ALFRED HITCHCOCK BLOGATHON: Alfred Hitchcock Presents Banquo's Chair, 1959

Good evening. Our friend Maddy Loves Her Classic Films is hosting her 4th Alfred Hitchcock Blogathon on August 8th and 9th, 2020. Click HERE and dive in! 

The 1950s and 1960s were a Golden Age for television anthology series. Outstanding in the field was Alfred Hitchcock Presents which began on CBS in 1955 and concluded its run on NBC as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour in 1965.

Gounod's Funeral March of a Marionette and a lugubrious "Good Evening" from our host, Alfred Hitchcock, ushered the audience into surprising stories by clever writers and directors with interesting casts. Our host was featured in funny and punny introductions to imply that he enjoyed the evening's entertainment as much as the audience.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents was the recipient of several awards and nominations from the Golden Globes, the Primetime Emmy Awards, the Directors Guild of America, the Edgar Allan Poe Awards and the Writers Guild of America.

Rupert Croft-Cooke's 1930 one-act play Banquo's Chair had been adapted for the radio program Suspense and aired first on June 1, 1943, with a cast which included Donald Crisp and John Loder (Sabotage).

BANQUO'S CHAIR, 1959

Season 4, Episode 29

Aired May 3, 1959

Written by Francis M. Cockrell, Banquo's Chair was the final of 18 episodes Cockrell contributed to the series. Other television credits include Perry Mason, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, and Batman. Among his films, you will find Dark Waters, Rhubarb, and Inferno.

Our host, Alfred Hitchcock, the acclaimed director of 58 feature films directed this episode, one of 17 he directed from 1955 to 1961.

The Cast

John Williams as Inspector Brent, retired Scotland Yard

Kenneth Haigh as John Bedford, a one-time murder suspect comes to dinner

Reginald Gardiner as Major Cook-Finch, dinner host

Max Adrian as Robert Stone, actor and dinner guest

Hilda Plowright as Mae Thorpe, an actress with a character to play

Tom Dillon as Sergeant Balton, back-up

George Pelling as Lane, competent butler

Alfred Hitchcock

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen and welcome to darkest Hollywood. Night brings a stillness to the jungle. It is so quiet, you can hear a name drop, but the savage beasts have already begun gathering at the waterholes to quench their thirst. Now, one should be especially alert. The vicious tablehopper is on the prowl and the spotted backbiter may lurk behind a potted palm. In order to reach the scene of tonight's story, our little safari must now move inexorably and incomprehensively from smoggy Hollywood to foggy London. Fortunately, we make the side trip through the pure, exhilarating air of commercial television."

Reginald Gardiner, Max Adrian, John Williams

Retired Scotland Yard Inspector Brent has invited himself to dinner at the home of Major Cook-Finch. Two years ago this very night in 1901 the home the Major was able to purchase on the cheap was the site of a grizzly murder. The elderly Miss Ferguson was strangled, as was her Pekinese. The main suspect, her nephew and sole heir John Bedford had an unbreakable alibi. Now, Mr. Brent has a plan to solve the one unsolved case on his record.

Kenneth Haigh, John Williams, Reginald Gardiner, Max Adrian

Along with Bedford, the actor Robert Stone will be one of this select group of diners. Mr. Brent makes arrangements with the household staff as to the serving of the meal and the control of the gaslight. A local police sergeant is on hand. An actress named Mae Thorpe is made up to resemble Miss Ferguson. A barking dog is also part of the plan. It is a very theatrical dinner that the former Inspector Brent has arranged this evening.

Max Adrian, Kenneth Haigh, John Williams, Reginald Gardiner

Time passes pleasantly with talk of the Inspector's retirement, and the Major's recent travails which led to a broken arm. Robert Stone, the professional actor at the table fulfills his role magnificently with comments and jokes on the state of the theatre, its playwrights, its critics, and its audiences.

 

Kenneth Haigh

It is a stormy night and the front door is blown open and, per the Inspector's instructions, the gaslight dims. Bedford becomes strangely silent and moody. He has been situated to see "Miss Ferguson" in the next room silently accusing her murderer. As the rest of the party carries on oblivious to the wraith, Bedford is driven to the point of divulging his guilt.

John Williams, Hilda Plowright

The sergeant arrests John Bedford and the remaining three congratulate each other on the success of Mr. Brent's ploy when Mae Thorpe, dressed as Miss Ferguson enters and apologizes for being late. She has only just arrived.

Banquo's Chair is not a little play to puzzle out. When the title references a Shakesperean spectre, the audience knows where the story is going. It is not the shock of the ending, it is the satisfactory journey to that ending where we find pleasure in the polished entertainment.

Of note:

John Williams and Alfred Hitchcock on the set of Dial M for Murder. Their other collaborations are The Paradine Case, To Catch a Thief, and ten episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

THE ESTHER WILLIAMS BLOGATHON: Dangerous When Wet, 1953

Michaela at Love Letters to Old Hollywood is hosting a blogathon tribute to her adored Esther Williams. The Esther Williams Blogathon is running from August 7th to 9th. My contribution is this look at Dangerous When Wet, 1953. You can access the entries HERE.

The 1953 MGM release Dangerous When Wet falls is a "little" movie in the pantheon of Esther Williams' splashy and entertaining moneymakers for the studio during her unprecedented success.  Dorothy Kingsley's (Angels in the Outfield, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers) screenplay was the 6th of 7 she contributed to Esther's career, including Easy to Wed, the 1946 remake of Libeled Lady. Dangerous When Wet was directed by Esther's most felicitous director, talented Charles Walters.

Donna Corcoran, Barbara Whiting, William Demarest

Esther Williams, Charlotte Greenwood, Jack Carson

The focus on the family in the movie gives it a cozy and comfortable feeling. You want to revisit the clan. The Higgins family of Arkansas is led by physical fitness buff "Pa" played by William Demarest. Happily falling in line with daily calisthenics and swimming is "Ma" played by Charlotte Greenwood and the three girls. "Junior" is Donna Corcoran, who played young Esther as Annette Kellerman in Million Dollar Mermaid the previous year. Barbara Whiting, as is fitting for the sister of Margaret and daughter of composer Richard, is the singing sister Suzie. 

Esther is the first-born, Katie Higgins. Katie is the best swimmer in the family. Katie is also obsessed with making their dairy farm the best in the state. However, prize stud bulls cost money they do not possess. Enter Jack Carson as traveling salesman Windy Weebe. He promotes something called Liquapep, a vitamin concoction with a healthy percentage of alcohol. He promotes the idea of having the Higgins family enter a contest to cross the English Channel sponsored by the awful tasting Liquapep. Aha! A way to get money for a prize stud bull has just presented itself, and the Higgins are on their way to England.

Denise Darcel, Jack Carson

Windy, it must be told, has a thing for Katie that doesn't get in the way of product promotion, and isn't returned by the recipient. Romantic entanglements make themselves known overseas in the presence of French swimmer Gigi played by Denise Darcel who casts her flirty eyes upon Windy.

Fernando Lamas

Katie gets mixed up, despite her best intentions, with a French champagne magnate played by Fernando Lamas. (We've gotten used to Hollywood's idea of an accent is an accent. No?) Not only does Andre have a yacht and look like Fernando Lamas, but he also sings like him as well. What's a girl to do?

All of this plays out in a light-hearted manner with music by Arthur Schwartz and Johnny Mercer. I Got Out of Bed on the Right Side is memorable and used copiously throughout. Ain't Nature Grand is a cute number shared by all the characters. I Like Men showcases Barbara Whiting. In My Wildest Dreams is the love ballad given to Fernando Lamas as an amorous octopus. Yes, an octopus.

Dangerous When Wet contains an animated dream sequence from William Hanna and Joseph Barbera in place of one of the fantastical water ballets. In her dreams, Katie swims, confronts her concerns with Tom and Jerry, and an octopus with champagne and a long reach. Billy Daniels and Charles Walters contributed the choreography to this gloriously fun movie magic.

Trouble comes with poor weather delaying the competition and Katie learning that Pa has bet the farm so to speak, on their winning only to find out that he has been disqualified in all likelihood due to his age. Katie must go on alone and she must win. Here, with Jack Raine as the British radio announcer calling the race and the weather turning against the swimmers and some excellent cinematography from Harold Rosson (The Asphalt Jungle), the dramatic nature of the challenging race makes for an exciting and emotional sequence. There is one very cute laugh left for the end.

Lovely costumes from Helen Rose and attractive people to wear them,  pleasant songs and dances, romance, and laughs. Our Esther, appropriately suited and swimming the studio's idea of the old Arkansas swimming hole, a glamorous swimming pool, the English Channel, and an animated world under the sea. You couldn't ask for more when filling the time slot for a charming Sunday matinee.

Of note:

Esther Williams and Fernando Lamas were married from December 31, 1969 to his passing on October 8, 1982.

CAFTAN WOMAN'S CHOICE: ONE FOR AUGUST ON TCM

Jack Warner and Kathleen Harrison star as Joe and Ethel Huggett, the head of a family spun out of Holiday Camp, 1947, based on a story by Godfrey Winn with the screenplay by writer/producer Sidney Box (When the Bough Breaks) and his wife director/writer Muriel Box (Simon and Laura).

Holiday Camp followed two weeks in the lives of vacationers. There are families like the Huggetts, singles looking for romance, older folks looking to rekindle memories, crooks out to fleece the rubes, and a murderer. It is unsettling that in the midst of the expected summertime fun and growing pains there is a tragedy whose impact is not felt on many.

Jack Warner, Kathleen Harrison

The Huggetts must have made an impression on the public because they were swiftly given their own follow-up films. The series includes Here Come the Huggetts, 1948, Vote for Huggett, 1949, and The Huggetts Abroad, 1949. Each movie featuring the Huggetts was directed by Ken Annakin (Swiss Family Robinson).

These three Huggett films were produced by Betty E. Box, a prolific producer of comedy films from Miranda to Doctor in the House, and beyond. Her brother Sidney and sister-in-law Muriel are uncredited writers on Here Come the Huggetts.

Jimmy Hanley, Susan Shaw, Kathleen Harrison

Jack Warner, Petula Clark, Jane Hylton

The family from Holiday Camp was tweaked with marriages, babies, and a son disappearing and the family we get for the triptych is as pictured. Joe and Ethel have three daughters, Jane (far right) is engaged to Jimmy (far left), Susan is the middle daughter, and the youngster is Pet - she sings and steals scenes.

The big doings in Here Come the Huggetts begins with the installation of a telephone. Ethel doesn't want one in the house. She jumps every time it "goes off" and believes it will cause nothing but trouble. Jane is coming unraveled about the return of her wartime fiance. They haven't seen each other for ages and she wonders what she has gotten herself into. She is also intrigued by the odd advances of a co-worker played by David Tomlinson. 

Diana Dors, Petula Clark, Kathleen Harrison, Jane Hylton

Ethel's cousin Edie played by Dandy Nichols needs an operation and Ethel has promised to take care of Edie's daughter young Diana. Young Diana played by Diana Dors isn't as young as the family remembers. She is a pretty and pretty lazy young lady with no thought beyond her looks and a good time.

Diana's presence is particularly galling to Joe, in more ways than he is even aware. He knows she is a nuisance, that she takes advantage of Ethel, and he knows about the trouble she causes at his workplace. Joe doesn't know that his youngest believes he is straying from his happy marriage because of the attractive girl, and it is up to her to fix things up for mum and dad. Pet has no problem meddling and getting others involved in her bright ideas, including Susan's diffident beau Peter played by Peter Hammond.

The movie includes an amusing subplot revolving around the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten and Grandma Huggett played by Amy Veness. Musical highlights are Edmundo Ros and his orchestra in a nightclub scene, and Petula Clark singing with the George Mitchell Choir. Look for a car crash, a fire, and a run-in with the police!

You can catch Here Come the Huggetts on the morning of August 21 as the TCM Summer Under the Stars salutes Diana Dors. The teenager was very busy building her career at this time and the movie is a good showcase for Miss Dors as well as thoroughly entertaining.

Christmas Connection

Thanks to Canadian broadcasting tradition, during my lifetime Christmas Eve means it is time to watch A Christmas Carol, 1951 starring Alastair Sim as Scrooge along with ---

Kathleen Harrison as Mrs. Dilber, and

Jack Warner as Mr. Jorkin.

ATHOS, ARAMIS, AND PORTHOS WALK INTO A BAR ...

Athos, Aramis, and Porthos walk into a bar --- the Coq d'Or. And are lost to the rest of the picture.

There is no site in all Paris more popular for the settling of disputes than the tavern Coq d'Or on the Rue Pigalle.

The three intrepid musketeers and BFFs played by Douglass Dumbrille, John "Dusty" King, and Russell Hicks have separately arrived at the notorious tavern to settle scores with a young upstart, new to Paris. D'Artagnan, played by Don Ameche, has this very day arrived in the big city from Gascony. The young man is filled with confidence and the skill to back it up. He has a winning smile and a song in his heart.

Don Ameche, our lovable and headstrong D'Artagnan

Yes, a song in his heart! The song is Voila and this 1939 version of Alexandre Dumas' classic adventure tale is a comedy/musical spoof from Twentieth Century Fox under the sure direction of veteran Canadian-born director Allan Dwan. Mr. Dwan was awarded the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Career Achieve Award in 1976.

The production values which have lent a timelessness to many of the studio's literary adaptations are present in the design by David Hall, costumes by Royer, the set decorations by Thomas Little, and Peverell Marley's cinematography. The perfect cinematic backdrop allows the audience to sit back and enjoy the laughter and song.

Al, Harry, and Jimmy Ritz

I sort the Ritz lads by following the rule of Harry being in the middle and, being the eldest, Al must be the shortest, and that leaves Jimmy. Someone tell me a better way.

These musketeers are a combative lot, hence the haste to show up the young upstart from Gascony. Awaiting D'Artagnan's arrival at the Coq d'Or, Athos, Aramis, and Porthos decide to have some sport with the three lackeys employed at the tavern. A drinking game, however, finds the three musketeers knocked out for the duration of our tale while Al, Jimmy, and Harry Ritz goof off in the official uniform of the King's Musketeers. A recent spate of brawling by those in uniform has also led to the following royal edict. Oh-oh!

By Order of the King

From this date, any person discovered garbed in the uniform of the King's Musketeers without due authority, shall be subject to the Penalty of Death.

April 20, 1625

Fighting naturally ensues when soldiers of Cardinal Richelieu meet up with the bogus musketeers at the tavern. Joining in the fray with who he considers are genuine fellow musketeers is the impetuous D'Artagnan. Thus, a bond of friendship and self-preservation is formed among the four.

Pauline Moore and Don Ameche as Lady Constance and D'Artagnan

The love song of Lady Constance and D'Artagnan, My Lady by Samuel Pokrass and Walter Bullock is played instrumentally throughout the score and reprised charmingly by our leading man in the movie.

The Three Musketeers follows the popular plotline from the novel of royal intrigue and romance from this point. Queen Anne played by Gloria Stuart makes the mistake of offering one of her famous jewels as a memento to the besotted Duke of Buckingham played by Lester Matthews.

Gloria Stuart, Pauline Moore

A spy played by John Carradine relays the information to the ambitious Cardinal Richelieu played by Miles Mander. The Cardinal impresses upon King Louis XIII played by Joseph Schildkraught that the Queen must wear the jewel, a gift from the people of France, at an upcoming event to prove her fidelity. D'Artagnan has fallen in love with the Queen's loyal lady-in-waiting, Lady Constance played by Pauline Moore. He, and most certainly his new-found musketeer companions, vow to retrieve the incriminating brooch.

Binnie Barnes as Milady de Winter vs. the whirlwind that is The Ritz Brothers

Lionel Atwill as the villainous de Rochefort has a secret weapon in the glamorous Milady de Winter played by Binnie Barnes. The race is on to steal the jewel back from Buckingham and bring it to the Queen to stop a war or to Richelieu and disorder.

The derring-do/stunts in The Three Musketeers are as exciting as any filmic adventure. There are humorous delights to be found in Don Ameche's ebullient characterization and in the Ritz Brothers antics and dance number. So much sly fun is packed into its 73-minute runtime that one might wish for just a few minutes more. I would plan a delightful weekend double bill around this charmer and The Court Jester.

THE BARBARA STANWYCK BLOGATHON: The Barbara Stanwyck Show, Sign of the Zodiac, 1961

Gabriela's site Pale Writer is hosting The Queen of Sass: Barbara Stanwyck Blogathon on July 17-18. The blogathon event we need in these times! Join the party HERE.

The anthology series The Barbara Stanwyck Show ran for one season on NBC in the 1960/1961 season. The Emmy won by Barbara Stanwyck for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead) was her first competitive award. You can learn more about the series in the post here from 2013 and watch the Emmy presentation here.

SIGN OF THE ZODIAC

Season 1, Episode 26

April 3, 1961

"Good evening. Tonight Your Gas Company Playhouse presents a tale of torment, obsession, and guilt written by A.I. Bezzerides and directed by Jacques Tourneur. Guest stars Dan Duryea and Joan Blondell appear with me in the dark and mysterious melodrama with overtones of the supernatural. It is a strange story, and I think you will find as much excitement in watching it as we did in making it. And now in just 60 seconds, the first act of Sign of the Zodiac."

Joan Blondell, Dan Duryea

Pierre (Dan Duryea), a crystal gazer with business on a seedy dock has a charm about him that keeps his lady customers happy. A repeat client is Helene Terry (Joan Blondell), who this day has convinced her widowed sister-in-law Madge (Barbara Stanwyck) that it would be fun to have her fortune read. Part of the reason for the outing is to get Madge out of the gloomy house she shared with the late Edwin. There are other reasons which become known as the story unfolds.

Madge was none too thrilled with the excursion in the first place and becomes increasingly agitated as the reading progresses. Helene tries to keep things light and friendly while Madge insults everyone and runs away. Back at home, Madge continues to rebuff Helene's kindness, ordering her sister-in-law out of the house. When Madge realizes she has left behind a memento of her husband's, an antique watch, at Pierre's place, she returns to retrieve it with a gun. The soothsayer was wisely not at home.

Barbara Stanwyck

Helene, taking Madge at her word, has moved out. Alone, Madge finds the night is fraught with imaginings and the unexplained return of the antique watch. What is the reason for her next visit to the clairvoyant Pierre? Why the change in her attitude from belligerent to pleasing? Why does she still have the gun in her purse?

Twists and turns await the viewer of Sign of the Zodiac. Just when you think you have everything figured out, you might find the rug pulled out from under you.

Jacques Tourneur

1904-1977

Jacques Tourneur directed 12 of The Barbara Stanwyck Show's 36 episodes. The pair had never worked together in a feature film and the idea of their collaboration is intriguing. Tourneur's resume boasts such favourite films as Stars in My Crown, Canyon Passage, Nightfall, Out of the Past, The Flame and the Arrow, The Comedy of Terrors, and Night of the Demon. Tourneur was a two-time Hugo nominee for Cat People and I Walked with a Zombie.

Noted cinematographer Hal Mohr (1894-1974), a write-in winner for A Midsummer Night's Dream, shot 9 episodes of the series including Sign of the Zodiac. The anthology series was also his first experience working with Barbara Stanwyck.

Night Nurse

Early in their film careers, Barbara Stanwyck and Joan Blondell crossed paths in 1931s Illicit directed by Archie Mayo and Night Nurse directed by William Wellman. It was 30 years between those films and the reuniting of the dream team on The Barbara Stanwyck Show.

Ball of Fire

It was 20 years between Missy and Dan Duryea's working together in 1941s Ball of Fire for Howard Hawks until Sign of the Zodiac. Note: the above picture bears no relation to anything in the movie, with the exception of the costumes.

REMAKE AVENUE: The Glass Key, 1935 and 1942

Warning: this look at The Glass Key is not a spoiler-free zone.

Dashiell Hammett's novel The Glass Key was published in 1931 following its serialization in Black Mask. It is the story of political power, rampant gangsterism, love, and murder.

Paul Madvig is the boss of a mid-western city. From streetcleaner to the governor, he controls the elections, along with a sizeable amount of gambling and other enterprises. The police and the district attorney are under his sway. Rival gambling boss Shad O'Rory would like a larger slice of the action, but Madvig's machinery includes Ned Beaumont. The younger Beaumont is more than a respected and efficient right-hand man, he is considered a member of the Madvig's family, beloved by Paul's mother and his daughter. Beaumont is trusted beyond question. 

A midlife crisis strikes Madvig in the form of Janet Henry, the daughter of a senator currently seeking Madvig's election help. Madvig has fallen for the dame he sees as pure "class" while she barely masks her distaste for the sake of her father's ambition. Complicating matters, Taylor Henry, the ne'er-do-well son of the family has been seeing Madvig's daughter Opal. When young Henry winds up murdered, Paul Madvig comes under suspicion. 

Ned Beaumont believes solidly in Paul's innocence and sets about proving it. Ned suffers dreadfully at the hands of O'Rory's psychotic henchman Jeff in attempting to discover the true murderer and preserve Paul and his business. In the end, Beaumont takes care of the O'Rory problem and solves the murder before betraying his friend in the matter of Janet Henry.

Paramount brought The Glass Key to the screen in 1935. Kathryn Scola (Baby Face) and Kubec Glasmon (Union Depot) wrote the screenplay and Frank Tuttle (The Benson Murder Case) directed.

George Raft, Edward Arnold, Rosalind Culli

The casting is faultless with George Raft as "Ed" (not Ned) Beaumont, Edward Arnold as Paul Madvig, Claire Dodd as Janet Henry, Ray Milland as Taylor Henry, Charles Richmond as Senator Henry, and Emma Dunn as Ma Madvig. Rosalind Keith (Culli) is Opal Madvig, Paul's sister in the movie. Robert Gleckler is quite the smoothie as Shad O'Rory and Guinn "Big Boy" Williams is the demented Jeff.

The novel's convoluted plot twists, various sub-plots, and a myriad of characters including a newspaper publisher and his wife are pared down to its core befitting a snappy 80-minute run-time. The pace is kept up with the use of newspaper headlines and chatter of citizens to move the plot along. The movie maintains the emotional connection among the main characters.

Paul comes under suspicion for the murder of young Taylor Henry with O'Rory taking full advantage by manipulating the local press and hiding a supposed witness, Harry Tyler as Sloss, who is peeved at Paul for not coming through with a favour. Someone has begun a letter-writing campaign smearing Paul. Ed sets about finding evidence to exonerate his friend and boss. The first step is to get inside the O'Rory gang where things go awry.

Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, George Raft, Irving Bacon

The most memorable segment of the movie lifted from Hammett's novel involves Ed's confinement and brutal beating from O'Rory's deranged thug Jeff, and his exciting escape to bring back the information he has gleaned. The audience is treated to a brief bit by a young actress named Ann Sheridan as a nurse who flirts and fights with the hospitalized Ed.

Ann shows up in other Raft pictures of this time: Bolero, Rhumba, and Limehouse Blues. Five years later, Ann and George create a memorable couple in the exciting Warner Brothers' melodrama, They Drive by Night.

This first film version of Hammett's novel was and is a satisfying film adaptation even with its unexpected happy ending of Ed and Opal becoming a couple to the delight of Paul and his mother.

Paramount was quick to replicate the successful teaming of Alan Ladd with Veronica Lake in This Gun for Hire, 1942, and found the perfect property in another version of Dashiell Hammett's The Glass Key. Jonathan Latimer (The Big Clock) wrote the screenplay with Stuart Heisler (I Died a Thousand Deaths) directing. The whole thing is given a glossy big-budget sheen by cinematographer Theodor Sparkuhl (Wake Island).

Again I must use the word faultless to describe the casting. Alan Ladd as Ed Beaumont, Brian Donlevy as Paul Madvig, Veronica Lake as Janet Henry, Moroni Olsen as Senator Henry, Richard Denning as Taylor Henry, and Bonita Granville as Opal Madvig. As in the earlier movie, Opal remains Paul's sister instead of a daughter, and they have kept the "Ed" for Ned Beaumont. In place of O'Rory, Madvig's rival is switched up to Nick Varna played by Joseph Calleia, and William Bendix as the unbalanced Jeff is even more creepy than "Big Boy" Williams.

Alan Ladd, William Bendix

Everyone suspects political boss Paul Madvig of the murder of Taylor Henry, the son of the reform candidate Senator Henry. Everyone, it seems, is working against Paul Madvig including Nick Varna, Opal Madvig, and Janet Henry, the sophisticated daughter of the Senator who puts up with Madvig for the sake of her father's political aspirations. A proactive young woman, Janet Henry is behind a letter-writing smear and she convinces Opal to turn on her big brother.

A vital witness to the murder, whether he is lying or not, is Sloss played by Dane Clark and Nick Varna has him. Ed pretends to have split with Paul in order to gain information on what Varna has and how he will use it. The plan backfires when Varna leaves Ed to Jeff's tender mercies. Wisely, screenwriter Latimer kept this scene from the novel and earlier adaption. Bendix is quite disturbing and viewers have an opportunity to compare him with Guinn Williams' take on the character. Frances Gifford is our flirty and feisty nurse this time around.

The recovered Ed is becoming more interested in Janet Henry despite his certain knowledge that she is using Paul. Donlevy plays Madvig as a more obvious "mug" than Arnold's characterization, and his unsuitability for the deb could not be more plain. However, Ed sticks by his friend because Paul has always been on the square.

Brian Donlevy, Veronica Lake, Alan Ladd

A plot point from the novel lost in the earlier movie is back. It concerns a newspaper publisher beholden to Varna, his dissatisfied wife, and how Ed stirs that pot that results in suicide and media manipulation. Ed pushes a lie to force a confession and when the dust settles, decides to leave town because he can't get over Janet Henry. Janet Henry, who has been practically throwing herself at Ed, now leaves no doubt as to her feelings. After a few angsty moments, the couple leave town with smiles on their faces and Paul's good-natured blessing. I suppose it doesn't pay to promote a new screen team as a couple of selfish rats.

Dashiell Hammett, George Raft, Frank Tuttle

Hammett's writing style is addictive to the reader who looks for compelling and surprising characters, and an underworld that is barely beneath the surface of respectability. The 1935 feature has a rough-and-tumble feel and a thoroughly believable cast giving one hundred percent. The 1942 feature is a perfect showcase for Ladd and Lake with the lustrous glow of a top-notch Hollywood product. Both will entertain and fill that crime picture craving.

FAVOURITE MOVIES: Sapphire, 1959

The BAFTA award for Best British Film was given to Sapphire in 1960 out of a field including Look Back in Anger, Tiger Bay, Yesterday's Enemy, and Northwest Frontier. The thoughtful and engrossing murder mystery with a social conscious has an original screenplay by Janet Green (Cast a Dark Shadow) and confident direction by Basil Dearden (All Night Long).

Someone hated Sapphire Robbins enough to stab her to death and dump her body in Hampstead Heath. Nigel Patrick stars as Chief Inspector Hazard whose job is to determine who. The police must look into the why and the where. All of those people in Sapphire's orbit must resign themselves to the questioning and suspicion.

Earl Cameron, Nigel Patrick

Earl Cameron plays Dr. Robbins, Sapphire's brother. When he arrives to claim his sister's body, the police have a new avenue of investigation. Sapphire came from a mixed-race background and while her brother resembled their black mother and Sapphire their white father, her status as a "coloured girl" brings unconsidered depths of emotion to the case.

Nigel Patrick, Paul Massie

Paul Massie plays David Harris, Sapphire's fiance, and the father of her unborn child. What did he know of Sapphire's background and was it of import? Perhaps it was important to his family. His father played by Bernard Miles was as proud of David's architectural scholarship as if it were his own. Olga Lindo plays a mother of quiet intensity and Yvonne Mitchell is his sister Mildred whose life revolves around appearances and propriety.

Exploring Sapphire's past, the police meet bigoted landladies, a bright doctor, and the friends she left behind the day Sapphire found she could pass for white. These friends include a dancing partner who leads the police into a violent criminal element. There are too many options in the hunt for a possible murderer.

Nigel Patrick, Michael Craig

The murder investigation is well-written in its logical progression and the people who fall into its net. The investigation also brings up deep-seated attitudes that may hinder the search for a murderer. Michael Craig as Police Inspector Learoyd finds his never before explored attitudes on race the subject of rebuke. Rupert Davies as beat cop Ferris has pertinent observations on the Harris family.

Who knows what?

The bigotry that is accepted as a matter of course. The false face put on for investigators. The fear of suspicion. The knowledge of which you are certain may prove false. These are the emotional components that compound and confuse an investigation. Facts are needed for courts and emotions must be ripped open to find the guilty.

Sapphire is uniformly well-acted with Nigel Patrick's Inspector Hazard outstanding as the strong centre of the story. Yvonne Mitchell, Paul Massie, and Bernard Miles impress as the Harris family continually come under police suspicion.

Philip Green (Innocent Sinners) composed the moody score which is played on the soundtrack by Johnny Dankworth. Oscar and BAFTA winner Julie Harris (Simon and Laura) was the costume designer on the film, taking both her young and older Londoners into the 1960s.

Shot in Eastmancolor, Sapphire is a pleasure to watch for its aesthetic which brings us into its world while at the same time keeping us at arm's length as observers of humans at their best and worst. Harry Waxman was the winner of the British Society of Cinematographers award for his work on the film. Janet Green was the winner of the "Edgar" from the Edgar Allan Poe Awards (Mystery Writers of America) for Best Foreign Film.

Sapphire is a film worth watching for many of its excellent aspects. The success of this film led to Basil Dearden and Janet Green collaborating on the groundbreaking Victim, 1961.