"THE BLUE DAHLIA" (1946) ReviewSometime during World War II, novelist Raymond Chandler was hired by Paramount Pictures to co-write the 1944 film classic, "DOUBLE INDEMNITY", with writer-director Billy Wilder. Another two years passed before the studio assigned him to write a post-war film noir movie, 1946’s "THE BLUE DAHLIA".Directed by George Marshall, ”THE BLUE DAHLIA” was about a U.S. Navy pilot, Lieutenant-Commander Johnny Morrison, who returns home to Los Angeles with his buddies and medically discharged crewmates, Buzz Wanchek and George Copeland. Buzz is prone to memory lapses and headaches, and is often short tempered, all likely due to his head wound. Johnny finds his wife Helen living and partying in a hotel bungalow. He also spots her kissing her boyfriend, owner of the Blue Dahlia nightclub, Eddie Harwood. After punching Eddie, Johnny lets Helen know that he is willing to try to salvage their marriage. However, Helen is not willing and she informs him that their son did not die of dipththeria as she had written, but from a car accident caused by her when she was drunk. Johnny momentarily threatens her with a gun, but decides she is not worth the trouble. He leaves her, taking a framed photograph of their son. Helen meets both Buzz (who has been searching for Johnny) and Eddie before she is mysteriously shot to death in the stomach.”THE BLUE DAHLIA” is a pretty solid murder mystery that featured the second of three movies with Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake. Chandler created some very interesting characters, including the smarmy Eddie Harwood, who seemed very adept at seducing married wives like Helen Morrison and hiring others to do his dirty work; Helen Morrison, who seemed like a curious mixture of a bitchy wife and a grieving mother; the solid Johnny Morrison, who manages to radiate an aura of menace when crossed; and the nosy and sharp-tongued hotel detective, “Dad” Newell. But Chandler’s best creation turned out to be Buzz Wanchek, a loyal, Navy veteran with a short temper, dislike of jazz music and a metal plate in his head.As I had stated earlier, Chandler’s story proved to be pretty solid. His skillful setup of Helen Morrison’s murder made it easy for many of the characters to become suspects. Johnny’s discovery of her affair with Eddie Harwood and their subsequent violent quarrel made him an easy suspect. The script eventually revealed that Helen had discovered that Eddie Harwood was a wanted fugitive sought by the New Jersey cops for the death of a man during a robbery, fifteen years earlier. Johnny also met one Joyce Harwood, Eddie’s estranged wife, who had become weary of her husband’s infidelity. And finally there was Buzz, who had been seen meeting Helen at her hotel’s bar and following her to her bungalow. All of this had been witnessed by “Dad” Newell. I understand that Chandler had intended the mystery to evolve into a message about the difficulties – medical and otherwise – faced by veterans returning home from the war. This message would have been utilized with the revelation of Buzz as Helen’s killer. The movie also featured some brutal fight scenes between Ladd and the actors portraying Eddie Harwood’s thugs. In fact, I have noticed that a good number of brutal fights always seemed to pop up in many of Ladd’s movies. Director George Marshall certainly did justice to the fight scene in ”THE BLUE DAHLIA” that rivaled those found in other Ladd crime dramas.Unfortunately, ”THE BLUE DAHLIA” had some flaws that prevented it from being better than it could. One, I found Sam Comer and James M. Walters Senior’s set decorations to be pedestrian . . . almost cheap looking. And Lionel Lindon’s uninspiring cinematography did not help. And the movie could have benefitted with a better score than the one provided by Victor Young, the same composer who won a posthumous Oscar for 1956’s ”AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS”. And thanks to the U.S. military and the Production Code Administration under Joseph Breen, Chandler was forced to neuter his script by tossing aside the resolution that made Buzz the murderer. Both Chandler and Marshall were forced to dump the crime on another character, in what seemed like a contrived plot twist.If there is one thing that ”THE BLUE DAHLIA” benefitted was from its cast. Chandler had compared Alan Ladd to Warners star, Humphrey Bogart, to the former’s detriment. One, I have no idea why Chandler even bothered to compare the two actors. Both had their own styles as leading men in a crime drama. Ladd certainly gave a top-notch performance as returning veteran Johnny Morrison. His best scenes included one he shared with Doris Dowling that featured the bitter argument and marital breakup of the Morrisons; another with Howard Da Silva, in which Morrison revealed his knowledge of Harwood’s past as a wanted fugitive; and finally the fight scene between Johnny and Harwood’s thugs. Not only did he handle the fight scenes very well, he also proved that he could be a first-rate dramatic performer, who knew how to act in front of a camera.Ladd received solid support from Veronica Lake, who gave a charming performance as the compassionate and perhaps, slightly manipulative Joyce Harwood, the nightclub owner’s estranged wife. I was very impressed by Doris Dowling’s portrayal of the morally conflicted Helen Morrison. Not only did she convey the woman’s bitchy personality with great effect, but also her lingering grief over her son’s death. Howard Da Silva was superb as nightclub owner Eddie Harwood. The actor did justice to Chandler’s portrayal of a man ruthless enough to deal with any threat to his livelihood, yet compassionate enough to feel remorse over his killing of an innocent man during a bank robbery. And character actor Will Wright gave a humorous and complex portrayal of the nosy and slimy house detective, “Dad” Newell. Hugh Beaumont gave a solid performance as one of Johnny’s friends, the level-headed and dependable George Copeland; but his portrayal did not exactly set me on fire. William Bendix’s portrayal of a slightly disturbed Buzz Wanchek. His performance struck me as funny, caustic and a bit frightening at times. He was very effective in conveying the aftereffects of a man who had not only been trained to kill, but whose war wound (which resulted in a metal plate in the head) led him to suffer from a great deal of mental stress.Do not get me wrong. I enjoyed ”THE BLUE DAHLIA”. Chandler’s mystery struck me as solid and well written. And the movie benefited from a strong cast led by Alan Ladd. But it lacked any production values – set decorations, photography and score – that struck me as impressive. And in the end, the movie’s finale was undermined by censorship from the U.S. military and the local censor board. But I can honestly say that it is worth viewing.
"SHANE" (1953) ReviewThe history behind the production for the 1953 classic Western, "SHANE" is a curious one. At the time, it was one of the most expensive Westerns ever made in Hollywood. And director George Stevens' first choices for the film's two male leads never panned out. Yet, despite the expenses and Stevens' initial bad luck with his casting choices, "SHANE" became one of the most famous Westerns ever made in Hollywood."SHANE" was based upon Jack Schaefer's 1949 novel of the same title. Many film historians and critics believe the narrative's basic elements were based upon a historical event, the 1892 Johnson County War. Although this was never acknowledged by Stevens, Schaefer or the film's screenwriter, A.B. Guthrie Jr. And yet . . . the film's setting turned out to be the same one for the famous cattlemen-homesteaders conflict, Wyoming. The plot for "SHANE" proved to be simple. An experienced gunfighter named Shane, weary of his violent past, arrives at a county in Wyoming Territory and befriends a homesteader/rancher named Joe Starrett and the latter's family. Despite Starrett's revelation of a conflict between homesteaders like himself and a ruthless and powerful rancher named Rufus Ryker, Shane accepts a job as Starrett's ranch hand. Before long, Shane not only finds himself emotionally drawn to the Starretts, but also pulled into the range war that is raging.Anyone with any knowledge about old Hollywood or American Western films will automatically tell you that "SHANE" is highly regarded and much-beloved movie. The American Film Institute (AFI) has list it as one of the top three (3) Hollywood Westerns ever made and it is ranked 45 on the list of top 100 films. The movie earned six Academy Award nominations and won an award for Best Cinematography (in color). Many people believe Alan Ladd should have received an Academy Award for his performance as the mysterious "former" gunslinger Shane and consider the role as his best performance. How do I feel?I cannot deny that "SHANE" is a first-rate movie. Who am I kidding? It is an excellent look at violence on the American frontier. And thanks to George Stevens' direction, it is also brutal. Unlike many previous movie directors, Stevens did not stylized the violent deaths depicted in the film. A major example of this peek into life on the frontier is a scene that featured the brutal death of Frank "Stonewall" Torrey, a small rancher portrayed by Elisha Cook Jr., who was killed by Jack Wilson, a villainous gunslinger portrayed by Jack Palance:
Contrary to what one might originally believe, I do not believe "SHANE" preached against violence. Yes, the screenplay written by Guthrie questioned the constant use of violence to solve problems. But the movie made it clear that sometimes, one has no choice but to fight. Does this rule apply to the situation in "SHANE"? Hmmmm . . . good question.Another aspect of "SHANE" that I found fascinating was Shane's attempts to put his violent past behind him in his interactions with the Starrett family. Whether Shane was working or riding beside Joe, befriending Joey and struggling to suppress his obvious sexual desire for Marian; it seemed pretty obvious that he had developed close feelings for the entire family. And it would also explained why he would hang around, despite the danger of being dragged into a range war.I cannot deny that "SHANE" featured some first-rate performances. I also cannot deny that Alan Ladd was in top form as the soft-spoken gunslinger who tried to hang up his gun belt, while staying with Starretts. I have always believed that Ladd was an underrated actor. Many critics have regarded his role as Shane as a singular example of how excellent he was as an actor. Do not get me wrong. I also admire his performance as Shane. It was a prime example of his skills as a movie actor. But I have seen other Ladd performances that I found equally impressive. Van Heflin's portrayal of the determined small rancher, Joe Starrett, struck me as equally impressive. I could never really regard his character as complex, but Heflin made it easy for me to see why Shane had no problems befriending Joe . . . or why other ranchers regarded him as their unofficial leader. Jean Arthur had been lured out of an early retirement by Stevens for the role of Marian Starrett. I thought she did a superb job of conveying her character's complicated feelings for Shane. Thanks to Arthur's performance, Marian seemed to be torn between her love for Joe, her attraction to Shane and her revulsion toward his violent past.Brandon deWilde had received an Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his role as the Starretts' young son, Joe Jr. (Joey). Do not get me wrong. I thought deWilde gave a very good performance as the impressionable, yet energetic young Joey. But an Oscar nod? Honestly, I have seen better performances from a good number of child actors - then and now. Another Best Supporting Actor nomination was given to Jack Palance for his role as the villainous gunslinger, Jack Wilson. When I re-watched this movie for the last time, there seemed to be two faces to Palance's performance. Most of his appearances featured the actor projecting the stone-faced villainy of his character. But there were moments when Palance managed to convey the more human side of Wilson - whether it was his boredom toward his employer's other minions or weariness at the idea of facing another person to kill. It is strange that I had never noticed this before.I also have to give kudos to Elisha Cook Jr. as the doomed Frank Toomey, who spent most of the movie aggressively expressing his anger at Ryker's attempts to drive him and other small ranchers out of the valley. And yet . . . Cook's best scene featured Toomey's last moments, when he began to silently express regret at his quick temper and his realization that he was about to meet his death. "SHANE" also featured some first-rate performances from Emilie Meyer as the ruthless and greedy Rufus Ryker; Ben Johnson as one of Ryker's ranch hands, whose early encounter with Shane made him see the light; and the likes of Ellen Corby, Edgar Buchanan, Douglas Spencer and Edith Evanson.Despite my admiration for "SHANE", George Stevens' direction and A.B. Guthrie Jr.'s screenplay . . . the movie is not a particularly favorite of mine. I like the film, but I do not love it. There are certain aspects of "SHANE" that prevents me from fully embracing it. One is Loyal Griggs' cinematography. I realize that he had won an Academy Award for his work. And I must say that he did an excellent job in capturing the beauty of the movie's Wyoming and California locations. But I found his use of natural lighting for the interior shots very frustrating, especially since I could barely see a damn thing in some shots. Another aspect of "SHANE" that annoyed me was its message regarding violence. I have no problem with any story declaring the use of violence in certain situations. My problem is that I did not find the local ranchers' situation with Ryker dire enough that they had to insist upon fighting it out. Granted, if they had agreed to sell their land to Ryker and leave, it would have meant his victory. I do not know. Perhaps I did not care. Or perhaps this feeling came from my contempt toward the Frank Toomey character, who had stupidly decided to give in to his anger and aggression by facing Ryker and Wilson.Another aspect of "SHANE" that annoyed me was the Joey Starrett character. I have seen my share of on-screen precocious children in movies and television. But there was something about Joey Starrett that truly got under my skin. I do not blame Brandon deWilde. He was only following Stevens' direction. But before the movie's last reel, I found myself wishing that someone would push dear Joey into the mud . . . face first. If there was one aspect of "SHANE" that truly annoyed me, it was bringing the U.S. Civil War into the narrative. I can only recall three characters who were established as Civil War veterans - Shane, Frank Toomey and Jack Wilson. Of the three, guess which one fought with the Union? That is correct. The evil and slimy Wilson. And to make matters worse, Guthrie's screenplay had Shane utter these words to Wilson before shooting him - "I've heard that you're a low-down Yankee liar." In other words, "SHANE" became another example of Hollywood's subtle, yet never-ending reverence for the Confederate cause. And considering that only three characters in this film were established as war veterans, why on earth did Schaefer, Guthrie or Stevens had to drag the damn war into this story in the first place? It was so unnecessary.Regardless of my frustrations, I must admit that "SHANE" is a first-rate Western. Director George Stevens, screenwriter A.B. Guthrie Jr. and the excellent cast led by Alan Ladd did an exceptional job in creating a Western that many would remember for decades. If only I had enjoyed it more than I actually did.
"THIS GUN FOR HIRE" (1942) ReviewIn response to the success of Warner Brother's 1941 movie, "THE MALTESE FALCON", Paramount Pictures followed up with its own film noir flick with its adaptation of Graham Greene's 1936 novel, "A Gun for Sale". This film not only made Alan Ladd a star, despite receiving fourth billing; it also marked the first of his four movies with co-star Veronica Lake. Set during the early months of America's participation in World War II, the movie opened with a hitman named Raven killing a chemist and blackmailer in San Francisco. Raven's employer, a nightclub owner named Willard Gates, also serves as a middle-man for the employer of the murdered chemist. After Raven hands over a stolen chemical formula to Gates, the latter pays him with marked bills and reports them to the Los Angeles Police as stolen cash from his company, Nitro Chemical. Raven learns of the set up and seeks revenge against both Gates and the latter's employer, Alvin Brewster. Meanwhile, LAPD Detective Michael Crane is in San Francisco, visiting his girlfriend and nightclub entertainer Ellen Graham, when he is assigned to the case. Unfortunately, Raven manages to escape from San Francisco aboard a passenger train bound for Los Angeles. One of his fellow passengers is Ellen, who has maneuvered herself to be hired by Gates to entertain in his Hollywood nightclub. Unbeknownst to everyone other than Ellen, Gates and Brewster are under suspicion as traitors selling secrets to the enemy. After the train arrives in Los Angeles, Raven becomes aware of the police and uses Ellen as a hostage to elude from them.In a nutshell, "THIS GUN FOR HIRE" is a pretty damn good crime drama that seemed to defy the usual formula of film noir. To be honest, it seemed more like a combination of a crime drama, psychological thriller and a espionage tale. Although Alan Ladd was billed fourth in the movie, his character, the psychologically unstable Raven, pretty much dominated the story. Because of this, I found myself wondering why Paramount Studios even bothered to give him fourth billing. Veronica Lake, who had already become a star within a year or two, received top billing. The story allowed her to pair off with both the movie's leading man Robert Preston and Ladd. She had a nice screen chemistry with Preston, who portrayed her fiancé. But with Ladd, she really sizzled. Come to think of it, Preston had a better screen chemistry with Ladd, six years later in the 1948 Western called "WHISPERING SMITH" than he did with Lake.I have never read Graham Greene's 1936. One blogger once compared it unfavorably to the 1942 film adaptation. Others have claimed that it is a pretty good novel, if not one of Greene's best. However, I can say that the screenplay written by Albert Maltz and W.R. Burnett for the 1942 film is well written. The movie featured a strong narrative filled filled with exciting action, well crafted characterizations and a great deal of tension. A few of my favorite scenes featured some good action, including Raven's escape from the police at the Union Station railyard, his rescue of Ellen from Gates' Hollywood mansion and the finale set inside the Nitro Chemical building. I was very impressed by director Frank Tuttle's handling of Raven's escape from the San Francisco boarding house, following his murder of the blackmailing chemist. Although I would not consider it an action scene, it was filled with some pretty damn good tension. And one of the movie's best scenes featured Raven's conversation with Ellen about his brutal childhood at the hands of an abusive aunt. This scene elevated Raven from a cold-blood thug to a damaged man who seemed to long for some kind of friendship or warmth from another human being.I just realized that most of my favorite scenes in "THIS GUN FOR HIRE" featured Alan Ladd as Raven. No wonder this movie made him a star. He was the best thing about this film. And I defy any actor to steal a film away from the likes of Robert Preston, Veronica Lake, Marc Lawrence and especially Laird Cregar. But I thought he did. I have always believed that Ladd was underrated as a screen actor. The role of Raven, along with a few others, have convinced me that he was a much better actor than most people realize - even to this day. But"THIS GUN FOR HIRE" also featured first-rate performances from the rest of the cast. Veronica Lake gave a charming performance as Ellen Graham, the magician/entertainer who becomes a temporary spy for the U.S. Although her character is held hostage either by Raven or Gates, I like the fact that her Ellen is an emotionally tough character who manages to hold her own in the company of killers. Robert Preston found himself stuck with a rather dull character in the form of LAPD Detective Mike Crane. Paramount and Tuttle were damn lucky to get Preston for this role. Because thanks to him, he injected a good deal of energy into the character, allowing the latter to be a lot more bearable and sympathetic than it would have been in the hands of a lesser actor. Marc Lawrence gave a memorably funny performance as Gates' chauffeur/henchman Tommy. Yes, Lawrence was funny. He was also a bit scary. And the actor did a first-rate job in balancing the two aspects of the character. Tully Marshall had another year to live and three more films to make when he portrayed the poisonous owner of Nitro Chemical - Alvin Brewster. I thought he did a pretty good job in portraying capitalism at its most corrupt. But there were moments in that final scene between Brewster and Raven that his performance seemed a bit hammy. It is a damn pity that Laird Cregar only had another two-and-a-half years left to live when he portrayed the anxiety-ridden Willard Gates. Cregar probably gave my second favorite performance in the entire movie. Cregar's Gates turned out to be one of the most unusual villains I have ever seen in a Hollywood movie - smooth-tongued and intelligent, yet at the same time, extremely nervous and a bit cowardly. Watching Cregar twitch his way across the screen, I found it amazing that his character proved capable of making ruthless decision.Was there anything about "THIS GUN FOR HIRE" that I found unappealing? Other than Tully Marshall's occasional forays into hammy acting, I found the earlier rail yard sequence that featured Ellen and Raven's evasion from the police a bit too long for my tastes. Aside from Raven's childhood recollections, this scene nearly put me to sleep. Was there anything else? Hmmm . . . I found the idea of Ellen being recruited by a U.S. senator to expose Gates and Brewster a little hard to accept. Nor did I understand why Mike Crane took on the job of finding Raven, while he was still on vacation in San Francisco. This would have been easier to accept if he had been an F.B.I. agent.However, "THIS GUN FOR HIRE" still proved to be an excellent crime drama filled with good action, drama and storytelling. It also proved to be an first-rate stepping stone for Alan Ladd's career. And the movie also featured excellent performances from the likes of Veronica Lake, Robert Preston and especially Laird Cregar. Is it a film noir? I cannot honestly say. Then again, I never believe there was a definition of film noir, despite what many film critics might say.
