I rewatched _Phantom Lady_ today, always an enjoyable experience particularly due to presence of Ella Raines, a perhaps underappreciated 40s star. The only actor in the film I don't like is Alan Curtis, whom the Raines character "Kansas" is trying to save from his own lassitude; what a wimp! I wonder if Cornell Woolrich wrote him that way in the source novel. (I'm am not particularly happy either about a plot hole which leaves me wondering who called the police to the original murder scene -- the murderer?)
I have most of Raines's in-print films, viz. _Hail the Conquering Hero_, _The Senator Was Indiscreete_, and _The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry_; disregarding a run-of-the-mill John Wayne western (_Tall in the Saddle_) and the disappointing Brian Donlevy crime drama _Impact_, the only available Raines title I'd really like have is the Jules Dassin _Brute Force_.
In her glory days, the mid-40s, Raines was not only beautiful but an intriguing screen presence, a strong female in an era hardly rich with such. And of course I doubt that anyone who's seen can forget her scenes with Elisha Cook; she has transformed herself into a gauded-up hussy and he's a drummer on the make. The jam session scene is an amazing bit of pushing the limits of censorship.
Unfortunately her career largely ran out of steam coming out of the Forties. I wonder why. Surely I'm not only who liked her.
-- Frank in Seattle
___________
Frank Richard Aloysius Jude Maloney
"I leave you now in radiant contentment" -- "Whistling in the Dark"
I have most of Raines's in-print films, viz. _Hail the Conquering Hero_,
That's where I remember her, as Eddie Bracken's girlfriend in the Preston Sturges film. She's a joy: she's collected outwardly but still fickle, & she vacillates in a deadpan style. In fact, she reminds me somewhat of Virginia O'Brien in that regard.
Believe me Frank, Woolrich's male protagonists were usually Semi hysterical wimps. The women had the cojones.
Woolrich was strange even for a pulp writer. He had a submissive thing with his mother. His only marriage lasted about three *weeks*. Steve Fisher's I WAKE UPВSCREAMING, had the wacko cop named "Cornel"l. He knew Woolrich.
Of course Laird was the guy that should have played moi in the movie that's just out on dvd. ;-|
I have most of Raines's in-print films, viz. _Hail the Conquering Hero_,> _The Senator Was Indiscreete_, and _The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry_;> disregarding a run-of-the-mill John Wayne western (_Tall in the Saddle_)
Oh, if I could only reach thru my monitor screen and pull your nose! How dare you! How DARE you!
You wanna see "run-of-the-mill" Western? Then see 1939s "Geronimo".
"Bob Tiernan" <zulu.pacifier.com@shell1.pacifier.net> wrote in message newsine.GSO.4.58MAILDIR.0503191703390.6122@shell1.pacifier.net...
Ella Raines really stood out as the greatest> cowgirl in movies, and made such an impression that> if anyone else had her part there'd be something> missing that I would not be able to identify.
I'll go along with that!
This is one of the very few films, like "Them!", that> I never tire of and therefore place it on my top ten list,> rather than put them lower down and replace them with films> that one thinks should be there (like Citizen Kane, a> film on my top ten list for years for good reasons, but> recently knocked off by "Murder, He Says", a film I've> also enjoyed as much as "Tall in the Saddle" and "Them!"> for decades and which I realized needed to be on my> top ten list if I wanted to be honest about it.
MURDER, HE SAYS may be the world's greatest unrecognized classic comedy. For years, my wife could throw me into almost uncontrollable hysterical (and very unseemly) laughter just by quoting, "First a dog lights up, then Grandma lights up...." Hell, I'm laughing now. It's so hilarious I sometimes crack up listening to the opening of ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
Frank R.A.J. Maloney 20 March 2005 07:39:40 [ permanent link ]
"W. Lydecker" <janus666@webtv.net> wrote in message news:25547-423C96F8-66@storefull-3113.bay.webtv.net...
Believe me Frank, Woolrich's male> protagonists were usually Semi hysterical> wimps. The women had the cojones.
Woolrich was strange even for a pulp writer. > He had a submissive thing > with his mother. > His only marriage lasted about three> *weeks*. Steve Fisher's I WAKE UP> SCREAMING, had the wacko cop named > "Cornel"l. He knew Woolrich.
Of course Laird was the guy that should> have played moi in the movie that's just out > on dvd. ;-|
That's good to know about Woolrich. I was reading about him online and was impressed by what an odd duck he must have been. His marriage not only lasted a mere three weeks but was annulled which is usually only possible if the marriage hadn't been consummated.
He had found his metier in the pulps, making some real money selling his stories and novels to Hollywood when his mother got sick and he no longer had time to write. Then this from the IMDb: "By the time she died in 1957, he was 'burned out'. From then till his death in 1968, he lived a lonely life marked by alcoholism and poor health. (He delayed visiting a doctor and so lost a leg to gangrene.) His funeral went unattended."
I was struck this afternoon by the thought that Laird Cregar would have been wonderful in the Raymond Burr role in _The Blue Gardenia_, but of course he was long dead at that point. But as Waldo, I think not -- epicene yes, but not hard enough.
-- Frank in Seattle
___________
Frank Richard Aloysius Jude Maloney
"I leave you now in radiant contentment" -- "Whistling in the Dark"
Daneldorado@Yahoo.Com 20 March 2005 07:42:29 [ permanent link ]
Frank R.A.J. Maloney wrote:> I rewatched _Phantom Lady_ today, always an enjoyable experience> particularly due to presence of Ella Raines, a perhaps underappreciated 40s> star. The only actor in the film I don't like is Alan Curtis, whom
Raines character "Kansas" is trying to save from his own lassitude;
what a> wimp! I wonder if Cornell Woolrich wrote him that way in the source novel.
No, he didn't... and, for that matter, Cornell Woolrich (who wrote "Phantom Lady" under his pseudonym of William Irish) did not commit the outrageous sin of revealing the killer's identity so early in the novel. That revelation was Universal's idea, when they made the film.
I like to think that Universal, having seen the error of their ways, corrected the mistake a year later, when they made a film from Woolrich's novel "Black Angel" (1946). (He used his real name for this one.) In the movie "Black Angel," the killer's identity is kept hidden from the audience until the very end, the way the author wanted it in the first place, in "Phantom Lady."
Ella Raines really stood out as the greatest> > cowgirl in movies, and made such an impression that> > if anyone else had her part there'd be something> > missing that I would not be able to identify.
I'll go along with that!
Those eyes! That nose!
MURDER, HE SAYS may be the world's greatest unrecognized> classic comedy.
Bravo! I don't know it isn't mentioned as often as the best of the Sturges comedies, or Lubitsch and many others that don't even compare. Despite the claim by the director (Marshall) that they were making a lot of it up as they went along (or so says Maltin), this film comes across as one in which everything comes together splendidly as well as well-planned. Everything gets tied up with no loose ends (loose ends would have been a flaw unlike with something like a Fields film). There's not a wasted moment, either.
I've been watching this one since perhaps the late 60s when it was on every six months or so on New Yawk's WNEW Channel 5.
It's so hilarious I sometimes crack up listening> to the opening of ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
This is one of the very few films, like "Them!", that> > I never tire of and therefore place it on my top ten list,> > rather than put them lower down and replace them with films> > that one thinks should be there (like Citizen Kane, a> > film on my top ten list for years for good reasons, but> > recently knocked off by "Murder, He Says", a film I've> > also enjoyed as much as "Tall in the Saddle" and "Them!"> > for decades and which I realized needed to be on my> > top ten list if I wanted to be honest about it.
OK, you and Jim Beaver have convinced to give it> another go. Two such cognoscenti must be on to something.
Not that you haven't noticed, but there was a lot of mystery elements thrown in this. Lots of listening through windows and doors, peeking through windows etc, and lots of details I don't see in most westerns (Wayne making his own bread in the cabin instead of being a cowboy who never seems to eat; a showdown not involving shooting; etc etc). Gabby is Gabby, but this was his best role due to the dialogue and that he's not wasted on Roy Rogers or some other breakfast cereal cowboy. When I see this it moves along briskly, and it's 2/3rds over before you know it. Or at least I think so. Anyway, I can't be annoyed by people not placing it in a top ten or 100 list, but please don't call it "run-of-the-mill".
I notice, however, that no one has stepped forward> to champion the Donlevy flick I likewise excepted,>_Impact_ (1949). Anyone?
I saw it a few years ago (because Raines is in it, and I also like Donlevy for other reasons). I remember liking it and thinking that Maltin needed to see it again.
"Frank R.A.J. Maloney" <frajm@blarg.net> wrote > I rewatched _Phantom Lady_ today, always an enjoyable experience > particularly due to presence of Ella Raines, a perhaps underappreciated 40s > star. The only actor in the film I don't like is Alan Curtis, whom the > Raines character "Kansas" is trying to save from his own lassitude; what a > wimp! I wonder if Cornell Woolrich wrote him that way in the source novel. > (I'm am not particularly happy either about a plot hole which leaves me > wondering who called the police to the original murder scene -- the > murderer?)>
I have most of Raines's in-print films, viz. _Hail the Conquering Hero_, > _The Senator Was Indiscreete_, and _The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry_; > disregarding a run-of-the-mill John Wayne western (_Tall in the Saddle_) and > the disappointing Brian Donlevy crime drama _Impact_, the only available > Raines title I'd really like have is the Jules Dassin _Brute Force_.>
In her glory days, the mid-40s, Raines was not only beautiful but an > intriguing screen presence, a strong female in an era hardly rich with such. > And of course I doubt that anyone who's seen can forget her scenes with > Elisha Cook; she has transformed herself into a gauded-up hussy and he's a > drummer on the make. The jam session scene is an amazing bit of pushing the > limits of censorship.>
Unfortunately her career largely ran out of steam coming out of the Forties. > I wonder why. Surely I'm not only who liked her.
She went free-lancing after leaving Universal in 1947 and I guess she never was a big enough name to get some films made for her. From her films at Universal only PHANTOM LADY fully belongs to her, in the other ones she's always second to the male star. Additionally there was probably no use for a noir actress in the 50's (like Jane Greer) and she vanished quickly. Unfortunately she couldn't finish her autobiography because she died of cancer, but the notes for the book must still be somewhere. It's a case of an actress who simply never really had the luck and the necessary big roles after PHANTOM LADY. She's an amazing actress and one of my all-time favourites, too. She's sharp, witty and intelligent, extremely sexy and can additionally be very warm and gentle (look at some of her close-ups in PHANTOM LADY). It's simply a matter of luck if you get the big breakthrough or not and women have less big roles and opportunities than men and therefore there is a lot of ladies who deserved much more of a career than they finally got.
Frank R.A.J. Maloney 20 March 2005 21:55:39 [ permanent link ]
"Bob Tiernan" <zulu.pacifier.com@shell1.pacifier.net> wrote in message newsine.GSO.4.58MAILDIR.0503192142080.21416@shell1.pacifier.net...> Frank R.A.J. Maloney wrote:>
Bob Tiernan wrote:>
This is one of the very few films, like "Them!", that>> > I never tire of and therefore place it on my top ten list,>> > rather than put them lower down and replace them with films>> > that one thinks should be there (like Citizen Kane, a>> > film on my top ten list for years for good reasons, but>> > recently knocked off by "Murder, He Says", a film I've>> > also enjoyed as much as "Tall in the Saddle" and "Them!">> > for decades and which I realized needed to be on my>> > top ten list if I wanted to be honest about it.>
OK, you and Jim Beaver have convinced to give it>> another go. Two such cognoscenti must be on to something.>
Not that you haven't noticed, but there was a> lot of mystery elements thrown in this. Lots> of listening through windows and doors, peeking> through windows etc, and lots of details I don't> see in most westerns (Wayne making his own bread> in the cabin instead of being a cowboy who never> seems to eat; a showdown not involving shooting;> etc etc). Gabby is Gabby, but this was his> best role due to the dialogue and that he's> not wasted on Roy Rogers or some other breakfast> cereal cowboy. When I see this it moves along> briskly, and it's 2/3rds over before you know it.> Or at least I think so. Anyway, I can't be annoyed> by people not placing it in a top ten or 100> list, but please don't call it "run-of-the-mill".>
Bob, simmer down. You've already won.
I notice, however, that no one has stepped forward>> to champion the Donlevy flick I likewise excepted,>>_Impact_ (1949). Anyone?>
I saw it a few years ago (because Raines is in it,> and I also like Donlevy for other reasons). I> remember liking it and thinking that Maltin> needed to see it again.
I'll make a note.
-- Frank in Seattle
___________
Frank Richard Aloysius Jude Maloney
"I leave you now in radiant contentment" -- "Whistling in the Dark"
Paul B. Thompson 20 March 2005 23:32:33 [ permanent link ]
According the "Oxford Companion to Crime and Mystery Writing," p. 502, Woolrich was "a lonely and tormented . . . homosexual."
"Diane L. Schirf" <delenn@spammindspringnot.com> wrote in message news:H7d%d.16138$qf2.15423@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...> In article <113ps1fjid3ulf4@corp.supernews.com>,> "Frank R.A.J. Maloney" <frajm@blarg.net> wrote:>
His marriage not only> > lasted a mere three weeks but was annulled which is usually only
possible if> > the marriage hadn't been consummated.>
For some reason, I'm thinking this is probably not entirely true.>
Diane L. Schirf 21 March 2005 02:07:57 [ permanent link ]
In article <KYl%d.1740$Vi3.79@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net>, "Diane L. Schirf" <delenn@spammindspringnot.com> wrote:
In article <ldk%d.16830$cN6.14880@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net>,> "Paul B. Thompson" <mrapol@earthlink.net> wrote:>
According the "Oxford Companion to Crime and Mystery Writing," p. 502,> > Woolrich was "a lonely and tormented . . . homosexual."> >
"Diane L. Schirf" <delenn@spammindspringnot.com> wrote in message> > news:H7d%d.16138$qf2.15423@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...> > > In article <113ps1fjid3ulf4@corp.supernews.com>,> > > "Frank R.A.J. Maloney" <frajm@blarg.net> wrote:> > >
His marriage not only> > > > lasted a mere three weeks but was annulled which is usually only> > possible if> > > > the marriage hadn't been consummated.> > >
For some reason, I'm thinking this is probably not entirely true.> > >
I was referring to the idea that lack of consummation is "usually only > possible if the marriage hadn't been consummated." I.e., marriages can > be annulled for many reasons, and are. That's just one of them.>
Yeesh!
Yeesh on me. That ANNULMENT is "usually only possible if the marriage hadn't been consummated."
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