In A Lonely Place - 1950
Cats: Set Your Recorders, Romance, Drama, Bogart|
” . . . I lived while she loved me . . ” is one of the lines our screen writer hero comes up with for a script he is writing. It also mirrors his relationship with his mysterious next door neighbor. It also might mirror the director’s relationship with his wife.
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This was called one of the best films that Mr. Bogart made when it was released in 1950. I most definetly agree with that assesment. Not only is Mr. Bogart’s performance one of the most tragic of his career but the supporting cast, script and directing is top notch. Director Nicholas Ray, who would later go on to direct such films as Rebel Without A Cause and King Of Kings not only got the great performances out of his cast but also contributed to the script with scenes and dialogue that mirrored his own crumbling marriage.
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The film was produced by Santana Productions which was Mr. Bogart’s company (Santana was Mr. Bogart’s beloved sailboat). After the war, a number of actors and directors set up their own production companies as their long term contracts with the studios expired. At the same time the studios were losing their exhibition arm with the anti-trust suit that forced them to divest their theaters. This was the begining of the end of the glory days of the studios.
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Although the film was called one of the best film’s of Mr. Bogart’s career, it was also one of the best films about Hollywood made up to that point. Later that year we would have Sunst Boulevard hitting the screens and the following year we would have The Bad And The Beautiful. And even though it was originally made in 1937, the 1954 Star Is Born is a harsh criticism of how Hollywood chews people up and spits them out. Maybe with the studios losing power and actors and directors becoming producers films such as In a Lonely Place paved the way for the “indictment of Hollywood” type of movie, movies about movies.
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The film stars Humphrey Bogart as Dixon Steele (nothing is lost with that name choice) a screen writer with a 3 big problems. One is that he has to write a script for a book that he feels is trash and has not even read; to solve this problem he gets the coat check girl from his favorite Hollywood hangout type restaurant to go home with him and tell him the story since she has just read the book. The second problem he has is his hair-trigger temper. Dixon Steele gets into a fight from his with another driver before the credits are over. The third problem is the biggest for Dixon Steele. The coat check girl is found murdered after she left Dix Steele’s apartment.
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Dix is the prime suspect. The lead investigator is an old army buddy (Frank Lovejoy in a restrained , non hambone performance) who has some doubt to Dix’s innocence. His only alibi is his across the courtyard neighbor, the beautiful Laurel played the beautiful Gloria Grahame.
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Laurel and Dix begin a relationship. She becomes his muse as the pages start coming fast out of his typewriter. Dix seems happier. His agent is thrilled with Dix’s output but Laurel begins to have her doubts not only to Dix’s innocence but to his sanity. How dangerous is he? What we see is a relationship that could be beautiful but has to much suspicion being fed into it. They are followed by plainclothes detectives, Laurel is questioned by Frank Lovejoy and his boss behind Dix’s back. And Dix has a violent reaction to being cut off by another driver (road rage 1950 style).
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Mr. Bogart wanted to play this role very much. He would not have produced it otherwise. He also wanted his wife, Lauren Bacall to play Laurel. Ms. Bacall was, however, under contract to the Warner Brothers and would not loan her out for this picture. She would have been a marvelous choice for the role as was Gloria Grahame. Gloria Grahame was still married at the time of production to Nicholas Ray but their marriage was coming to an end. I have always wondered how much of the personal life of the director went into this picture.
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I will not say how the movie ends. I won’t indicate whether or not Dix Steele is innocent of murder or if his relationship with Laurel can survive. I will say that the trip we take with these people is very much worth our investment in the hour and half running time of the picture.
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I put this one on a couple of times a month in the store, it is that great. Watch for blues singer Hadda Brooks in a rare film appearance.Catch this one on Wednesday June 4th 2008 10:00AM on Turner Classic Movies.
