The Hook (1963)

Regular readers of They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To know that within the last year, Kirk Douglas began his ascent up my favorite actor list.  Once I discovered what sensational work he does, I began seeking out more and  more of his films.  Last August, during Summer Under the Stars, TCM had a day for Kirk Douglas, so I set my DVR for several of the titles, and now, over six months later, I finally had the chance to watch one of them---1963's The Hook.  Also starring Robert Walker (Jr.) and Nick Adams, with Nehemiah Persoff and Enrique (Pancho) Magalona in support, this George Seaton Korean War-era drama is meaty, powerful, and incredibly gripping.  

In the waning days of the Korean War, a small group of American soldiers is responsible for loading oil onto a neutral freighter.  Before the job is completed, an enemy plane shoots at them, killing one of the GI's.  The remaining three soldiers capture the downed bomber, taking him aboard the freighter with them.  Speaking with his South Korean headquarters, Sgt. Briscoe (Kirk Douglas) receives an order to execute the prisoner, and with 19 years of service under his belt and a military pension on the line, Sgt. Briscoe is determined that the orders be carried out; he instructs Private Dennison (Robert Walker) to do the job.

Insisting that killing a man out of combat is murder, Pvt. Dennison refuses to do as commanded, which puts him at odds with his superior.  Having seen a fellow GI refuse to kill a Japanese soldier at Guadalcanal during the last war, Sgt. Briscoe insists that to refuse to kill the enemy is to be soft and that being soft will result in one's own death at the hands of the enemy. Besides, he tells Dennison, an order is an order, and it must be obeyed.  But Pvt. Dennison will not be swayed---he will  not execute the prisoner, whom he has come to see as a man like himself, with a name, a wife, a child.

Sgt. Hackett (Nick Adams), too, begins to suffer an agony of conscience and will not obey the command to kill the prisoner.  If the man is to die, it will be at the hands of the one given the order---Sgt. Briscoe.  But will he do it?  Or will Privates Dennison and Hackett be able to convince him that such an order is one not to be obeyed?  How it all plays out is the balance of the film.



Based on the French novel L'Hamecon, The Hook is a gripping, wonderfully-acted film. Kirk Douglas gives a terrific, mesmerizing performance.  He is absolutely superb.  Nick Adams is very good too, as is Robert Walker, in his first film appearance. Though billed as Robert Walker, this is Robert Walker, Jr., son of Jennifer Jones and Robert Walker. Wow, does he look like his dad. Enrique (Pancho) Magalona is also terrific.  Because of the language barrier between the men, his character speaks very little---at least with his mouth.  His eyes, on the other hand, speak volumes.

One word of warning---the racial slur "gook" is used dozens of times in this film.  Of course, given that it is a war film and was made in the 1960's, that is to be expected, but I always want to point out those things which viewers will find offensive.  The final line of the film---"Any day a war ends is a good day"---is as meaningful and powerful now as it was then.

A great discussion-piece kind of film, The Hook may, unfortunately, be a little difficult to track down. I don't believe it is out on DVD, nor is it on the TCM schedule anytime soon.  I think it's well worth keeping an eye out for, though. For me, it is easily a 4-star film.

Happy viewing!!

Young Man with a Horn (1950)

For the most part, when we think of musicals, we think of warm, fuzzy, feel-good stuff; rarely, do we expect a meaty, hard-hitting, incredibly-acted drama to fall within the musical genre. With 1950's Young Man with a Horn, we definitely get it all---powerful drama, fantastic acting, and terrific music.  Starring Kirk Douglas, Lauren Bacall, and Doris Day, this Michael Curtiz film is not only loaded with music, but it has a riveting storyline, brought to life through simply sensational acting, especially that of Kirk Douglas.  Featuring Hoagy Carmichael and Juano Hernandez in supporting roles, Young Man with a Horn is a 4-star film for me.

Rather neglected by the older sister who is raising him, Rick Martin (Orley Lindgren) finds what he's looking for in music.  Fascinated by the piano in a local mission church, Rick teaches himself to play by ear.  Before long, though, needing a more affordable instrument---and one he can carry with him---he transfers his interest to the trumpet, and under the tutelage of blues musician, Art Hazzard (Juano Hernandez), Rick quickly masters the beautiful brass piece.
  

As the years go by and young Rick becomes a man (now played by Kirk Douglas), his love for music becomes his all in all.  He's an intense man, not much interested in having friends or a social life...just in hitting a note that has never been hit before.  Landing a job in a dance orchestra, he has a hard time adhering to the rigid rules of the bandleader, desiring, instead, to shake things up a bit with some jazzier tunes.

The band's singer, Jo Jordan (Doris Day), and piano man, Smoke Willoughby (Hoagy Carmichael) look past Rick's driven, hard-to-get-along-with personality and become good friends.  When Rick's rebellious ways get him fired from the band, Jo helps him land another gig; however, Rick's passion for his music and his desire to do something that's never been done before, continue to consume him.

After getting involved with and marrying a troubled medical student (Lauren Bacall), Rick's life and career spiral downward, ultimately taking him to rock bottom.

Only with the love and support of true friends, Jo and Smoke, will this troubled man be able to pull himself up from the gutter and get his life in order.  How it all plays out is the balance of the film.




Young Man with a Horn is a completely riveting film, and it provides an opportunity to hear the lovely voice of Doris Day perform four different numbers.  Kirk Douglas's acting is sensational.  Up until about ten months ago, I would have said that I didn't much care for Mr. Douglas.  Since that time, though, I've seen a few of his films (including two which were among my 5-star film discoveries of 2012), and I have been blown away by the performance he gives. My appreciation for him has grown by leaps and bounds, and I've recently begun including him on my favorite actor list.  Here in Young Man with a Horn, he is so into the role that there are times the obsessive glint in his eyes is positively maniacal---completely intense and in definite keeping with his driven character.  Although Mr. Douglas's trumpet sounds were provided by Harry James, his playing looked authentic to me.

Appropriately hard and cold, Lauren Bacall plays her unlikable character to perfection.  Miss Bacall was 26 years old here---hard to believe...she looked significantly older...like 35 or 40! Doris Day is her usual lovely self and is very solid in her role as well; having a chance to hear her sing is always a delight. And Juano Hernandez is wonderful!  I loved his character, and I think he brought him to life beautifully.  The music of the film is the icing on the cake---there is lots of it, and it is terrific, all made available in a separate soundtrack.

Out on DVD, this film should be easy to track down.  It is also on the TCM schedule for Thursday, May 30th at 3:30 a.m. (ET).  Fans of Kirk Douglas, Lauren Bacall, Doris Day, or jazz music ought to really enjoy this one.

Happy viewing!!

Strangers When We Meet (5 stars)

In less than a month, I have another addition to my 5-star film discoveries of the year, and shock of shocks, it is another Kirk Douglas film.  (Detective Story, reviewed HERE, just landed on that list about three weeks ago.)  The latest 5-star film discovery is Strangers When We Meet, a 1960 romantic drama starring Mr. Douglas, Kim Novak, Ernie Kovacs, Barbara Rush, and Walter Matthau.  Featuring a beautiful George Duning score, this very passionate film was one Net Flix recommended because of my interest in similar films. Wow, I am so glad for that recommendation, because I had never heard of this film prior to then.

While delivering his son to the bus stop one morning, architect Larry Coe (Kirk Douglas) takes notice of Margaret Gault (Kim Novak), a newcomer to the neighborhood, also dropping her son at the bus stop.  After running into her again at the local market, Larry is definitely attracted to the beautiful woman, and he sets out to make her acquaintance by inviting her to accompany him to a a fancy new home he is building.  At first reluctant, Margaret (who Larry has decided to call Maggie) eventually agrees, and the two form a friendship, as she helps him take measurements at the property.

On the homefront, Maggie and her mother have an icy relationship, the result of her mother's infidelity during her marriage to Maggie's father.  Though her mother says that what happened to her could happen to anyone and that she hopes Maggie will really fall in love someday, Maggie insists that she is in love with her husband.  Husband Ken (John Bryant), however, has no romantic interest in his wife.  Even when Maggie goes to him seductively, Ken is more interested in washing and changing than in being intimate with his wife.

Feeling unloved and undesirable, Maggie ultimately ends up seeing Larry again.  Telling Ken she's going out with friends, she meets Larry at an out-of-the-way restaurant, where he soon tells her that he wants to make love to her.  Guilty and frightened, Maggie attempts to stop things before they start, but because she wants Larry as much as he wants her, she surrenders to him, and they embark on a passionate affair, eventually falling deeply in love with one another.

Although the lovers meet at the house Larry is building, it turns out that their relationship has begun to be suspected.  Not only does a mutual friend have suspicions, but Larry's wife is about to get wise too.  How it all plays out is the balance of the film.



This is a very interesting, passionate, well-acted film.  Kirk Douglas is completely super in this role.  I know very little of him, having seen (I think) only one of his films (Detective Story, in which I thought he was sensational), but I have to admit that I am very impressed with his acting abilities. Kim Novak does a terrific job as well.  Her performance here is even better than her performance in Middle of the Night (reviewed HERE).  I could so feel her longing to be faithful to her marriage vows, yet wanting so much to be loved and desired.  She was a wife in torment, and she played the part beautifully.  The icing on the cake was the incredibly gorgeous musical score.

Out on DVD, Strangers When We Meet should be fairly easy to track down.  Kirk Douglas, Kim Novak, or romantic drama fans ought to love this.

Happy viewing!

Detective Story (5 stars)

Detective Story, from 1951, which I just caught for the first time as part of my Eleanor Parker birthday month celebration, is one of my 5-star film discoveries of the year.  (While I've watched and reviewed other 5-star films in recent weeks, they are all films I've seen before; Detective Story I only just now discovered, so it gets put into the "5-star film discovery" category.)  Produced and directed by William Wyler, the film, which is based on Sidney Kingsley's 1949 play of the same name, stars Kirk Douglas, Eleanor Parker (in an Oscar-nominated performance), and William Bendix.  It is a bold, gritty, mature-themed drama, with incredible acting and a rather surprise/shocking ending; all those things combine to make this a 5-star film for me.

The film takes place within a several hour period of one day at a New York City police precinct, mostly focusing on one particular detective---Sgt. Jim McLeod (Kirk Douglas), an angry, hard-nosed man who believes there are no gray areas, only black and white.  Completely intolerant of criminals, McLeod does not believe in softness or in turning the other cheek, and he often behaves violently toward law-breakers in order to force a confession from them.

On this particular day, Sgt. McLeod is obsessed with getting the goods on one Dr. Carl Schneider---no matter what it takes, Jim intends to see the doctor convicted and put into the electric chair.   Although he doesn't realize it, Jim's vendetta against the doctor will have a very real and personal effect on his relationship with his wife, Mary (Eleanor Parker).  (So as not to give any of the plot away, I won't say anything more about that particular storyline.)

In addition to Dr. Schneider, several other lawbreakers are brought into the precinct. There's a shoplifter (played by Lee Grant, in her Oscar-nominated film debut)

a pair of hoods charged with armed robbery,

and Arthur, a previously-trustworthy young man who has stolen from his employer.  Although the fatherly Sgt. Brody (William Bendix) believes Arthur is really a good boy and can be shown leniency, McLeod doesn't believe in leniency and intends to throw the book at him.  How all these stories play out is the balance of the film.  (The trailer gives a bit too much away, so if you don't want any spoilers, don't watch it.)





Everything about Detective Story merits 5 stars...the acting, the cinematography, the direction, the bold (for its time) subject matter.  While I would not call myself a Kirk Douglas fan (and am not all that familiar with his work), I have to say that he was completely and totally fantastic in this film.  Quite honestly, this was his show...and he carried it brilliantly.  I was shocked to discover that he didn't even garner an Academy Award nomination for his work here.  (However, I have long thought The Academy got the 1951 awards wrong and that Montgomery Clift ought to have won for his work in A Place in the Sun.  While I still think that, I do believe Kirk Douglas deserved a nomination and that he would have given Mr. Clift a run for his money.)  Mr. Douglas is totally sensational in this film.

Though Douglas didn't receive Academy Award recognition here, the film did receive four nominations---Best Director (Wyler), Best Supporting Actress (Lee Grant), Best Writing, and Best Actress (Eleanor Parker).  For the second year in a row, Miss Parker received a Best Actress nomination, and while she is quite good here, the reality is, as I have stated, this is first and foremost Kirk Douglas's vehicle.

Cathy O'Donnell, of Ben-Hur (Tirzah) and The Best Years of Our Lives (Wilma) fame, portrays Arthur's love interest.  She is her usual sweet, gentle self.

Just FYI, Miss O'Donnell was the sister-in-law of William Wyler.  For 22 long, happy years (until death claimed her), she was married to the director's older brother, Robert.

The ending of the film is rather shocking...I definitely didn't expect things to work out the way they did.  While I like predictable, sometimes the unexpected quite adds to a film's credibility, which it definitely did in Detective Story.

Finally, just have to say, this is one of those films which absolutely MUST be looked at through the lens of its time, otherwise it will seem laughable.  The situation over which Kirk Douglas's character agonizes is something that society doesn't care about anymore.  Most people will look at his character's response and think, "Who cares.  Why make a big deal out of that?"  So, definitely, put on your early 1950's mind when you watch this film.

To my knowledge, Detective Story is not out on DVD, nor is it often on the TCM schedule.  I have been looking for this film for a couple years, and I finally tracked it down on YouTube a few months ago (put off watching it until now).  It's in 11 parts, but it's there nonetheless. (The first part was a little difficult to find, so HERE is the link to it.)  I am definitely hoping TCM puts this amazing movie on the schedule soon, so I can record it and have it as part of my collection.  Kirk Douglas fans won't want to miss this film.

Happy viewing!!