Gary Dennis’ New York City Movie Place

This is THE text book film noir. It is the standard by which all others were made and measured up to. I know that this is a bold statement and borderline crazy but all “film noirs” leading up to this picture are funneled into this picture. The femme fatal in the extreme and the noir hero (in a classical hero sense) who did something wrong once. It was a one of the top ten Movie Place favorites and was used in every film class at Columbia University since biblical times. You would think that since they are buying everything else in the area they could have sprung for their own copy. I did.

Robert Mitchum proving yet again that he can carry a picture effortlessly and do the kind of “noir voice over narration with the same ability as Fred Mac Murray in Double Indemnity, this is a one of a kind picture. Robert Mitchum stars as a former private detective who has gone into hiding with a different name and a career different than the one left behind in New York. Hired by New York based gangster Whit Sterling (Kirk Douglas) to find the woman who shot at him five times (and made one of them count) and stole 40,000 dollars our hero ultimately finds the woman but he falls in love with her. Oops, the tragic flaw, which can be dangerous.

The woman, Cathy, played beautifully by Jane Greer is a scorpion in sheep’s clothing. Beautiful yet extremely dangerous. “Then one day she drifted in out of the sun and I knew why Whit wanted her back” is the line that introduces us to her. After much time spent together she asks “when are you taking me back”. After not really answering the question Cathy pleads her case. “I’m not sorry I shot him but I didn’t take the money, you believe me don’t you?” to which Mitchum replies the famous “Baby, I don’t care”. The two run off together and go into hiding. Unfortunately they are found by Mitchum’s former partner. After a viscous fist fight some one is dead on the floor and a certain woman has disappeared into the night.

Mitchum has gone into hiding under a different name in a small town in California where he owns a gas station. He is also involved with a local woman whom he plans to marry. Everything seems okay until someone out of his past breezes through town and recognizes him. Forced to confront his past and quite possibly Cathy, Mitchum agrees to drive to Lake Tahoe (were Whit has relocated) and close all unfinished business so he can move on. That is all I am going to say about the plot. I do not want to give anything away.

The performances are all top notch. Jane Greer is Lauren Bacall hot in this role as the femme fatal. Kirk Douglas is subtly evil. Paul Valentine as Whit’s sidekick Joe is smarmy and as real as one could get with the role of a sidekick. Same goes for Steve Brodie who plays Mitchum’s sidekick/partner Jack. For me the stand out of the supporting cast is Dickie Moore. Some of us remember Dickie Moore for his stint as an Our Gang (Little Rascals) member. Mr. Moore appeared in many films over the years and I believe that he also gave Shirley Temple her first screen kiss. He plays “the Kid”, Mitchum’s gas station assistant who is deaf and mute but can read lips. Fortunately for Mitchum they can both use sign language as well.

The script is top notch as well. Written by the same people that wrote The Big Steal, both pictures have dialogue that exhibits the same spark of originality and humor although both pictures are very different.

This film is safe for the kids; there is no need to explain what the windows blowing open and the music swelling after a kiss in which the kissers disappear mean. I called it “noir sexual innuendo”. It is a great introduction to “film noir” as well as being an all around great picture.

Saturday December19 ^th at 6:00 AM on Turner Classic Movies

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 17th, 2009 at 5:13 pm and is filed under Set Your Recorders, Mitchum, Film Noir, Romance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.