CAFTAN WOMAN'S CHOICE: ONE FOR SEPTEMBER ON TCM

Howard Hawks' 1938 screwball comedy Bringing Up Baby was selected for the National Film Registry in 1990, and over the years has consistently made "top" lists regarding comedy films. Nonetheless, while not a total flop upon its release, Bringing Up Baby did not match or exceed box office expectations.

Director Hawks examined his work and felt obliged to comment that he had failed because the characters were "too madcap" with no "normal" characters to ground the situations. I can understand this analysis as I live with a couple of people (husband, daughter) who simply get annoyed at the flighty characters. Far be it from me to disagree with a master of his craft and my loved ones, but when it comes to screwball, I say the screwier the better. Bringing Up Baby always makes me laugh and giggle out loud. 

Written by Dudley Nichols (Man Hunt) and based on a story by Hagar Wilde (Carefree), Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant were teamed in the third of four film collaborations (Sylvia Scarlett, Holiday, "Baby", The Philadelphia Story). Grant plays David Huxley, a paleontologist devoted to his work and his recently discovered intercostal clavicle required to complete a full model brontosaurus skeleton. 

David is anticipating his upcoming wedding to assistant Alice Swallow, who is even more dedicated to David's career than the man himself. Alice informs David that their marriage will entail no emotional entanglements of any kind including a honeymoon. David lets himself get kicked around by others and he doesn't even realize it. David is presently tasked with getting a museum grant from the wealthy Mr. Peabody and this brings him into the whirlwind that is Susan Vance.

Susan: "He's three years old, gentle as a kitten, and likes dogs." I wonder whether Mark means that he eats dogs or is fond of them?"

Katharine Hepburn as Susan Vance is always thinking. Her thinking is not altogether what we customarily expect of a bright and privileged young woman. Susan is indeed a madcap. When you meet her Aunt Elizabeth played by May Robson we begin to understand Susan better. Aunt Elizabeth has "always wanted a leopard" and Susan's brother Mark has sent Aunt Elizabeth said leopard from South America. Susan accepts the leopard easily into her present circumstances.

David: "The only way you'll get me to follow another of your suggestions is to hold a bright object in front of my eyes and twirl it."

Susan also accepts David as now part of her life and in her effort to keep him in her life, she nearly drives him crazy with her antics, her family, and her (Aunt Elizabeth's) leopard.

David: "I wasn't going to hit George!"

David, for the sake of his now missing intercostal clavicle, has followed Susan and the leopard called "Baby" to her Connecticut home. There the madcappery (should I trademark that word?) continues with relatives, a big game hunter, a drunkard, law enforcement, psychiatrists, the "gentle as a kitten" Baby, a mean-spirited circus escapee leopard, and the scene-stealing Asta as "George." 

I will admit to wishing some judicious cuts had been made to the ending jail scene, but even so I cannot help but be impressed by Katharine Hepburn's first foray in the world of screwball comedy. Her lack of experience led Hawks to mention the veterans on the scene such as Walter Catlett who could guide her in this new endeavour and Miss Hepburn was wise enough to accept the helping hand. She was certainly an apt pupil. Hawks' suggestion that Grant base David on Harold Lloyd's glasses character was genius and they had so much fun that they used the absent-minded professor bit again in Monkey Business, 1952.

If you haven't seen it recently or you have yet to get around to marking this classic title off your "must-see" list, take advantage of the TCM airing this coming Tuesday, September 14th. Theodora Goes Wild and Vivacious Lady are some of the other screwball romances in the lineup. 

PS: Keep your ears peeled for a reference to "Jerry the Nipper" from The Awful Truth. I was so proud of my husband when he caught that the one time he didn't leave the room while I was watching Bringing Up Baby.

Others in the series Caftan Woman's Choice running since September 2011.

THE FIFTH ANNUAL VAN JOHNSON BLOGATHON: Brigadoon, 1954

Michaela at Love Letters to Old Hollywood is hosting The Fifth Annual Van Johnson Blogathon.

Click HERE to access the tributes to the popular actor. The contribution from this corner of the internet is a look at Van in the 1954 film version of Brigadoon.

Once a song and dance man, always a song and dance man. After making his Broadway debut in New Faces of 1936, Van Johnson was a featured dancer in Rodgers and Hart's Too Many Girls in 1940. The play starred the new sensation Desi Arnaz and Johnson was one of the Broadway imports to the RKO film where Desi met leading lady Lucille Ball.

Van Johnson, June Havoc in Pal Joey

Back on Broadway, Van appeared in another Rodgers and Hart sensation Pal Joey starring Gene Kelly. Signed by MGM, Van became a matinee idol and, surprisingly, not that his musicality was ignored, but the studio known for its musicals didn't take full advantage of Van's talents in that area. After all, they did have Gene Kelly for that sort of thing.

Lerner and Loewe's Brigadoon opened on Broadway in 1947 and ran for 581 performances. The popularity of the musical fantasy has never wanned. MGM's movie of the property was not produced until 1954. The studio balked at director Vincente Minnelli's planned Scottish location shoot for Brigadoon, as well as Stanley Donen's plan to shoot Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in Oregon. Subsequently, budgets for both films were cut, and, apparently, Minnelli's enthusiasm for the project dropped considerably. 

Van Johnson, Gene Kelly, Elaine Stewart

Tommy Albright (Gene Kelly) and his pal Jeff Douglas (Van Johnson) are ad men from NYC taking a hunting trip in Scotland. They stumble across a mystery in a quaint village that seems quite out of time with their contemporary world. It is in the village of Brigadoon that Tommy, who has been searching for meaning in his life beyond his fine career and his fine fiancee, discovers love with Fiona Campbell (Cyd Charisse). 

Jeff, who discovered the bottle years ago instead of bothering with any deep search for meaning in life cannot come to grips with the story of a little town that only comes to life for one day every hundred years as a means of protecting it from evil outside influence. Jeff will find only more things to bury deep in his subconscious in the place Tommy finds magical.

Van Johnson, Dody Heath

Songs from the play were cut from the film as the Breen office found the lyrics offensive to two of lusty Meg Brockie's songs My Mother's Wedding Day and The Love of My Life performed by Pamela Britton (My Favorite Martian) on Broadway. Unfortunately, this cut much of the comic byplay between Van Johnson's Jeff and Meg, played by Dody Heath in the movie.

Brigadoon does retain the lovely melodies, the moving romance, some impressive sets to replace the location shooting, and sincere performances. I find Cyd Charisse quite moving. Van Johnson delightfully steals the show with his sardonic personality as well as proving he hadn't lost a step considering his last big musical number on-screen was I Won't Dance in Till the Clouds Roll By in 1946.

Van only participates in one number in Brigadoon, and I'll Go Home with Bonnie Jean has always been a highlight of the movie for me. The song itself is memorable fun, but it is Van's involvement that makes it stand out. 

Of note:

Van Johnson, Patricia Lambert

Van Johnson starred opposite Patricia Lambert in the 1961 London production of The Music Man. Yet, when Hollywood twiddled its thumbs about letting Robert Preston repeat his Tony Award winning role on screen and contemplated many other performers, I have not read that Van Johnson was among their number. What's a guy gotta do? Note: the original London cast album is a treasure. Listen to Van perform 76 Trombones. Once a song and dance man, always a song and dance man.

The Joyful Goofiness of Red Garters, 1955

First, the plot: a stranger rides and sings his way into Limbo County looking for the man who shot his brother. It is the "Code of the West." Romance and its inherent troubles are exemplified by a saloon singer who is fed up with her politically minded boyfriend, and with the townsfolk who seem to live for killing and bloodshed followed by a celebratory barbecue. The stranger falls for the pretty ward of the town boss and a staid Bostonian is intrigued by a notorious and handsome bandit.  

Frank Faylen, Jack Carson, Rosemary Clooney, Guy Mitchell, Gene Barry

Why this apparently standard, cliche-ridden plot? It is necessary upon which to hang almost a dozen Livingston and Evans songs, Nick Castle's energetic choreography, some fancy quickdraws, and a lot of handshakings. It also gives the cast of familiar faces and old pros the opportunity to spout some witty dialogue poking fun at the venerable western genre. The script is by Michael Fessier (That's What Happened to Me) and an uncredited animator turned director Frank Tashlin (Artists and Models), whose distinctive comic touch is evident.

George Marshall directed Red Garters and his way with adventure and comedy was well-established by this time. See also Destry Rides Again, The Ghost Breakers, You Can't Cheat an Honest Man, Murder He Says, The Sheepman, and more. 

 

The most individual achievement of Red Garters, originally filmed in 3D but released in 2D, is the unique and Oscar-nominated Art direction by Roland Anderson and Hal Pereira, and Set decoration by Sam Comer and Ray Moyer. The award for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color was presented to Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The other nominees in that movie season were Brigadoon, A Star is Born, and Desiree.

The look of Red Garters is highly stylized and accomplished with garish colours and false fronted buildings. It is as if we are watching a live-action cartoon. The performers match the sets with their mastery of the dialogue and their seamless breaking of the fourth wall. 

Rosemary Clooney

Rosemary Clooney is top-billed as Calaveras Kate, the saloon singer with the problematic boyfriend. Rosie looks great in the Edith Head costumes and handles the acting as well as the vocals with her customary warmth and polish. Fan favourite Jack Carson is the town boss Jason Carberry, overly protective of his pretty ward and prone to flirt with all the girls in town despite being in love with Kate. Rosie sings Red Garters.

Pat Crowley, Guy Mitchell

Popular recording star Guy Mitchell is Reb Randall who came to town seeking vengeance ("It's the Code of the West.") and singing A Dime and a Dollar. Guy is quite appealing in this role as he falls in love with Carberry's ward Susan, a pert young woman played by Pat Crowley. Reb also strikes up a friendship with Rafael Moreno played by Gene Barry. Hollywood should have taken more advantage of Barry's musical talent.

Jack Carson, Joanne Gilbert

The bandit Moreno may or may not be the man who killed Reb's brother (who was no good anyway, but the "Code of the West"). Moreno has his own romantic entanglement with an icy gal from Boston. Sheila Winthrop is played by singer/actress Joanne Gilbert. Sheila came west with her bombastic uncle Judge Wallace Winthrop played with all sails flying by Reginald Owen.

Cass Daley, Buddy Ebsen

Truly, the entire cast is in comic support mode but we can add to the ensemble Frank Faylen as the buttinski Billy Buckett, Buddy Ebsen as the dancing Ginger Pete, and Cass Daley as Minnie Redwing. Cass was a popular big band singer who added comedy to her repertoire and found even greater success.

I am assuming that the Minnie Redwing character and character make-up are the reason for the channel's "product of its time" disclaimer prior to my recent television viewing of Red Garters. On one hand, I can't imagine anyone taking anything in Red Garters seriously. On the other hand, I can understand those who would not see the humour in the character. I am one with an inordinate amount of admiration for those who toil for our laughs, and beyond the mugging, Minnie has some potent things to say about Limbo County and its citizens.

Cass Daley and Dorothy Lamour with Whistling in the Light from the western musical Riding High, 1943 directed by none other than our pal George Marshall.

Every movie buff has that period where nothing is working; each new movie seems to disappoint you in the first ten minutes and you don't know what to watch. Channel surfing I came across Red Garters about to start. I hadn't seen it in ages. Did I like it? I must have, after all - George Marshall.

Red Garters, a box office flop in its day proved to be just what I needed. I don't know how long ago I had last seen it, but I must have been dazzled by the design because I had forgotten how pleasant and fun the songs were, how funny the dialogue, and how smooth the performances. It jump-started my movie nights. Perhaps Red Garters will do the same for you when needed, if you are fond of westerns, musicals, laughing, and spending time on the far side of quirky.

The original soundtrack album:

Connect the dots:

Jack Carson worked with George Marshall previously in the 1939 classic Destry Rides Again which the director remade in 1954 as Destry with Audie Murphy, who starred in the 1961 television series Whispering Smith with Guy Mitchell!

REMAKE AVENUE: Life Begins, 1932 and A Child is Born, 1939

It is time for another stroll down Remake Avenue. Life Begins written by Mary Macdougal Axelson was presented at the Selwyn Theatre in New York in April of 1932 for a brief run of eight performances. Among its stars were Mildred Dunnock, Frank Wilcox, and as pictured on the program, Glenda Farrell (Florette) and Joanna Roos (Grace). Warner Bros. purchased the rights to the play and under its subsidiary First National, the film was made in that same year, adapted by Earl Baldwin (The Mouthpiece) and co-directed by Elliot Nugent (The Male Animal) and James Flood (The Mouthpiece).

Nurse Bowers: "Having a baby is no joke."

Ringer Banks: "I'll tell the world it isn't."

Aline MacMahon, in her second year at Warners plays Nurse Bowers in Life Begins. The head charge nurse at the Woman's Waiting Ward for potentially difficult cases in a Lying-In Hospital has some busy shifts, and the audience is part of the drama.

A cross-section of patients and anxious fathers give us an idea of what to expect. Frank McHugh is Ringer Banks, who is a nervous wreck as we hear his wife played by Gloria Shea having a tough time. Banks' anxiousness is exasperated throughout the labour and we also see the tact of Miss Bowers in action. Her compassion and professionalism are a comfort to her patients and the audience.

Aline MacMahon, Helen Phillips Evans, Loretta Young, Eric Linden

Life Begins is a true ensemble, but Loretta Young playing Grace Sutton is our star character. Grace has been transferred to the ward from a penitentiary. The young woman is serving a 20-year sentence for murder. The other women in the ward agree that, in their eyes, Grace's crime was justified but the dead man's political connections resulted in her heavy sentence. Eric Linden is her husband, Jed. They are a young couple in love and at what should be an exciting and wonderful time of their lives they are overwhelmed with worry about the future. 

Glenda Farrell is Florette Darien, recreating the role she played for that week on Broadway. Florette is a showgirl who goes by "Mrs." but that title is probably as phony as her attitude. Twins are on the way and Florette agrees to sell them to a childless couple known to her doctor. Florette sneaks booze into the ward and laughs at the sentimental saps with whom she has been forced to associate.

Ruthelma Stevens, Aline MacMahon, Clara Blandick, Glenda Farrell

Clara Blandick is Mrs. West, an older woman having her seventh child. Her eldest child is the same age as her fellow patients. She is a kind and instinctive parent. Ruthelma Stevens is recreating the role of Rose, who intends to raise her child following the cold psychological instructions from a book. 

Mrs. West: "You never know. He might grow up to be president of the United States."

Rose: "Maybe, but I'm going to raise him right."

Dorothy Peterson is a psychiatric patient whose baby was stillborn. Dorothy Tree and Gilbert Roland are an immigrant couple and bereaved parents of another stillborn child. 

The play/film gives many actresses the opportunity to play interesting characters at major crossroads in their life. Life in the ward is a rollercoaster ride of emotions built around the anticipation of the life-changing event of childbirth.

I was disturbed by the attitude of most of the medical practitioners in this film; forcing medication and procedures without fully explaining the reasons to the patients. Only Miss Bowers seemed willing to display empathy and act on that feeling.

I would recommend this pre-code film for its unique and interesting subject matter and fine acting troupe. When Warner Brothers re-released Life Begins in 1936 many local censor boards in America plus the British Board of Film Censors banned the film. 

Warner Brothers Studio was never shy about reusing the material at its disposal and in 1939 Life Begins was remade as A Child is Born. Robert Rossen (A Walk in the Sun) wrote the screenplay and Lloyd Bacon (Brother Orchid) directed.

Eve Arden, Gale Page

Gale Page (Four Daughters) takes on the role of charge nurse Miss Bowers. I appreciate her aura of calm professionalism, but miss the forceful persona Aline MacMahon brought to the role. Miss Bower's underling Miss Pinty is played with her customary acerbic wit by Eve Arden (Cover Girl). The doctors in charge of the cases are Henry O'Neill (Stage Door) and John Litel (Dodge City). Keep your eyes on the interns to spot John Ridgely and William Hopper. 

Gladys George (Madame X) takes on the role of the showgirl Florette, only this time her character is married. George Meeker (High Sierra) plays the heel who dumps Florette for a new partner in their put-on-hold entertainment act. The ward's veteran in this outing is played by Spring Byington (You Can't Take It With You). Fay Helm (Phantom Lady) is the deranged woman whose child was stillborn. She frightens the other patients but her presence gives us a chance to see Grace Sutton as the mother she might have been.

Nanette Fabray, Johnny Downs

In place of the young mother of the earlier film who plans to raise her child according to experts and books, we have a teenage couple who are fearful of their mothers' reaction. Nanette Fabares (Fabray), herself still a teenager, plays the role.

Gloria Holden (Dracula's Daughter) and Louis Jean Heydt (Gone With the Wind) play a working-class couple whose only chance at parenthood is a dream that doesn't come true. They replace the immigrant couple played by Dorothy Tree and Gilbert Roland in the earlier film. A twist involving Florette and her twins occurs in this storyline. 

The main character of Grace Sutton, the convicted murderer, is played by Geraldine Fitzgerald (Wuthering Heights). Jed Sutton is played by Jeffrey Lynn (The Roaring Twenties). The characters are emotionally delicate as they face overwhelming obstacles. This script seems to be a little harsher on Grace with only her husband pointing out that the courts cared more about the wealthy victim than the young woman forced to defend herself. The stress of the trial and imprisonment has left Grace physically weakened and the doctors anticipate a "difficult time." Grace fatalistically sees the end to her troubles and a new start for the girl she is certain she will bear. Jed is fighting with all he has to keep his wife with him. 

Perhaps it was the ban faced by the re-release of Life Begins that led to, even if slight, the condemnation of Grace that I didn't feel in the pre-code version of the play. Mary Macdougal Axelson's play could be reworked for this century. If some may complain of melodrama, I would counter there is nothing more melodramatic than bringing a child into the world and your family. 

Note:

Agnes Moorehead, Eve Arden

If my memory is correct I believe Miss Pinty in A Child is Born is the only nurse Eve Arden played on-screen until Nurse Kelton in Bewitched: And Then There Were Three in 1966 when the character of Tabitha was born.

Note: other movies in the Remake Avenue series

CAFTAN WOMAN'S CHOICE: ONE FOR AUGUST ON TCM

Ambitious and passionate about her work, Bette Davis early on proved her talent and worth to Warner Brothers Studio with whom she had signed a seven-year contract in 1932. However, it was on loan to RKO where Bette embraced the opportunity to impress critics, audiences, and peers as Mildred Rogers in Of Human Bondage. An unsuccessful write-in campaign for an Oscar was launched for that role. Nonetheless, Bette refused an assignment from her home studio as unworthy in 1936 and sued to be relieved of her contract. The studio won this round in the courts yet Bette returned to theatres in a grand showcase in one of Warner's patented ripped-from-the-headlines pictures.

The screenplay of 1937s Marked Woman by future director Robert Rossen (They Won't Forget), Abem Finkel (Black Legion), and Seton I. Miller (The Dawn Patrol) sprang from reporting on the 1936 trial of gangster Lucky Luciano prosecuted by D.A. Thomas A. Dewy. Luciano was convicted on counts of extortion and prostitution when some of the prostitutes who worked for and were beaten and intimidated by the gangster turned State's evidence.

Lola Lane, Rosalind Marquis, Mayo Methot, Bette Davis, Jane Bryan, Isabel Jewel

Eduardo Ciannelli plays the "Luciano" character, a hood named Johnny Vanning who controls every racket in the city including the night clubs; clip joints one and all, everybody works for Johnny and everybody has to fall in line. This includes the "hostesses" (after all, this is a post-code film) and we get to know five of them, plus one.

Bette as Mary Dwight is a smart cookie. "I know all the angles and I think I'm smart enough to keep one step ahead of them till I get enough to pack it all in, and live on easy street for the rest of my life. I know how to beat this racket."

Lola Lane is Gaby, with a cynicism that pervades her whole being. Isabel Jewell is Emmy Lou whose southern belle routine helps her keep on the right side of the wrong side. Rosaline Marquis is Florrie, she and Gaby sing for their suppers. Mayo Methot is Estelle, who is getting "too old" for this gig but she doesn't know any other life. Jane Bryan is the outlier as Betty, Mary's kid sister. Mary has been putting "the kid" through college and keeping her in the dark about what she does for a living. 

Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart

The work being what it is, Mary finds herself involved in a murder and plays things the company way by feeding the crusading District Attorney David Graham played by Humphrey Bogart exactly what Vanning needs to keep from being convicted. Graham was misguided to trust the young woman but it is a lesson he was prepared to learn. He will be smarter the next time he goes after Vanning.

Tragedy strikes Mary and destruction faces Emmy Lou and the other hostesses when Vanning kills young Betty. Mary wants revenge and Graham can get it for her but only if these women are brave enough to go public.

Marked Woman has much to say about the justice system, and the place it affords those on the fringes of society or those without means and influence. Bogart's D.A., in particular, has a most impassioned speech to the jury. Here is an actor proving his versatility throughout the decade. Will he, like Bette, soon get a chance at the really notable roles?

Bette Davis, Mayo Methot, Lloyd Bacon

Notes during lunch

Bette, of course, takes her opportunity to shine as Mary Dwight but doesn't overshadow the work of the ensemble of women so important to the telling of this story. Director Lloyd Bacon was nominated at the Venice Film Festival for Best Foreign Film for Marked Woman which was the only time Warner's workhorse director worked with Warner's diva.

TCM's screening of Marked Woman kicks off this year's Summer Under the Stars celebration at the beginning of the August 1st programming day when Bette Davis glows under the spotlight.

Of note:

Humphrey Bogart and Mayo Methot met working on Marked Woman and were married on August 28, 1938 until May 10, 1945.

LEGENDS OF WESTERN CINEMA WEEK: Female vocalists and Western movie theme songs

The 2021 edition of Legends of Western Cinema Week hosted by Rachel at Hamlette's Soliloquy, Heidi at Along the Brandywine, and Olivia at Meanwhile, in Rivendell is fast coming to a close. My final contribution to the online celebration is a look at three classic western movie theme songs.

The singing group Pals of the Golden West are unique among the groups featured in the B westerns of the 1930s and 1940s such as The Sons of the Pioneers, The Riders of the Purple Sage, and The Avalon Boys in that they spotlighted a female singer, Nora Lou Martin. Prominent as characters in the George O'Brien movie Stage to Chino, 1940 the "Pals" and Nora sing the title song written by Fleming Allen.

When former radio and big band singer Dale Evans hitched her wagon to Republic Studios and Roy Rogers, singing cowboy Roy's movies became even more musical but Dale singing a movie theme song as a solo never seemed to occur to those in charge.

The singing cowboys eventually gave way to the more adult-themed westerns heading into the 1950s. You would be hard-pressed to find many movie westerns without a theme song or many western theme songs performed by female artists. Producers generally sought out the fellows such as Frankie Laine, Tennessee Ernie Ford, or Tex Ritter.

Further research and the knowledge of others will probably be able to enlighten me as to other or more recent examples, however to my certain knowledge as an audience I can only come up with four marvelous female vocalists who introduced four memorable western themes. Click on the highlighted titles to hear the songs.

Johnny Guitar, 1954 was placed on the National Film Registry in 2008. Nicholas Ray directed Philip Yordan's screenplay and the unique result is alternately a nightmare or a genre-busting dream which cannot be ignored.

The score by the brilliant Oscar-nominated/winning composer and arranger Victor Young (Shane) features a haunting melody to which jazz singer/composer Peggy Lee provided equally haunting lyrics. While Peggy didn't sing the theme to introduce the movie, a brief vocal is heard at the ending credits. Her recording has risen in popularity thanks to inclusion in Fallout New Vegas. 

Peggy Lee sings Johnny Guitar

The 1956 Republic Studios release The Maverick Queen starring Barbara Stanwyck and Barry Sullivan featured popular recording artist Joni James singing the theme song by Victor Young and Ned Washington.

Born in Chicago, Joni turns 91 on September 22nd of this year. Joni in a television performance of The Maverick Queen.

Saddle the Wind, 1958 was written by Rod Serling and directed by Robert Parrish and John Sturges. It tells the story of two brothers from different generations and outlooks and features two actors of the same, old-school studio work from Robert Taylor and method player John Cassavetes. Julie London is the woman who comes between the brothers. The popular singer was given the Oscar-nominated/winners Jay Livingston and Ray Evans (Buttons and Bows) tune to sing over the credits as well as in the film itself.

Julie London sings Saddle the Wind

Monte Walsh, 1970 is an elegiac western directed by William A. Fraker from Lukas Heller's screenplay based on Jack Schaefer's novel. The score is by Oscar-winner John Barry (Dances With Wolves) and the lyrics to the theme song by Oscar-winner Hal David (Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head). Cass Elliot, the glorious pop singer who came out of the group The Mamas and the Papas, and who passed much too early sang the theme song, The Good Times Are Coming.

Cass Elliot sings The Good Times Are Coming (for those who haven't seen the movie)

Cass Elliot sings The Good Times Are Coming (for those familiar with the movie)

 

Many thanks to Walter S. for letting me know that Maureen O'Hara, the leading lady of The Deadly Companions, 1961 sang the title song written by Marlin Skiles and Charles Fitzsimons (Maureen's brother). The Deadly Companions was the first feature film directed by writer/director Sam Peckinpah and co-starred Maureen with one of her favourite actors and friends, Brian Keith.

Maureen O'Hara sings Dream of Love from The Deadly Companions

LEGENDS OF WESTERN CINEMA WEEK: No Name on the Bullet, 1959

This review of the 1959 western No Name on the Bullet is a contribution to the Legends of Western Cinema Week hosted by Rachel at Hamlette's Soliloquy, Heidi at Along the Brandywine, and Olivia at  Meanwhile, in Rivendell this July 19 - 24, 2021.

The online celebration of a favourite genre is an ongoing summertime treat.

Audie Murphy

Meet John Gant as portrayed by Audie Murphy in No Name on the Bullet. John Gant is a gunfighter of repute whose presence in the town of Lordsburg gives rise to anxiety and trouble among the many worthy citizens who may or may not be the object of Gant's professional skill. Real and imagined crimes of the past haunt their waking and sleeping hours.

Charles Watts, Jerry Paris, Willis Bouchey

Sheriff Buck Hastings's (Willis Bouchey) hands are tied. Gant is a known assassin but he subtly pushes his victim into a gunfight which can only be labeled self-defense, not murder. Gant is hired for his skill and he is a thorough professional. 

Buck: "You watch some of our respected citizens from now on. You're gonna learn something. --- Everybody steps on somebody's toes sometime."

Audie Murphy, Charles Drake

"Doc" Luke Canfield (Charles Drake) considers Gant a stranger not to be pre-judged, then a greater risk than imagined to the town he loves. Luke wants to find out what makes Gant tick. Gant philosophically tries to open Doc's eyes to the idea that they are two sides of the same coin.

Gant: "Take two men. Say they have robbed and lied and have never paid. A man whom one of them has robbed comes to me and says ... "Kill that man who has robbed me." ... And I kill him. The other man becomes ill and would die, except for a physician who returns him to life to rob and lie again. Who's the villain in this piece? Me or the physician? Don't look as though you think I'm insane. You think about it."

Doc: "Gant, I'm a healer. I've devoted my life to it, and I intend to continue. Right now I've got one big public health problem, and I'm looking at it."

Audie Murphy, Whit Bissell, Karl Swenson

Paranoia and guilt cause two businessmen (Whit Bissell, Karl Swenson) to believe their third partner has hired Gant to get rid of them. The third partner (John Alderson) is equally convinced his partners want him gone. Gant has seen this scenario played out many times before. Bribery and mayhem will result while Gant single-mindedly sticks to his task. He need do nothing except advertise his presence.

Stricker: "Money brought Gant here. Maybe it can get him to leave."

Virginia Grey, Warren Stevens

Lou Fraden (Warren Stevens) stole Roseanne (Virginia Grey) from her husband Sam. Their guilt and fear have kept them on the run for years. Lou is a coward and a braggart and he is convinced that Sam hired Gant to complete his revenge. Roseanne realizes that they are not worth the trouble. Lou and whisky is a dangerous combination.

Roseanne: "Sam must hate us even more than I thought. He's gonna let us stay together."

Charles Drake, Joan Evans, Edgar Stehli

Doc's fiancee Anne Benson (Joan Evans) comes to see the threat in Gant as it relates to her invalid and dying father. Judge Benson (Edgar Stehli) through his years of experience claims to understand the character of the man Gant. The Judge is a man of secrets and plans. He predicts the vigilante mob that will form in town and he believes he knows how to stop Gant in his mission.

Anne: "I'm going to kill you, Mr. Gant."

Edgar Dearing, Hank Patterson, Audie Murphy

Two old coots, who tell tall tales and play chess when not sleeping find Gant's presence mildly annoying or of no interest whatsoever when it comes to his mission. They provide a humorous interlude and proof that life goes on despite the momentous fear and guilt experienced by their fellow citizens. It means nothing to Charlie and Ed.

Ed: "Hey, sonny. Would you mind movin' aside a little bit? You're cuttin' out the sun."

Audie Murphy

There is a fatalistic stillness to Murphy's performance of John Gant. The gunman's reputation and the fees he commands speak to a man who never fears failure. I like to contrast and compare Murphy's work here with the seemingly naive Destry, 1954 in George Marshall's remake of his 1939 classic. The films provide an example of how Murphy took advantage of his Hollywood opportunity and grew as an actor over time.

Jack Arnold (1912-1992)

Jack Arnold, the versatile director of classic science fiction was a prolific and profitable member of Universal Studios at the time. Arnold's career runs the gamut of such fan favorites as The Incredible Shrinking Man and Creature from the Black Lagoon, diverse comedies with Bob Hope (Bachelor in Paradise), Tony Randall (Hello Down There), and Peter Sellers (The Mouse That Roared) plus over thirty years of classic television programming from Wagon Train to The Love Boat. Among this diverse field of entertainment, Arnold both produced and directed the intriguing western No Name on the Bullet.

Gene L. Coon (1924-1973)

The story for No Name on the Bullet is by Harold Amacker and it is his only film credit. The screenplay is by Gene L. Coon, beloved of Trekkies. Director Arnold and writer Coon's stamp can also be found on the 1957 western Man in the Shadow, three episodes of the series It Takes a Thief, and eight episodes of the Blake Edwards' series Mr. Lucky. 

No Name on the Bullet presents interesting themes and characters, each concept is highlighted by the other and the film is a sparse and thought-provoking outside-the-box western of its era.

Of note:

 Audie Murphy and Charles Drake films: Gunsmoke, 1953, To Hell and Back, 1955, Walk the Proud Land, 1956, No Name on the Bullet, 1959, and Showdown, 1963.