ANGEL FACE (1952)

HOLLYWOOD'S GOLDEN AGE

(Post 41 of 50)

Another Robert Mitchum film noir! Well, sign me up! According to the commentary track, this was largely a forgotten B-movie, until those pesky French new wave critics cited it as one of their favorite movies. I can't say I liked it as much as Mitchum's Odd Man Out, but this Otto Preminger film is worth seeing as well, if only for the "car goes down the cliff" scene. It may even be worth seeing it twice to catch all the subtleties, now that I think of it. 

And the Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award goes to..(tie) Herbert Marshall and Leon Ames. It seems when I've been choosing my imaginary award, I've come across several people that I've considered for one movie and passed on only to come up for another movie for me to select. Herbert Marshall played the put upon husband of Bette Davis in The Little Foxes and here in Angel Face, he plays yet another brow beaten husband! And he does it with his typical dignified English stoicism. Herbert's many roles include parts in the 50's horror classic The Fly and as Bette Davis's husband (again) in The Letter. I haven't seen The Letter, but I'm willing to bet things don't turn out good for Mr. Marshall. Here's to you, Herbert!

Barbara O'Neill, Jean Simmons and
that poor old chap Herbert Marshall

Leon Ames capably played the head of the household in Meet Me in St. Louis. 

In Angel Face, he plays the skilled lawyer who successfully defends Jean Simmons during her murder trial. Ames makes the well-written courtroom scene awfully fun by refuting every thing that the prosecutor (poor Jim Backus!) dishes out and still seem reasonably likable throughout. Perhaps because he's so open about what he's trying to do, you really can't hate him. At least not too much.

But when I think of Leon, I will always first and foremost think of him as the neighbor in one of my favorite TV shows from childhood, Mr. Ed. 

If I'm in trouble, I'd like Leon Ames defending me.

And a special Elisha Cook the third award goes to Bess Flowers...Bess has a few lines as Leon's secretary here, which is more than she does in many of the 865 IMDB credits she had during her career. 865! Well, someone has to play the part of the party guest in the background, courtroom spectator and nightclub table extra! Often that person was Bess Flowers. As you can imagine, her most frequently listed role on IMDB is uncredited.

I like her autographed picture below that says "thanks for remembering."

THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM (1955)

HOLLYWOOD'S GOLDEN AGE

(Post 15 of 50)

The timing of this film about a junkie trying to go straight is interesting. It would have been impossible to get a film with this subject matter made just a few years before. Yet the fact that they still can't do things like refer to heroin by name, makes the film seem a little antiquated by modern standards. I still think it's a tough little film that did break new ground. It also had those great opening credits by Saul Bass. And Sinatra? I'm a bigger fan of Sinatra the singer than Sinatra the actor, but he probably has his best dramatic role here (At least that I've seen).

And the Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award goes to…Arnold Stang. Nerdy little Arnold Stang seemed born to be a second banana and provides some well needed laughs to this rather grim film. I know him best as the voice from one of my favorite childhood cartoons, Top Cat.

LAURA (1944) vs. GILDA (1946)

Why Laura vs. Gilda?
Answer: Both have a one-word title of the name of the main character, both were made during the same relative time period, both are film noirs, and both feature the premiere screen beauties of their era. (Rita Hayworth as Gilda and Gene Tierney as Laura in case you didn’t know.)

On to the categories…

Best opening line:
(Laura) “I shall never forget the weekend Laura died… A silver sun burned through the sky like a huge magnifying glass.
(Gilda)“To me a dollar was a dollar in any language.” As a pair of dice come rolling toward the screen.
Winner: Laura. Both lines are winners, but I’ve got to go with Clifton Webb’s voice over narration for Laura here.

Best setting: Laura is mostly set in the various apartments and homes of the main characters, though there is a very nice country scene where Detective Dana Andrews interrogates Vincent Price. Gilda’s setting of Buenos Aires is a bit richer and really becomes part of the story.
Winner: Gilda

Best story: Vera Caspary’s story (Laura) went through many changes and rewrites, but it is largely solid, especially the lines for Lydecker (Clifton Webb). Gilda has some good dialogue as well, such as the famous “Statistics show there are more women in the world than anything else…except insects,” uttered by the cynical gambler Johnny (Glenn Ford). I’ll still go with…
Winner: Laura

Best supporting cast: Gilda’s Joseph Calleia as the all-knowing wash room attendant and George Macready as the enigmatic millionaire are fine, but you really can’t beat Laura’s oily playboy Vincent Price and acerbic columnist Clifton Webb. (Yes, I’ve mentioned Clifton Webb three times now)
Winner: Laura

Best leading man: Tough call. Overall, I like Dana Andrews (Laura) a little more than Glenn Ford (Gilda) and I was going to give the round to Laura, but I’ve reconsidered and think Ford’s considerable chemistry with Ms. Hayworth is worth a tick in the Gilda column.
Winner: Gilda

Best use of cigarettes: Frivolous category you say? It’s a good thing classic film noir came out before there was a report against smoking from the surgeon general, because they light up in practically every scene and almost always pull their ciggy from a stylish case. At least the detective in Laura occasionally forgoes a smoke when stressed and plays his toy baseball game instead. But for its consistently noirish and seemingly endless use of smokes, I’ll give this round to Gilda, but only because it was filmed pre-surgeon general. (They’re bad for you, you know.)
Winner: Gilda

Best music: Laura’s haunting theme has been played and recorded countless times over the years. What has Gilda got? Rita Hayworth singing Put the Blame on Mame? Be serious…wait. Rita’s scene is coming on. She’s taking off her gloves. She’s dancing. She’s moving. Ahhh...she’s won me over. Guess I’m easy. Despite all logic to the contrary, you win this round, Rita.
Winner: Gilda

Best director: Both films are well done, but I'll go with Laura director Otto “Mr. Freeze” Preminger. Nothing against Charles (never played a Batman villain) Vidor of Gilda , but I’ll go with Mr. Freeze here. Interesting that Preminger and star Vincent (Egghead) Price went on to be Batman villains. Or is that just interesting to me? Anyway…Winner: Laura

Best leading lady: Of course, it comes down to this. Rita Hayworth as Gilda, the voluptuous redhead or Gene Tierney as Laura, the brunette with the impossibly beautiful face. How can you beat Hayworth’s first scene where she flips her hair and smiles for the camera? But how can you beat Tierney’s opening scene, which is really just her portrait, though it’s more than enough for detective Dana Andrews to fall in love with her?
Winners: They both are, of course.

Personal choice: Well, I’ll actually pick a winner this time. Ultimately, I’ll go with the stronger narrative and pick Laura as the winner. (But still try to catch both if you can.)

ANATOMY OF A MURDER (1959)

(The 1001 Movie Blogger is escorted through the courtroom to the witness stand and sworn in.)

Jimmy Stewart: Hello sir, you do realize why you are
here today?

1001 Blogger: I have no clue why I'm here today. All I know I was watching Anatomy of a Murder yesterday and today I find myself
in this court. I do want to know what I am being accused of.

George C. Scott: Perhaps I can shed some light on this
situation your honor. May I approach the defendant?

Judge Welch: It's a bit irregular, but I will give you
a little latitude here.

George C. Scott: Take a look at that woman sitting
over there, Mr. Blogger-If that is your real name.

(The woman in question is the voluptuous blonde Lee Remick, circa 1959, as she looked in Anatomy of a Murder.)

1001 Blogger: Okay, I'm looking.

George C. Scott: Do you think she's pretty?

1001 Blogger: Impressive...bordering on spectacular. But what's the point of your question?

George C. Scott: Let the record show that the defendant is not blind. He can see perfectly well.

Jimmy Stewart: Just a minute. Are you trying to
railroad my client, sir! He deserves his day in court before
you just arbitrarily toss him into the clink. (Stewart slams his right hand down on the prosecutor's table for emphasis.)

(Lee Remick giggles at the outburst and the entire court
soaks her in for a minute before the trial can proceed.)

Judge Welch:(to the lawyers) Gentleman, gentleman. Have you no since
of decency, sir? This is, after all, a court of law!

(A booming German voice from the back is heard as he
approaches the bench.)

Maxamillian Schell: Perhaps I can shed some light on
things. I say to you your honor, if this man is found
guilty, there are others who went along who must also be
found guilty.

Judge Welch: Stop right there sir. I believe you are looking for the
Nuremberg Trial, third door to the left.

Maxamillain Schell: Oh my God. I'm so embarrassed.
I was never here. (Schell runs out of the courtroom.)

Judge Welch: Now can we get back to-Who are you?

(A white haired man in suspenders approaches the bench
carrying a rock.)

Spencer Tracy: Mr. Blogger, have you ever read The Origin of the
Species by Charles Darwin?

1001 Blogger: Well, yeah. Most of it anyway.

Spencer Tracy: Oh. I wasn't expecting you to say
yes. I've got nothing else. Witness is excused. (Tracy returns to his seat.)

Judge Welch: Well, this is my courtroom and I don't excuse this witness.

Jimmy Stewart: Hold on here. Can I try something?
(Stewart goes to the bench and instructs the defendant to follow him around the courtroom. Stewart walks past the onlookers and twice around the perimeter of the room back with the 1001 Blogger following close behind before winding up back to the jury box.)

George C. Scott: OBJECTION !!! Counsel is leading the witness.

(Judge Welch pounds his gavel.)

Judge Welch: Any more references to
Kentucky Fried Movie and I swear clear I'll clear this courtroom! Do
you understand? Will the defendant please sit back down?

(The 1001 Blogger retakes the seat on the witness stand.)

George C. Scott: My colleague here has a question for the defendant.

(A JAG lawyer rises)

Tom Cruise: Did you or did you not order a code red?

1001 Blogger: What's a code red?

Tom Cruise: Um, I'm not really sure. I thought you knew.

(Cruise sits back down and lowers his head.)

(The 1001 blogger feels a light shining in his eye.
A portly man in a powdered wig drops a monocle into his
hand.)

Charles Laughton: Sorry, your honor. I was using my monocle shining light method to see if this man was telling the truth or if he's just a...LIAR!

1001 Blogger: But I still don't know what
I'm being accussed of! This trial is...is

(A short, dark haired man stands and finishes the sentence for him.)

Al Pacino: This trial is out of order! My
client is guilty! My...

(Judge Welch bangs his gavel once again and
points to a sign above the door of the courtroom which reads-NO PACINO).

(Al Pacino gestures apologetically with his
hands and sits down.)

Jimmy Stewart: My goodness. May...may I have a
second to question my own client? Thank you. Do you laugh
when you hear the word panties spoken out loud?

1001 Blogger: No, of course not. Well, sometimes.

(A lady with a thick Australian accent stands.)

Meryl Streep: A Dingo Ate my baby!

(The courtroom looks at her for a moment before
ignoring her comment and looking back at the
defendant.)

(Juror #8 stands.)

Henry Fonda:No jury can declare a man guilty unless it's SURE.

Judge Welch: Those are admirable words. But this
is not a jury trial!

(Henry Fonda waves apologetically and slumps down in the jury box.)

Judge Welch: I believe we're ready for closing arguments
now.

(A distinguished looking southern gentleman stands up.)

Gregory Peck: In the name of GOD, do your duty.

James Stewart: That's good Greg, but I think he was
talking to me. But I don't really have a close. How about you George?

George C. Scott: Me neither. Lets go have a beer. What
do you say?

Judge Welch: Great idea. This case is dismissed. You
are free to go. Party at Barney Quill's bar!

(Everyone cheers as they leave the court for Barney Quill's Bar, leaving the 1001 blogger alone in the courtroom with a confused look on his face.)

(Lee Remick sticks her head back in the door of the courtroom and signals at the defendant.)

Lee Remick: Hey, Mr. Blogger fella! Aren't you coming to the party?

(The 1001 blogger breaks into a smile as he follows her out of the courtroom.)