A FEW WORDS ABOUT ELISHA COOK, JR
Elisha Cook, Jr. was usually cast as the as the weak, put down, neurotic, wanna be tough guy. Had his character a philosophical bent it would been along the line of Robert Browning’s quote, “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp/Or what’s a heaven for?” Whether it was confronting Jack Palance, Lawrence Tierney or Humphrey Bogart, or trying to make it with women like Ella Raines or Marie Windsor, his character never knew when he was out of his league. Often Cook had so little screen time his character was only given a nickname, ”Sweeper,” “Inky,” “Banjo,” “Shorty,” or he’d be referred to by the role he played like ‘piano player,’ ‘crazed drummer,’ or ‘taxi driver. His high water mark in screen credits was in Magnum P.I. (where he had twelve appearances) where not only was he given a first and last name but also a nick-name any tough guy would be proud to have: Francis(Ice-Pick)Hofstetler.
With over 215 screen credits it is tough to pin down his best performance. A lot of people remember him from, Phantom Lady, House on Haunted Hill, Electraglide in Blue, Rosemary’s Baby, A Kiss Before Dying, and scores of television appearances. And of course there are, The Maltese Falcon, Shane, and The Killing.
With over 215 screen credits it is tough to pin down his best performance. A lot of people remember him from, Phantom Lady, House on Haunted Hill, Electraglide in Blue, Rosemary’s Baby, A Kiss Before Dying, and scores of television appearances. And of course there are, The Maltese Falcon, Shane, and The Killing.
Perhaps his most memorable role was as Wilmer the gunsel in The Maltese Falcon. Gunsel has two meanings, a small time hood carrying a gun and it is also a Yiddish slang for a young man kept by an older man. The relationship is evident in the film, and Elisha’s performance carries it to a higher level. He comes across as much a maladjusted kid trying to prove to his boss he’s more than a sexual distraction as he does a killer. “I can always get another son,” the Fat Man says when choosing to give up Wilmer for the Bird.
Wilmer the gunsel even has to wear an oversized overcoat with sleeves that reach down to his wrists! Don’t tell me wardrobe couldn’t find a better fitting coat if they tried. Makes you wonder if Wilmer was wearing the hand me down of a previous ‘son’ of the Fat Man. Cook's Wilmer is more pathetic than menace and we almost feel sorry for the guy. There’s a great scene where Bogart’s verbally chastising elicits tears from Wilmer. In a film replete with great performances, Cook’s is right up there with them.
My favorite film of his is, The Killing. He plays a race track clerk married to Marie Windsor the film’s femme fatale. It is their relationship that elevates a good movie about a heist job gone awry to a truly memorable film. It is Elisha Cook Jr, along with Marie Windsor that puts the film-noir into The Killing.
He’s the chump who will do anything for the femme fatale of his dreams, but he is no bigger a chump than Tom Neal in Detour, or Fred MacMurray in Double Indemnity.
And give Elisha credit: he gets to passionately kiss Marie Windsor, watches her parade around their apartment in her slip, gets to kill those who wronged him, and despite his face being riddled with buck shot, drives to his apartment, confronts his wife and kills her before he dies.
Wilmer the gunsel even has to wear an oversized overcoat with sleeves that reach down to his wrists! Don’t tell me wardrobe couldn’t find a better fitting coat if they tried. Makes you wonder if Wilmer was wearing the hand me down of a previous ‘son’ of the Fat Man. Cook's Wilmer is more pathetic than menace and we almost feel sorry for the guy. There’s a great scene where Bogart’s verbally chastising elicits tears from Wilmer. In a film replete with great performances, Cook’s is right up there with them.
My favorite film of his is, The Killing. He plays a race track clerk married to Marie Windsor the film’s femme fatale. It is their relationship that elevates a good movie about a heist job gone awry to a truly memorable film. It is Elisha Cook Jr, along with Marie Windsor that puts the film-noir into The Killing.
He’s the chump who will do anything for the femme fatale of his dreams, but he is no bigger a chump than Tom Neal in Detour, or Fred MacMurray in Double Indemnity.
And give Elisha credit: he gets to passionately kiss Marie Windsor, watches her parade around their apartment in her slip, gets to kill those who wronged him, and despite his face being riddled with buck shot, drives to his apartment, confronts his wife and kills her before he dies.
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This film, just like Night and the City, benefits greatly from a wonderfully scripted sub-plot, interwoven throughout the entire movie. It is the interplay between Cook and Windsor that make The Killing a film-noir classic.
In Shane he plays Stonewall Torrey, an honest hard working family man with a fierce duty to principle and a refusal to be bullied, Cook gives us one of filmdom’s most memorable scenes. When accompanying another homesteader to the blacksmith he is accosted by Wilson(Jack Palance). We see the poor guy walking tentatively through the mud towards the saloon where Wilson is waiting. Torrey almost slips in the mud at one time. We know what is going to happen and we see Cook as a sheep being led to slaughter. Through a previous encounter Wilson knows how easily it is to rouse Stonewall’s temper and does it by insulting Torrey’s Southern heritage. Cook responds by calling him, “…a low down lying Yankee.” “Prove it,” Wilson says and pulls his gun before Torrey can barely get his from his holster, then kills him. This scene is a precursor to to the film's finale; the shootout between Wilson and Shane.
This was a different role for Elisha Cook in that his character is accepted by his community and is respected, he a peer, not some joke, or loser, but an important part of the homesteading community. Joe Starret (Van Heflin) convinces a family not to leave until Torrey has had a decent Christian burial, and Shane, in his own way honors him by calling out Wilson with the same words that Torrey used.,
It is no coincidence that the three films I’ve chosen are widely recognized as classics. And it’s no coincidence that Elisha Cook, Jr. had a part in them. Elisha Cook was a fine actor, not just a bit role player but a fine actor in his own right.
In Shane he plays Stonewall Torrey, an honest hard working family man with a fierce duty to principle and a refusal to be bullied, Cook gives us one of filmdom’s most memorable scenes. When accompanying another homesteader to the blacksmith he is accosted by Wilson(Jack Palance). We see the poor guy walking tentatively through the mud towards the saloon where Wilson is waiting. Torrey almost slips in the mud at one time. We know what is going to happen and we see Cook as a sheep being led to slaughter. Through a previous encounter Wilson knows how easily it is to rouse Stonewall’s temper and does it by insulting Torrey’s Southern heritage. Cook responds by calling him, “…a low down lying Yankee.” “Prove it,” Wilson says and pulls his gun before Torrey can barely get his from his holster, then kills him. This scene is a precursor to to the film's finale; the shootout between Wilson and Shane.
This was a different role for Elisha Cook in that his character is accepted by his community and is respected, he a peer, not some joke, or loser, but an important part of the homesteading community. Joe Starret (Van Heflin) convinces a family not to leave until Torrey has had a decent Christian burial, and Shane, in his own way honors him by calling out Wilson with the same words that Torrey used.,
It is no coincidence that the three films I’ve chosen are widely recognized as classics. And it’s no coincidence that Elisha Cook, Jr. had a part in them. Elisha Cook was a fine actor, not just a bit role player but a fine actor in his own right.
SWEET ELLEN CORBY AND THE GREAT JOHNNY CARSON
Below are a couple of clips of Ellen Corby (Born To Kill, The Dark Corner, Cornered) on the, Johnny Carson Show. She had just won her third Emmy for her portrayal of Grandma Walton, in The Waltons. Ms. Corby comes across as we all imagined her to be; sweet, humble, an unassuming polite genteel person. The clip also shows what made Johnny Carson the best ever late night host. (Sorry, Steverino but I still love ya).
Soft spoken, reserved people don’t often make for the best guests, and can tax a host’s interviewing skills. My attention was caught when Carson interrupted her. He did it a second time and the reason became obvious. Carson tactfully led the interview onto a different path and put her more at ease. The second time led her to tell a story with great relish that obviously meant a lot to her. She started the interview a bit reticent but at the end it got to where one might think she’d never stop talking, and that was great.
As for Johnny Carson? We’ll never see anyone close to him again. The staff had done their homework on this plain looking character actor as much as they would a big time celebrity. Johnny changed and knew it would be something she would love to talk about. Johnny did not interrupt as she she went into detail. It may be me, but I sensed not only a respect from Mr. Carson for her career in show business but also for her as a human being.
As for Ms. Corby? When given the chance she displayed bona fide acting chops. Check her out in, Illegal, and especially in, The Strangler, as Victor Buono’s harridan of a mother. Her legacy after a fifty plus year career, that began as an unpaid script clerk, is that today even the most casual movie film fan will blurt out, “There’s Ellen Corby,” or there’s, “Grandma Walton,” when seeing her in one of the hundreds of her appearances. Good for her.
Soft spoken, reserved people don’t often make for the best guests, and can tax a host’s interviewing skills. My attention was caught when Carson interrupted her. He did it a second time and the reason became obvious. Carson tactfully led the interview onto a different path and put her more at ease. The second time led her to tell a story with great relish that obviously meant a lot to her. She started the interview a bit reticent but at the end it got to where one might think she’d never stop talking, and that was great.
As for Johnny Carson? We’ll never see anyone close to him again. The staff had done their homework on this plain looking character actor as much as they would a big time celebrity. Johnny changed and knew it would be something she would love to talk about. Johnny did not interrupt as she she went into detail. It may be me, but I sensed not only a respect from Mr. Carson for her career in show business but also for her as a human being.
As for Ms. Corby? When given the chance she displayed bona fide acting chops. Check her out in, Illegal, and especially in, The Strangler, as Victor Buono’s harridan of a mother. Her legacy after a fifty plus year career, that began as an unpaid script clerk, is that today even the most casual movie film fan will blurt out, “There’s Ellen Corby,” or there’s, “Grandma Walton,” when seeing her in one of the hundreds of her appearances. Good for her.
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POWELL, POWER AND O'KEEFE ENTER THE WORLD OF NOIR
Dick Powell as Phillip Marlowe in, "Murder, My Sweet."
Dick Powell is a great example of an actor that successfully changed his sreen image from one type to another. When Paramount would not let him switch to more non-singing roles, he refused the roles he was offered and was suspended. He was thirty-nine and his career on the wane when he signed with RKO. As part of his agreement RKO would have star in the film adaptation of Chandler's, Farewell, My Lovely, to play Philip Marlowe. The film’s title was changed to, Murder, My Sweet, less his fans think it was another of Powell’s light hearted comedy/musicals. The film was a success and so was Powell's entre in a new career direction. There is debate about who was the best Marlowe, but Chandler opined it was Powell. Powell parlayed the affable and personable good guy persona of his comedies, yet still projected a quality of edginess. NY Times critic Bosley Crowther of the New York Times remarked, " ...and while he may lack the steely coldness and cynicism of a Humphrey Bogart, Mr. Powell need not offer any apologies. He has definitely stepped out of the song-and-dance, pretty-boy league with this performance."
Powell played in other tough guy roles like, Cry Danger, Cornered, To The Ends of the Earth, and Johnny O’Clock. I liked him better when he eschewed the wise-cracks, and the tough guy persona. Two films that stand out post-Marlowe are; The Tall Target, where he played a detective assigned to halt an assassination attempt on the then elected, President Lincoln, and especially in, Pitfall. In that film he effectively captures the mid-life angst of a man who has played by the rules all of his life, except for one brief encounter with a single woman. (Lizabeth Scott).
Powell was a renaissance man. He went on to direct seven movies, including the gritty,Split Second. IMO, this film, made in 1953, more than makes up for his sometime too affable, and cliché affected tough guy role. He went on to produce Four Star Playhouse and the Dick Powell Theatre that starred many big name actors of the 40s.
He died much too young at the age of 58. He began his career as a crooner ‘boy scout,’ type to tough guy, director and producer He was a multi-talented artist and successful businessman who gave much to the world of cinema.
Powell played in other tough guy roles like, Cry Danger, Cornered, To The Ends of the Earth, and Johnny O’Clock. I liked him better when he eschewed the wise-cracks, and the tough guy persona. Two films that stand out post-Marlowe are; The Tall Target, where he played a detective assigned to halt an assassination attempt on the then elected, President Lincoln, and especially in, Pitfall. In that film he effectively captures the mid-life angst of a man who has played by the rules all of his life, except for one brief encounter with a single woman. (Lizabeth Scott).
Powell was a renaissance man. He went on to direct seven movies, including the gritty,Split Second. IMO, this film, made in 1953, more than makes up for his sometime too affable, and cliché affected tough guy role. He went on to produce Four Star Playhouse and the Dick Powell Theatre that starred many big name actors of the 40s.
He died much too young at the age of 58. He began his career as a crooner ‘boy scout,’ type to tough guy, director and producer He was a multi-talented artist and successful businessman who gave much to the world of cinema.
From, "Nightmare Alley."
While Murder, My Sweet, was a big hit for Dick Powell, Nightmare Alley was the opposite for Tyrone Power. He resumed his career with Fox after three years as a Marine pilot. His first film for them was, The Razor’s Edge. It was a critical and commercial success and broke all of Fox’s records for box office earnings. Power, unlike Powell and Dennis O’Keefe, was still a big time box office draw. Power used his marketability into buying the screen rights for the novel, with him as the star.
In the book Stanton goes from a young, ‘pretty boy,’ to a disheveled, alcoholic who in the end answers his own question of, “how does a person become a geek?” Even with Edmund Goulding, who also directed The Razor’s Edge, and a great adaptation by Jules Furthman, the film bombed at the box office, and that too is understandable. The audience was used to seeing Power in heroic roles, as a swashbuckler, a submarine captain, a masked protector of the poor who made his mark with the sign of the, “Z.” The premise of the movie and the portrayal of the lead character (Stanton Carlisle was a far cry from the idealistic, sympathetic, Larry Darrell of, The Razor's Edge) did not go over with his fans.
In my opinion, Power’s performance is the best in film noir. He is in almost every scene. We watch Carlisle’s spiral into degradation and the inevitably of his self-destruction with the horror and fascination of a voyeur following the downward trajectory of a jumper falling to his death from a skyscraper. In addition, America was still recovering from the war. The last thing an audience wanted to see was a film devoid of hope, and redemptive qualities, set in a dark, cynical, unfeeling, soulless and irreligious world.
Power was thirty three, Powell thirty nine and O’Keefe forty when they tested the noir waters. Had, Nightmare Alley a modicum of success, he might have made more complex, dark roles. Instead, much of his post-Nightmare Alley work consisted of comfortable audience pleasing films as Captain from Castille, The Luck of The Irish,and Prince of Foxes. I haven’t seen many of his films, but I liked Rawhide, was memorable for me, and of course, Witness for The Prosecution, and by that time he was totally jaded by the system.
I’ve got to give him a lot of credit. He was bold and took a big risk. For all of his popularity, and good looks that made him a movie screen idol, Nightmare Alley, may be the film for which he is most remembered.
In the book Stanton goes from a young, ‘pretty boy,’ to a disheveled, alcoholic who in the end answers his own question of, “how does a person become a geek?” Even with Edmund Goulding, who also directed The Razor’s Edge, and a great adaptation by Jules Furthman, the film bombed at the box office, and that too is understandable. The audience was used to seeing Power in heroic roles, as a swashbuckler, a submarine captain, a masked protector of the poor who made his mark with the sign of the, “Z.” The premise of the movie and the portrayal of the lead character (Stanton Carlisle was a far cry from the idealistic, sympathetic, Larry Darrell of, The Razor's Edge) did not go over with his fans.
In my opinion, Power’s performance is the best in film noir. He is in almost every scene. We watch Carlisle’s spiral into degradation and the inevitably of his self-destruction with the horror and fascination of a voyeur following the downward trajectory of a jumper falling to his death from a skyscraper. In addition, America was still recovering from the war. The last thing an audience wanted to see was a film devoid of hope, and redemptive qualities, set in a dark, cynical, unfeeling, soulless and irreligious world.
Power was thirty three, Powell thirty nine and O’Keefe forty when they tested the noir waters. Had, Nightmare Alley a modicum of success, he might have made more complex, dark roles. Instead, much of his post-Nightmare Alley work consisted of comfortable audience pleasing films as Captain from Castille, The Luck of The Irish,and Prince of Foxes. I haven’t seen many of his films, but I liked Rawhide, was memorable for me, and of course, Witness for The Prosecution, and by that time he was totally jaded by the system.
I’ve got to give him a lot of credit. He was bold and took a big risk. For all of his popularity, and good looks that made him a movie screen idol, Nightmare Alley, may be the film for which he is most remembered.
Dennis O'Keefe with Wallace Ford from, "T-Men."
Dennis O'Keefe was never a perennial leading man much less a box office favorite. He made his first screen appearance in 1930 and by 1938 had only one credited role. His first lead role, The Chaser, where he played an ambulance chasing lawyer. He played a variety of roles, in different genres, but it wasn't until 1947 in the breakthrough movie,T-Men, did O'Keefe make his mark.
O'Keefe started in B films and ended there, but he certainly wasn’t a B talented actor and it was the great director Anthony Mann to bring out his true talent. One film was,T-Men that O'Keefe co-wrote. The film had a 20grade sandpaper coarseness to it that was seldom seen in the films of that period. A scene that sticks out is Wallace Ford being broiled to death in a steam room while Charles McGraw looks on. The film holds up well today.
HIs high water mark, and one of the purest of all noirs is, Raw Deal, directed again by Anthony Mann. He is part of love triangle with the gifted Claire Trevor, and the accomplished Marsha Hunt. They work together like the clockwork in a top shelf Swiss watch. I think of the opening scene when Marsha visits him in jail and hopes to rehabilitate him, then in the forest her hopes are dashed when she realizes he would have murdered the ranger. All Claire Trevor wanted was to have O’Keefe for herself.
This love triangle is held together by O'Keefe who has a natural ability to project screen chemistry with all of his leading ladies. This cannot be taught. It’s natural and comes effortlessly,(Dana Andrews is another such actor) and in, Raw Deal, it’s vital. He's the male fatale (never thought I’d get around to using that term) that Trevor wants to marry and Hunt wants to save.
In addition to those two roles O'Keefe was effective in the very good yet under rated, Woman On the Run with Ann Sheridan and Robert Keith. That film, along with T-Men match up favorably alongside any of Powell’s post-Marlowe crime/noir films. Other less noted films were Cover-Up (that he also co-wrote), and Abandoned (a film with much promise, but hampered by inserting too many light moments along with the helpless female that went out of style years prior.
He may have lacked the ability or ‘it’ factor for being a leading man, but Mr. O’Keefe held his own alongside the best actors of Hollywood. He looks the most physically capable of handling himself and is at ease in playing both hero and villain. In the never-ending universe of, ‘what if’” I wonder what if O’Keefe and not Fred MacMurray played Walter Neff. Had O’Keefe been given a shot at Philip Marlowe, Chandler might have changed his opinion as to the best Marlowe. As it is he was the lead in two of the best crime/noir films to come from the classical era. Not bad for someone who had to wait eight years in the business before seeing his name on the screen.
O'Keefe started in B films and ended there, but he certainly wasn’t a B talented actor and it was the great director Anthony Mann to bring out his true talent. One film was,T-Men that O'Keefe co-wrote. The film had a 20grade sandpaper coarseness to it that was seldom seen in the films of that period. A scene that sticks out is Wallace Ford being broiled to death in a steam room while Charles McGraw looks on. The film holds up well today.
HIs high water mark, and one of the purest of all noirs is, Raw Deal, directed again by Anthony Mann. He is part of love triangle with the gifted Claire Trevor, and the accomplished Marsha Hunt. They work together like the clockwork in a top shelf Swiss watch. I think of the opening scene when Marsha visits him in jail and hopes to rehabilitate him, then in the forest her hopes are dashed when she realizes he would have murdered the ranger. All Claire Trevor wanted was to have O’Keefe for herself.
This love triangle is held together by O'Keefe who has a natural ability to project screen chemistry with all of his leading ladies. This cannot be taught. It’s natural and comes effortlessly,(Dana Andrews is another such actor) and in, Raw Deal, it’s vital. He's the male fatale (never thought I’d get around to using that term) that Trevor wants to marry and Hunt wants to save.
In addition to those two roles O'Keefe was effective in the very good yet under rated, Woman On the Run with Ann Sheridan and Robert Keith. That film, along with T-Men match up favorably alongside any of Powell’s post-Marlowe crime/noir films. Other less noted films were Cover-Up (that he also co-wrote), and Abandoned (a film with much promise, but hampered by inserting too many light moments along with the helpless female that went out of style years prior.
He may have lacked the ability or ‘it’ factor for being a leading man, but Mr. O’Keefe held his own alongside the best actors of Hollywood. He looks the most physically capable of handling himself and is at ease in playing both hero and villain. In the never-ending universe of, ‘what if’” I wonder what if O’Keefe and not Fred MacMurray played Walter Neff. Had O’Keefe been given a shot at Philip Marlowe, Chandler might have changed his opinion as to the best Marlowe. As it is he was the lead in two of the best crime/noir films to come from the classical era. Not bad for someone who had to wait eight years in the business before seeing his name on the screen.
Nightmare Alley: Remake, or adaptation of the book?
Will Del Toro’s, Nightmare Alley, be a remake of the 1947 film classic or will it be an adaptation of William Gresham’s novel? (I’d be somewhat optimistic if were filmed in glorious black and white by cinematographer Jules Bashkin who did The Lighthouse. Either way the screenplay may be problematic.
Jules Furthman deserves a lot of credit for his great adaptation of the book. He had over a hundred screen credits including Morocco, Blonde Venus, Hotel Imperial, The Big Sleep and To Have And Have Not. He did a masterful job of conveying the novel’s pervasive themes of fatalism, greed, despair, sex and sacrilege into the movie so that would get past the censors.
Gresham’s novel is a near masterpiece. It might be said to be the reverse image of Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, and the iconic passage: “Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me. They possess and enjoy early, and it does something to them…” Gresham’s book goes beyond , ‘you and me’. He writes about the most extreme outliers of society. Through personal experience Gresham brings to life the, nuances slang and idioms not only of the carny world, but of America during the 40s. Gresham sprinkles his book with great lyrical passages and in one or two lines can encompass a person or region: , e.g. "Stan had never been this far south and something in the air made him uneasy. This was dark and bloody land where hidden war traveled like a million earthworms under the sod.”
Ms.Morgan’s credits are limited to assisting on two of her husband’s films. The bulk of her writing experience comes from her work for, “The New Beverly, Sight & Sound, The Criterion Collection, Playboy, The Los Angeles Review of Books and many other outlets.” (From IMDB). This is not to say she won’t do a bang-up job in her first major screen-writing project. It’s possible much of the dialogue will be taken directly from the book, as it was done by John Huston in, The Maltese Falcon.I have some other reservations but this should suffice for now
Jules Furthman deserves a lot of credit for his great adaptation of the book. He had over a hundred screen credits including Morocco, Blonde Venus, Hotel Imperial, The Big Sleep and To Have And Have Not. He did a masterful job of conveying the novel’s pervasive themes of fatalism, greed, despair, sex and sacrilege into the movie so that would get past the censors.
Gresham’s novel is a near masterpiece. It might be said to be the reverse image of Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, and the iconic passage: “Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me. They possess and enjoy early, and it does something to them…” Gresham’s book goes beyond , ‘you and me’. He writes about the most extreme outliers of society. Through personal experience Gresham brings to life the, nuances slang and idioms not only of the carny world, but of America during the 40s. Gresham sprinkles his book with great lyrical passages and in one or two lines can encompass a person or region: , e.g. "Stan had never been this far south and something in the air made him uneasy. This was dark and bloody land where hidden war traveled like a million earthworms under the sod.”
Ms.Morgan’s credits are limited to assisting on two of her husband’s films. The bulk of her writing experience comes from her work for, “The New Beverly, Sight & Sound, The Criterion Collection, Playboy, The Los Angeles Review of Books and many other outlets.” (From IMDB). This is not to say she won’t do a bang-up job in her first major screen-writing project. It’s possible much of the dialogue will be taken directly from the book, as it was done by John Huston in, The Maltese Falcon.I have some other reservations but this should suffice for now
From Cornell Woolrich to The Smiths and Beyond.
When looking for a book to buy I came across Cornell Woolrich’s, Rendezvous In Black. The plot is pure Woolrich. Johnny Marr’s fiancé is killed due to an accident that involved a group of drunken men on a charter plane. He vows that each May 31st, the date of her death, some woman of the men involved; wives lovers, daughters will pay for what their men did. ., Johnny Marr (born John Maher) was lead guitarist and composer for, The Smiths. When one boards a train of thought the destination is always unknown, and my first stop to wonder if Marr was a fan of Woolrich and appropriated the name? Possible, but in all probability it was to approximate the phonetic pronunciation of his given name.
The noir connection is, The Smiths, with Morrissey’s lyrics and Marr’s compositions, embodied the desperation, loneliness, and alienation that haunted Woolrich dominated his stories and are noir staples. Here is the beginning of How Soon Is Now:
I am the son And the heir
Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar
I am the son and heir
Of nothing in particular
You shut your mouth
How can you say
I go about things the wrong way?
I am human and I need to be loved
Just like everybody else does
There were other bands that addressed the concerns of England’s working class young that lived in a time and land where, to cite a verse from the Kinks, Living On A Thin Line,
All the stories have been told
Of kings and days of old,
But there's no England now.
All the wars that were won and lost
Somehow don't seem to matter very much anymore...
Living on a thin line,
Tell me now, what are we supposed to do?
Living on a thin line,
Tell me now, what are we supposed to do?..
Now another century nearly gone,
What are we gonna leave for the young?
What we couldn't do, what we wouldn't do,
It's a crime, but does it matter?
These themes of loneliness and alienation can be found in Nicholas Ray’s In A Lonely Place, They Live By Night, and of course, Rebel Without A Cause. The title itself conjures up the helplessness of, ‘the son and heir of nothing in particular’. The hardening of the soul and the desperation and loneliness that stems from it are tfound in noirs as; Pickup On South Street, Act of Violence,On Dangerous Ground and Nightmare Alley.
Another song that came to mind while checking out a book to read was Mad World by Tears For Fears. The first two verses:
All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races.
Going nowhere, going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had
Mad World has a nice bouncy, catchy tune. This dichotomy between music and lyrics emphasizes a sense of the singer accepting and embracing the pain as his very own. If he continues he will cling to it and turn away anyone who might to share or free him of his painandFinally, there is Joy Division. The verse from, Love Will Tear Us Apart, can be said to summarize the film, In A Lonely Place. with the heart wrenching life of Ian Curtis, whose lyrics seem the epitome of noir. from, Love Will Tear Us Apart:
When routine bites hard
And ambitions are low
And resentment rides high
But emotions won't grow
And we're changing our ways
Taking different roads
Love, love will tear us apart again
Love, love will tear us apart again
Noir is can be a good mystery, or heist. It can also be a young black boy forgotten on a pier waiting for his Dad, unaware he has been killed, and like his son, forgotten. It is an elderly woman in a crummy apartment telling her assassin he’d be doing her a favor by putting a bullet in her head And it’s William Gresham, Cornell Woolrich, Ian Curtis and others who felt they have lived past the point where they could take it anymore, and those others who see no reason to continue but do so notwithstanding.Murder, My Sweet, was the first, and best of the Philip Marlowe films. It incorporates certain noir elements with familiar tropes of the detective/mystery films that preceeded film noir. It is literally a beginner's template for the genre. ... A film with a private eye as protagonist starts out with several points against it. They will contain several Hollywood elements of the ‘old fashioned’ private eye films, the detective is not going to be doomed to a fate he can’t escape; he is on the right side of the law and will invariably bring the bad guy to justice. He is usually too smart to be taken in by the femme fatale, and there will be an ending where at the very worst he is no better off than when he started. There may be some ambiguity about the detective’s character but in the end he’s a straight arrow. CLICK TO READ REVIEW
The noir connection is, The Smiths, with Morrissey’s lyrics and Marr’s compositions, embodied the desperation, loneliness, and alienation that haunted Woolrich dominated his stories and are noir staples. Here is the beginning of How Soon Is Now:
I am the son And the heir
Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar
I am the son and heir
Of nothing in particular
You shut your mouth
How can you say
I go about things the wrong way?
I am human and I need to be loved
Just like everybody else does
There were other bands that addressed the concerns of England’s working class young that lived in a time and land where, to cite a verse from the Kinks, Living On A Thin Line,
All the stories have been told
Of kings and days of old,
But there's no England now.
All the wars that were won and lost
Somehow don't seem to matter very much anymore...
Living on a thin line,
Tell me now, what are we supposed to do?
Living on a thin line,
Tell me now, what are we supposed to do?..
Now another century nearly gone,
What are we gonna leave for the young?
What we couldn't do, what we wouldn't do,
It's a crime, but does it matter?
These themes of loneliness and alienation can be found in Nicholas Ray’s In A Lonely Place, They Live By Night, and of course, Rebel Without A Cause. The title itself conjures up the helplessness of, ‘the son and heir of nothing in particular’. The hardening of the soul and the desperation and loneliness that stems from it are tfound in noirs as; Pickup On South Street, Act of Violence,On Dangerous Ground and Nightmare Alley.
Another song that came to mind while checking out a book to read was Mad World by Tears For Fears. The first two verses:
All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races.
Going nowhere, going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had
Mad World has a nice bouncy, catchy tune. This dichotomy between music and lyrics emphasizes a sense of the singer accepting and embracing the pain as his very own. If he continues he will cling to it and turn away anyone who might to share or free him of his painandFinally, there is Joy Division. The verse from, Love Will Tear Us Apart, can be said to summarize the film, In A Lonely Place. with the heart wrenching life of Ian Curtis, whose lyrics seem the epitome of noir. from, Love Will Tear Us Apart:
When routine bites hard
And ambitions are low
And resentment rides high
But emotions won't grow
And we're changing our ways
Taking different roads
Love, love will tear us apart again
Love, love will tear us apart again
Noir is can be a good mystery, or heist. It can also be a young black boy forgotten on a pier waiting for his Dad, unaware he has been killed, and like his son, forgotten. It is an elderly woman in a crummy apartment telling her assassin he’d be doing her a favor by putting a bullet in her head And it’s William Gresham, Cornell Woolrich, Ian Curtis and others who felt they have lived past the point where they could take it anymore, and those others who see no reason to continue but do so notwithstanding.Murder, My Sweet, was the first, and best of the Philip Marlowe films. It incorporates certain noir elements with familiar tropes of the detective/mystery films that preceeded film noir. It is literally a beginner's template for the genre. ... A film with a private eye as protagonist starts out with several points against it. They will contain several Hollywood elements of the ‘old fashioned’ private eye films, the detective is not going to be doomed to a fate he can’t escape; he is on the right side of the law and will invariably bring the bad guy to justice. He is usually too smart to be taken in by the femme fatale, and there will be an ending where at the very worst he is no better off than when he started. There may be some ambiguity about the detective’s character but in the end he’s a straight arrow. CLICK TO READ REVIEW
The Complete Crime Stories of James M. Cain
When someone asks for books that will explain the genesis and evolution of film noir usually tomes from the world of the academe are suggested. Those works usually benefit those with some prior familiarity of the genre and for those who may have already fostered their own ideas. When it comes to what books best explain or describe film noir, I believe it is best to go back to where it all started and that would be the dime novels and pulp fiction.
The most comprehensive collection of these stories can be found in voluminous books edited by Otto Penzler. Two indispensible books from Black Lizard publishing are: Big Book of Pulps, and Black Mask Stories. Big they are. Each collection is over 1100 pages. Not all stories are gems of course, but the reader gets an insight into the foundation of noir and the source for the crime films from the 30s to 40s.
Then there are novels that were adapted to the screen came from authors who more often than not begun their writing for the pulps. My personal choice is the medium of the short story and I recommend, The Complete Crime Stories of James M. Cain. Cain had this to say about the short story, “It’s greatly superior to the novel, or any rate the American novel.” As for eschewing the good guy/bad guy concept of the detective stories, “Our national curse…is the ‘sympathetic’ character…The world’s greatest literature is people by thorough-going heels.”
Two stories in this collection were made into films, “oney And The Woman, and, She Made Her Bed, from, Baby In The Icebox. The entire collection would make a nice anthology series on one of the streaming networks. I am especially fond of, The Baby In The Icebox, which is one of my favorite short stories regardless of genre. Others are, Brush Fire, Death On The Beach, Pastorale, Mommy’s A Barfly, Dead Man and The Girl In The Storm. All of them represent what I refer to as the soul of noir. The Birthday Party is a sweet and tender story of adolescent love, with a very touching ending. Penzler finishes his intro, “…Cain left out the parts that people tend to skip.”
When someone asks for books that will explain the genesis and evolution of film noir usually tomes from the world of the academe are suggested. Those works usually benefit those with some prior familiarity of the genre and for those who may have already fostered their own ideas. When it comes to what books best explain or describe film noir, I believe it is best to go back to where it all started and that would be the dime novels and pulp fiction.
The most comprehensive collection of these stories can be found in voluminous books edited by Otto Penzler. Two indispensible books from Black Lizard publishing are: Big Book of Pulps, and Black Mask Stories. Big they are. Each collection is over 1100 pages. Not all stories are gems of course, but the reader gets an insight into the foundation of noir and the source for the crime films from the 30s to 40s.
Then there are novels that were adapted to the screen came from authors who more often than not begun their writing for the pulps. My personal choice is the medium of the short story and I recommend, The Complete Crime Stories of James M. Cain. Cain had this to say about the short story, “It’s greatly superior to the novel, or any rate the American novel.” As for eschewing the good guy/bad guy concept of the detective stories, “Our national curse…is the ‘sympathetic’ character…The world’s greatest literature is people by thorough-going heels.”
Two stories in this collection were made into films, “oney And The Woman, and, She Made Her Bed, from, Baby In The Icebox. The entire collection would make a nice anthology series on one of the streaming networks. I am especially fond of, The Baby In The Icebox, which is one of my favorite short stories regardless of genre. Others are, Brush Fire, Death On The Beach, Pastorale, Mommy’s A Barfly, Dead Man and The Girl In The Storm. All of them represent what I refer to as the soul of noir. The Birthday Party is a sweet and tender story of adolescent love, with a very touching ending. Penzler finishes his intro, “…Cain left out the parts that people tend to skip.”
Roger Ebert called film noir: “The most American film genre, because no society could have created a world so filled with doom, fate, fear and betrayal, unless it were essentially naive and optimistic." It has many of the same elements of another great American gift to the cinematic world; the Western. In the 40s, much of American was wide open to exploration and migration. When I traveled cross country decades ago I was impressed that I could freely go from one state to another without being stopped at a border to show identification. Compare that to Europe.
The vastness of America buoyed by freedom of movement is a common theme in film noir. The two work hand in glove if a person wants to start anew, strive for the American dream. and it's great if one wants to hide from one's past. Obvious films are, Detour, Out of The Past, Tomorrow Is Another Day and Impact. one's goals is evident in all Westerns and some noirs. No movie exemplifies the journey for the American dream, or as Thomas Jefferson wrote, the pursuit of happiness than Detour. Sue, then Al, leave New York City to travel to California. Vera is hitch-hikingto California after starting out in Shreveport. Charles Haskell, the driver who a-hum, a-hum is accidentally killed, personifies the American spirit. He left home at fifteen, traveled around the country, made some money, lost some money, and ever optimistic is trying to get some cash to start again. His father, by the way, is a self-made millionaire.
WHAT IS NOIR?
Is it a stylish crime film of the '40s and '50s with roots in the hardboiled tradition (which gave noir its name, which the French film critics referenced the Serie Noir papebacks reprinting American crime writers)? Then it's almost certainly noir by any reasonable yardstick.
The vastness of America buoyed by freedom of movement is a common theme in film noir. The two work hand in glove if a person wants to start anew, strive for the American dream. and it's great if one wants to hide from one's past. Obvious films are, Detour, Out of The Past, Tomorrow Is Another Day and Impact. one's goals is evident in all Westerns and some noirs. No movie exemplifies the journey for the American dream, or as Thomas Jefferson wrote, the pursuit of happiness than Detour. Sue, then Al, leave New York City to travel to California. Vera is hitch-hikingto California after starting out in Shreveport. Charles Haskell, the driver who a-hum, a-hum is accidentally killed, personifies the American spirit. He left home at fifteen, traveled around the country, made some money, lost some money, and ever optimistic is trying to get some cash to start again. His father, by the way, is a self-made millionaire.
WHAT IS NOIR?
Is it a stylish crime film of the '40s and '50s with roots in the hardboiled tradition (which gave noir its name, which the French film critics referenced the Serie Noir papebacks reprinting American crime writers)? Then it's almost certainly noir by any reasonable yardstick.
