Possessed (4 stars)

As part of my Joan Crawford birthday celebration, I recently enjoyed a re-watch of 1947's Possessed.  A romantic drama/film noir which also stars Van Heflin, Raymond Massey, and Geraldine Brooks, this incredibly-acted film is among my favorite of Miss Crawford's works.  (Interestingly, in 1931 Miss Crawford starred with Clark Gable in a film called Possessed; this film is not a remake of that one.  Although they have the same titles, they are two completely different stories.)

As the film begins, a confused and distraught woman (Joan Crawford) wanders the streets of Los Angeles, inquiring about the whereabouts of a man named David.

After passing out in a coffee shop, she is taken to a hospital, where an examination reveals she has fallen into a non-traumatic stupor, a diagnosis which finds her immediately admitted to the psychiatric unit.

The woman's name is Louise Howell, and as the doctors seek to help her, her story is brought to life.

Completely in love with David Sutton (Van Heflin), Louise is devastated when he breaks things off with her.  Telling her that he doesn't love her the way she loves him and that he feels smothered by her, David has determined that the best thing to do is to end the relationship.  He believes Louise will even be glad of it one day.

Hysterical at the thought of losing David, Louise begs him not to leave, even assuring him she would do anything for him; David, who doesn't love Louise and doesn't want to be tied down by her, will not be swayed, though, and to put distance between them, he agrees to take a job in Canada.

Nurse to the invalid wife of wealthy Dean Graham (Raymond Massey),Louise lives with the Grahams in their lakefront home.

Mrs. Graham has come to believe that her nurse and her husband are having an affair, and she even writes a letter to her college-age daughter, Carol (Geraldine Brooks), informing her of that fact.

There is no affair going on, but to make things easier on Mr. Graham, Louise is willing to give up her job.  He convinces her to stay on, however, and not long afterwards---on one of Louise's days off---Mrs. Graham drowns in the lake.  Though Louise's nursing skills are no longer needed, Dean asks her to remain in his employ, as a caregiver to his young son.  Louise agrees...and she moves to Washington with the family.  Eventually, Dean---who tells Louise she is a part of his home and his life---asks her to marry him, and although she isn't in love with him, she does believe she can make him happy, so she accepts his proposal.

Though Louise appears to be happy and stable, the old obsessiveness soon comes bubbling to the surface.  David Sutton, who is a longtime friend and business partner of Dean, makes an appearance at their wedding reception, and as if seeing him again isn't bad enough, it would appear that her new step-daughter, Carol, may  just be the woman who has captured David's heart.

Still obsessed with David herself, Louise will do whatever it takes to keep Carol and David apart.  How it all plays out is the balance of the film.

Possessed is an amazingly acted film.  Joan Crawford's portrayal of the obsessive, possessive, fanatical love-crazed woman is completely brilliant.  Without question, she was worthy of the Oscar nomination she received for her work here.  And Van Heflin...well, this is THE FILM which began to change my mind about him. Prior to my first viewing of Possessed, I had little regard for Mr. Heflin...even thought him kind of wimpy; however, after seeing him here, my eyes were opened to a whole new side of him, and as I have already made known, the more of his films I discovered, the more I came to like him.  While some might see his character as callous and unfeeling, I didn't see him that way at all; rather, I see him as a man who simply wanted to extricate himself from a love affair gone bad.  I'm not overly familiar with Raymond Massey, but generally when I've seen him, he has been a villianous character, so seeing him as a decent guy was a bit odd.  (It worked, though.)

This film is out on DVD, so it should be fairly easy to track down.  Plus, it is on the TCM schedule for Tuesday, June 12th at 8:00 p.m. (EDT).  Hope you get a chance to see it.  Joan Crawford and Van Heflin fans ought to especially enjoy this one.

Happy viewing!!

The Prowler (3 stars)

The Prowler, from 1951, is a mildly suspenseful film noir starring Van Heflin and Evelyn Keyes.  Though I am not overly familiar with Miss Keyes, I was quite interested in this film because of Van Heflin.  Since I've developed an appreciation for him, I've been trying to catch as many of his films as possible.  He definitely had a vast range of ability, as this film finds him playing what I would say is against type.

When Susan Gilvray (Evelyn Keyes) discovers a man peering in her window while she is taking a bath, she puts in a call to the police.  Two officers, one of which is Webb Garwood (Van Heflin), answer the call, but after looking around a bit and finding no evidence of a prowler, they take their leave.  Soon though, Officer Garwood, who had been instantly attracted to the beautiful, wealthy woman, is back again.  Telling Susan that it is routine to make a follow-up visit, he manages to get invited into the house, where he has a glass of milk and a bit of conversation.

Since Mrs. Gilvray's husband works nights, Officer Garwood tells her that he will make it a point to stop by regularly to check on her, just to be sure that there aren't any prowlers hanging around.   Eventually---though Susan is at first reluctant---the two of them fall into a passionate affair.  Wanting not only Susan, but her husband's life insurance money, Webb jumps to the other side of his badge and kills Mr. Gilvray.  Claiming he shot at a prowler while keeping watch on the home, Webb is cleared of any wrongdoing...but can he really get away with murder?  Can he and Susan have any kind of a future together when their being together was accomplished through such devious means?  Will Susan, who has come to see Webb's wickedness, even want to stick by him?  These are the questions which play out in this exciting little film.

The Prowler is definitely an interesting, enjoyable movie.  Quite honestly, I was going to go with 4 stars, except that the last 20 minutes (the ghost town scene) were too far-fetched for me.  (Maybe because I'm not a lonely, desolate place kind of gal, so settings like that just seem bizarre.)  Anyhow, this is really more like 3.5 stars.  I am only just now getting into Van Heflin, so I haven't seen a whole lot of his work; however, of the films I've seen, with the exception of They Came to Cordura, he has always been a solid, upstanding, very likeable kind of man.  This role definitely showed another side to him, and I think he played the part very well.  Evelyn Keyes was good and believable in her role as well, and she and Mr. Heflin worked well together.

This film is out on DVD, and it is also available in its entirety on YouTube, so you shouldn't have any problem tracking it down.

Happy viewing!!

B.F.'s Daughter (3 stars)

B. F.'s Daughter, starring Barbara Stanwyck and Van Heflin, is a 1948 romantic drama.  Featuring Charles Coburn, Spring Byington, Keenan Wynn, and Margaret Lindsay in supporting roles, this film is one of several which enabled me to see Mr. Heflin in a new and satisfactory light.

In October, 1932, wealthy industrialist B. F. Fulton (Charles Coburn) tells his wife (Spring Byington) and daughter, Polly (Barbara Stanwyck), that he is optimistic about the Depression.  Having started years earlier as a little guy and worked himself to his present powerful position, B. F. has faith in Americans to pull themselves up out of the economic downtimes.

On the opposite side of the political spectrum is Martin Ainsley (Keenan Wynn), an activist who is continually denouncing B. F. and others like him and blaming them for the Depression.  Most of Ainsley's ideas come from the books and economic ideas of university professor Tom Brett (Van Heflin).  Both men are completely opposed to and have little use for wealthy capitalists.

At a speakeasy one afternoon, Polly and her friend Apples Sandler (Margaret Lindsay) find themselves entering into conversation with Tom Brett.

Not knowing who he is, or how much he despises wealth and luxury, Polly is rather taken with Tom's boldness and ends up having lunch with him.  When he takes her home and discovers she lives in a fancy Park Avenue apartment, he is rather unsettled; yet, he is even more unsettled when he realizes that Polly is none other than the daughter of B. F. Fulton---a man about whom he has written three not-so-nice chapters in his recent book.  Despite their completely different political viewpoints, though, Tom and Polly are very much attracted to one another and fall in love.  Breaking her engagement to a rather stuffy attorney, Polly marries Tom, declaring that she wants to make him into a great man.

Tom, however, doesn't want the financial and social "bonuses" which come through being married to B. F. Fulton's daughter.  He wants to make it on his own and, in fact, yearns for Polly to need him and what he can do for her as opposed to needing what she can do for him.  Therefore, not using his connections with the rich and powerful Fulton's, Tom seeks to make a life for him and Polly on his own, but in the midst of the Depression, there aren't any who are willing to send an unknown man on a political and economic lecture tour.

Wanting to help Tom become the successful lecturer he longs to be, Polly uses her money and influence, even pressuring the lecture committee to give him a chance.  After Polly promises to guarantee any financial loss, things begin to change for Tom, and eventually, his career is completely successful, even landing him on a presidential-appointed fact finding committee.   As the years go by, though, the radical difference in Tom's and Polly's idealogy becomes more and more pronounced.  Whereas she is used to wealth and luxury, Tom despises those things, and he continues to resent her father's money being used for his comforts.  How will he react when Polly purchases a museum-sized house for them?  And what will he do when he discovers that the Fulton name is the only reason he was given a lecture opportunity in the first place?  Can Tom, who wants a wife who needs him, and Polly, whose financial and social status have always precluded her from needing anyone, keep their love alive?  Can their marriage survive the vast differences in their political and economic idealogies?  These are the questions which play out in the balance of this film.

While B.F.'s Daughter is not a spectacular film, it is definitely a solid, 3-star viewing experience.  The storyline is interesting, and I came to really care about both characters.  I adore Barbara Stanwyck and think she was her usual terrific self; Van Heflin, though, was definitely her equal.  While Miss Stanwyck takes top billing, Van more than holds his own with her and makes a very enjoyable romantic lead.  Plus, the two of them had great chemistry together here.  Incidentally, I've seen them together in another film (East Side, West Side), and I think they connected very well there too.  Charles Coburn---always fantastic in his roles---is wonderful here, as is Keenan Wynn as the liberal, anti-capitalist radio announcer.

This film is not out on DVD, and I've also been unable to locate it on YouTube.  However, TCM airs it quite regularly, so you can probably catch it there fairly soon.

Happy viewing!!

On the Blogging Agenda for March

A new month is upon us, and with the new month, comes a new focus for me and for this blog.  While February saw me writing about other stars, the ones who saw the most action here at They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To were the birthday folks---Clark Gable, Ida Lupino, and Lana Turner.  It used to be that I celebrated my favorite stars by watching one of their films on their birthday; however, I decided to celebrate all month long by watching several of their films and doing so all throughout the month.  I wrote about many---but not all--of those films.  I liked doing that and have decided to continue that practice.

Only three of my faves are March babies---John Garfield

George Brent

and Joan Crawford

I will be overloading on their films this month...and writing about them too.  While I'll be re-watching my tried-and-true favorites, I also hope to discover some great "new to me" films.

Also on the blogging agenda for March is Montgomery Clift, another of my huge faves.  Actually, Monty comes in at #4 on my fave list...just a wee bit behind the "beloveds" (William Holden, Robert Ryan, and Gary Cooper).

Comet over Hollywood is hosting a "Gone Too Soon" blogathon---a lovely tribute to those wonderful stars who left this world much too soon.  My contribution to that event will be in honor of the fabulous Mr. Clift.  While I've already reviewed many of his films, for this blogathon, I'll be reviewing another couple, plus sharing a bit about this troubled man's life.

Finally, I have added someone new to my top 20 list, and I will be watching and writing about his films too.  That man is Van Heflin.

 Mr. Heflin's addition to my top 20 list is, quite honestly, something I never in a million years would have expected, for when I first encountered him, I thought him very milque-toasty.  I'm not entirely sure why I felt that way, because that film was 3:10 to Yuma, and his character in that movie (Dan Evans) was quite brave and courageous...no less so than High Noon's Will Kane, who is one of my all-time favorite film characters.  I suppose it was playing opposite Glenn Ford that did Van Heflin in for me.  Since that time, though, I have watched several of Mr. Heflin's films, and I have come to really like him; in fact, when I see his name among a cast, I generally choose to watch that movie.  Therefore, difficult as it was to remove Joel McCrea from my top 20 list, I had to do so in order to make room for Van.

So, it'll be mostly John, George, Monty, Joan, and Van this month here at They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To.   I hope you'll join me and perhaps discover a film or two (or three or four) that you absolutely must see.

Black Widow (4 stars)

Black Widow, from 1954, is a film noir/drama of the whodunit kind.  Starring Ginger Rogers, Van Heflin, Gene Tierney, and George Raft, it is one of those films that keeps you guessing up until the very end.  It's also one of those films that has enabled me to see Van Heflin in a new light, which is really saying something, since not all that long ago, I really didn't like him (thought him very milque-toasty).  Since seeing this and a half dozen or so other films, though, I really see Mr. Heflin as a romantic leading man.

Van Heflin's role in Black Widow is as play producer Peter Denver.  As the film begins, he is putting his wife, Iris (Gene Tierney), on a plane to visit her ailing mother.  Before departing, Iris reminds Peter that he is expected at Lottie Marin's (Ginger Rogers) party that evening.  Though he doesn't much care for Lottie and really would prefer not to attend the party, Peter knows it is essential that he put in an appearance.  The lead actress in one of Peter's plays, Lottie is quite high maintenance, so Peter knows her ire would be raised if he didn't attend.

Mingling among the guests at Lottie's party, Peter strikes up a conversation with Nancy Ordway, a young aspiring writer.  With completely pure motives and a desire only to be kind, Peter invites Nancy out to eat after the party is over.  The two strike up a very innocent friendship, and very soon, Nancy has convinced Peter to allow her to use his fancy apartment while he is at work.  Saying that her own apartment isn't cheerful for writing and promising to be out of the apartment before Iris returns to town, Nancy obtains Peter's permission to access his place during the day.   Lottie and her husband, Brian, who live in the same apartment building as Peter and Iris, are very aware that Nancy is spending time at Peter's apartment.  They see her coming and going all the time, and they wrongly conclude that she and Peter are involved.

Eventually, Nancy turns up dead in Peter's apartment, and as the case is looked into, it would appear that he was, in fact, very much involved with her...that it wasn't the strictly-friends relationship he maintained it was.
How everything plays out is the balance of this very interesting film.

As I said, Van Heflin was really great in this role.  His acting was solid, and I very much saw him as a romantic leading man.  Gene Tierney, beautiful as always, was definitely underused here.  There wasn't a whole lot for her character to do.  George Raft, who was beginning to show his age (but who still looked extremely good!), was underused as well.  As the police officer investigating the death, he didn't have a whole lot to do either.  Top-billed Ginger Rogers was terrific, as always, but her character was definitely unlikeable, and I didn't really like how she was made up...she seemed harsh to me, but maybe that was in fitting with her character, or maybe it was her age.  (Though she was only in her early 40's here, she just wasn't the beautiful Ginger my husband knows and loves.)

Black Widow is definitely an entertaining viewing experience, especially when watching it for the first time when you don't know how everything is going to play out.  The film is out on DVD and should be quite easy to track down.

Happy viewing!!

Act of Violence (3 stars)

Act of Violence, from 1948, is a mildly suspenseful film noir/drama starring Van Heflin, Robert Ryan, and Janet Leigh.  Directed by Fred Zinnemann, this film features Mary Astor and Phyllis Thaxter in supporting roles.  It's a film that is quick to get to the action...no waiting around for things to start happening.

The film begins as a man with a limp, gun in hand, gets on a bus to Los Angeles.  After arriving and checking into a hotel, said man, Joe Parkson (Robert Ryan, again in an angry man role), rifles through the phone book until he finds the name Frank Enley.

After being honored at a community event, Frank Enley (Van Heflin), a successful contractor with a wife and child, departs for a fishing trip with a friend.  After Frank has left the house, Joe Parkson arrives at Frank's door.  Though Frank's wife Edith (Janet Leigh) has never seen Parkson before, she ends up telling him that Frank has gone fishing at Redwood Lake. 

Joe makes his own way to Redwood Lake, where he rents a boat and rows out to within a few hundred feet of where the marina manager indicated Frank could be found.  Before he can shoot Frank, though, Frank and his friend head back to shore.  When the marina manager asks Frank if his friend found him, and then describes the friend as being a lame man, Frank becomes totally agitated and hightails it back home. 

At home, Frank is even more paranoid and anxious---he closes all the drapes, turns off the lights, double checks the door locks, and refuses to let his wife answer the phone.  And when the doorbell rings, he nearly freaks out.  Frank obviously knows a lame man, and he knows what the lame man wants with him, but at first, he refuses to tell Edith anything.  Eventually, Frank reveals that while in a German prison camp during the war, he betrayed some of his men.  Parkson, one of the men under his command, while not killed as the other men had been, had been injured.  Now he was out for revenge.

As Joe makes contact with Edith, she tries to get him to see that what happened was in the past and that it needs to be left there.  Also trying to get Joe to see that his desire for vengeance is wrong is his girlfriend (Phyllis Thaxter).  But Joe doesn't see it that way...all he can see is that Frank needs to pay for being a traitor to his own men.  So, Joe keeps chasing Frank down...and Frank keeps running.

Does Joe kill Frank?  Or is he finally able to let the past go?  As for Frank, is he able to let go of the past himself and stop running from his mistake?  These are the questions that will play out in the remainder of this film.

While Act of Violence is nothing spectacular, it is an interesting, entertaining film with good acting.  This was actually one of the films in which I began to have respect for Van Heflin.  My first exposure to Heflin was several years ago in 3:10 to Yuma.  It's funny, because while his character in that film (Dan Evans) was bold and courageous, for some reason, I just saw Heflin as rather milque-toasty.  It wasn't until this film and Possessed that I actually began to see him in another light.  I definitely enjoyed him here, and, of course, I love Robert Ryan in roles like this.  He is good and solid here...as always.

This film is out on DVD so it should be quite easy to track down.  Happy viewing!!

East Side, West Side (4 stars)

East Side, West Side, from 1949, is a soap-opera kind of drama which features four big names in its cast.  Top billing goes to Barbara Stanwyck, with James Mason, Van Heflin, and Ava Gardner rounding things out.

Stanwyck and Mason are Jessie and Brandon Bourne, a married couple who have weathered the storm of the husband's infidelity.  The viewer is made aware that prior to the start of the movie, Brandon had an extra-marital affair with model Isabelle Lorrison (the gorgeous Ava Gardner).  Said affair ended, however, and Isabelle left town, and because Jessie knew that even if she divorced Brandon, she would never stop loving him, she chose to forgive his unfaithfulness. Though all is well in the Bourne's marriage at present, a friend asks Jessie what would happen if Isabelle returned to town.

Isabelle does, indeed, return to town and, in short order, begins her pursuit of Brandon once more.  At first, Brandon, determined to be faithful to his wife, resists Isabelle's advances, but she is relentless in her pursuit, and, in the end, he succumbs to her seduction, causing him to stand Jessie up at a party.

Jessie is devastated by Brandon's failure to arrive at the party, particularly when she phones his office to check on him and learns he had left hours earlier with Miss Lorrison.  To her rescue comes a new acquaintance, Mark Dwyer (Van Heflin), who has very quickly fallen in love with Jessie.  He escorts her home, where he cooks dinner for her and even manages to make her smile.  Mark tells Jessie that although he loves her, he is not in the wife-stealing business, so it's a good thing he will soon be leaving town.  When Brandon returns home that night and is confronted by Jessie about his infidelity, he is broken and repentant, and he promises to never see Isabelle again.

Can Brandon keep his promise?  Isabelle is sure that all she has to do is phone Brandon and he will come running.  Will he?  What about Jessie?  Can she forgive Brandon for, once more, being unfaithful to her?  And what about Mark?  Will he gracefully bow out of Jessie's life?  These are the questions that will play out in the film.

         
I thought the cast of this film was totally fantastic.  For starters, I am already a huge Barbara Stanwyck fan...she is my third favorite actress...and I enjoy almost anything she does.  James Mason...what can I say, except, wow, what a voice!  I have only recently discovered how much I like him...can't wait to see more of his work. Van Heflin is likeable and totally charming...very much the romantic.  And Ava Gardner is her usual stunningly beautiful self.  Each of these four was perfect in the role they played.

East Side, West Side is a very interesting, thoroughly entertaining film, and I highly recommend it.  Out on DVD, it should be readily available and quite easy to track down.  I hope y'all get a chance to see it.

Happy viewing!!