Sunday, May 15, 2022

Four Favorite Noirs: Born to Kill (1947), The Dark Corner (1946), Marlowe (1969), and Too Late for Tears (1949)

To celebrate National Classic Movie Day on May 16, Rick at Classic Film & TV Café is hosting the Four Favorite Noirs Blogathon. What a great idea! My only qualm: How am I going to pick only four!

I managed to whittle my list down, as requested, but it was tough. And I cheated a little by including a neo-noir. I decided to write about four little-known noirs because I think they deserve to be seen at least once. If you want to see them again and again, like I do, so much the better!

Born to Kill (1947), starring Claire Trevor and Lawrence Tierney

Born to Kill is a gritty look at two people who are a match made in hell. Sam Wild (Lawrence Tierney) and Helen Brent (Claire Trevor) are attracted to one another for all the wrong reasons. Both of them are turned on by violence and death, and their story doesn’t end well for either one of them (but you already know that because this film noir). Born to Kill is a perfect example of a noir that shows you what you shouldn’t be doing if you want to avoid the dreadful consequences of a life of crime—that is, in case you are toying with the idea of a life of crime! Tierney and Trevor are fantastic in their lead roles. And many of the supporting actors, some of the great character actors of film noir—Walter Slezak, Elisha Cook Jr., Esther Howard—are, too.

I watched Born to Kill on DVD, with commentary by noir expert Eddie Muller. Muller’s commentary is packed with information about the film, the director, and the actors. In fact, the commentary includes some recorded material from director Robert Wise, and Muller recounts some of his personal experiences meeting Lawrence Tierney, which adds to the fun. RKO produced Born to Kill as an A picture, a vehicle to make Tierney a leading man and star. But Tierney’s own proclivities toward violence off-screen helped sabotage that plan. If you watch Born to Kill on DVD, I highly recommend Muller’s commentary, too.

The Dark Corner (1946), starring Mark Stevens and Lucille Ball

Brad Galt: “There goes my last lead. I feel all dead inside. I’m backed up in a dark corner, and I don’t know who’s hitting me.”

The Dark Corner is one of those films I can watch again and again and never tire of it. The witty dialogue is one of the things I like best about the film. The repartee between Kathleen Stuart (Lucille Ball) and Brad Galt (Mark Stevens) is so much fun. And their on-screen chemistry works, too, which is amazing when you consider that Lucille Ball was going through a rough patch in her marriage to Desi Arnaz and that she hated working on this film. Somehow Lucille Ball and her costars make it work, and I found myself rooting for Kathleen and Brad to succeed every step of the way.

Lucille Ball is given top billing, but her costar, Mark Stevens is fourth in the list. Two great noir actors come second and third: Clifton Webb (who plays Hardy Cathcart) and William Bendix (who plays White Suit). Their performances add so much to a great film. Clifton Webb has some dry lines and observations that add an appropriately cynical touch, and he can exude menace when he needs to. William Bendix is the hired thug who knows what he’s doing—until he is outwitted, that is, by . . . well, no spoilers this time because this is a good one.

Marlowe (1969), starring James Garner and Rita Moreno

Forget about Humphrey Bogart! Forget about Dick Powell! Don’t get me wrong: I happen to like both of them as Philip Marlowe, but Marlowe has James Garner. And he gives one of the best portrayals of Philip Marlowe. Yes, he is that Philip Marlowe, Raymond Chandler’s famous detective. Another huge plus is Rita Moreno, who costars as Dolores Gonzáles. Moreno, in addition to having a well-deserved “moment” in 2022, is fantastic in Marlowe. Is Gonzáles really a good friend to Mavis Wald, or is she the femme fatale in this story? She keeps everyone, including Marlowe, guessing.

The film is adapted by Stirling Sillphant from Chandler’s novel The Little Sister. The film takes place in 1969, but the story is updated to fit the times while managing to stay true to the novel. For instance, the film opens with Marlowe driving up to a ramshackle beach hotel called The Infinite Pad. People in hippie-style clothing lounge about on the front stairs and porch. And Marlowe shows up in his suit jacket and tie, trying to find the lost brother of his client, one Orfamay Quest. Philip Marlowe is a throwback to the past, a relic of pulp novels from the 1930s and 1940s, but Silliphant’s screenplay and James Garner’s portrayal make Philip Marlowe relevant still in 1969 and so much fun to watch in 2022.

Too Late for Tears (1949), starring Lizabeth Scott and Dan Duryea

In France, Too Late for Tears is called La tigresse, the perfect name for Lizabeth Scott’s character Jane Palmer. It’s the French translation of Danny Fuller’s (Dan Duryea) nickname for Jane. The minute Jane gets behind the wheel of the car at the start of the film, orders her husband Alan to get in, and drives off with a bag of stolen money thrown into their backseat, you know you are in the noir universe. Jane wants her slice of the American dream, and she doesn’t care who she has to cut out of the picture to get it. Only one man can match her scheme for scheme.

Too Late for Tears holds a special place in my heart because I could swear that I saw it as a child on television. It was Don DeFore who made me wonder. If you are used to seeing him in the television sitcom Hazel or other film comedies, you’re in for a real treat. His performance as Don Blake is certainly memorable. And that’s quite an achievement in a film with two noir greats in Lizabeth Scott and Dan Duryea.

This article about Born to Kill, The Dark Corner, Marlowe, and Too Late for Tears is my entry for the Four Favorite Noirs Blogathon, which is presented by Rick at Classic Film & TV Café to celebrate National Classic Movie Day on May 16. Click here for the complete list of blogathon participants and links to their blogs. The list will be updated throughout the day.

14 comments:

  1. Great picks! I'm glad to see Born to Kill and Too Late for Tears, two noirs that I absolutely love. And I love that The Dark Corner is on your list -- it doesn't get enough love, and it has one of my favorite all-time posters. I will have to check out Marlowe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Karen! I hope you like Marlowe. I've seen it several times and I think it's great. If you do see it, watch for Bruce Lee!

      Delete
  2. Ah, I always think of "Hazel: too when I see Don DeFore! What wonderful choices. I included "Too Late for Tears," too - and I see it's turning up on a lot or entries. And what's not to like? I just love the idea of driving around and a bad full of money falls in your back seat. That never happens to me! Love "The Dark Corner," too - one I can rewatch again and again. Your post is top notch.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha, ha! I've never found a bag of money in my backseat either! But perhaps I should be careful what I wish for and take Too Late for Tears as a cautionary tale. Thanks so much for stopping by.

      Delete
  3. I'm delighted to see Marlowe included among your picks! Dick Powell's portrayal of Chandler's private eye is my favorite, but I do like James Garner's take on the role. He has the perfect sense of ironic humor to pull it off. I love the scenes between Marlowe and Bruce Lee as a henchman (it's hilarious when Lee demolishes Marlowe's office). It's a shame they didn't adapt more of Chandler's novels--it'd be great to see a definitive version of The Lady in the Lake.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rick, both comments eventually showed up, but here's the first one. It's really hard to pick favorites when it comes to Dick Powell, James Garner, and other noir stars. It's like trying to decide between chocolate chip cookies and chocolate chip ice cream! I want to read The Lady in the Lake. I'm starting a "Summer of Raymond Chandler" reading blitz. Some stories and novels will be rereads, but I know it will fun.

      And thanks for hosting!

      Delete
  4. This is a great assortment of films. Thanks for sharing them. I remember being pleasantly surprised by Marlowe to get a chance to see James Garner and Rita Moreno together before the days of Rockford Files.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. James Garner and Rita Moreno are great in Marlowe. It's easy to forget, in fact, that Carroll O'Connor, Jackie Coogan, and Bruce Lee turn in great performances in their supporting roles.

      Delete
  5. Excellent post. I've heard great things about Born to Kill and The Dark Corner but haven't yet seen them. Too Late for Tears and Marlowe are new titles I will be looking out for. Thank you for the reminder and the recommendations!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I hope you enjoy the films as much I did.

      Delete
  6. Born to Kill has interested me for a while, mostly because I like Claire Trevor and Elisha Cook Jr. a lot. And I REEEEEEALLY want to see Marlowe because I adore Philip Marlowe and very much like James Garner. Not sure why I haven't watched it yet. Bumping it up my wish list...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. James Garner is a favorite of mine, too. He has such an amiable screen presence, but he can turn menacing, too. He's really good in another neo-noir Twilight (1998), starring Paul Newman, Stockard Channing, Susan Sarandon, Gene Hackman, among others.

      Delete
  7. Great list! I'm really glad you picked "The Dark Corner." This movie doesn't get nearly enough attention, and it's really cool seeing Lucille Ball before she was Lucy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I actually like Lucy better before she was Lucy. I always enjoy the television show, but that was before I saw her in film noir.

      Delete