Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Forgotten Movies, WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS
Funny how one thing takes you to another with the Internet. I was reading a novel where the actor Gary Merrill was mentioned. I remembered him vaguely and when I looked him up on IMDB came up with this film. (Most of the rest of his work was in TV or in even more forgotten films).
Otto Preminger reunited his two stars from LAURA in this one. Dana Andrews plays a cop with a temper he can't control. He gets demoted because of it.
Gene Tierney, the girl he wants. It may not have the romanticism of LAURA but it sure is gritty. Oh, yeah, Merrill runs a sleazy dice game.
I haven't seen this one in years but am on the lookout on TCM.
You can find more Forgotten Movies on Todd Mason's blog.
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14 comments:
Patti - Wow, I hadn't thought of this one for a long, long time. That's what I always like about your Forgotten Movies. They're always these fantastic little gems that don't get the attention they should...
Well, Merrill's most well-known role was probably ALL ABOUT EVE. As in the movie he was some years younger than Bette Davis, who he soon married (after divorcing his first wife). It remains one of my all-time favorite movies, one I can watch repeatedly. Joe Mankiewicz's script was a classic.
Later in life Merrill raised some eyebrows (and complaints, apparently) by his habit of wearing a skirt rather than trousers.
See, you learn all kinds of trivia here!
Jeff M.
Geez, why is it always the man least likely to look good in one that wants to?
Haven't seen this in years but I remember really liking it. Preminger made some great movies. My favorites are probably ANATOMY OF A MURDER and BONJOUR TRISTESSE. LAURA is up there, too, but I've just seen it way too many times. It seems almost every year in undergrad and grad school, some teacher would make us watch it.
I imagine being a film major can ruin a lot of movies for you in various ways. Knowing too much does not always enhance your experience.
This was an excellent film, Patti. One of the great 20th Century Fox noirs of the 1950s. Thanks for reminding us of this one.
Patti
I remember catching this on Hulu several years ago. Not sure if it is still there though. May be worth a look.
I will see what I can find out.
I've heard good things about this movie but never seen it.
I'd suggest it never hurts to know about what's going on, but the pressure of the Assignment can bring out the rebel's resentment...
I did have a glass of wine, but I am not getting the meaning, Kenneth.
I like Dana Andrews. FALLEN ANGEL with Linda Darnell comes to mind.
Well, the frequency is about like this...no matter how much one learns about film, if you're interested in film, that probably helps appreciation. But being assigned to read or watch anything can make the task less pleasant just by being an assignment. (Of course, I've just bummed seats in film appreciation classes to see big screen opportunities for LA AGE D'OR, and THE MALTESE FALCON the third, where I was valuable to inform the actual student I was sitting next to that rolling one's own tobacco cigarets was once not too uncommon in the US.
Jeff--are you sure you're not thinking of Jeff Chandler? I think it was Esther Williams who claimed Chandler used to dress up in her clothes.
Although ALL ABOUT EVE is the best, Gary Merrill made two other films with Bette Davis. One was called ONE MAN'S POISON about a convict on the run who stumbles into house where Bette has just murdered her husband (I think). I can't remember the name of the other one, but Gary Merrill has to visit relatives of plane crash victims and one of them is Bette Davis who is paralyzed and hooked up to some bizarre cage-like apparatus.
Guess because they were married and Jeff Chandler would look better in a skirt than Gary Merrill.
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