Shakedown, A Slimy Photographer

We don't usually think of photographers as slimy.  In the media world, the slimeballs are the reporters, editors, and owners of the papers and networks.  Photographers? The ones that capture all those Pulitzer Award winning pics?  Are they as evil?  Does any Pulitzer winner lead with honesty and altruism?  Not that we know of, so why should these creeps with cameras get a pass in our minds?  We have one today about one of these picture takers and the sultry dames he ruins. Our feature today is 1950's "Shakedown," directed by Joseph Pevney.

Jack (Howard Duff) shows up at the City Desk of the city's newspaper wanting a job.  He's a photographer and the desk editor Ellen (Peggy Dow) is a babe. Because she's a woman she is not very good at her job and hires the handsome, seemingly impressive slimeball. Jack has a knack for taking action pictures of women jumping out of burning buildings or drivers drowning after they drive into the harbor. Only problem is, Jack told the woman to jump and told the drowning man to look helpless and beg without helping them.  Ellen falls in love with him...idiot!  Now Jack has an assignment. Do something no other newspaper in the city has been able to do. Get a picture of the enigmatic mobster, Nick (Brian Donlevy). He does, by charming Nick.  He also charms Nick's wife, Nita (Anne Vernon). Interestingly enough, Nita really loves her husband and has nothing but devotion to him.

Jack strings Ellen along all the while letting Nita know he intends to marry her.  Now Jack plots Nita's conquest by plotting Nick's demise.  Nick's demise will result in the most amazing photograph ever appearing in any newspaper, and Nita is sad.  Lying and plotting, Jack sweeps Nita off her feet.  Ellen still believes Jack loves her and breaks her engagement to a dentist.  David (Bruce Bennett), the paper's Editor-in-Chief figures out that Jack's means of securing the photographs may not be morally defensible.  Uh oh...in securing Nita, Jack has also made some very dangerous enemies.  Now Nita is in peril and Ellen is heading for ultimate heartbreak.

Will the two dames in this one smarten up and be saved from torment and humiliation...or worse?  Will Jack get what he deserves even if it is from some very evil individuals?  What will the last photograph taken in this film reveal?  This is a good one, and as much as we despise Howard Duff's character, we do fall for the plight of Nita and Ellen.  See "Shakedown" and remember, every part and individual of the newspapers and networks out there are pure slimeballs.    

They Live by Night, Bound for Destruction

This is a hard one to watch.  Our hunk and sultry babe appear destined for ruination.  Yep, the proverbial oncoming train seems like it will be the great arbiter in this one.  The beautiful Cathy O'Donnell, who always appears to be so good and pure, seems destined to be absolutely destroyed in our film today. This one may also be the magnum opus of Farley Granger, a square-jawed hunk who means well, even though people he meets die violently. Our film today is 1948's "They Live by Night," directed by Nicholas Ray.

A trio of lifers are on the lam.  Having just escaped from prison, they commandeer a farmer and his car, kick the snot out of the farmer, and escape to Chickamaw's (Howard Da Silva) family house. With him is the aforementioned hunk Bowie (Granger), and the leader T-Dub (Jay C. Flippen). Bowie is wounded and the collection of family members in the house seem as hostile as the pursuing cops. Still, the sheltered and cynical sister of Chickamaw, Keechie (O'Donnell) seems to lust for Bowie. Yep, they fall in love.  Do they know what they're doing? Ha!  Bank robbers are bank robbers and when Bowie's all healed up, they rob banks. Bowie also brings Keechie back a beautiful watch and now Keechie is hooked. The trio seem to hit banks at will, but will their luck run out? Yep.

More bank robberies, and the trio take in massive amounts of cash. Uh oh, during a getaway, Chickamaw shoots a cop...now the stakes are upped for the police. Keechie and Bowie try to run off, away from the cops and from T-Dub and Chickamaw.  Poor choice after poor choice make their plight more difficult, but the influx of stolen cash masks that all.  As Keechie buys whatever her heart desires, Bowie soon finds out that you just can't leave a life of crime behind. Now his gang wants him back, as Keechie springs a surprise on him...though you won't be surprised.  What happens next appears to be the aforementioned oncoming train, but you'll see.

Do Bowie and Keechie have any path to living happily ever after?  Should Bowie fear his buddies more than the cops?  Do Keechie and Bowie have it in them to make any good decisions?  Love is all we need right?  Ha!  Just watch this one.  For a gritty Film Noir film in which we pull for a great looking couple who probably do not deserve our affection, see "They Live by Night."  

Whispering Footsteps, An Honest Guy or a Sex-Crazed Fiend

We've all met him.  The good guy who is beyond reproach.  The clean-cut gentleman always well dressed. Never misses work. Has a smile for everyone. Yep...we know where this is going. It's always the quiet ones who smile a lot and notice the birds above. Sex-crazed killers!  Fiends! The good will they seem to exhibit is just a curtain hiding their true evil. Our feature today is 1943's "Whispering Footsteps," directed by Howard Bretherton. 

Mark (John Hubbard) is our great-all-around-guy in a small Ohio town. He's a bank teller and quite the stud. Women lust for him but he's fairly oblivious. Uh oh, a beautiful coed was strangled to death by a sex-crazed fiend in Indiana, the second such murder. Mark was there last night and may have arrived home by train in the middle of the night. Alibi? Nope. Uh oh, a fancy-shmancy city dame moves into the town looking sultry in her heels and expensive clothes. Helene (Joan Blair) is, of course, sweet on Mark, and bats her eyelashes at him while dating the much older bank president, and Mark's boss, Harry (Charles Halton). Helene needs to be sweet on Harry because he owns the store she manages and needs cashflow. Still, Helene does make a play for Mark. Meanwhile, the married Harry is not happy that Mark and his daughter Brook (Rita Quigley) are getting close.

Sure, in this small town, Mark is not hurting for dames.  More murders occur and they are getting closer to this small town. Brook and Helene are the only ones who believe Mark is not the killer. Bad news for Mark, the description of the killer printed in the newspaper is a perfect description of himself. Brook and Helene lie to the detective (Cy Kendall) as more murders of  beautiful dames occur, and now one here in the same town. The detective knows Mark is the killer but can't prove it because the dames are helping him create alibis. Harry tells Mark not to come back to work because the townsfolk all seem to think he's the killer. Helene and Brook?  Well, if they don't get into a catfight, they may get strangled.

Is Mark the killer, or is this too easy?  Are beautiful dames turned on by sex-crazed lunatics? Will Brook and/or Helene make it to the end credits? Mark's ruination in this town will be caused by gossip, but as we all know, gossip is usually true.  For a neat mystery with a sordid plot, and some beautiful dames in peril, see "Whispering Footsteps."

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Pickup, A Deadly Femme Fatale

The lonely and vulnerable man is at a disadvantage.  This is especially so when a sultry blonde dame with a shiny blouse, a slightly tight skirt, fishnets, and heels enters the picture.  Being this a Film Noir film, murder is in the air.  A man's best friend is a dog, not a gold-digging floosy, but a lonely man will be slow on the uptake. Today we look at 1951's "Pickup," directed by the star, Hugo Haas.

Jan (Haas) is a lonely widower with a simple life. Too simple.  His best friend, his dog, just died and he is a widower for the past two years.  His only friend now is a half-hobo intellectual known as the professor (Howland Chamberlain). Jan mans a railroad tank stop and monitors and assists freight trains that go by. His employment at the railroad necessitates he be there 24 hours a day. Jan thinks he needs a break and the railroad sends the hunk Steve (Allan Nixon) to spell him. Now let us meet Betty (Beverly Michaels). She's quite the dish and described above. Jan is taken by her beauty and she is 20 years younger than he. She is a skank, a thief, and a gold-digger. When she is evicted for theft and non-payment of rent, she makes her move and Jan marries her. She has her eyes on his bank account.  He has his eyes on her..., well, her smile.

Now Betty is going mad living at Tank Stop 47. She begins having eyes for Steve and he, her.  Uh oh! You won't believe what happens next.  Then, you won't believe what happens after that. You will have to watch the movie to see but you can figure Betty wants out of the marriage, but not before getting a hold of the bank account. Jan won't give her joint rights to the account. Betty begins plotting Jan's demise and recruits the hunk Steve to help.  Poor Betty, she has no idea what a disadvantage she is in.  Once Jan figures out all he needed was a dog, the sultry Betty may be in more danger than Jan. Still, we do get a lot of gratuitous Beverly Michael's scenes. Most will like the white swimsuit and suntan lotion scene.  

Just what is Betty's plan to murder Jan and get away with his money? Can a sultry femme fatale ever be happy watching trains go by for the rest of her life?  Just what is Jan's advantage over his younger wife, and does that lead to his own murder plot?  Guys who have ever been wronged by sultry dames will love this movie.  The end is violent, humorous, and weirdly uplifting.  See "Pickup" and see all the intrigue and allure that can happen around railroad tracks.   

The Judge, A Divorced Man's Anthem

Nothing to cheer for here!  Or is there?  Depends on your predicament. On the surface, this film is headed in directions that repulse us.  We seem forced to care about the plight of a slimy lawyer who fights the system to get killers off on technicalities. Yuck!  But is that really what is going on here?  Perhaps a seemingly straight forward story with some bad character development is what we're looking at here.  Then again, maybe director Elmer Clifton is a divorced man. Our feature today is 1949's "The Judge."

The opening scene is incredibly violent and heartbreaking.  The mentally unstable James Tilton (Norman Budd) is driven mad by the violin playing of a cute handicapped child in a neighboring apartment.  The boy loves playing the violin and his cute dog loves listening.  James bursts into the apartment, and blows the cute kid and his dog away. This psycho was in jail up until a year ago when defense attorney Martin Strang got him out.  Strang? Slimy defense lawyer relishing in getting killers out of jail. In his cases he converses with the cops, prosecutors, and even criminal psychiatrist Dr. Anderson (Stanley Waxman). Oh, Martin is onto Anderson. Anderson and Martin's wife, Lucille (Katherine DeMille) are having an affair. Lucille? A cold fish. No charm.  Always antagonizing Martin. Lucille is a liar and never there to provide encouragement and warmth to her husband.

Enter killer William Jackson (Paul Guilfoyle).  Pure psycho!  Jackson murders a cop in cold blood. Martin gets Jackson off on a technicality.  Now Jackson owes Martin and Martin tells Jackson how he will repay him.  A gun, straitjacket, and Russian Roulette are used to outline the plot for murder.  See, Martin does not intend to allow Lucille and Anderson to make a fool of him. This slimy lawyer comes up with a surefire plan to have both these two taken out without facing any punishment himself...and Jackson will be utilized. Yep...you see what's coming.  Or do you?  What looked like a pretty basic plot and an easy plot to understand suddenly has a couple of curve balls. What follows is hardly what you figured was coming and something far more devious and effective than just murdering a wife and her lover.  You'll see.

Is Martin really the bad guy in this film?  Will Lucille and Anderson get what they deserve?  Wait!  Are you going to come away from this film condoning murder?  Divorced guys will find this film a rallying cry.  Women who insist on being looked at as victims will hate this film. For a quirky and surprising Film Noir crime thriller, see "The Judge," and do not discuss this film with your spouse.  

Bad Blonde, Femme Fatale Ruins Hunk Boxer

The fate of sultry actress Barbara Payton is an incredibly tragic one. She had it all!  This is an all too common scenario in Hollywood.  She fell in love with a lot of actors and movie people, none of it worked out. In the end, the formerly sultry dame fell to alcohol, prostitution, and abuse.  At the age of 39, she succumbed to liver failure. In today's film, her fate and the fate of those around her appear heading for mega-tragedy.  Sure, all sultry blonde babes are psycho.  But would we call them psycho if men just used an ounce of smarts?  Let us look at 1953's "Bad Blonde," directed by Reginald Le Borg.

Sharkey (Sidney Jones) and trainer Charlie (Josh Slater) discover a strong lad in the boxing ring. Johnny (Tony Wright) is blonde, strong, and uber-handsome. He has what it takes.  The trio go to see boxing promoter Giuseppe Vecchi (Frederick Valk). The jolly, round, balding Italian guy agrees to promote him. Johnny, Charlie, and Sharkey movie into Vecchi's country estate to train. There they all meet Vecchi's sultry, much younger wife, Lorna (Payton). She used to be a dancer and then Vecchi "bought her." Johnny and Lorna pretend to hate one another but hormones take over.  Soon the duo are sneaking away for kissing and passion. A lot of spit is swapped and the duo even do the dirty deed.

Now Lorna sees an opportunity to get rid of her greaseball husband in favor of this young hunk. Johnny realizes Lorna is no good for him as his boxing career goes down the toilet whenever she is around. He tells her to scram. She turns on the seduction.  Guess who wins!  Yep...hormones and sultry blondes are hard to overcome.  Now a murder plot exists and Lorna seems adept at manipulating the young hunk any way she wants.  Sharkey and Charley see Lorna for what she is and try to tell Johnny. He doesn't take their wisdom. Vecchi is clueless that his young wife might have homicide in her heart.

Is there any chance that Lorna and Johnny will live happily ever after?  Will Lorna smarten up and learn to love and be happy with the old, fat, greaseball Italian guy?  Will Johnny ever listen to the warnings of his buddies Sharkey and Charlie?  Barbara Payton is extremely sultry and provides us with great cheese.  As much as a tragedy that appears to unfold on the screen, it doesn't compare the the tragedy that was her true life, albeit brief life.  See "Bad Blonde" and see what a truly sultry dame looks like...today's Hollywood has none.