Caftan Woman's number one movie rule:
"All film noir are crime drama, but not all crime drama are film noir."
The French have a word for it. Not only does "noir" perfectly evoke the fatalistic driven plots and dense cinematography of Hollywood crime pictures of World War 2 and post-War era, but it is so much fun to say. Everybody, on three, 1 - 2 - 3, "nwarh".
A movie gets my noir seal of approval if it gives me an emotional kick in the gut and sustains that mood. Many scholars and fans have a checklist of expectations to define film noir. Topping many such lists is the femme-fatale who drags our "hero" into the depths of despair and tragedy. Aw, poor baby. Did the strong, sexy woman scare the little man?
Film noir is not only populated by obsessive cops, vengeful crooks, and stubborn private eyes. Some stories focus on the keeper of the house, she of the starched apron. Every lifestyle has its pros and cons, and the mid-century housewife was equally the object of envy and scorn. Many senior citizens of my acquaintance look back at that time as a golden one when the kids were young and the hubby still had all his hair. However, the makers of crime pictures told their stories from the angle of lives lived in quiet desperation.
Without Honor (1949)
We meet Jane Bandle (Laraine Day) in her sun-filled kitchen tending to shish kebob skewers for the evening's repast. Dennis Williams (Franchot Tone) furtively enters the home and anxiously confronts Jane with the news that a detective has been nosing around and they have been found out. Jane is so relieved about no longer having to hide her love that she doesn't initially comprehend her lover's anxiety and references to his impressionable teenage daughters. When it finally dawns on Jane that her disloyalty has been for naught, she becomes hysterical and attempts harakiri with a kebob blade. Dennis is at least gentleman enough to struggle with Jane and is himself stabbed.
It is a shocking situation to find oneself with blood on her hands and a body in the laundry room. It is in shock that Jane changes into a demure frock and calls a cab to get her away from the house. Honourably, she does intend to go to the police station, but her ill-formed plans are scuttled by the arrival of her brother-in-law Bill (Dane Clark). No love is lost between these two, although Bill's dislike has crossed the border into pathological land. Not only has Bill hired the detective who discovered Jane's affair, but he has also arranged for all interested parties to convene at the house for a grand showdown where his brother will be freed from Jane's clutches.
Laraine Day, Agnes Moorehead
Mrs. Williams (Agnes Moorehead) is sympathetic and noble, playing by her own rules and not willing to play Bill's game. Jane's husband Fred (Bruce Bennett) is more easily manipulated as the revelation of his wife's betrayal is a surprise to him. As we know, Jane has a further surprise of her own to share before the day comes to an emotional end.
Without Honor was directed by actor/director Irving Pichel (Quicksand, They Won't Believe Me) from a succinct script by James Poe (Lilies of the Field, Last Train from Gun Hill) which is able to make some telling comments about relationships. The main flaws in the film are the cheapness of the production and, unfortunately, Max Steiner's exclamation point filled score which undermines the subtler aspects of the performances. In another incarnation Without Honor might have been the best-remembered episode of an anthology series, but as a motion picture, it misses the mark.
Cause for Alarm! (1951)
Ellen Jones (Loretta Young) lives a lonely life caring for her invalid husband George (Barry Sullivan). On the day we meet her Ellen is so weary that even her housework fails to give her pleasure, but she brushes aside such selfish thoughts. After all, George is bedridden with a heart condition and needs her to be cheerful. In a flashback, she recalls meeting the devil-may-care pilot during the war when they shared a picnic of potato salad and ration cards and dreamed of a future together. Ellen will soon come to realize that George has planned a very different future not only for her but for their family physician and best friend Dr. Graham (Bruce Cowling). George imagines the two are having an affair and mean to do away with him. So strong is George's delusion that he has, that very day, had Ellen mail a letter to the district attorney outlining the plot. George plans to shoot Ellen and use a self-defense claim to trap Dr. Graham. George has issues! George also has that heart problem and dies with a pistol pointed at his shocked wife.
A dead husband with a bum ticker is one thing. A dead husband and an incriminating letter on its way to the DA's office is quite another. One misconception people have about those who work at home is that their time is their own. Not true. Unwanted phone calls and unexpected visitors annoyingly fill the hours. In the case of a woman facing a murder frame, these interruptions are alarming.
On this day of all days, Ellen must cope with the little neighbourhood Hopalong Cassidy fan (Brad Morrow), George's overly solicitous aunt (Margalo Gilmore), and a suspicious neighbour (Georgia Backus). Above all, she must find a way around the loquacious and officious mailman (Irving Bacon) and his bureaucratic superior (Art Baker). How would you deal with these stresses? Exactly. Ellen does no better than you or I might. She does not suddenly become a cool and collected mastermind. Her desperation and fear simmer just below the surface boiling over to hysteria before something commonplace upsets George's plan.
Directed by Tay Garnett (The Valley of Decision, Bataan) from a story by Larry Marcus (Dark City, The Bigamist), Cause for Alarm! is a tense story nicely paced with fine juxtaposition between the terror of the situation and the everyday setting. The use of intermittent narration does not mar the story, but neither does it add anything to the presentation.
Cause for Alarm! is a must-see for the next wedding shower you are asked to organize.
Crime of Passion (1957)
Kathy Ferguson (Barbara Stanwyck) is a successful advice columnist for a San Francisco newspaper. Assigned by her dismissive editor (Jay Adler) to work up the "woman's angle" on a murder case, Kathy causes a sensation with her article and gains a career opportunity with a New York paper. The case also introduced Kathy to L.A. detective William Doyle (Sterling Hayden). Kathy is an ambitious career woman who considers marriage a life sentence, but when she's wrapped up in Bill's strong arms she dreams only of being the "little woman".
The wifely idyll is not enough for Kathy who is a total fish out of water. The card parties with their circle of friends, other cops and their wives, drive Kathy to distraction. She cannot cope with the insipid gossip of the females and their constant fawning over the captain's wife, Sara (Virginia Grey). She is not welcomed as one of the boys where they sit in court to Captain Alidas (Royal Dano). When the captain takes credit for a work coup pulled off by her Bill, Kathy has had enough. All of her thwarted ambition goes into improving Bill's position. Never mind that the easy-going detective has no dreams of professional glory, only of making a home with his girl.
The next step up from Bill and Kathy's circle is that of the superintendent, Inspector Tony Pope (Raymond Burr) and his wife Alice (Fay Wray). Kathy maneuvers her way into that set, cutting Sara out by becoming Alice's new friend. However, Kathy has more in common with Tony. They recognize in each other a drive that sets them apart. Quickly Bill becomes attached to the Inspector's office with duties that frequently take him out of town. Kathy also manufactures an incident which disgraces Captain Alidos and sends him into exile.
At this point, Kathy and Tony could be said to be having an affair of the mind. He shares his most interesting cases and she casually has liquor on hand for the not unexpected visits when Bill is away. When Tony confides his imminent retirement to care for an increasingly ill Alice and ponders his replacement Kathy moves in for the kill. Her Bill must have that promotion and Tony's promise is implicit in the night they spend together.
At this point, Kathy and Tony could be said to be having an affair of the mind. He shares his most interesting cases and she casually has liquor on hand for the not unexpected visits when Bill is away. When Tony confides his imminent retirement to care for an increasingly ill Alice and ponders his replacement Kathy moves in for the kill. Her Bill must have that promotion and Tony's promise is implicit in the night they spend together.
In the cold light of day, Tony decides Captain Alidos is the right man for the job, not Bill, and Kathy should cash in her chips while she is ahead of the game. Foolish man. Hell hath no fury like Stanwyck scorned. Opportune access to a gun used in a crime and bound for the property room seals Tony's fate. After the body is discovered Bill phones Kathy to ask her to look after Alice. I am moved by the way Barbara Stanwyck says "Alice" as if hearing the name for the first time and suddenly realizing the world of pain she has given to a friend. Kathy has also proven to everyone the worth of her detective husband as he doggedly tracks the evidence to his own doorstep.
Crime of Passion was directed by Gerd Oswald (A Kiss Before Dying, Screaming Mimi) and written by newsman Jo Eisenger (Gilda, Night and the City). Kathy may be an extreme example of stifled ability and misdirected energy, but Eisenger makes a strong case for madness from the mundane.
The next time you watch His Girl Friday imagine that this could have been Hildy if Walter hadn't kept her from marrying Bruce.
The next time you watch His Girl Friday imagine that this could have been Hildy if Walter hadn't kept her from marrying Bruce.
Nice photograph of our stars of Crime of Passion holding their 1961 Emmy Awards for The Barbara Stanwyck Show and Perry Mason.
