The Woman on the Beach (3 stars)

The Woman on the Beach, from 1947, is a romantic drama/film noir starring Joan Bennett, Robert Ryan, and Charles Bickford.   Having not watched one of my beloved Bob Ryan's films since mid-January, I was going into withdrawals and was in desperate need of a "fix," so when I knew I was having a beach theme this month, I decided to do a re-watch of this movie.

At a U.S. Coast Guard Mounted Patrol Station, Lt. Scott Burnett (Ryan) has been having recurring nightmares involving a strange woman and a shipwreck.

  While patrolling the beach on horseback one evening,

Scott comes upon a woman (Joan Bennett) collecting wood near the remains of an old wreck.

Though he's unnerved because both the woman and the wreck remind him of his dream, Scott is, nonetheless, drawn to the woman---whose name is Peggy Butler---and accepts an invitation to her home.

With conversation easy between them, in due time, Peggy and Scott embark on an affair.

Peggy is not an available woman, though;

she is married to Tod Butler (Charles Bickford), a painter who has recently been blinded.  Though the man is cruel and controlling, Peggy, who was responsible for his blindness, stays with him out of guilt.

Paranoid, Scott is certain that Tod can really see and that he knows about the affair Scott and Peggy are having.  After Peggy promises to leave Tod if Scott can prove to her that the blindness is a fake, Scott sets out to substantiate his claim.

Is Tod really blind?  Or can he see?  Will Peggy leave him and find a future with Scott?  These are the questions which play out in the remainder of this film.




Much as I adore Robert Ryan, I have to admit, this film is not one of my favorites.   While Mr. Ryan looks incredible in his Coast Guard uniform, that is about all the film has going for it.

The plot is loaded with holes, and some of the storylines never came together.  I have no idea how Peggy---a non-surgeon---could accidentally cut Tod's optic nerve, and I never understood the connection between Scott's nightmare and the chance meeting with Peggy Butler.  The acting was good---though nothing spectacular; but the characters weren't developed very well.  I'm giving this film 3 stars, but it's more like 2.5.  Since I recorded this from TCM, I own this film and will probably watch it again---but that is only because my beloved Robert Ryan is the male lead.  Apart from Mr. Ryan (and how gorgeous he looks in his uniform!!), I really don't care for The Woman on the Beach at all.

The film is out on DVD, so I would imagine you ought to be able to track it down.

Happy viewing!!

The Reckless Moment (3 stars)

The Reckless Moment, from 1949, is a crime drama/film noir starring James Mason and Joan Bennett, with Geraldine Brooks taking on a supporting role.  Directed by Max Opuls, this film made its TCM premiere earlier this month, and given that I've recently fallen in love with the smooth-as-silk voice of Mr. Mason, I was excited to catch it.

Quite upset about the company her teenager daughter, Bea (Geraldine Brooks), is keeping, Lucia Harper (Joan Bennett) pays a visit to one Ted Darby.  Telling him there is nothing she won't do to keep him from her daughter, Lucia offers the man money to stay out of Bea's life.  After Darby expresses interest in such an offer, Lucia is triumphant, for if Bea knows her beau was willing to be bought off, surely she will realize he's a ne'er-do-well.

That evening, Bea sneaks out of the house to rendezvous with Ted, and after he admits that her mother told her the truth---that he would, in fact, take money from her---Bea, furious, strikes at him.  Though Bea's blow doesn't kill Ted, he does end up dying, and both Bea and Lucia believe that Bea killed him.  Terrified, Lucia takes it upon herself to dispose of the body in a nearby swamp.

Although Lucia is confident that she left no trail and that no one will connect her or Bea with Darby's death, she soon finds that she does, in fact, have reason to worry.  Bea had written dozens of love letters to Ted, and the man had used the letters as collateral in an unscrupulous loan; the current holder of the letters---Martin Donnelly (James Mason)---knowing they are incriminating evidence against Bea, is demanding $5,000 from Lucia in order to keep the letters from the police.  With her husband out of town, though, and unable to sign for a loan, Lucia is finding herself unable to meet Donnelly's demands.

Will Donnelly go to the police?  Will Bea or Lucia be implicated in Darby's death?  These are the questions that play out in the balance of this film.  (This video clip is the first of six parts.)

While The Reckless Moment is not a spectacular film, I did find it interesting and enjoyable.  The storyline was exciting and mildly suspenseful and even offered a surprise twist at the end.  And, of course, there's the beautiful voice of James Mason.  All those things work together to make this a very solid 3-star film.

To my knowledge, this film is not out on DVD, so it might be a bit difficult to track down.  It is, however, available in its entirely on YouTube (in 6 parts). 

Happy viewing!!

There's Always Tomorrow (3 stars)

There's Always Tomorrow, from 1956, is a romantic drama starring Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, and Joan Bennett.  Produced by Ross Hunter, and directed by Douglas Sirk, this film was the final of four pairings between Stanwyck and MacMurray.  They had previously worked together in Remember the Night (1940), Double Indemnity (1944), and The Moonlighter (1953).  This film is a remake of a 1934 film, also entitled There's Always Tomorrow, starring Frank Morgan and Binnie Barnes.

Toy manufacturer Cliff Groves (Fred MacMurray) is feeling a bit overlooked in life.  His wife Marion (Joan Bennett) and their three children have their own lives, and there just doesn't seem to be room for him.  In fact, the children seem to be Marion's life...no matter what Cliff wants to do, she cannot tear herself away from the children.  Though it is Marion's birthday and Cliff had planned to surprise her with dinner and theatre tickets, Marion is unable to do that.  Their youngest child has a ballet recital that evening, and she absolutely will not disappoint the child by not attending.  With his son and older daughter also having their own plans, Cliff is left home alone, with the theatre tickets about to go to waste. 

At that point, an old acquaintance stops by for a visit. Norma Vale (Barbara Stanwyck), a fashion designer who used to work for Cliff and who left town due to her unrequited love for him, is in town on business, and at Cliff's suggestion, the two of them make an evening of it.  They have a great time together---strictly platonically.

Later that week, Cliff had hoped that his wife would accompany him on a business trip; as it turns out, though, the sprained ankle of their youngest child changes Marion's plans.  Telling Cliff to go on without her, Marion, once again, puts the children ahead of Cliff. 

When Cliff arrives at the conference center, he is notified that his business appointment cancelled on him; at the same time, he discovers that Norma is registered at the same hotel.  Since they are both there, Cliff decides to stay on, and he and Norma spend the next two days together...swimming, dancing, riding, laughing, talking.  While it is all very above-board, Cliff's son, who has driven down to the conference center himself, discovers them and gets a wrong impression of things.

Though things with Norma and Cliff didn't begin with the intention of falling in love, that is exactly what happens.  After realizing that Norma has been in love with him all these years, Cliff acknowledges his love for her as well.  The two of them are forced to make hard choices about what the future can be for them.  Meanwhile, Cliff's son, determined to get Norma out of his dad's life, is watching Cliff's every move.  How it all plays out is the focus of the remainder of this film.

While I enjoyed this movie, it really didn't touch me the way other Ross Hunter and/or Douglas Sirk films have done.  Ross Hunter produced such sobbers as Madame X, Imitation of Life, and Back Street, and Sirk directed Imitation of Life, All That Heaven Allows, and Magnificent Obsession; all those films moved me deeply and were definite tearjerkers; There's Always Tomorrow, however, just didn't ignite that same fire.  Oh, I enjoyed the movie, but I was disappointed that it didn't touch my heart like the other films did.  Still, though, Barbara Stanwyck, one of my absolute favorite actresses, gave her usual stellar performance.  Plus, she and Fred MacMurray worked well together, which made for an enjoyable film.

This film is out on DVD, as part of the 6-film Barbara Stanwyck Collection.  It should be quite easy to track down.  Happy viewing!!