FORTY GUNS

Some opening to a film! – Barbara Stanwyck,clad in black,on a white stallion, comes thundering towards the camera followed by 40 horsemen. There is no music, just the sound of the galloping riders.

THUNDER PASS. 1954

Another story of strangers coming together to battle to safety. In THUNDER PASS, the Kiowa and Commanche Indians are joining up,as empty promises from Washington put them on the warpath.
A cavalry patrol led by DANE CLARK and his scout,ANDY DEVINE have 48 hours to gather up a small band of settlers and get them through Thunder Pass which is taboo to the Indians.

There are two prospectors,RAYMOND BURR and RAYMOND HATTON who don’t want to leave their mine. Dane says,“You can’t spend your money with an arrow in your back.”
NESTOR PAIVA is a travelling salesman, DOROTHY PATRICK is on her own after her father was killed.
There’s a family,father,mother and daughter and then there is JOHN CARRADINE who tells Dorothy Patrick to keep quiet about the fact they know each other.
And lastly, an injured,unconscious man who might be a gun runner, or an emissary from Washington.

I liked this western from Lippert Productions directed by Frank McDonald.It was interesting to see Andy Devine in a serious role,totally different from his usual jovial persona.
Dane Clark led the cast well.

CALL NORTHSIDE 777: THE ADVERT

A newspaper editor (LEE J COBB) sees this advert in the Personal Column of the Chicago Times and decides it needs to be investigated. Reporter P.J.McNeal (JAMES STEWART ) is reluctantly assigned. He thinks it is a waste of time. But the quest for answers leads him on a very exciting and dramatic journey.

Kasia Orzazewski

 

I want to highlight the performance of an unknown Polish actress called KASIA ORZAZEWSKI. She plays Tilly Wiecek,the mother of a convicted cop killer, Frank Wiecek (RICHARD CONTE). Tilly has placed the ad.

Tilly believes in her son’s innocence and has , for 11 years,saved every penny she could in order to offer a reward of $5,000 for information on the crime ,anything that might help her son.

Kasia’s performance is so movingly believable, you just see this poor old woman whom McNeal finds at night in a building where she is employed as a cleaner, washing the stairs. He is sceptical as to how this woman could have saved $5,000 but she explains it has taken her 11 years, since her son’s conviction. And she says if it isn’t enough, she’ll save another $5,000. This actress is utterly convincing.

Later McNeal says, “I went into this thing believing nothing. I was sceptical. I figured Wiecek is using his mother to spring him,but I’ve changed my mind. This man is innocent.”

I love this film ,the Chicago locations are terrific, the cast is perfect and Kasia Orzazewski deserves recognition for her unforgettable performance .
Finding information on this actress has proved almost impossible. IMDB has her listed for just a handful of films, of which CALL NORTHSIDE 777 is incredibly her first. She was also in THIEVES HIGHWAY and had a few uncredited parts.

BARBARA HALE IS 91

Della Street with William Hopper

Higher and Higher with Frank Sinatra

Jolson Sings Again with Larry Parks

MILLARD MITCHELL

MILLARD MITCHELL (1903- 1953) was born in Cuba of American parents. His early death at 50 from cancer robbed us of a fine character actor.
He made less than 30 films .
Millard did a lot of radio work and was a Broadway performer from 1925 to 1948.

I remember Millard Mitchell for 5 films – he’s a major in the military in A FOREIGN AFFAIR : a major- general in 12 O’CLOCK HIGH : a faithful friend to JAMES STEWART in WINCHESTER 73: a grizzly old prospector in NAKED SPUR: and of course the Hollywood producer in SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN.
He also had good roles as the sheriff in THE GUNFIGHTER and as a trucker in THIEVES HIGHWAY.

A fine actor.

COME FILL THE CUP. 1951

COME FILL THE CUP is a story of alcoholism, well, actually, two stories.
I found the first half of the film more interesting as we learn how Lew Marsh (JAMES CAGNEY),a hard drinking newspaperman has been on a bender for five days. When he says to his editor ,“What do you suppose happened to those five days.” the reply is,“You’ll have to find out on your own time.You’re fired.”

Lew goes to a nearby bar where Paula(PHYLLIS THAXTER) joins him. He tells her to go away,saying,“I’ve tried to stop but I can’t.” Paula (who works on the same newspaper) offers to take him home and he says,“Dont you see,Paula,I am home.”

As time passes,Lew goes downhill faster and faster,even offering to sweep the place when he has no money and the bartender won’t give him a drink. His salvation comes in the shape of  Charley (JAMES GLEASON) who’s been through it all himself.He takes Lew to a hospital where the doctor pulls no punches, “You have an incurable disease ,alcoholism .The only sure treatment is to quit.”

James Cagney James Gleason

Some years pass quickly and Lew has worked hard with Charley’s help. He is well enough to be back on the paper,promoted to news editor and employing other reporters who have had drinking problems.
The paper’s owner,John Ives (RAYMOND MASSEY) asks for his help in sorting out his nephew Boyd (GIG YOUNG) who can’t stop drinking.

Then we learn Boyd is married to Lew’s old girlfriend,Paula.
(Almost half the film is over before Raymond Massey or Gig Young appear).

James Cagney. Gig Young

So that’s the set-up.It’s a film of two halves, with Cagney much better in the first half where he is the one fighting the demons. There was plenty of his story to encompass the entire film and I think it would have suited the Cagney character better.

 

CONFIDENCE GIRL. 1952

As is often the case, the above poster is misleading,making you think HILLARY BROOKE is the driving force in CONFIDENCE GIRL. In fact it is TOM CONWAY who propels the action in this film which is written,produced and directed by Andrew L. Stone.
Mr.Stone wrote a complex plot but didnt spend too much time breathing life into his characters.

Tom Conway is a registered private detective but he uses his position to plan and execute elaborate scams and cons. Hillary Brooke is his reluctant accomplice who partners him but hopes,some day, they will marry and settle down. (There is absolutely no chemistry between them.)
Trouble is Conway enjoys outdoing insurance companies,shops and even the police.

Conway’s biggest scheme is a little reminiscent of THE STING, in that it involves a large group of helpers to stage it. Hillary pretends to be a clairvoyant opening a show at Conway’s pal’s nightclub.
The staff hook up all the tables with microphones and they spy on the customers with binoculars,picking up any information they can – which is then relayed to Hillary who has an earpiece and receiver.
The plan is that the customers will be so impressed by Hillary that they will ask for private readings and she will tell them to buy phoney bonds.

At the same time, Conway is playing cat and mouse with the police.
It really is quite a good plot but Tom Conway is a weak lead and Hillary Brooke doesn’t get enough to do.

Hillary Brooke

THE POWER OF THE WHISTLER. 1945

I know we are supposed to suspend belief when watching many movies,but THE POWER OF THE WHISTLER proved a stretch too far.

RICHARD DIX is back in the Whistler series ,this time as a man who has lost his memory. He drifts into a cafe, The Salt Shaker, where sisters JANIS CARTER and JEFF DONNELL are sitting at a table playing cards with Jeff’s boyfriend (LOREN TINDALL – a name new to me)
Janis sees Dix sitting at the bar and suddenly decides to see what the cards say about him. The prediction is death within 24 hours!

Janis likes the look of him and follows him out of the bar to warn him.
Before you know it, she has invited him back to the flat she shares with Jeff! (Remember, he is a complete stranger to her).

She decides to help him find out who he is,using the items he has on him – a railway schedule, a receipt for roses, an order for a birthday cake and a doctor’s prescription ( which turns out to be for poison).
Jeff is reluctantly persuaded to help. Between them they speak to various folk including TALA BIRELL and JOHN ABBOTT, trying to solve the mystery.

Meanwhile, while Dix is around, things die! – a little girls’s cat, Jeff’s pet bird and a squirrel in the park.
It turns out he has escaped from a mental hospital. Janis ( finally!) begins to get suspicious.

It’s not a bad plot,just needed better writing.

ADVENTURE ISLAND. 1947

Set in the South Seas, PAUL KELLY and JOHN ABBOTT have been given 30 days to get off the tropical island. RORY CALHOUN joins them after saving Paul’s life from quicksand.
Paul is a disgraced ship’s captain who is given a second chance to take a cargo of champagne to Sydney.Abbott and Calhoun set sail with him.RHONDA FLEMING is a stowaway – her late father was the previous captain of the ship.

They find that the ‘champagne’ is only water and that Rhonda’s father planned to scuttle the ship and claim the insurance.
They come upon an uncharted island ruled by ALAN NAPIER who doesn’t take kindly to strangers… An action filled plot from a Robert Louis Stevenson novel. Made in Tru-color, unfortunately my copy was B&W .
Another good Pine- Thomas production.

I’d love to see the 1937 version, EBB TIDE , with RAY MILLAND, LLOYD NOLAN, FRANCES FARMER,BARRY FITZGERALD.

INTERNATIONAL LADY. 1941

GEORGE BRENT (FBI) and BASIL RATHBONE (Scotland Yard) follow international spy ILONA MASSEY from London to Lisbon to New York, trying to track down the head spy and discover the codes being sent to the enemy through radio messages .

The sabotage ring headed by GENE LOCKHART ( whose cover is as a candy manufacturer!) is bringing down planes being sent to Britain to help the war effort..GEORGE ZUCCO and MARTIN KOSLECK are part of the ring.

There is nice banter between Brent and Rathbone whenever they can’t understand each other’s jargon.
At one point George says to Basil,”…the Chief will give you the double O.” Basil says “What?”
George replies, “The once over.” Basil again says “What?” And George says, “Oh, skip it. I’ll write you a letter!”
(George calls Basil ‘Sherlock’!)

The film has plenty of action but is too long at 1hr 40 mins.Too much time is spent in deciphering the music code played and sung by the lovely Ilona Massey. ILONA wears a succession of beautiful gowns, in keeping I suppose with her cover as an international concert singer. The two songs she sang were truly tuneless.

“International Lady” was directed by Tim WHELAN and well produced by EDWARD SMALL PRODUCTIONS.

LAUREN BACALL: IN HER OWN WORDS

Latest in the BBC2 TALKNG PICTURES series featured LAUREN BACALL who was always a good interviewee.

THE MICHAEL PARKINSON SHOW,1976:

“What can you do at 18 when you know nothing….have very limited acting experience,very little life experience. How sophisticated can you be for heavens sake.
But if you have a deep voice and HOWARD HAWKS writes your dialogue and directs you and lights you correctly – you can be anything.”

“There is nothing you can do to erase an image. Once you have made a hit in a certain kind of role, there is no way to lose that identity..people just see you that way.”

Howard Hawks with Bacall

INTERVIEW WITH FILM CRITIC BARRY NORMAN 1975:

“Bogie never interfered in my career at all. He never tried to get me a part.”

TERRY WOGAN SHOW, 1986:

“Jack Warner felt we should do as we were told.Unfortunately he didn’t have a lot of taste in choosing parts in films,so if you wanted to do something better,you were in trouble.”

“Moss Hart, a fine playwright and director told me after TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT, ‘You understand of course you have nowhere to go but down!”

INTERVIEW WITH MARK COUSINS 2000:

“Charles Boyer was such a sweet man,such a lovely man.
If I’d had the care from Hawks (who was furious I went off with Bogie), that movie (CONFIDENTIAL AGENT) never would have happened.”

The programme reminded us that at the age of 84, Lauren was awarded an honorary Oscar.

CRIMINAL LAWYER. 1951

Pat O’Brien stars as a lawyer who acts for the criminal fraternity. He bends the rules to get Douglas Fowley’s kid brother off a
murder charge. (Jerome Cowan plays the prosecuting District Attorney.)
Jane Wyatt is Pat’s secretary,obviously in love with him – she’s like ‘Della Street’ ,though he’s no ‘Perry Mason.’

Reporter Louis Jean Heydt sums up what folk think of O’Brien’s character, Regan:
“Anyone with a price to hire Regan as a mouth piece can beat any rap in the book.”

It’s nice to see Mike Mazurki as O’Brien’s friend and bodyguard – quite different from Mazurki’s usual menacing thugs.
O’Brien’s Regan has a drinking problem but pulls himself together when Mike is accused of Fowley’s murder.

I guess this is an ok film if you are a Pat O’Brien fan.The plot has some interesting twists.

Seeing Mike Mazurki reminded me he had another role in which he was able to show a different side to his usual film persona – THE FRENCH KEY, a 1946 light thriller has him costarring with Albert Dekker as two sleuths who get embroiled in a gold smuggling scheme.

Mike Mazurki