Night and the City, London's Seedy Side

Special thanks to my good buddy Jason "Jay" Croot (filmmaker/author) from across the pond who suggested today's film.  Okay, confession, I like Harry! He has brains, ambition, and works harder than any 10 men...but always for the wrong things.  What separates Harry from the winners of life's lottery is that he is a self-made man, or he's trying.  Harry never played ball with the establishment and the thugs that are protected and allowed to flourish do so because they have sold their souls to the power structure.  Not Harry!  He has ideas!  He has an angle!  He has one sultry dame!  Today we look at a Greek tragedy of a Film Noir film, 1950's "Night and the City," directed by Jules Dassin.

Gene Tierney! She's nightclub singer Mary at the Silver Fox...the best role for dames in these films, just ask Veronica Lake. Mary is sultry and a lousy judge of boyfriends, as Harry (Richard Widmark) is her beau. As our film begins Harry wants money from her for one of his "brilliant" ideas. Poor Mary, her heart is broken.  She loves Harry for who he is and money does not play into it. Unfortunately for Harry, he pedals his good ideas with 50% honesty and 50% grift to powerful unforgiving people. The owner of the Silver Fox, Philip (Francis L. Sullivan) is onto him but his younger and very sultry wife Helen (Googie Withers) believes he's her ticket to riches.  Uh oh, always with big ideas, Harry enters the world of big time wrestling. Now he cons a few big time wrestlers to let him promote them taking on the ruthless promoter Kristo (Herbert Lom).

Uh oh, again. Powerful Philip finds out his wife Helen is into Harry, and now he wants Harry dead.  Philip is clever and uses all the thugs in the city, including Kristo, to converge on Harry.  Now Harry's world is collapsing and he is desperate.  Sadly for Mary, who still loves him, her heart is destined to be nuked by her ambitious beau.  However much of a con man Harry is, his pursuers are 100 times more evil.  In Harry, we see the capacity for good, for love, for making this a better world...sadly, the seedier elements of London put in power by a demented power and social structure will not allow Harry's flower to bloom.

Will Mary make it to the final credits in one piece and unsoiled?  Would a modern remake of this film do well in using female wrestlers such as Gail Kim, or Jade and Lotus from the Asian Invasion as plot devices instead of sweaty grunting men?  Is there even a prayer that Harry will be able to overcome a post-war London in all its cruelty and lack of mercy to succeed and give Mary a good life?  Gritty, seedy, and an exclamation point of social commentary, this movie might just be the Film Noir version of the maxim 'nice guys finish last.' See "Night and the City."

Portland Expose, Hoodlums, Corruption, and a Decent Guy

Portland, Oregon has grown into a veritable s#$t-hole.  Back in 1957, the City of Roses was merely a s#$t-hole in training. But today, this city is known not for roses but homeless creeps, human feces and used needles in the street, left-wing corrupt city officials, and an electorate who deserve all of what they have tolerated. Our feature today tells the story of the one brave soul who tried to clean it up...George Bailey.  Wait!  No, wrong film, George Madison.  Today we look at the gritty 1957 Film Noir feature "Portland Expose," directed by Harold D. Schuster.

The syndicate has its claws in the city where George (Edward Binns) runs a tavern with the help of his doting family. The labor unions are in the pocket of mobster Phil Jackman (Russ Conway). When George disallows the mob to put their slot machines in his tavern, union picketers block any customers from frequenting George's place. George and his wonderful wife Clara (Virginia Gregg) are determined to rebuff any mob efforts to corrupt the family business.  Uh oh, the nubile teen daughter Ruth (Carolyn Craig) is manhandled by thug Joe (Frank Gershwin) and almost raped.  What's more, George is threatened that Ruth will be given an acid-facial if he doesn't play ball.

Now George sends his family away and plays ball.  Or so it seems.  George does not have it in him to run a mob-owned business and adopts a gameplan that will put him in peril, and worse yet, his family in peril.  George begins playing ball, but when Jackman informs him slot machines are only the beginning and soon whores will be flown into Portland and will frequent the tavern, George decides to further risk his life and go all into efforts to bring the entire Portland mob down.  Uh oh...pretty Ruth sneaks back into the city to see a boyfriend only to be grabbed by Jackman's goons.

Will pretty Ruth be turned into the female version of the elephant man?  Does George, the one good man in a city ready to die, have a shot at prevailing against Jackman and the syndicate?  Just what is George's plan?  This is a gritty one and even 1957 Portland looks grimy and perilous in the night scenes.  For some Film Noir set in a city different than L.A. or New York, see "Portland Expose." 

Dead Reckoning, Humphrey Bogart Falls for the Wrong Dame

With Mickey Spillane-esque dialogue, our feature today is one of  the most definitive Film Noir films of the 1940s. The seedy fictional city of Gulf City (probably near Tampa) is dark, rainy, gritty, and teeming with corruption.  What's worse for Bogart, a sultry blonde femme-fatale is ready to chew him up and spit him out.  The only noble sort in this film is annihilated early on leaving prurient and twisted souls to sort through the carnage.  Our feature today is 1946's "Dead Reckoning," directed by John Cromwell.

Two war heroes, Rip Murdock (Bogart) and his mate Johnny (William Prince) are summoned back from Berlin after WW2 so they can be decorated. Johnny has the Congressional Medal of Honor coming to him, but when he learns of this, he runs away.  Why? Now Rip is concerned for his best-buddy and vows to find him. Some amateur sleuthing tells Rip that Johnny, under a different name, hails from Gulf City, so that's where he heads. After believing he has scheduled a rendezvous with his best bud, Johnny doesn't show. More investigation leads to a mob-owned nightclub where singer Coral (Lizabeth Scott) was the floor show. Now Rip's investigation reveals that Johnny was accused of murdering Coral's husband, fled, changed his name, and joined up to fight the Germans.

Rip moves in on Coral to the displeasure of mobster, nightclub owner, Mr. Martinelli (Morris Carnovsky). Martinelli wants Rip dead...as he asks too many questions. Rip suspects that there is more to the story than Johnny killing Coral's husband...and there is. Coral is quite a dish and even though he doesn't trust her one bit, Rip falls for her.  Martinelli works at trying to murder Rip, and Rip resorts to army combat tactics to take on Martinelli and his gang, which include his main thug Krause (Marvin Miller).  Passion and swapping spit await the new item, Rip and Coral.  Rip is determined to find out the truth about Johnny even if it means...well, you'll see.

Is there any chance at all that Coral is pure as the white driven snow and really does love Rip? Okay, stupid question.  Will Rip's investigation clear his friend's name and at the same time implicate someone also close to him?  Is Mr. Martinelli really the one that Rip needs to worry about?  This is one of Bogie's best and a lot more seedy and vicious than some of his other Film Noir gems.  Before you are sweet talked by a sultry blonde, remember the film "Dead Reckoning" and get an AI girlfriend instead.

Cover Up, Suicide or Murder

The cynical insurance investigator, as Fred MacMurray was in "Double Indemnity," carries our movie today. In this entry we have an outstanding companion film to that MacMurray/Barbara Stanwyck classic. Double Indemnity will pay twice as much, but no one seems to want the extra $20K.  As far as Film Noir films are concerned, the final reveal here will be shocking.  Merry Christmas!  Our feature today is 1949's "Cover Up," directed by Alfred E. Green.

Sam (Dennis O'Keefe) shows up in a small midwestern town to investigate the suicide of some bloke named Phillips.  On the train to Cleberg he befriends the sultry Anita (Barbara Britton). She's beautiful and seemingly as pure as the white driven snow. Her family are all great peeps and very esteemed in the town. The two are sweet on one another. Then Sam checks in with Sheriff Best (William Bendix) and he is anything but helpful.  In fact Sam leaves that meeting, which was filled with  veiled threats, believing Phillips was murdered and Best may have been involved in it, not just the subsequent cover up.  Uh oh, everyone Sam speaks to seems they had a motive to murder Phillips.  Sam also talks to the niece, and beneficiary, of Phillips...and she is content with the suicide verdict even though she would be granted double indemnity if it was ruled a murder.

Sam and Anita get quite close.  They even swap a lot of spit.  Uh oh...as Sam accumulates suspects, the one that stands out is Stu Weatherby (Art Baker), Anita's dad.  Now Anita is sad and even she believes her dad killed Phillips.  Sheriff Best presents more veiled threats to Sam to get him to drop his investigation and leave town. Sam is in it for the long haul and is hot for Anita. This film will finally present itself as a cross between "Double Indemnity" and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance." 

Anita is so sultry and pure...can she be the killer?  Is Sheriff best really an enemy of Sam, or is he trying to protect him?  Will Sam keep trying to solve the case even if it means he loses Anita?  As the pre-Christmas snow falls on small-town America, the bodies will continue to pile up, and even the babe Anita will adopt a threatening persona.  See "Cover Up," and rethink ever trusting a dame again.

Lady Gangster, Hardened Femme Fatale Battles Gangsters and Psycho-Babes

Gangsters, stolen loot, a dangerous femme fatale...and Jackie Gleason! Nothing to laugh at in this 1942 Film Noir film that features a sultry dame who may be the worst of the worst as far as thugs go in this one. The very glamourous Faye Emerson plays our bank robber, a role that betrays her beauty and style. Nevertheless, if Jackie Gleason can play a thug heavy, Ms. Emerson can play a hardened criminal. Does it work? Absolutely...but there are twists in this one.  Today we look at "Lady Gangster," directed by Robert Florey.

$40K is taken from a bank during a violent bank robbery that included a shoot-out and police chase. The one poor sap that did not getaway is Dot (Emerson), who acted as a distraction so the robbers could enter the bank before it opened. The stylish and beautiful Dot tries to sweet talk herself out of trouble, but the cops and D.A. don't believe her.  Enter the handsome newsman Ken (Frank Wilcox). He believes Dot and heralds her innocence on his radio show. After interviewing her, she lies to him, but he's a sap for a pretty face. Now free, Dot goes back to her gang which is headed by Carry (Roland Drew) and getaway driver Wilson (Gleason). The cops arrive and everyone disperses. Dot gets away with the entire $40K take, which she hides, and gets arrested again.

Now Dot is doing hard time in a women's pen. Carry and Wilson want the loot which they know Dot has hidden.  Ken still believes there is goodness in Dot...sucker!  In the joint, Dot befriends the sultry Myrtle (Julie Bishop) and must avoid the snitch Lucy (Ruth Ford). Catfight on the way? Of course! Now Dot is scheming to get out early on parole, collecting the stolen loot, and getting far away. To do this she keeps playing the drooling Ken, who still believes everything she says. Dot is visited by Carry who demands the money. Believing Ken betrayed her, which he did not, Dot goes forward with a scheme to play Ken and Carry and gang off on one another, getting parole with some convincing lies, collecting the loot after Carry and Ken wipe one another out, and fleeing town. Uh oh...not all is the way Dot assumes it is and a monkey wrench is thrown into her plan as she has an indication Ken loves her.

Shoot-outs! Dangerous women!  Catfights! Thugs with guns!  Dames that lie!  Dames that get tied up, gagged, stripped, and humiliated.  This is a vicious Film Noir film that has us pulling for the dame with the trim figure, seductive smile, and stylish get-up simply because she is a dame with a trim figure, seductive smile, and stylish get-up...never mind that she is a dangerous thug.  See "Lady Gangster" and realize all pretty faces out there are...dangerous!