The Chase, A Navy Vet, a Thug, and a Dangerous Dame

Remember when we used to win wars. Soldiers would come back from the Pacific or the ETO and have shell shock. They called it shell shock. Shrinks would take their patients out for a few drinks and all the fears of loud noises would dissipate into a bourbon. Today we lose all our wars.  Shell Shock has been replaced by PTSD and the bourbon is forbidden, but replaced by a free service dog and a monthly disability check that you only get if you don't get a job. Russia and China are laughing at us, no doubt. But back in the day, no smelly service dogs, but blondes that spelled danger and the thugs that loved them might have been the best medicine. Today we look at 1946's "The Chase," directed by Arthur Ripley.

Chuck (Robert Cummings) comes home from the war in the Pacific with shell shock. No free mutts for him! Nope, the good-hearted navy vet lands a job as the chauffer for a sadistic thug. Eddie (Steve Cochran) lives in a mansion and his henchman, Gino (Peter Lorre), is always by his side. When we meet Eddie, he is b#@$h slapping a babe manicurist (Shirley O'Hara), as she did not do such a good job. Today she would have asked for a 5-star rating, but when men were men, she gets slapped. Oh, Eddie is married to the sultry blonde Lorna (Michele Morgan). Lorna is miserable and is often slapped by Eddie, whether she deserved it or not might be a good question. When Lorna sees the new chauffer, and the chauffer sees Lorna...sparks fly and both are in love.

In a bold move, after Eddie murders a rival during dessert, Chuck and Lorna make plans to run off...or sail off, to be more specific.  Both decide to take a midnight steamer to Havana and start a life together.  A good idea? Ha!  Still, a sultry blonde dame, that may be a femme fatale, is preferrable than a mangy mutt. Back to the story. Eddie is smart and him and Gino head to Havana.  What happens next...well, that's a great questions. Seriously, do you see happiness, unicorns, and rainbows for Lorna and Chuck. Try knives, guns, passion, kissing, murders, and dames in peril.

Is it at all possible that shell shocked Chuck will end up with the sultry blonde Lorna? What is Eddie's side of the story regarding his marriage to Lorna?  Can't Lorna do better than a shell shocked navy vet? This is ultimately a weird film and when it is over, you will know exactly what has happened, though your sultry date will have her own idea of how this thing ended. See "The Chase" and reflect on a time when we won wars, kept our dames in check, and kissed them like they have never been kissed before.   

I Love Trouble, A Private Eye and a Million Dangerous Dames

There is a lot here, in fact some of you may claim it is hard to follow.  Here is some advice. Don't try. Just enjoy and when the final reveal springs, all (or most) will fall into place. Set in L.A., this Film Noir epic has the classic tropes, which we all love. A wise cracking and cynical Private Investigator, his fast talking secretary (Glenda Farrell), myriads of femme fatales...all very dangerous, and men who desire to rub out the P.I. and the dames. Also, the heavies in this film include Raymond Burr and John Ireland...neither one has patience for our private dick played by Franchot Tone.  Our feature today is 1948's "I Love Trouble," directed by S. Sylvan Simon.

Stuart Bailey, P.I. (Tone) has a client, Mr. Johnson (Tom Powers), a balding middle-aged guy, who wants him to find his young wife played by...well...that's kind of what the mystery in this film is.  Bailey sets off to find Mrs. Johnson, who is apparently a former showgirl or nightclub singer.  He develops leads that indicate the missing babe may have a past that his client did not know about. This brings him to Keller's (Steven Geray) club, who inadvertently gives Bailey an important clue.  Keller is a mob boss type character and sics his heavy, Reno (Ireland), on Bailey. Now Bailey finds a dame, and she's quite the dish, and her name is...well, that's not an easy one...but now we know her as Norma (Janet Blair). Norma is paranoid and immediately sees Bailey is following her.  She claims she is not Mrs. Johnson, but her sister. Norma gives Bailey a bunch of lies, but she is quite the dish and may in fact be the runaway wife.

Tracing Mrs. Johnson's showgirl past, Bailey finds a weird restauranteur who will be murdered by Mrs. Johnson...whoever she is.  She also meets the exotic Brazilian wife of another mob boss type, Ligia (Janis  Carter).  She is too eager to seduce Bailey and he is onto her. Oh, there's the blonde bathing beauty Boots Nestor (Adele Jergens) who...well...she's one of Keller's dolls and also is too eager to seduce Bailey.  Norma keeps popping up ready to make-out, fix dinner, go on romantic dates, and kiss some more.  Bailey enjoys her but it is apparent he keeps her close because he is beginning to decode her lies and deceptions. Uh oh...dames begin dying horribly and the police are suspecting Bailey is the killer.

Who is Mrs. Johnson and is she really missing?  Is Norma the runaway wife, and if so what is her interest in Bailey?  Will Bailey keep this case going as long as nubile and dangerous babes keep throwing themselves at him?  The cheese factor in this film is magnificent and the thug factor is too.  Mr. Tone is perfect for the role and he gives the aura of a Nick Charles type more than a Philip Marlowe or Mike Hammer type.  Remember, don't try to study the events put before you on the silver screen, sit back, enjoy, and eventually it will click. See "I Love Trouble," and enjoy the femme fatale cavalcade.   

The Blue Gardenia, Vulnerable and Homicidal?

We've all had one... or six too many. A beer, some wine, an Old Fashioned, or several...then all of a sudden we do deeds that we are later ashamed of, or don't even remember. Women end up pregnant by some unknown fraternity hunk.  Men get slapped with paternity papers. Or, even worse...the cops come with a warrant. Yep, what's written on the affidavit is never as playful or humorous as it was the night before when we did it.  Our feature today is the 1953  Los Angeles set "The Blue Gardenia," directed by Fritz Lang.

Not beer, not wine but a half dozen Polynesian Pearl Divers. Tastes like candy going down, then a few seconds later it takes you to a seeming Nirvana. We don't blame Norah (Anne Baxter). Earlier that night she got all dolled up and made a scrumptious roast to celebrate her birthday with her boyfriend, who is 6,000 miles away fighting in the Korean Police Action. She even saved a letter from him to open and read while eating dinner with his portrait poised opposite her. She opens the letter figuring on reading sweet nothings, and instead it is a 'Dear Jane' letter...he dumped her. Depressed and defeated, she answers the phone and ends up on a date with Harry (Raymond Burr).  He buys her many Polynesian Pearl Divers and she is plastered. Then to his apartment for more drinks...then a brief memory of a struggle then she wakes up and he's dead.

Norah, believing she murdered Ironside, I mean Harry, she is eaten up by guilt but the cops have not fingered her in the murder.  No one knows the two went on a date and she may beat the wrap. Enter the suave but pushy reporter Casey (Richard Conte) who is investigating the case. The cops know the mystery woman was wearing a blue gardenia and have labeled her the Blue Gardenia Killer. Norah gets rid of all the evidence, but left her high heels at Harry's place.  Casey makes a plea for the killer to contact him with a promise to tell her story and to get her the best defense attorney out there.  Of course, Norah reaches out to Casey and he starts feeling fond of her, to say the least.  Now, more and more eaten up with guilt, Norah is ready to confess and turn herself in...but is she the killer?

Like most men murdered by their girlfriends, did Raymond Burr have it coming?  Is Norah in danger of falling in love with the one man that could send her to the electric chair?  If Norah did not murder Ironside, I mean Harry, then who did? This is a classic Film Noir film and may be Anne Baxter's finest acting performance of her storied career.  Even with Raymond Burr and Richard Conte in the cast, the lovely Ms. Baxter outshined both of them.  For a neat mystery, one in which you will need to watch very closely, see "The Blue Gardenia." Oh!  One more thing!  Nat King Cole is in this, and he sings the title song.  

Where Danger Lives, Are All Sultry Dames Psycho?

Probably!  We've seen it so often. An otherwise noble man lets his guard down and allows a sultry dame to sweet talk him. She's gorgeous and probably has on a shiny, slinky evening gown. Seductive perfume, too. Then a kiss...and the otherwise noble man has fallen into a trap.  For 10 minutes all is fine, but after that, he may as well be dating Norman Bates.  Seduction, murder, and homicidal madness wait for us today as we look at 1950's "Where Danger Lives," directed by John Farrow. Oh, guess what!  This is an Irwin Allen production!  Really!

Dr. Jeff Cameron (Robert Mitchum) is a fantastic doctor and saves the lives of children everyday at a San Francisco hospital.  He's dating a sultry nurse in white, Julie (Maureen O'Sullivan). Then, she enters his life...psycho-babe!  Jeff saves her life before knowing she is psycho. Margo (Faith Domergue) was brought in after a suicide attempt. She's ravishing and as she thinks she's dying, makes goo-goo eyes at Jeff.  Unwisely, Jeff saves her life and and is later lured to her mansion where Margo greets him in a shiny, slinky evening gown.  The two date and fall in love, but she says her dad will not allow her to go off with him. Drunk, Jeff pays a visit to the mansion, this time to meet the dad and pry Margo away.  Frederick (Claude Rains) meets Jeff, tells him Margo is his wife, and tells him to take her.  He also warns Jeff that he has no idea what he is in for.  Then...well, it gets messy. 

Exactly what happens in the mansion will be made clear as the film progresses, but now Margo and Jeff are rushing to the Mexican border to escape murder charges.  Being on the run isn't easy and the money runs out.  Funny, when the money runs out, those babes from last night don't look as hot.  They also don't behave as polished.  The adventures the duo have on the way to the Mexican border are terrifying, humiliating, and sometimes whacky.  Now we find out more about Margo and exactly who she is.  We also get many hints at what Frederick was trying to tell Jeff.  Now Margo sees Jeff coming apart and what she decides to do may be a big surprise to the once noble Jeff.

Will our in-love duo make it to the Mexican border?  If the thing with Margo doesn't work out, will Jeff be able to get the beautiful Julie back?  Shouldn't it be a default for any man that when meeting a sultry dame looking fine and batting her eyelashes that he run away fast?  This is a grim one, and the deterioration of Jeff and Margo is quite striking and bleak.  See "Where Danger Lives" and witness an age old story of the downfall of a man because of a psycho-dame!  

New York Confidential, The Syndicate Rules

New York City has never been something to be proud of.  False bravado and slick media campaigns cannot hide the filth, human depravity, and corruption of America's largest city. Today, sleazy local governments and weird political activists keep the city and its citizenry terrorized.  Several decades ago, the evil that kept New York enslaved was of a more pure nature...The Syndicate ruled the place. As The Big Apple gets ready to elect the next shakedown artist as its mayor, we remember a day when criminals were criminals.  Oddly, there was something pristine about those days. Our feature today is 1955's "New York Confidential," directed by Russell Rouse.

Charlie Lupo (Broderick Crawford) rules The Syndicate's New York operations. The Syndicate is into the docks, unions, sports, gambling, drugs, and prostitution.  They do a fine job and are quite efficient and hide under the guise of "legitimate" businesses. Lupo runs a well oiled machine and has to knock off one of his men who has gotten a bit greedy. He calls in a hitman from Chicago, Nick (Richard Conte). Nick, smooth as silk and even more psycho than Norman Bates, does the job well and works his way to be Lupo's right-hand man. Uh oh, the sultry Kathy (Anne Bancroft), Lupo's daughter, wants to get away from her dad. She's disgusted by what her dad does. As Nick offs more blokes that threaten Lupo's operations, Kathy sees something in Nick...maybe a glimmer of a conscience.  Maybe.

Uh oh...an anti-corruption team has been set up to look at Lupo's operation to include the bribery of government officials.  This investigation could bring down many congressmen and lobbyists, too. Hesitantly, Lupo agrees to ice one of those congressmen who has betrayed him. Bad move. Now every Syndicate operation in every large city faces heat. Nick tries to be loyal to Lupo and even rebuffs the widow of a man he killed for Lupo. The lovely Iris (Marilyn Maxwell) is Lupo's new gal, but she has eyes for Nick.  Nick is no fool and will himself rebuff the advances of Lupo's beautiful daughter Kathy.  Where is this all going?  Let us get off the plot by just saying our film today is not the feel good film of 1955.

Is there any hope for the sultry dames, Kathy and Iris making it to the end credits?  Just how loyal will Nick continue to be on Lupo as the heat increases?  Is there a point where even Nick becomes inconvenient to The Syndicate with all his knowledge?  Vicious and brutal, this film is important for us to view as an example of what happens when the bad guys eat their own.  Unfortunately, congress has passed laws since 1979 that makes them immune from any type of corruption investigation, but the hoodlums on the street are at the mercy of those predators.  See "New York Confidential" and realize how homicidal and evil corruption really is.

The Crooked Way, Amnesia and Revenge

Many soldiers arrived home with horrific memories.  Then again, one soldier, the bloke in today's film, arrived home with no memories.  Zippo!  Amnesia.  Perhaps a good thing...or not.  Amnesia is a terrific plot device that bears no resemblance to today's reality unless you're a Clinton being asked about shady deals or Epstein Island.  A plot device saved for soap operas, screwball comedies, and the "Resident Evil" franchise, today's film may be the best use of it in movie history.  Let us look at the Film Noir goodie, 1949's "The Crooked Way," directed by Robert Florey.

Eddie (John Payne) won the Silver Star in World War 2 and was shipped home after having a piece of shrapnel embedded in his brain.  All his memories are gone and they won't come back.  All he knows is that he is from L.A..  That's it! Physically he is great, and now he leaves the hospital, after five years, and heads to LA. Ten seconds off the bus and everyone recognizes him.  He doesn't recognize them.  Of note, a grizzled old cop, Lt. Williams (Rhys Williams) tells him to get put of town. Next up, the sultry night club singer Nina (Ellen Drew).  She knew him...but Eddie has no memory of her...darn, cause she is a dish. Nina calls Vince (Sonny Tufts).  Vince knew Eddie, and this is not good. Vince runs the racket in LA and owns gambling establishments.  Nina works for Vince at one of his clubs. Vince pays Eddie a painful visit and tells him to get out of LA.

Eddie's curiosity is peaked.  Any clue or indication he gets tells him that he himself was a bad guy.  The new Eddie isn't bad, but no one in LA forgives.  Seems Eddie and Vince were tight until Eddie ratted Vince out to the cops. Now Vince wants bloody revenge. Eddie begins getting indications that back in the day, Nina and him were...close, shall we say. Eddie decides to stay in LA and, figure out where he stands with Nina.  Did I mention she is quite a dish? He also knows Vince will stops at nothing to kill him and eventually Nina.  Gunfights result, as do murders, and now everyone (cops and bad guys) are looking for Eddie.

Will the new Eddie be able to convince LA he is no longer the thug he used to be?  Will Vince get over the fact that Eddie's testimony put him away for a few years? Exactly how close were Nina and Eddie and will they ever be that close again?  This is a good one.  Everyone in this film is a bad guy except one of the bad guys desperately wants to be good.  See "The Crooked Way," and realize people do change, though it may take being shot in the head.