Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Dick Powell and Lizabeth Scott in “Pitfall”

Pitfall (1948) is an American film noir drama directed by Andre de Toth and starring Dick Powell, Lizabeth Scott, and Jane Wyatt. The supporting cast includes Ann Doran, John Litel, and Raymond Burr.

Johnny Forbes (Powell) works for an insurance company in downtown Los Angeles Johnny is introduced to the case of Mona Stevens and Bill Smiley by former policeman and private investigator J.B. “Mac” MacDonald (Burr). Smiley has been showering Mona with expensive gifts with money he embezzled. Johnny gets involved with Mona Stevens (Scott) the girlfriend of jailed criminal Bill Smiley (Byron Barr) while working on the investigation and Mona’s possible involvement. Johnny who has become disillusioned with his “happy” suburban life with his wife Sue (Wyatt) and his young son Tommy (Jimmy Hunt), finds himself attracted to Mona.

Will Johnny’s affair with Mona damage the investigation of Bill Smiley, and more importantly destroy his marriage to Sue?

 


Andre de Toth (1913 – 2002) was a Hungarian-American film director. De Toth directed films in Europe before the World War II. He went to England and then to Los Angeles in 1942. De Toth worked in a variety of genres including films noir and westerns. He directed Gary Cooper in Springfield Rifle (1952) and Vincent Price in House of Wax (1953), the most popular 3-D movie during the 3-D movie craze. Later in his career, he worked as a second-unit director on Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Superman (1978). De Toth was married seven times. One of his wives was Veronica Lake with whom he had two children.

Dick Powell (1904 - 1963) was an American actor, singer, producer, and director. He began his movie career in musicals and comedies but eventually toughened up his image in the mid-1940s where he became a popular star of films noir. He was the first actor to portray Philip Marlowe in Murder, My Sweet (1944). After appearing in his last film, Susan Slept Here, Powell started directing. In the 1950s he was one of the founders of Four Star Television along with Charles Boyer, David Niven, and Ida Lupino. Some popular films starring Powell include 42nd Street (1933), A Midsummer's Night Dream (1935), Christmas in July (1940), Pitfall (1948), and The Bad and the Beautiful (1952).

Lizabeth Scott (1922 – 2015) was an American actress dubbed “The Threat” because she had a similar husky voice and screen persona as Lauren Bacall. Scott was an understudy to Tallulah Bankhead in The Skin of Our Teeth but never got the opportunity to replace Bankhead’s run of the play. When Bankhead was replaced by Miriam Hopkins, Scott did go on for one night and received good reviews. It wasn’t long for Hollywood to take notice and producer Wallis signed her to a contract. She made her film debut as Ivy Hotchkiss in You Came Along (1945) with Robert Cummings. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) was Scott’s second feature. She went on to star in Dead Reckoning (1947) with Humphrey Bogart, I Walk Alone (1947) with Burt Lancaster, and Dark City (1950) with Charlton Heston in his film debut. She had a falling out with producer Wallis after starring in Loving You (1957) with Elvis Presley and another Wallis contract player, Wendell Corey. She basically retired from film after Loving You but appeared on television sporadically during the 1950s and 1960s.

Dick Powell and Jane Wyatt


Pitfall trivia

  • There is a shot of the May Company department store on Wilshire Blvd. It’s not the home of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
  • According to TCM host Eddie Muller, this was Lizabeth Scott’s favorite role.
  • This was an independent production for Regal Films owned by producer Samuel Bischoff. Dick Powell was on the company’s board of directors.
  • The comic in John’s son’s bedroom is Flash #77 which is worth over $500 in very good condition.
  • John’s personal car is a 1947 Ford Super Deluxe convertible which was the top-of-the-line model.
  • John’s company car is a 1948 Studebaker Commander Land Cruiser.

 

Click HERE to watch the movie on YouTube.



 

Click HERE to join the discussion on May 6, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

 

Discussion questions

  1. Most film noirs aren’t set in suburbia. Did the setting enhance or harm the film’s narrative?
  2. Was Dick Powell’s affair with Lizabeth Scott’s character seem believable?
  3. Is Lizabeth Scott’s character the typical femme fatale?
  4. What did you think of the performances? Powell, Scott, Wyatt, and Burr?
  5. Did this movie remind you of any others you’ve seen?

 

 

 

Friday, April 26, 2024

2024 Turner Classic Movies Film Festival (#TCMFF) Recap

The 2024 Turner Classic Movies Film Festival (TCMFF) is now history. As always, it went by so quickly that sometimes I wonder if it really happened. I wasn’t dreaming, it did happen. In the four days of the festival, I saw 14 movies.

Below is the movies I saw and where I saw them.

Thursday:

  1. Clue 1985 – Poolside at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

Friday:

  1. The Good Fairy 1935 – Egyptian Theatre
  2. The Model and the Marriage Broker 1951 – Chinese Multiplex #6
  3. Rear Window 1954 – Egyptian Theatre
  4. It Happened One Night 1933 – Egyptian Theatre


Saturday:

  1. Night Has a Thousand Eyes 1948 – Egyptian Theatre
  2. Annie Get Your Gun 1950 – Egyptian Theatre
  3. The Mad Miss Manton 1938 – Egyptian Theatre
  4. Westward the Women 1951 – Egyptian Theatre
  5. On the Waterfront 1954 – TLC Chinese Theatre IMax


Sunday:

  1. Double Indemnity 1944 – TLC Chinese Theater IMax
  2. The Big Heat 1953 – Chinese Multiplex #6
  3. The Searchers 1956 – Egyptian Theatre
  4. The Goat/Sherlock Jr. 1921/1924 (counting these two silent movies as one)

 


Festival Highlights

All of the movies above I had seen before…some I even own on DVD. But several like Night Has a Thousand Eyes, The Big Heat, and Westward the Women, I hadn’t seen in decades. For those films it was like seeing them for the first time.

I was disappointed that On the Waterfront was scheduled at 10 p.m. at the TLC Chinese Theatre IMax. The theatre wasn’t even half full which was disappointing.

I think I had the most fun during the screening of The Good Fairy. The movie has an amazing pedigree but it’s been mostly forgotten, even by the most ardent classic movie fans. I’m hoping that the festival screening will change that.

The 70MM restoration of The Searchers was stunning. It was one of the most beautifully filmed movies and to see it looking brand new was amazing.

Clue was the first movie that I saw at the Roosevelt Hotel Pool. I’ve always avoided the pool screenings because the weather in LA during the festival can be chilly at night. But this year it was relatively mild and they had gas heaters strategically placed around the pool. But my real motivation to attend this screening was to see Lesley Ann Warren. Warren was probably my first childhood crush. It was love at first sight when I saw Cinderella on television at eight years old. Dave Karger introduced and interviewed her before the screening. She looked beautiful and talked about the fun she had on the set with her talented co-stars.


Another favorite movie was The Model and the Marriage Broker. Like The Good Fairy, the movie also has a great pedigree but it too has been so what lost to movie history. Another reason to see this film was the fact that my friend Christy Putnam, who is writing a biography of Thelma Ritter (one of the film’s stars) coming out next year, was interviewed by actress Diane Baker.

Now that the 2024 TCM Film Festival is a memory, I’m looking forward to 2025!

 

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Book Review: “From the Moment They Met It Was Murder: Double Indemnity and the Rise of Film Noir”

Title: From the Moment They Met It Was Murder: Double Indemnity and the Rise of Film Noir

By: Alain Silver and James Ursini

Publisher: Running Press – Turner Classic Movies

ISBN: 978-07624-8493-5 (hardcover)

ISBN: 978-0-7624-8495-9 (ebook)

 

The new book by Alain Silver and James Ursini is a detailed account of how the classic film noir Double Indemnity came to be. The authors take a look at the real-life crime that influenced James M. Cain’s novel on which the film is based. The thesis of the book is that Double Indemnity is the definitive film noir and its influence is still felt today.

Just when you thought you knew all there was to know about Double Indemnity and film noir, the authors begin their book with the case of Ruth May Snyder and Henry Judd Gray. Snyder and Gray came up with a plot to murder her husband. They tried to make it look like robbery and murder but weren’t as slick as Phyllis Dietrichson and Walter Neff.

Once the authors start talking about the development of Double Indemnity, the book really moves along. The consensus was that Cain’s dialogue in the novel sounded stilted and phony when read aloud. That’s where Raymond Chandler came in. Chandler’s novels were known for their snappy, realistic dialogue. Chandler worked with director Billy Wilder on the script. A contentious relationship at best but somehow it all worked out in the end.

The casting was interesting. Dick Powell campaigned hard to play Neff, but this was before his dramatic turn in Murder, My Sweet (1944). Powell was a musical comedy star during the 1930s at Warner Bros. and wasn’t seriously consider by Wilder. Fred MacMurray was known for light comedy and musicals as well, but Wilder saw something. Casting MacMurray against type turned out to be a brilliant move. He’s convincing and believable as Neff. For Phyllis Dietrichson, it doesn’t look like Wilder wanted anyone but Barbara Stanwyck.

Billy Wilder (right in front of policemen) directs Stanwyck and MacMurray
in the supermarket scene.

When Ball of Fire (1941) starring Gary Cooper and Stanwyck went into production, Wilder, still a screenwriter, decided he wanted to direct so he shadowed director Howard Hawks. Wilder and Charles Brackett wrote the screenplay for Ball of Fire. He was impressed with Stanwyck’s performance and the rest is history.

There has always been a fascination with why Wilder had Stanwyck wear that cheap blonde wig. The truth is the wig was the same one worn by Marlene Dietrich in Manpower (1941). Wilder wanted Stanwyck to look cheap but he ultimately admitted it was a mistake. He decided this after a few weeks of filming but he decided he couldn’t scrap what was already printed and start from scratch so he just kept going. Paramount file executive Buddy DeSylva said, “We paid for Barbara Stanwyck, and we got George Washington.”

One bit of information that I had never heard before was that Mona Freeman was originally cast as Lola Dietrichson. When Wilder saw her on film, she looked twelve years old. She was eventually replaced with Jean Heather. Heather also had a role in Going My Way, the film that beat Double Indemnity for Best Picture. Its director Leo McCarey also beat Wilder in the Best Director category.

The gas chamber scene that was filmed but cut from the final film

Dressing Stanwyck—done by the legendary Edith Head—to look cheap was expensive. Some of Stanwyck’s outfits cost $7000 in today’s dollars. Stanwyck’s bath towel and pair of slippers cost $40 in 1943 or $700 today.

The book delves into the films Double Indemnity has influenced during the peak noir era and more contemporary or neo-noir films like Body Heat (1981).

And you can’t ignore the foreboding score by Miklos Rozsa. The feeling of dread is apparent from the opening credits and is carried through to the very last frame.

If you’re a fan of Double Indemnity and/or film noir, this book is a must.

Some quick facts:

  • Fred MacMurray worked 61 days
  • Barbara Stanwyck worked 35 days
  • Edward G. Robinson worked 37 days


Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Humphrey Bogart and Lizabeth Scott face a “Dead Reckoning”

Dead Reckoning (1947) is an American film noir directed by John Cromwell and starring Humphrey Bogart and Lizabeth Scott.

Bogart plays Capt. Warren “Rip” Murdock who is trying to unlock the mystery surrounding the disappearance and death of his WW II buddy Sergeant Johnny Drake. During his search he meets Drake’s girlfriend Coral (Scott). During his search, Rip falls in love with Coral but is she worthy of his trust.

Humphrey Bogart and Lizabeth Scott

John Cromwell (1886 – 1979) was an American film and stage director. Cromwell started his career as an actor on the stage and in the early days of talking pictures. He was under contract to Paramount where he directed many pre-Code films. Some of the stars he directed during this time included Kay Francis, William Powell, and Jean Arthur. In 1933, he moved to RKO and directed Irene Dunne in Ann Vickers (1933), Spitfire (1934) with Katharine Hepburn, and Of Human Bondage (1934) with Leslie Howard and Bette Davis. Of Human Bondage was a tremendous box office success and made Cromwell a top director in Hollywood. Other films he directed include Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936) The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), Since You Went Away (1944), Anna and the Kind of Siam (1946), and Dead Reckoning. He is the father of actor James Cromwell.

Lizabeth Scott (1922 – 2015) was an American actress dubbed “The Threat” because she had a similar husky voice and screen persona as Lauren Bacall. Scott was understudy to Tallulah Bankhead in The Skin of Our Teeth but never got the opportunity to replace Bankhead’s run of the play. When Bankhead was replaced by Miriam Hopkins, Scott did go on for one night and received good reviews. It wasn’t long for Hollywood to take notice and producer Wallis signed her to a contract. She made her film debut as Ivy Hotchkiss in You Came Along (1945) with Robert Cummings. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) was Scott’s second feature. She went on to star in Dead Reckoning (1947) with Humphrey Bogart, I Walk Alone (1947) with Burt Lancaster, and Dark City (1950) with Charlton Heston in his film debut. She had a falling out with producer Wallis after starring in Loving You (1957) with Elvis Presley and another Wallis contract player, Wendell Corey. She basically retired from film after Loving You but appeared on television sporadically during the 1950s and 1960s.



Dead Reckoning trivia

  • Rita Hayworth was the original choice to play Coral but she was committed to The Lady from Shanghai with her estranged husband, Orson Welles.
  • Lizabeth Scott was on loan from Paramount to play Coral and Bogart was on loan from Warner Bros. to play Rip.
  • Bogart was miffed about the terms of his loan out from Warner Bros. because Columbia paid Warner Bros. more than his salary.
  • Coral’s car is a 1941 Lincoln Continental convertible. Only 400 were made.
  • Lizabeth Scott was billed as “The Threat.” Lauren Bacall was tagged as “The Look” and Scott was often compared to Bacall.
  • Lauren Bacall supposedly thought Scott did a good job in the picture.

 

Click HERE to join the discussion on May 6, 2024, 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Click HERE to watch the film on YouTube.



Discussion questions

  1. Does this film fit all the film noir tropes?
  2. What did you think of the pairing of Bogart and Scott?
  3. Like many film noirs, the plot has many twists and turns. Were you able to follow it?
  4. What did you think of the film’s production? Does it fit your idea of a “film noir style?”
  5. Do you think the film would have been different had Rita Hayworth played Cora?

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Joel McCrea and Laraine Day in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Foreign Correspondent”

Foreign Correspondent (1940) is an American spy thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, Herbert Marshall, and George Sanders. The screenplay was written by Charles Bennett and Joan Harrison. The music was by Alfred Newman and the cinematography was by Rudolph Mate.

Before the outbreak of World War II, Mr. Powers (Harry Davenport), editor of the New York Morning Globe, sends crime reporter John Jones (McCrea) to report on the situation there.

While in the Netherlands, Jones attends an event sponsored by the Universal Peace Party led by Stephen Fisher (Marshall). When the keynote speaker Van Meer (Albert Basserman) becomes ill, he is replaced by Carol Fisher (Day), Stephen Fisher’s daughter. Earlier, Jones had insulted Carol but now finds her irresistible.

As Jones continues to delve into European politics, he becomes suspicious of the Universal Peace Party and Carol’s father.

Does the Universal Peace Party really stand for peace or do they have another agenda?



Alfred Hitchcock (1899 – 1980) was an English film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is one of the most influential filmmakers of the 20th century. Hitchcock directed over 50 feature films, many are classics that have been honored and studied for years. Some of Hitchcock’s classic films include The 39 Steps (1939), Rebecca (1940), Suspicion (1941), Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Notorious (1946), Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), and Psycho (1960).

Joel McCrea (1905 – 1990) was an American movie star who appeared in over 100 films. During his almost-five-decades career, McCrea worked with some of the top directors in Hollywood including Alfred Hitchcock (Foreign Correspondent 1940), Preston Sturges (Sullivan’s Travels 1941, The Palm Beach Story 1942), and George Stevens (The More the Merrier 1943). McCrea worked opposite some of the top leading actresses of the day including Miriam Hopkins, Irene Dunne, Veronica Lake, Claudette Colbert, and Barbara Stanwyck with whom he made six films. He was the first actor to play Dr. Kildare in the film Internes Can’t Take Money (1937) costarring Stanwyck. McCrea married actress Frances Dee in 1933. The two were married until Joel died in 1990.

Laraine Day (1920 – 2007) was an American actress. Day appeared in films, stage, radio, and television. In 1939, she signed with M-G-M and starred as Nurse Mary Lamont in the popular film series Dr. Kildare. She made seven Dr. Kildare movies with Lew Ayres in the title role. In 1946, she signed a contract with RKO. Her contract stipulated that she would make one movie per year at $100,000. During the late 1940s, Day co-starred with John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, and Robert Mitchum. Some of Day’s films include Those Endearing Young Charms (1945), The Locket (1946), and Tycoon (1947) with John Wayne.

 

Foreign Correspondent trivia

  • Gary Cooper was offered the John Jones role but turned it down. He regretted it once he saw the film.
  • Alfred Hitchcock had two films up for Best Picture of 1940. This film and Rebecca.
  • Hitchcock had wanted Barbara Stanwyck or Joan Fontaine for the female lead.
  • The film was made before the U.S. had entered the war. The closing scenes of the movie were added when it became clear that the bombing of London was imminent.
  • An entire square was built on a ten-acre site for $200,000 (over $4M today).
  • A flight on the Clipper 314 cost $675.00 round trip which is roughly $12,000 in today’s dollars.
  • Laraine Day was 19 years old during production.
  • The film was a box-office hit but the film’s budget was so high that it didn’t make a profit for the filmmakers.

 

Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, and George Sanders

Click HERE to join the discussion on April 15, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Click HERE to watch the movie on YouTube.



Discussion questions

  1. Where do you think this film ranks with other Hitchcock movies?
  2. The film is famous for its elaborate set pieces. Were you impressed with the film’s recreation of Amsterdam?
  3. Joel McCrea was Hitchcock’s second choice for the lead. What did you think of his performance?
  4. Laraine Day was only 19 years old when she took on the role of Carol Fisher. What did you think of her performance?
  5. Were there any other performances that you enjoyed?

 

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Rick's Cafe and the Moral Maze: Love, War, and Choices in “Casablanca”

Guest blog post written by Stephen Galen Estevan


We all know the lines, we've probably seen the tearful goodbye a hundred times, but what truly sets this 1942 classic apart? It's not just the trench coat drama or the Bogie-Berman magic. Casablanca's secret sauce is its unique ability to cook up a storm of moral complexity in a wartime setting. Buckle up, cinephiles, because we're diving into the heart of what makes this movie so darn special.

Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart

First off, Casablanca throws you right into the grimy underbelly of a war-torn Europe. Rick's Cafe Americain, our Casablanca hotspot, isn't some swanky Hollywood hangout. It's a pressure cooker of refugees, gamblers, and desperation. Everyone's got a story, everyone's running from something. This backdrop instantly throws out a challenge: how do you define "good" and "bad" in a world gone sideways?

Here's where Rick Blaine, the cynical nightclub owner with a heart of gold (or maybe tarnished silver), takes center stage. Humphrey Bogart doesn't play Rick as a superhero. He's a guy who's seen the worst humanity has to offer, and it's hardened him. He prioritizes self-preservation, neutrality above all else.  But then Ilsa Lund walks in, a blast from his romantic past, and suddenly Rick's carefully constructed moral gray area starts to crack.

Dooley Wilson, Bogart, and Bergman

Ilsa, played by the stunning Ingrid Bergman, is another wrinkle in this moral tapestry. She's torn between her love for Rick and her duty to her husband, Victor Laszlo, a Czech resistance leader.  Laszlo embodies the fight against tyranny, the clear-cut "good" in this conflict.  Yet, Ilsa's love for Rick is real, and it forces us to confront the fact that good guys don't always get the girl, and love can be a powerful motivator, even if it complicates the fight against evil.

Casablanca doesn't shy away from the messy bits of human decision-making. We see characters wrestle with their conscience. Renault, the cynical police captain who seems to be in cahoots with the Nazis, throws a wrench into the works with his own moral dilemma.  Even Sam, the piano-playing confidante, wrestles with the line between loyalty and doing the right thing. There are no easy answers, and the film doesn't try to spoon-feed them to us.

This ambiguity is what makes Casablanca's climax so powerful. The iconic scene where Rick lets Laszlo escape with Ilsa is a masterclass in emotional storytelling. Rick sacrifices his own happiness for a cause he initially wanted nothing to do with. It's a selfless act born out of love, a love that transcends personal desires.  In that moment, Rick sheds his cynicism and chooses a side, a decision that resonates because it feels real, not forced.

Paul Henreid, Bergman, and Bogart

Casablanca's moral complexity extends beyond the central love triangle. The film doesn't shy away from the horrors of war. We see refugees desperate to escape, the cruelty of the Vichy regime collaborating with the Nazis.  It reminds us that war isn't just fought on battlefields; it's a fight for the soul in every corner of the world.

This brings us to the final ingredient in Casablanca's recipe for moral complexity: cynicism versus hope. Rick's initial cynicism reflects the disillusionment of a world at war.  But as the film progresses, a flicker of hope emerges.  Laszlo's unwavering belief in the fight against fascism becomes a spark that ignites Rick's sense of purpose.  The ending, while bittersweet, leaves us with a sense of optimism.  Even in the darkest of times, good can prevail, and individuals can make a difference.

Casablanca isn't a film that gives easy answers. It forces us to confront the complexities of human nature, the sacrifices we make for love and for what we believe in. It's a film that stays with you long after the credits roll, prompting you to ponder the murky waters between right and wrong.  That's why, even after all these years, Casablanca remains a cinematic masterpiece, a timeless reminder that the lines between good and bad can be as blurry as the smoke hanging over Rick's Cafe Americain.




Stephen Galen Estevan is the founder and operator of FrameTrek.

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Richard Basehart and Scott Brady star in “He Walked by Night”

He Walked by Night (1948) is an American film noir directed by Alfred L. Werker and an uncredited Anthony Mann. The film stars Richard Basehart and Scott Brady. Others in the cast include Roy Roberts, Whit Bissell, James Cardwell, Dorothy Adams, and Jack Webb. The cinematography is by the legendary John Alton.

Set in Los Angeles, California, the film is based on the real-life crime spree by Edwin “Machine-Gun” Walker. Walker, a former police department employee and World War II veteran committed a series of burglaries, robberies, and shootouts in the Los Angeles area between 1945 and 1946.

Office Rob Rawlings (John McGuire), a Los Angeles patrolman, on his way home, stops a man whom he thinks might be a burglar. Roy Morgan/Martin (Basehart) shoots the patrolman and mortally wounds him. Thus begins the cat and mouse game between Morgan and Sgt. Marty Brennan (Brady) and Captain Breen (Roberts).

How many lives will be in danger while Roy walks by night?

Richard Basehart

Albert L. Werker (1896 – 1975) was an American film director who got his start during the silent era. He continued working into the sound era, mostly directing B-pictures. Two A-pictures he directed include The House of Rothschild (1934) and Kidnapped (1938) starring Warner Baxter and Freddie Bartholomew. In the late-1940s, Werker signed on with Eagle-Lion Films where he directed Repeat Performance (1947) starring Louis Hayward, Joan Leslie, and Richard Basehart.

Richard Basehart (1914 - 1984) was an American actor who worked steadily in film and television. Basehart starred in several films noirs of the late 1940s and early 1950s. He also had a lead role in director Federico Fellini’s La Strada (1954). Other film roles include Moby Dick (1956), Decision Before Dawn (1951), The Brothers Karamazov (1958). Baby Boomers would remember Basehart as Admiral Harriman Nelson on Irwin Allen’s science fiction television series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964 -1968).

Scott Brady (1924 – 1985) was an American film and television actor who achieved fame in a series of movie westerns. Brady followed his older brother Lawrence Tierney to Hollywood. He studied acting at The Beverly Hills Dramatic School under the G.I. Bill of Rights. Brady made his movie debut in 1948 and worked steadily in film until his death. His last film role was in Gremlins (1984). Other films featuring Brady include Johnny Guitar opposite Joan Crawford and Sterling Hayden, Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955), co-starring Jeanne Crain and Jane Russell, Marooned (1969), Doctor’s Wives (1971), and The China Syndrome (1979). Brady guest starred on many television shows starting in the 1950s to the mid-80s. He was offered the role of Archie Bunker in All in the Family but turned it down! He appeared on the show as Joe Foley for four episodes. He also guest starred on Laverne & Shirley as Shirley Feeney’s father.

 

He Walked by Night trivia

  • During the filming, Jack Webb became acquainted with the movie’s technical advisor, Sgt. Marty Wynn. It was from this relationship that Dragnet was born.
  • This was the first film to use the Los Angeles underground sewer and storm-drain system and its canals and tunnels as a backdrop.
  • The film featured Jack Webb’s first credited screen appearance.
  • Part of the film was directed by Anthony Mann who was uncredited.
  • Both Webb and Scott Brady would become popular TV cops. Webb in Dragnet and Brady who played a retired officer and bar owner on Police Story.


Click HERE to watch the movie on YouTube.

 


Click HERE to join the online discussion on April 8, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

  1. What did you think of the procedural style of the film?
  2. Did you enjoy seeing what Los Angeles looked like in 1948? Did anything surprise you?
  3. The performances of the actors were praised when the film was released, especially that of Richard Basehart as Roy Morgan/Martin. What did you think of Basehart’s performance? Did any other performances impress you?
  4. During the late-1940s, procedural crime dramas were popular. Did this film remind you of other procedural films you’ve seen?



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