (1953) served a useful purpose then and now, reminding viewers that freedom and Communism (or its spinoff, today's "trendy" socialism) are always inevitably incompatible.

THE STEEL FIST was directed by Wesley Barry and filmed in black and white by William A. Sickner.

There's nothing fancy about this straightforward film, with bare bones sets and ordinary-looking photography, but it gets the job done. I liked it and am glad I had the opportunity to check it out.

The Warner Archive DVD is an excellent print. There are no extras.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this DVD. Warner Archive releases are MOD (manufactured on demand) and may be ordered from the Warner Archive Collection at the WBShop or from any online retailers where DVDs and Blu-rays are sold.

Tonight's Movie: Shining Victory (1941) - A Warner Archive DVD Review

SHINING VICTORY is a somewhat unusual but interesting medical melodrama. It was released on DVD this spring by the Warner Archive.

James Stephenson plays Dr. Paul Venner, who is forcibly ejected from Hungary after he complains about a prominent doctor (Sig Ruman) stealing his research.

Venner, who has been testing drugs to treat dementia, starts over again researching in a lab at a sanitarium in rainy Scotland. Initially annoyed when he's assigned an idealistic young new doctor, Mary Murray (Geraldine Fitzgerald), as an assistant, he gradually comes to appreciate her, though the gruff doctor is reluctant at first to admit it.

Paul and Mary fall in love, but an unexpected catastrophe changes everything.

This was something of an oddball film, mixing medical research and sensitive romance with the gothic overtones of REBECCA (1940). Barbara O'Neil's mentally disturbed sanitarium secretary whispers into Mary's ear in one scene, looking for all the world as though she's evil Mrs. Danvers with the Second Mrs. DeWinter. Though there are hints of O'Neil's character's issues from early on, at this point one begins to sense that the movie may not end up quite as we expect.

O'Neil's best-known work, incidentally, included Ellen O'Hara in GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) and the Duchesse de Praslin in ALL THIS, AND HEAVEN TOO (1940).

Stephenson plays an embittered character who is nonetheless quite interesting, with varied shadings which let us see the hurt, dedicated romantic underneath the cold fish exterior. He's highly watchable in a role which in other hands could have come off as a completely insufferable jerk.

Stephenson had played Bette Davis's lawyer the year previously in THE LETTER (1940) and his film career, which had begun in 1937, was seemingly starting to take off for new heights when he tragically died of a heart attack the month after SHINING VICTORY was released. He was just 52. An additional film, INTERNATIONAL SQUADRON (1941), in which he was third-billed, was released the month after his passing.

Costar Geraldine Fitzgerald was also especially well-known for her supporting role in a Bette Davis film, playing her close friend in DARK VICTORY (1939). I have always found Fitzgerald an appealing actress, and that's the case in this film, where she puts up with sexism and rudeness with determined good cheer, unwilling to let anyone stand in the way of her goal, serving as a medical missionary in China.

A half dozen years ago I saw Fitzgerald's son, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, speak at a screening at the Egyptian Theater, where he also signed copies of his book LUCK AND CIRCUMSTANCE: A COMING OF AGE IN HOLLYWOOD, NEW YORK, AND POINTS BEYOND. It's an interesting read.

Donald Crisp is especially good in this as a doctor who serves as confidante to both Paul and Mary. The cast also includes Montagu Love, G.P. Huntley, Richard Ainley, Bruce Foster, Ian Wolfe, and Doris Lloyd.

SHINING VICTORY was the first feature film directed by Irving Rapper, who had previously worked as a dialogue director for a number of years. The movie was filmed by James Wong Howe, with a score by Max Steiner. The running time is 80 minutes.

The Warner Archive disc is a very nice print with good sound. The disc includes the trailer.

SHINING VICTORY isn't a classic, but it's a highly watchable film with a number of interesting elements. I'm appreciative that this type of lesser-known film is now available to viewers thanks to the Warner Archive.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this DVD. Warner Archive releases are MOD (manufactured on demand) and may be ordered from the Warner Archive Collection at the WBShop or from any online retailers where DVDs and Blu-rays are sold.

Tonight's Movie: Angel (1937) at UCLA

It was back to Westwood tonight for another double bill in UCLA's current Ernst Lubitsch retrospective.

The evening began with the classic TROUBLE IN PARADISE (1932) starring Herbert Marshall, Miriam Hopkins, and Kay Francis. I first watched it on DVD in 2008 and just saw it at UCLA last year in the 2017 UCLA Festival of Preservation.

TROUBLE IN PARADISE is a film which really can't be seen too many times. It's lighter than air and somehow just gets funnier with additional viewings. Marshall is elegance personified, Hopkins is an amusing spitfire, and Francis is a gorgeous delight in her Travis Banton gowns. (I had to giggle when she said "terrible police" near the end, as the actress's well-known trouble with the letter "R" was quite apparent!) TROUBLE IN PARADISE is the very essence of "the Lubitsch touch" and is highly recommended.

I had never seen ANGEL (1937), which again stars Marshall, along with Marlene Dietrich and Melvyn Douglas. Douglas, of course, would later star in Lubitsch's classic NINOTCHKA (1939).

In fact, it's rather interesting that in ANGEL, just as in NINOTCHKA, Douglas falls in love with a Russian woman in Paris. In this case the woman, Maria (Dietrich) is the wife of British diplomat Sir Frederick Barker (Marshall), who loves his wife but is preoccupied with matters of state. Somehow trying to prevent WWII keeps taking precedence over spending time with his wife!

When the bored Maria goes to Paris and visits an old Russian friend, Grand Duchess Anna (Laura Hope Crews), she chances to meet Anthony Halton (Douglas), who falls in love with her on the spot. She's also attracted to him but refuses to divulge her name, so he calls her "Angel."

"Angel" disappears at the end of her evening with Anthony and goes home to her husband...who then happens to reunite with a one-time army acquaintance from WWI -- Anthony! When Anthony visits the Barkers, he and Maria are shocked to be reunited but don't let on to Frederick initially that they have previously met. Ultimately Maria must decide between her love for her husband or the grand passion of a romance with Anthony.

ANGEL is an exceptionally gorgeous film, photographed by Charles Lang; like TROUBLE IN PARADISE, it was screened at UCLA in 35mm, and the frequent close-ups of Dietrich, Marshall, and Douglas were breathtaking.

The movie itself was pleasant, more of a romantic melodrama than a comedy, though humor is provided by Edward Everett Horton and Ernest Cossart as the Barkers' servants. ANGEL gets pretty talky, and the film's 91 minutes go on longer than they should.

Some of Lubitsch's choices were interesting and even disappointing; for instance, in the moment when Anthony first sees a photograph of Frederick's wife, the camera stays on Frederick, there's not even a sound effect letting us know Anthony's reaction. Lubitsch was apparently going for subtlety but it feels a bit as though the audience is robbed.

That said, I was amused by the following luncheon scene where we don't see the actors, but their plates as they come back to the kitchen. Frederick's plate is empty, but the plates of the shocked Maria and Anthony are still full.

All in all, though not in the same league as the director's great comedies, ANGEL is a worthwhile film which I'll watch again, and it's especially notable as a sumptuous visual feast.

ANGEL is available on DVD in the four-film set Universal Hollywood Icons Collection: Marlene Dietrich or as a single-title release in the Universal Vault series. It also had a 1994 release on VHS.

March 2020 Update: ANGEL will be released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber in April 2020. Extras will include a commentary track by Joseph McBride, author of HOW DID LUBITSCH DO IT?, and trailers.

May 2020 Update: My review of the Kino Lorber Blu-ray may now be found here.

Tonight's Movie: I Walk Alone (1947) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

I WALK ALONE (1947) is an enjoyable film noir just released on Blu-ray and DVD by Kino Lorber.

I WALK ALONE was produced by Hal B. Wallis for Paramount Pictures. It has a great cast: Burt Lancaster, Lizabeth Scott, Kirk Douglas, Wendell Corey, and Kristine Miller.

Lancaster plays Frankie Madison, newly released from prison after a 14-year stint for bootlegging during the Prohibition era. Before Frankie was arrested he and his partner Dink (Douglas) had agreed they were 50-50 partners even if one of them were to be arrested.

Frankie's brother Dave (Corey), who works for Dink as an accountant, picks up Frankie at the train station yet seems strangely reticent and reserved. It's soon clear why: Dink, who owns a fancy nightclub, has set up his businesses so that Frankie won't get more than a pittance, and Dave is the one who helped Dink with the paperwork and accounting.

Dink sets up his girlfriend, nightclub singer Kay (Scott), to have a fancy welcome home dinner with Frankie and pump him for information. Kay quickly warms up to Frankie which is just as well, as Dink plans to marry wealthy Alexis (Miller) -- but tries to convince Kay that he truly loves her and they'll continue their romance on the side!

Frankie tries to figure out how to claim his share of the business from under a mountain of paperwork; meanwhile Dink contends with the guilt-ridden Dave threatening to blow the whistle...

This is quite an enjoyable film, sort of a mashup of '30s gangster film and '40s noir; it's mainly set at night, and while at first it seems that Frankie might be led astray by Scott's femme fatale, things don't end as darkly as is often the case with film noir.

Lancaster, Scott, and Corey are solid, with Douglas -- an actor I don't particularly care for -- quite good as the slimy, sleazy Dink. He's amazingly self-centered and nervy, whether stealing from his old friend or setting up his ostensible girlfriend for a romantic evening with another man.

Stealing the movie is the underrated Miller as the predatory Alexis, who injects an electric spark into the film in each of her memorable scenes, whether she's coming on to Frankie or making out with her fiance, Dink; she also trades some delicious snark with Kay. Miller's Alexis disappears from the film far too early, after Dink hangs up from a phone conversation with his fiancee and mutters "Tramp!" Miller -- and Scott -- are polar opposites here from the roles they would play a couple years later in the noir classic TOO LATE FOR TEARS (1949).

I WALK ALONE may not be top-of-the-line noir, but it's entertaining and I enjoyed watching it for the first time. Kino Lorber's terrific-looking Blu-ray shows off the shadowy photography by Leo Tover to great effect.

I WALK ALONE was the first credited full-length sound film directed by Byron Haskin. Haskin, who had already worked for years as cinematographer and special effects man, also directed a handful of silent films.

The screenplay by Charles Schnee was based on an adaptation of a Theodore Reeves play by Robert Smith and John Bright. It was his first credited screenplay. Schnee's other credits include RED RIVER (1948), THEY LIVE BY NIGHT (1948), WESTWARD THE WOMEN (1951), and several other notable films.

The score of this 97-minute film was by Victor Young. Mike Mazurki, Marc Lawrence, George Rigaud, and Mickey Knox costar.

The Kino Lorber release has a commentary track by Troy Howarth. It also has five trailers of films featuring either Lancaster or Douglas which are available from Kino Lorber.

More great news from Kino Lorber: The company just announced that they will soon release Paramount's DESERT FURY (1947), which stars some of the same cast members of I WALK ALONE: Lancaster, Scott, Corey, and Miller.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

Mary Carlisle Dies at 104

Mary Carlisle, one of the last remaining adult actresses of 1930s Hollywood, has passed on at the age of 104.

Carlisle notably starred opposite Bing Crosby in three films, COLLEGE HUMOR (1933), DOUBLE OR NOTHING (1937), and DOCTOR RHYTHM.

Carlisle films previously reviewed here include MADAM SATAN (1930), in which she appeared at the costume party as Little Bo Peep; MURDER IN THE PRIVATE CAR (1934); and DANCE, GIRL, DANCE (1940). She was also in ROVIN' TUMBLEWEEDS (1939) with Gene Autry.

Carlisle retired from films in 1943. She had a second career with Elizabeth Arden and a long, happy marriage.

Lara Fowler remembers meeting Mary in a post at Backlots. On Twitter, reminisces of meeting the actress were shared by Karie Bible, Christina Rice, and Alan K. Rode.

Obituaries were published by The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, and The Washington Post.

Carlisle's contemporaries who are still with us include Olivia de Havilland, age 102, and Marsha Hunt, age 100. Patricia Morison passed on earlier this year at 103; French actress Danielle Darrieux, who worked in Hollywood in the '30s, died last fall at 100. (Update: Fay McKenzie, who I saw speak at the 2013 TCM Classic Film Festival, turned 100 earlier this year! Like Mary Carlisle, her films included '30s Westerns.)

Child actresses of the era remaining with us include Cora Sue Collins, Baby Peggy Montgomery, and June Lockhart. In the last few months we've lost Juanita Quigley at 86 and Ann Gillis at 90.

It's sad to see the great ladies of the classic film era pass from the scene. Farewell to the sweet and lovely Mary Carlisle.