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Fallen Angel

A 1945 movie from 20th Century Fox that was directed by Otto Preminger. It's based on the novel Fallen Angel by Marty Holland.

Eric Stanton (played by Dana Andrews) is a swindler on a losing streak. Unable to pay the rest of his bus ticket to San Francisco, he's dropped off at the small town of Walton, CA. He ends up in a cafe, mulling on what he's gonna do next. While there, he notices Stella (played by Linda Darnell), a beautiful waitress, and goes gaga for her.

After pulling a small con and despite being invited to continue the scam in another town, Eric decides to stay cuz he's THAT gone for Stella. After starting to date her, he realizes that he's gonna need a lot of dough.

AT THE SAME TIME, he meets Clara (played by Anne Revere) and June (played by Alice Faye), two sisters who are v. wealthy. A plan begins to form . . .

Everyone's acting is on the level. Linda Darnell was LUMINOUS. I loved her every second she was on the screen. The story is pretty interesting and the directing is fine.

Fun fact: this was a reunion of sorts between Otto Preminger and Dana Andrews as they'd both worked together in 1941's Laura.

Do I have any criticisms?

Oh, do I!

The first thing is that pacing is a little off. For a movie that's an hour and 37 mins, the first 25 or so minutes are tedious. There were a few moments when I got close to quit watching. Though, thankfully, the movie made a fascianting turn at the 30-min mark and I was IN.

Also I was unable to warm up to June. Alice Faye did as good of a job as she could with such a wishy-washy role.

Which is related to a BIG SPOILER

Eric and June eventually get married and it's a v. strange relationship. He does woo her in a v. specific way that's also playful. It contrasts nicely with how lustful and turbulent his relationship with Stella is. And yet, after Eric and June get married, he resents having to go thru with his plan. As a result he takes it out on June. He becomes distant and brusque with her both in private AND public.

All this time, June is going alone with the mistreatment. She doesn't push back in any way. As a matter of fact, the one (1) time she yells at him is to let him know that she's his ride or die and she doesn't care who knows it. Her one goal in life now that she's his wife is to stick with him no matter what and no matter whatever it takes to protect him.

AND SHE'S DOING THIS FOR NO REASON OTHER THAN BEING IN LOVE WITH HIM!

Watching her become a doormat was irritating, NGL. It's clear that she's got a gentle personality from the moment they meet, but seeing her go all out for this guy was O__o. Even worse is that her yelling at him abt how much she loves him is what makes HIM realize that maybe June is a good person to be married to?!

I'd like to think that, in June's interior world, she was flattered that Eric married her. It was also a little unclear as to how much June wanted to gain some kind of independence from her older sister (they do care for each other, btw), IDK.

FWIW, I really didn't like June and Eric together.

Adding to that, I was never sure WHAT KIND OF CHARACTER Eric was? Not a good guy, not a villain, not an antihero . . . and yet, as the credits roll, he's REDEEMED by a woman's love because said woman never gave up on him or something. Especially given how poorly he treated her after they got married. 🤢

And that's what got me to lower the ranking by two full points. *Hands*

Do I recommend it?

I do? With the caveat that you HAVE to sit thru a full 30 mins for the movie to really kick in. OTOH, I'm SO at odds with this movie, NGL. On paper, it had a lot going for it: Otto Preminger in the director's chair, good actors like Linda Darnell and Dana Andrews, etc and yet, things never quite gelled this time around!

OTOH, it's not a trash movie. To me it's a C-level noir in my heart of hearts. Per what I know, you can find it streaming somewhere. I'm giving it a 2 out of 5.

Queerness level:

A whole lotta nothin'

Sleep, My Love

A 1948 film from Triangle Productions that was directed by Douglas Sirk. It's based on a novel by Leo Rosten.

Allison (played by Claudette Colrbet) wakes up in a train headed to Boston. Her confusion turns into panic. Last night, she'd gone to bed in her home in NYC. Now she's going somewhere with no idea how she got on the train or WHY her husband's gun is in her possession.

At the same time, her husband Richard (played by Don Ameche) has called the police to report Allison missing. But, just before the investigation gets going, she calls Richard from the train station. He sends her a plane ticket for her to return home . . .

I'm gonna be vague in order to keep the mystery of the plot under wraps.

FWIW, I'm not super familiar with Colbert's work outside of It Happened One Night, so my impression of her when I started watching this movie was v. incomplete. Like the rest of the cast, she does a decent job in her role as a devoted wife of a rich architect. To my utter lack of shock, I liked Robert Cummings as Bruce, a friend of a friend of Allison's. He rocks it in his role.

A special shoutout goes to Hazel Brooks as Daphne. First of all, she's gorgeous. Secondly, her voice is surprisingly deep. And that, combined with her glamourpuss aesthetic elevates her dialogue to a deliciously campy level. EVERY LINE SHE SAYS has this undercurrent of vampiness that I LOVED. I do wished the movie had been from her point of view cuz she was a lot of a lot.

This next thing is something that really surprised me abt the movie. Because there was a moment where Bruce and Allison go to Bruce's brother's wedding. His brother, Jimmie (played by Keye Luke) is Chinese American. The wedding is fully Chinese. As far as I could tell, I didn't see anyone in yellowface. FTR, I'm not Chinese, so take my lack of squickiness because I didn't pick up on any blatant or oblique racism against Chinese folks with a tiny grain of salt.

Douglas Sirk and Joseph A. Valentine, his cinematographer, KNEW what kind of movie they wanted to shoot. The majority of the film takes place in Allison and Richard's 3-story brownstone that has a gorgeous terrace. Throughout the movie, there's excellent use of SPACE. Frex, there were scenes where characters would be looking for someone who happened to be hiding up on the 3rd floor. Also some scenes of ppl going up and down the stairs that truly worked. There's a good sense of how tall and expansive the home is (which includes a conservatory.)

The story is okay. It's watchable.

Do I have any criticisms?

I have 3, but two of them are SPOILERS.

Again, keep in mind that I'm gonna spoil HUGE THINGS abt this film

SPOILER 1

By the end of the first 10 minutes, it was super clear that the main plot was one of intense gaslighting. NGL, that made me lose some interest in the movie a little.

SPOILER 2

The potential romance between Allison and Bruce was poorly handled.

OK, so iMO, Allison did love her husband, but it was more of the kind of love someone has for a friend. However, she'd only known Bruce for abt a week. And yet they not only had excellent chemistry but, whenever they talked, Allison would GLOW. She'd come alive regardless of the conversation topic. It legit didn't matter if it was the weather, food, his friends, etc cuz it was their INTERACTIONS that livens her up.

OFC, since she's married, though, the movie gets as close to the edge of the line that she'd have to cross into infidelity as it can get. By the end, Allison and Bruce as holding each other and it's super clear that they'll be together, but they had so much sparkage that it drove me nuts that they never kissed.

END OF SPOILERS

The third one has to do with Det. Sgt. Strake (played by Raymond Burr). As soon as he showed up, I perked the F up because he's one of my faves. Unfortch, he's deffo a background character who only pops in two scenes. :|

Do I recommend it?

I do . . . if you have an hour and a half ot kill? Some of the romantic aspects are much subtler than I'd generally liked and the mood was a bit uneven. It's online. I give it a 2.4 out of 5.

Queerness level

Zip.

Apology for Murder

A 1945 movie from Sigmund Neufeld Productions that was directed by Sam Newfield. Based on Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler's script for Double Indemnity AND the James M. Cain novel of the same name.

Kenny (played by Hugh Beaumont) is a hot shot journalist who tries to land a surprise interview with businessman Harvey (played by Russell Hicks). He's brushed off but, while trying to interview Harvey, Kenny meets Toni (played by Ann Savage), Harvey's wife.

They have a type of ~connection.

Soon enough, they start having an affair. One night, Toni brings up how beneficial it'd be to get rid of her husband . . .

If the story sounds VAGUELY FAMILIAR, it's cuz this is a v. condensed version of Double Indemnity. Only, like, at a lower budget. This movie is abt an hour and 4 mins long.

A generous way to think of this movie is as an hourlong episode of a TV anthology show. Comparing it to the original movie is deeply unfair.

Do I have any criticisms?

Because of its length, it jumps over a lot of the actual!plot. Frex, Kenny and Toni's affair happens super fast. There's no time for anything to develop.

Do I recommend it?

Yeah. It might be a movie that's not amazing, but it's also a blatant rip-off of a much better movie. AFAIK, it's available on Amazon Prime Video, but I'm also sure anyone can find it elsewhere online. I'm giving it a 2.7 out of 5.

Queerness level:

Nonexistent.

Dead Reckoning

A 1947 movie from Columbia Pictures. Directed by John Cromwell. Script was by Stve Fisher and Oliver H.P. Garret from a story by Gerald Drayson Adams and Sidney Bidell.

Captain Warren "Rip" Murdock (played by Humphrey Bogart) and his bestie Sergeant Johnny Drake (played by William Prince) are enroute to Washington, D.C. from Paris under some mystery orders. Soon enough, though, they find out that Johnny will be awarded the Medal of Honor while Murdock will get the Distinguished Service Cross. Murdock is elated while Johnny is not quite vibing with all of that.

When their train makes a stop, Johnny uses the opportunity to run away. Murdock tells the army that he's gonna go after his BFF and bring him back. He decides to head on over to Gulf City, Johnny's hometown, and ends up getting a message from Johnny that they gotta talk. But Johnny never contacts him again . . .

Released a whole year after the triumph that was The Big Sleep, this is a pretty solid B-movie.

OFC, Bogart is THE star: he brings a realistic combination of world-weariness and hope for a better future that, combined with the superb dialogue, makes the film snap and crackle with energy. Most of the cast is really good as well.

The plot is convoluted enough to make it interesting w/o becoming too labyrinthine.

Do I have any criticisms?

Even though I think she's a good actress in most things, I couldn't quite rally behind Lizabeth Scott as Coral Chandler. Thing is, I'm not sure even Scott knew HOW to play her character. And so she was both femme fatale and heroine without making up her mind. Which makes me think that the role would've been a much better fit for someone else.

Interestingly enough, this seems to be the general sentiment as folks (even going back to 1947) felt, at best, lukewarm with her performance. *Hands*

Do I recommend it?

I do! Again, it's no The Big Sleep and Lizabeth Scott is no Lauren Baccall, but I was entertained. This movie is available for streaming on YouTube for FREE NINETY-NINE for the month of November IF you've got YT Premium, you'll be able to watch it w/o ads. I give it a 3.5 out of 5.

Queerness level:

There's a v. OJO line that Murdock tells another character abt his bond with Johnny that falls along the line of "he's the person I've loved the most."

Now, I wouldn't go as far as to say that the slash vibes are strong, BUT Murdock's devotion (in a manner of speaking) to Johnny does ring a little queer. IDK.

Le trailer

Watch on YouTube

Johnny O'Clock

A 1947 movie from J.E.M. Productions directed by Robert Rossen.

Johnny O'Clock (played by Dick Powell) co-runs a casino alongside Guido Marchettis (S.Thomas Gomez). He's a guy who knows all the angles, moves, scams, and whatnot. Harriet (played by Nina Foch), a hat-check girl, is someone Johnny's friendly with. She happens to be in a volatile relationship with crooked cop!Chuck Blayden (played by Jim Bannon).

Things get v. complicated when Blayden disappears and Harriet is found dead.

AND THEN, Nancy (played by Evelyn Keyes), Harriet's sister, shows up wanting answers. Not to mention the dangerous mess that is Nell (played by Ellen Drew), Guido's wife, who won't let Johnny go.

ON TOP OF ALL THAT, there's a cop named Koch (played by Lee J. Cobb) who keeps clashing with Johnny. (Personally, I got the feeling he was envious or jealous of him? #Unsure)

This is a CHAOTIC story, hahah. Everyone's acting is on deck. Dick Powell is someone who I first met in musicals, so it wasn't until much later that I discovered his noir movies. In this case, he plays the part really well. The film has extremely snappy dialogue, the kind that calls attention to itself. The artificiality of it all actually works; EVERYONE has at least two lines that are ridic witty.

It's a v. interesting noir.

Do I have any criticisms?

The story's kinda convoluted. There's the mystery of Harriet's death, the disappearance of the crooked cop, the mobster's wife who is obsessed with Johnny, and the viewer is never quite sure WHAT KIND OF CHARACTER Johnny actually is. OTOH, he's not a villain, but he's not an anti-hero either.

There's a scene where another character calls him out for being the type of person who not only will never pick a side, but who is also deeply selfish. And Johnny shrugs that character off. I do agree with that character's assessment of Johnny cuz, FWIW, you're never quite sure of his motivations. Even after finding out abt his background and how he ended up as a casino co-owner.

Finally, Powell has some chemistry with Evelyn Kayes (who I know as the wife in The Seven Year Itch movie with Marilyn Monroe.) But it's not strong enough.

Do I recommend it?

Sure. I had a good time watching it despite the jumbled plot and my ??? abt Johnny and Koch's motivations. I think you can watch it on Tubi (plus additional copies floating on YouTube.) Gonna give it a 2.9 out of 5

Queerness level:

None.

Le trailer

Watch on YouTube