Clash by Night (1952)

World-weary Mae Doyle (Barbara Stanwyck) returns to her hometown, defeated by the past ten years. Now just wanting to be safe, she agrees to marry nice guy fisherman Jerry (Paul Douglas). Mae hates Jerry’s boorish, arrogant friend Earl (Robert Ryan), so predictably, they have an affair.

Marilyn Monroe plays the girlfriend of Mae’s little brother. On loan from 20th Century Fox, this was her first sizable role. Back-handed compliments aside, her performance earned her better roles. Old friend J. Carrol Naish played Uncle Vince. A very different role for him.

Commonly labeled film-noir, Clash by Night certainly has a noir title. It also has a noir cast and director, and the tone is fairly pessimistic, but It seems to just miss. Even TCM’s Eddie Muller seems to waffle on the subject.

Clash by Night is a domestic drama populated by fully flushed out characters. The setting feels very ‘lived in’, probably because it was based on a successful play. Robert Ryan performed in the play as Joe Doyle. Maybe not noir, but excellent performances make it an entertaining watch. AMRU 3.5.

What Else I Watched, 2026Q2

Not a lot, it would appear.

Airplane! (1980) was a top-ten comedy for me as a lad. Much of it holds up, but not all. It was fun to revisit an old friend. It wasn’t included as a stand-alone post because it’s a film I’ve watched very many times, including in recent years. The rules for my 1980 cut-off gets fuzzier and fuzzier.

A Night at the Opera (1935)
Genuinely funny bits interrupted by tiresome musical numbers. This is my stand on most of Marx Brother’s movies. I had poor transfers for many of their films the first time through. This time I watched a restored version, which made it more enjoyable. Unfortunately, it didn’t help the musical interludes.

Ninotchka (1939)
It gets better each time I see it. Crisp dialog, excellent performances, and a solid story.

Filmmakers for the Prosecution (2021)
I recorded it then forgot why. When I started watching, I thought it had something to do with Witness for the Prosecution (1957). It was, in fact, about the people who collected and assembled video evidence of Nazi war crimes after World War II. Like today, people needed conclusive, visual proof of the dangers of fascism. It was very thought provoking.

I’ve found it difficult to find time for movie watching in recent months. I have watched a lot of TV series like Stranger Things for the first time (it’s more enjoyable if you ignore the wonky logic) and The Doctor Blake Mysteries. It was good enough. The show and lead actor were cancelled by #himtoo. Also watching the latest season of the live action Avatar: The Last Airbender. Not terrible, not great. I don’t see why it needed to exist. It’ll be forgotten as soon as it’s finished.

I bet I forgot a movie.

Caged (1950)

Pretty Marie (Eleanor Parker) is sent to prison as an accessory to her husband’s robbery attempt. I sure hope everyone is nice to her.

Caged is by no means the first Women in Prison film, but it is a seminal one. Produced by a major studio during the code area, it had positive reviews while containing much of what we expect from the genre. Within the confines of the time, mind you. The shower scenes were strictly knee and down. Producer Jerry Wald wanted to do for women’s prisons what I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) did twenty years earlier.

Bette Davis was offered the lead, but she declined, calling it a “dyke movie”. Joan Crawford was also offered a role. Eleanor Parker is quite sympathetic as the pregnant 19 year old widow. Three times Oscar nominated, it’s interesting I haven’t seen more of her. She was the Baroness in The Sound of Music (1965).

Mercury Theatre alum Agnes Moorehead plays the warden. Against type and stereotype, she plays a mostly sympathetic character. Ellen Corby (Grandma Walton) is one of the cell mates. Six foot two Hope Emerson is a quite imposing prison guard.

Caged is an interesting character drama, but don’t confuse it for exploitation. Although exploitation can be a problematic genre label, technically encompassing all horror films. I prefer to use a “I know it when I see it” benchmark. AMRU 3.5.

The Canterville Ghost (1944)

Sir Simon de Canterville (Charles Laughton), called to defend the honor of his brother, chickens out. For his cowardice he is walled up inside the castle. His spirit will never become free until one of his descendants does something brave in his name. Unfortunately, all of his descendants are also cowards. It’s World War II and an American army unit is being housed in the once-grand Canterville castle. I wonder if one of those brave Yanks is a Canterville.

Six year old Margaret O’Brien plays Lady Jessica. She seems especially brave, but apparently curses are strictly misogynistic. O’Brien was very memorable in Meet Me in St. Louis that same year. As an adult she almost completely transitioned to television. Curious how she would have fared as a Hollywood leading lady.

It's very curious how the film clearly outlines the problem to be solved and the conditions that must be met to solve it. Because of this we are not surprised that G.I. Cuffy Williams (Robert Young) has the exact same birthmark as our spirit. That was the classic Hollywood version of 23 and me. Reginald Owen (A Christmas Carol) plays Sir Simon's less than forgiving father and Rat Packer Peter Lawford is his undefended brother. Una O'Connor has a disappointingly small role.

I’m certain I’ve confused this film with A Canterbury Tale more than once. Both were released in 1944, set in rural England, and involve the US Army. Not sure the Nazis were actually operating in rural England, but both films say otherwise. That said, the films aren’t terribly similar. This is a very Hollywood production while A Canterbury Tale is, well, not.

Based on an Oscar Wilde story, it has been adapted a great many times, twenty eight by my count. This appears to be the earliest. I know little of the source material, but I do know that sir Simon was guilty of far more than just failing to defend his brother's honor.

The Canterville Ghost isn’t a bad watch, but predictable and unimaginative. AMRU 3.