Black Narcissus (1947)

Five nuns, led by the unfortunately named Sister Clodagh (Deborah Kerr), start a convent high in the Himalayas. The brisk air and clear water cause the sisters to remember.

Filmed on back lots and studio sets, the painted backdrops are nevertheless breathtaking. Few viewers will be tricked into thinking they are anything other than what they are, but they still have impact. It’s a shame it came before the invention of CinemaScope. A wider aspect would have made it all the more impressive.

The old palace they are given to use was once a “House of Women”, which is exactly what that sounds like. The nuns are assisted by the enigmatic Mr. Dean (David Farrar). His gruff manner and manly good looks stir things in Clodagh, and the troubled Sister Ruth. He looked foolish appearing shirtless on an undersized donkey, but I suppose this was period accurate.

So, our story is about the nuns trying to overcome many obstacles (personal and otherwise) to run a successful convent, while everyone else is certain of their failure. There are many side characters, many of which were played by plausibly ethnic appropriate actors. The Young General (son of the Old General who granted the palace to the nuns) was played by Indian actor Sabu, famous for his roles in The Jungle Book and The Thief of Bagdad.

A very young Jean Simmons (in ‘Himalayan face’?) plays a wayward girl whose eyes catch with the Young General’s. Also, English actress May Hallatt plays a delightfully batty caretaker. Remember, this is the 1940’s, and western society and the church weren’t given glowing depictions.

Black Narcissus (named for the Young General's fancy cologne) is a slow and engaging watch. Style-wise it isn’t altogether different from Michael Powell’s The Red Shoes. Amazing visuals paired with a certain level of fantastic realism. And like The Red Shoes, it is an impressive and immersive watch, but certainly not for everyone. But for me, AMRU 4.

“I have invited some ladies to stay here at the House of Women.” 

“Ladies! Oh, that will be like old times!”

“It will not be in the least like old times. They are not that kind of lady at all.”

“Then they won’t be any fun.”

Crossfire (1947)

A man is found murdered in his hotel room. He was seen the night before with a few servicemen in a bar. Police investigate, and focus on one soldier whose whereabouts are unknown.

The film stars three Roberts: Young, Ryan, and Mitchum. Young is the police chief investigating the crime, and Ryan and Mitchum are servicemen trying to ‘help’. Gloria Grahame had a small but important role as the dance hall girl who may be able to account for the married suspect’s whereabouts. Grahame’s private life was pretty bonkers.

Jacqueline White, who played the wife who just wanted her husband cleared and didn't care where he hid the salami, was charming in her limited role. She only appeared in twenty features and retired at 30 to domestic bliss. She turns 100 this month. A highlight was a character known only as ‘The Man’. He appears at Ginny’s (Grahame) apartment to find our poor suspect. We never figure out his story because he keeps changing it. It’s actually quite amusing. I want to know more about that character. I also want that coffee maker.

The story isn’t very complicated but the movie can be confusing because I had difficulty keeping the characters straight. Also, the IMDb trivia section called it “one of the most visually impressive film noirs ever made”. Please watch The Third Man (1949). I wouldn’t complain about Crossfire's cinematography. It was just middle of the road.

Crossfire (which features no crossfire, figurative or otherwise) was nominated for five Academy Awards, including best picture, but won nothing. It isn't much of a mystery. I was certain of the killer midway through the first act. And it got a little preachy, as some post war films do. But it scores on atmosphere and some delightfully quirky scenes. I was looking for a solid noir and this hit the spot. AMRU 3.5.

Nightmare Alley (1947)

Stan Carlisle (Tyrone Power) is a sideshow mentalist who yearns for the big time. When he learns that a fellow carnie and her husband have a system that got them to the big time before he fell into a bottle, Stan must learn more.

Power was a swashbuckling matinee idol, but thirsted for darker roles. When he learned of the script, he begged for the role. It was his favorite role and a box office flop. Audiences weren’t interested in seeing their knight in shining armor scam people and play with their emotions.

A hundred years ago I saw Power in Witness for the Prosecution and enjoyed his performance. I have no interest in seeing his pirate and costume romance flicks, but there are a few good films on his CV, this being one. It was nice to see Joan Blondell in a middle role. She came up with Jean Harlow and Barbara Stanwyck, and that crowd back in the pre-code cheesecake era and did cameo-adjacent roles in films like Grease and The Cincinnati Kid in her late career. But here, she is still attractive, likable, and intrinsic to the plot.

Here also is pretty Coleen Gray in only her third film role. Her acting was noticeably weak compared to her costars, but it’s easy to forgive because she was absolutely adorable. And she was still adorable fifteen years later in the forgettable Phantom Planet.

Based on a book, the film drops hints of darker elements. When told she has a big heart, Blondell’s Zeena replies “Sure, as big as an artichoke, a leaf for everyone.” A later scene doesn’t make sense unless you infer carnal activities. The background characters have depth and leave the audience wanting more.

Nightmare Alley is a fun and interesting watch. It’s reputation improved from it’s initial failure. It saw TV syndication after Power’s untimely death. There, audiences embraced it, no longer considering it “distasteful” as Darryl Zanuck called it. It has atmosphere, texture, and a persistent sense of danger. AMRU 4.5.

“I'm about as reliable as a two dollar cornet.”

Born to Kill (1947)

A floozy wants to get her tough underworld-type boyfriend (Lawrence Tierney) jealous, so she goes out with a young sap. He responds by killing them. The bodies are found by a woman (Claire Trevor) who considers calling the police, but has a train to catch. So does the murderer, who takes a fancy to her.

Truth be told, I selected this film because I saw Lawrence Tierney’s name and mistook it for Gene. I’m glad I did. Lawrence was an interesting chap. Violent and hot-headed in real life, he was perfectly cast as the violent and hot-headed Sam. His career is pockmarked with confrontations and bar fights. It’s a wonder his career lasted as long as it did, not to mention his life.

Gritty and pessimistic, this is not the kind of film I expect from Robert Wise. No doubt a talented director, but even his horror films tend to exhibit a certain optimism. Elisha Cook Jr. is great as usual as Sam’s buddy, and I must blurb on Walter Slezak sometime, but today my attention is drawn to Claire Trevor. We’ve crossed paths a few times but I’ve never taken the time to notice her. Here she is the object of desire but a year later she gets slapped around in Key Largo. Eight years prior she was a hooker with a heart of gold in Stagecoach. She was fantastic here and I must pay her closer attention in the future.

Born to Kill may be a non-traditional noir, but make no mistake, noir it is. And I thoroughly enjoyed every scene, never knowing precisely where the story leads. I could quibble with a few story elements, but noir tends to have an element of fantastic realism. It was a fun watch. AMRU 4.

Nora Prentiss (1947)

The Good Doctor Talbot (Kent Smith) is dead. Murdered, in fact. Let’s go back in time to see how this all transpired. The stayed 40-something family man begins to grow tired of his predictable, boring life. A chance encounter with a 30-ish nightclub singer (Ann Sheridan) turns everything upside down.

Not terribly noir-ish, but I will allow it. What I cannot abide is that the IMDb description is a third act spoiler. I know the film is pushing 75, but that is unnecessary. End Rant.

Kent Smith appeared in both of Val Lewton’s Cat People films and I found his manner stiff, but here it fits the character. He is something of a stick in the mud, punctual and reliable. While Ann Sheridan sparkled five years earlier in The Man Who Came to Dinner (my Christmas pick), she seemed a little shop-worn here. Still, pretty and exciting to the dependable dad. Her club friend is played by Robert Alda, better known as Hawkeye’s dad.

I don’t remember how Nora Prentiss got onto my radar (and thus my DVR), maybe TCM ran a piece glowing about her performance. But I found the story kinda flat. There are some good reveals (better if they’re not spoiled for you), but I didn’t feel the chemistry and didn’t care about the characters. It’s a medium drama with some interesting story elements that left me kinda blah. AMRU 3.

Lured (1947)

Pretty women of London are being murdered, lured by an ad in the personal column. When the friend of pretty Sandra (Lucille Ball) goes missing, she agrees to act as bait for the investigation.

Lurid is classified by IMDb as Film-Noir, but I reject that label. While it does have some noir elements, it completely lacks the most important ones. A remake of a French musical romance, it keeps a rom-com undertone. That original film was inspired by a real-life case that became the last public execution in French history. Lurid was a financial failure, no doubt caused by the studio changing the title to Personal Column during its initial run. Apparently Lured sounded too much like Lurid.

Many old friends visit us here. Everyone’s favorite lecherous old man, Charles Coburn is the decidedly non-lecherous chief inspector. Batman’s Alfred Alan Napier makes an appearance, and personal favorite George Zucco has a sizable role, both appearing in their tenth film I’ve covered. But somebody please tell me what Boris Karloff is doing in this picture! My guess is he was under contract and his name was needed for promotional purposes. His small and inconsequential scene gave him forth billing. But let’s talk of George Sanders.

Before agreeing to work for the police, Sandra sets up an interview at a fancy club owned by Sanders’ Fleming, but doesn’t show. Fleming falls for her based on her voice and the chase is on. Always playing the notorious cad, Sanders was wonderful in this role. It is his performance here that, despite story issues, makes the film worth watching. Villain or not, he is wonderful in all of his roles.

Much has been said of Lucy’s less than stellar early film career and here is yet another example. Not bad, should have been better, and sabotaged by the studio with the title change. But 35 is a bit long in the tooth for a woman striving to achieve A-list status during that era. Not for a man, but certainly for a woman. Despite lots of leading lady talent, it just didn’t happen for her. But things worked out for her in the end. AMRU 3.5.

The Lady from Shanghai (1947)

Having burned his way out of town, Orson Welles focused on the stage. In order to get his stage musical financed he promised to make a traditional, Hollywood, action thriller. What he actually made was a two and a half hour mess. He wanted voice level to be almost too low to hear and blast the audience away with sound effects. Because EvErYboDy lOvEs ThAt! Fortunately, studio meddling turned it into something watchable.

Our hero is poor Michael O’Hara who is actually Orson Welles with an Irish Accent. He earns a job on a rich lawyer’s yacht by hitting on his hot young wife (Rita Hayworth). And by saving her from thugs. There he continues his infatuation with hot Elsa and gets caught up in what we here are referring to as ‘intrigue’.

Hayworth was Welles estranged wife at the time, fun fun. He had her hair cut and bleached, which was a no-no back in the day. Rita’s strawberry blond hair was her trademark and you just don’t go messing with studio property. Were you to film in Fenway park you don’t go and paint the Green Monster blue. Welles was his own worst enemy.

I refrain from spoiling the story but in actuality the viewer has no clue where it's going for the majority of the runtime anyhow. Even Welles' O'Hara seems to have a dumbfounded expression on his face throughout the film. Studio boss Harry Cohen said he'd never hire the same man to produce, direct, and star in a film because he could never fire him. But, you know, Cohen was an ass.

Film purists will defend Welles artistic vision, but that’s not what he promised the studio. Maybe his version would have been a masterpiece, but he hadn't earned the right to make it. Not from Hollywood's perspective, at least. What we got was an interesting, weird as hell, and watchable hour and a half long film. AMRU 3.5.

“George, that’s the first time anyone ever thought enough of you to call you a shark. If you were a good lawyer you’d be flattered.”

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

After discovering her Thanksgivings Day Parade Santa is drunk, pretty Doris (Maureen O’Hara) hires a spectator who looks the part. He does such a good job that he is hired by Macy’s to be their regular store Santa. But rather than talk children into Macy’s overstock product, he refers them to competitors to get the exact toy they want. Initially this goes over poorly with management until it becomes a public relations boon. Things get complicated when they realize that Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) actually believes himself to be Santa. Like, for real!

So, the objects in play are the stern realist Doris with a precocious daughter (Natalie Wood). They have little time for such fantasies like Santa. Also, the neighbor Fred who wants to know Doris a little better, nudge nudge. He also happens to be a lawyer, which will come in handy later. Macy’s has a psychiatrist who thinks Kris Kringle ought to be locked up. Finally there is R.H. Macy himself who wants to keep the goodwill train rolling, and heads will roll if it doesn’t. They couldn’t get the real R.H. Macy to play the part because he’d been dead seventy years before filming began. It’s been another seventy years since so you can see how long the “Christmas is so commercialized nowadays” mantra has been going.

Gene Lockhart, whom I saw most recently as Bob Cratchit, is the judge caught in the position of determining Santa's sanity. Here also is Thelma Ritter’s first role. Also is possibly Jack Albertson’s first screen role. He was Charlie’s granddad but I remember him most from television.

Macy's and Gimbel's department stores play a significant part in the film. They agreed to have their names used only if they liked the finished product. This means if either one vetoed, significant parts would have to be reshot. As such, many of the references to the stores were cut-aways. Fortunately, both parties liked the movie and it was released in time for ... summer solstice? What the hell, people ...

Miracle on 34th Street is a charming film that holds up very well. That is, if you overlook the ‘frigid woman must learn to love so she can catch a man’ angle. Also, the part about the little girl being left in the care of a 30-something stranger living next door. Yea, that wouldn’t fly today. But apart from that, it still hits all the right notes. Edmund Gwenn (remember him from Them!) is the best Santa analog we can hope for, Maureen O’Hara is a wonderfully charming ice queen, and Natalie Wood basically steals the show. Few child actors were as impactful as she was here. AMRU 4.

“The DA's a Republican”

Out of the Past (1947)

A former detective … or gangster (Robert Mitchum) tries to start a new life as a small town gas jockey when he is found by his old boss (Kirk Douglas) who has one more job for him.

Told partially in flashback, Jeff is trying to make a fresh start with a good girl when his past catches up with him. Seems old Jeff left his prior job on rather poor terms, with a backstory involving his boss’ two-timing, thieving girlfriend (Jane Greer), and it’s unclear if Whit wants to make amends or get revenge.

Out of the Past is a complex film chuck full of noir-speak that sometimes left me scratching my head ("Now, do you wanna talk business, or do you wanna play house?" or "You know, a dame with a rod is like a guy with a knitting needle"). Just about everyone was duplicitous and its unclear if they are ever telling the truth, even when talking to their co-conspirators. Add to that two femme-fatals (Greer and Rhonda Fleming) looked alike making me mistake the first for the second. My head got a lot of scratching done that day.

Overall, Out of the Past was nice but not spectacular. It holds your attention well, so AMRU 3.5. It's held in high esteem as a great Noir film, but man was it confounding. Mitchum joked that a few pages of the script were lost in the mimeo department. But still, I'll give it another watch. The Maltese Falcon was way better the second time around. This may be as well.

“Joe couldn't find a prayer in the Bible”

The Bishop’s Wife (1947)

A young bishop (David Niven) is struggling to get his cathedral built and it’s affecting his marriage. He prays for guidance and in walks Dudley (Cary Grant) claiming to be an angel. But instead of focusing on the cathedral, he concentrates on what really matters.

The movie began production with Grant in the bishop role and Niven as the angel. When the director was replaced, the new director reversed the roles and recast the part of the Wife. Also, the Bishop’s daughter was the daughter in It’s a Wonderful Life. You know the one: “TeaCHER says, evRY time A belLL rings …” But I want to talk about Loretta Young.

Amazingly adorable in her early roles, here she is quite charming. The story of her illegitimate child with Clark Gable frequently comes up. He was married, and she hid the pregnancy from the media. She put the girl into an orphanage for a year, then “adopted” her. I thought this was heartless for quite a while but a few details had escaped me. One, both of their contracts likely would have been terminated had this gotten out, and Loretta would not recover as she traded on her good girl image. Also, she was only 22 when Judy Lewis was born. Gable was 34, the pig! I’ll remember to cut her a little slack from now on.

The Bishop’s Wife is a film likely saved by studio interference. First by changing directors and the role reversal, but also by bringing in Robert Sherwood and Billy Wilder to fix a few scenes after initial filming had wrapped. That couldn’t have hurt. The end result may have gone way over budget, and released two months too late for Christmas, but it is quality Holiday fare. It has humor and heart. Elsa Lanchester was, again, wonderful in a supporting role. Also look for the obvious stunt doubles in the ice skating scene. AMRU 3.5.

“For some time now, every time I pass the cemetery, I feel as though I'm apartment hunting.”

It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947)

When a rich businessman (Charles Ruggles) moves south for the winter, a bum moves into his fifth avenue mansion. He doesn’t eat much or cause harm so that the owner never suspects. A serviceman loses his apartment when a rich businessman (Charles Ruggles) decides to build a monstrous building on the same spot. He has a chance encounter with the a bum, who has moved into a rich businessman’s (Charles Ruggles) house while he’s away. When the daughter of a rich businessman (Charles Ruggles) returns home, the others think she too is homeless. Reluctantly they allow her to stay, and enthusiastically she agrees to play along.

Wow, what a cute little film! No real big names here (excepting Charles Ruggles, of course), just good performances supporting a delightful story. Hey, look! It’s a young Jonas Grumby (Alan Hale Jr)! The others were unknown to me. There was something particularly charming about Victor Moore’s portrayal of the first bum, feeling both noble and authentic.

Romantic comedies are seldom ensemble pieces. Yes, the story does revolve heavily around our prospective love birds, but there is more to the story. It Happened on Fifth Avenue is charming, heartwarming, and satisfying. It had a lot of nice moments. A good holiday find. AMRU 3.5.

“Well, it happened at the movies. Gregory Peck and this blonde were getting married. So I said to Whitey, I said, "Gee, I sure wish that was us." And Whitey said, "Uh-huh." And then I said, "Ain't marriage wonderful?" And Whitey said, "Uh-huh." And then I said, "Why don't we get married?" And Whitey said, "Uh-huh." And, oh, after all, how can you say no to a guy who coaxes you like that.”

The Egg and I (1947)

On her wedding night Betty (Claudette Colbert) discovers her urban professional husband (Fred MacMurray) has quit his job and bought a chicken farm. Adjusting to the rustic lifestyle is difficult and fraught with challenges.

This Fish Out Of Water story, based on but not closely resembling a memoir by Betty MacDonald, inspired a short lived TV series, ten Ma & Pa Kettle movies, and Green Acres which I watched in syndication. It is anecdotal in nature, moving from one minor catastrophe to another. The movie was a success but its real legacy are the Kettle’s, our Ozarkian noble savages.

Maybe you will recall Billy (big as a) House from Bedlam. Yea, I know, fat shaming. Here is plays an annoying travelling salesman. He was replaced in the Kettle films with Emory Parnell. Richard Long looked much younger than he would just two years later. You may remember him in Big Valley, or as the Professor in The Nanny And. He would die before reaching my great age.

Competently made, predictable comedy, and kinda boring. Not much else to say here. It didn’t hurt to watch and everything made sense (with the possible exception of the ending), but fairly unspectacular. My mom enjoyed the Kettle films in her youth but we both agreed that there were few laughs to be found here. AMRU 3.

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)

At the turn of the century, recent widow Lucy (Gene Tierney) rents a seaside house against the wishes of her in-laws and the realtor. Turns out the house is haunted by the salty sea captain (Rex Harrison) who committed suicide there four years earlier. Soon, love blooms.

The Ghost is a romantic drama period film. A post-war remembrance of a simpler time. Gene and Rex both are wonderfully restrained in their performances. Here the ghost-romantic drama was invented, later to be ruined by Ghost.

Anna Lee, right off her success in Bedlam, has a small role. Her on-screen charisma muted to fit the roll. Lucy's daughter is a young Natalie Wood. The Gaelic word "muir", I learned, means "sea", the only woman a sailor can truly love.

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir is a very well crafted if cloyingly sentimental film. The sets, acting, and dialog is spot on, but there are no mysteries here. If you are surprised where the story leads, then you must hide your own Easter eggs. This movie is exactly what it intends to be. Tone and performances are spot on. Not exactly in my wheelhouse, but enjoyable never-the-less. AMRU 3.5.

"My dear, never let anyone tell you to be ashamed of your figure."

Dark Passage (1947)

Bogie and Bacall are back in the third of their four movies together. Today, Bogie is an escaped convict and Bacall is the rich young hottie that decides to help him out. She just knows he was framed.

For much of the beginning, we don't see Bogart's face. Most of it was filmed in POV mode and in other scenes he is in the shadows, which is all the better what with him on the lam and all. Agnes Moorehead plays Bacall's shrill friend.

Now that Bogie is on the outside, he wants to know who really killed his no good wife. A friendly cabbie introduces him to a plastic surgeon allowing Bogie to obscure his face with bandages for a while longer.

Every time the story progresses, something happens to put Bogie back into jeopardy, to the point I was surprised at the ending. Instead of a new obstacle or twist, the credits roll. Not a terribly realistic movie (so, Bogie looks that way AFTER surgery?) but that's easy enough to ignore. It was loaded with atmosphere and drama.

I liked it. Not a great movie, but good. And fun. I would consider seeing it again. AMRU 3.5.

Song of the Thin Man (1947)

Here is where I intended on posting about Laura (1944), the great Otto Preminger detective mystery. Of the twenty chapters, I saw (with limited interruption) thirteen of them. I moved from the bedroom to the newer DVD player in the living room, and watched chapter fourteen. And that was it. Kaput. There was a thumb print on the disk that could not be washed off. Clear enough to get a conviction. You'd think people who rent classic movies would have a clue.

Song of the Thin Man is the last of the Thin Man series, although Myrna Loy and William Powell would go on to make one more of their fourteen films together. Nick and Nora are on a gambling boat and there's this band leader who is in need of money to pay off some thugs. His boss (secretly marrying the daughter of a rich tycoon) is playing hardball with his pay. Also this clarinet player who is mooning over the girl that left him for said band leader. Naturally, the band leader is murdered and everyone is a suspect. Nick Charles is dragged into it.

The story is not as complex as the earlier films, Myrna (starting to look her age) doesn't sizzle and pop. And one of the jokes was that Nick and Nora were becoming ... old. Keenan Wynn played a hipster musician who lends a hand. He introduces them to the music scene, using hip, mod language that Nick and Nora are too square to understand. Not funny.

I recognized the name Keenan Wynn but could not figure out where I knew him from. He played Winter in Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, but I wasn't going to recognize him from that. Then I discovered his dad was Ed Wynn, who I recognized by sight. Photos of Keenan in his later years showed he was "oh, that guy". Dean Stockwell (Quantum Leap) played Nick Junior.

It's rather bittersweet to know I've seen the last of the Thin Men, and sad it was the least interesting of the films. Dashiell Hammett wrote, as far as I can figure out, only five novels, all between 1929 and 1934. The Thin Man was his last. He concentrated on being a commie, war hero, and writing short fiction. I picked up the book on my last trip to the library. I'm a slow reader (which might be why I do films - I can watch an hour film in 58 minutes), but finished the book in three days. William Powell's character was dead on. Nora was less in the book, and Asta almost not at all. Way, way, way more complex than the film. I enjoyed it. My wife is reading it now and might make her want to see the first movie again.

Ten years after this was a TV show that lasted two seasons. I saw an episode when I did Forbidden Planet. Robbie the Robot had a cameo in an episode so they put it on the disk. Peter Lawford was all wrong as Nick and Phyllis Kirk was awful as Nora.

I enjoyed the swan song of the Thin Man and when deciding if I should buy the box set, it won't be the deciding factor. Periodically amusing, fairly interesting, but otherwise unremarkable. AMRU 3.