Tuesday's Overlooked Films: Where Danger Lives Starring Robert Mitchum

Since I'll be busy this week with my writing projects, I went ahead and posted my Tuesday Overlooked Films blog today. This neat, twisty film noir released in 1950 stars Robert Mitchum, Faith Domergue (in her film debut), and the always solid Claude Rains. Maureen O'Sullivan (the director's wife and better known for her role as Jane in the Tarzan movies) plays Mitchum's love interest waiting for him back in San Francisco. The dark-haired Domergue plays a wonderfully crazy femme fatale, and Mitchum is her doctor and then lover. They bump off Claude Rains playing her husband. Then our desperate lovers lam off for Mexico (where else do killers go?) to avoid the police dragnet trying to catch them. I saw shades of Robert Mitchum's classic Out of the Past in this movie, especially with the femme fatale roles. While our lovers wait to get across the border into Mexico, Mitchum begins to see what a nut job he has gotten involved with, but it's almost too late. I'm not sure why but he always seems to get hooked up with these batty women. Mitchum's concussion & subsequent paralysis, among other things, is a bit much to swallow, but the acting is raw and well-done. John Farrow who directed Where Danger Lives is actress Mia Farrow's father who has had her share of life problems. Where Danger Lives is a terrific film noir that I intend to watch again soon I hope.

Tuesday's Overlooked Films: Trapped Starring Lloyd Bridges

This 1949 nifty crime noir stars Lloyd Bridges, Barbara Payton, and John Hoyt. Bridges, who later played the humorous, crusty character of Izzy Mandelbaum on the TV sitcom Seinfeld, is first rate as a counterfeiter who is doing time. He was also the father of actors Beau Bridges and Jeff Bridges (Academy Award for the Best Actor in the 2009 film Crazy Heart which I saw and liked). Anyway, the Feds release Lloyd Bridges but keep him on a short leash to track down the source of the phony bills that are flooding L.A. Of course the shifty Bridges is only willing to go along with the Feds' deal if it benefits him. Bridges always seems to be playing his movie roles with a slight tongue-in-cheek casualness which I enjoy. It's interesting to see the trolley cars running in L.A. I wonder if the steel tracks are still there like I see them on the Washington, D.C streets. Don't be put off by the voice-over sounding like a documentary film about the U.S. Treasury Dept. at the start of the movie. I guess the documentary style was big at the time because I've seen other films produced the same way. Barbara Payton who plays Bridges' gorgeous love interest led such a tragic personal life, but here she is quite cool-headed and competent. A solidly acted movie, Trapped is also a short one.

Tuesday's Forgotten Movies: Mysteries & Scandals: Raymond Chandler

This blog isn't really about a movie per se. But it's close enough for me to include it. Back a few years ago, I used to watch E!'s Mysteries & Scandals TV series (1998-2000) hosted by A.J. Benza ("Fame, ain't it a bitch."). Wikipedia says Benza's other claim to fame was to punch out somebody on The Howard Stern Show. At any rate, when I found an episode that had been done on Raymond Chandler, I decided to check it out while I did my daily session on the Health Rider. My hope was I'd be interested enough to forget about the boring exercise I was doing. Well, it almost worked. The program's format lasts for about 21 minutes (30 minutes if you include the commercial ads). I'd been meaning to read a Chandler biography, so I had an added incentive to watch. Benza takes us down the mean streets of Chandler's celebrated L.A., his writer successes, his marriage to Cissy, and his last forlorn drunken years lived out in La Jolla, a fancy suburb just north of San Diego (I've been to La Jolla). I already knew most of this information. Robert J. Parker who completed Chandler's unfinished ms. Poodle Springs is interviewed for a few minutes which is interesting stuff. I think Parker said Chandler just wrote the first 4 chapters. If you have a few minutes, you might want to check out this episode of Benza's series.

Tuesday's Overlooked Films: The Lady Confesses (1945)

This 1945 crime noir was directed by Sam Newfield who has been called "the most prolific director of the sound era." The movie production company PRC Pictures was his baby and one of the so-called Poverty Row outfits. Most of his films were low budget quickies of which this was one. However, I found it entertaining enough as a traditional whodunit murder mystery. Hugh Beaumont and Mary Beth Hughes are engaged to be married when Beaumont's estranged wife shows up after a puzzling seven-year absence. Soon a sleazy night club owner and square-jawed homicide captain get involved with the murder plot. The dialogue is a bit stilted, but Hughes does a decent job as an amateur detective. Of course, Beaumont went on to star as Beaver's father on the popular TV series. There are three songs. Not a bad film or way to spend a little over an hour. IMDb.com gives it a 6.2 rating.

Tuesday's Overlooked Films: Plunder Road

Plunder Road is a nifty 1957 crime film noir directed by Hubert Cornfield and starring Gene Raymond, Elisha Cooke, and Wayne Morris. Jeanne Cooper who played Katherine Chancellor on the long-running CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless is the romance interest. Five men pull a brazen train heist in a rainstorm and make off with a shipment of gold from the U.S. Mint. The fun is first watching them steal the gold shipment and then see if they get away with it. Well, we all know crime doesn't pay. The gang splits up into three teams, each hauling a part of the plunder in a different type truck, all of them bound for L.A. They have done their homework, and everything goes according to plan. Well, almost everything. The train heist reminds me of one of Richard Stark's Parker's theft jobs. The cast is solid, everybody playing it straight and nothing over the top. Elisha Cooke is good as he always is. TRIVIA: One of the robbers (Stafford Repp) played Police Chief O'Hara on the old Batman TV series. I kept thinking he looked awfully familiar to me. Also, the L.A. smog officer doing his duty in 1957 is interesting to see. There are a couple of surprising twists at the end I got a kick out of. IMDb rates Plunder Road with a 6.9 which I think is a bit too low. This is a taut, snappy crime movie I'd probably watch again if I ever find the time.