Kiss the Blood off My Hands (3 stars)

Kiss the Blood off My Hands, from 1948, is a film noir/drama starring Joan Fontaine and Burt Lancaster.  Featuring a terrific Miklos Rozsa score, this film is one I had never heard of until seeing someone post about it on The Golden Age of Hollywood (a fantastic classic film social network...HERE).

In the aftermath of the war, ex-POW Bill Saunders (Burt Lancaster), is struggling with anger and, most likely, PTSD.  While in a bar, he gets into a brawl, which leads to the death of the man he punched.  Determined not to be arrested and, thus, imprisoned again, Bill hightails it out of the bar, with the police giving chase.  To elude his pursuers, Bill enters a nearby apartment through an open window, and when the sleeping woman within (Jane Wharton, portrayed by Joan Fontaine) wakens, Bill manages to convince her that he did nothing wrong and that he is being wrongly pursued.  Although she allows him to spend the night in her apartment, Jane tells Bill that he needs to be gone by the time she returns from work the next day.

While Bill does leave Jane's apartment and finds lodging in a hotel, the two begin seeing each other.  Though things are going well between them, Bill's anger problem is never far from the surface, and upon lashing out at a cop, Bill is sent to trial and given a 6-month sentence.  After serving his time, Bill returns to Jane, who is willing to put in a good word for him at the medical institute where she works.  Though Bill wants to begin anew and to make good on the job Jane procured for him, a man who witnessed the barroom killing tracks him down and blackmails him into agreeing to allow his delivery truck of medicine to be hijacked and robbed.

Will Bill go through with the crime?  Will he come clean with Jane about his involvement in the killing?  Will their love survive?  Will Jane's trust in him remain?  These are the questions which will play out in this film.




Kiss the Blood off My Hands is an incredible-sounding film title, is it not?  With such a title, it gives incredibly high hopes for a 5-star Double Indemnity kind of film noir. Alas, the title is more exciting than the movie.  That's not to say, though, that it isn't interesting or exciting.  It is...just not to the extent that I had expected.  Still, though, it is very definitely worth a watch. I don't believe the film is out on DVD; however, it is available on YouTube (in parts), so if you are interested, you could catch it there.

Happy viewing!!

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (3 stars)

One of the most solid leading men of the 1940's and 1950's, Dana Andrews was an actor who, sadly, never seemed to get the recognition and appreciation he deserved.  Classic Movie Man, however, is doing his small part to bring Mr. Andrews a bit of recognition---he is hosting the Dana Andrews blogathon on Saturday, July 28th.  As one who places Mr. Andrews firmly among her top 20 favorite actors, I am thrilled to take part in the event and to have the opportunity to bring one of this terrific actor's lesser-known films to the attention of others.  Please visit the Classic Movie Man's blog (HERE) to take part in this event yourself or to read the film reviews and thoughts of the other participants.

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, a 1956 Fritz Lang film, is a crime-drama starring Dana Andrews and Joan Fontaine.  Some sites classify this as film noir, but I think it's only mildly noir.  It's mostly crime/mystery.

The movie begins with the execution of a man who had been convicted solely on circumstantial evidence.  After witnessing the execution, newspaper publisher, Austin Spencer, an opponent of capital punishment, becomes quite concerned about the possibility of convicting and executing innocent men.  Together with his son-in-law to-be, reporter-turned-novelist, Tom Garrett (Dana Andrews), Spencer devises a scheme in which an innocent man will be arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to death, all based solely on circumstantial evidence.  Upon conviction, the scheme will be revealed, showing the prosecuting attorney, the court, and the entire public the danger of capital punishment.

After reading in the newspaper about the unsolved murder of burlesque dancer, Patti Gray, Spencer and Garrett's plan is put into action, with Garrett being the man who will be suspect.  The two men plant Tom's lighter (a gift from his fiance, Susan) at the scene of the crime; additionally, a lady's stocking is planted in his glove compartment, and traces of the kind of makeup Patti used are rubbed on the seats of his car.

After learning that the murdered woman was last seen with a man wearing a gray tweed coat and a top hat, Tom makes sure that is how he is seen.  He begins frequenting the club where Patti worked, coming on to one of her fellow dancers, and eventually, as hoped, that woman begins to suspect that Tom was the man she saw Patti with the night of her murder.  The police are called in, and Tom is arrested and sent to trial.

Upon Tom's conviction, Austin is supposed to reveal the truth, which had been completely documented with photographs of every bit of evidence the men planted.  However, things don't work out as planned, but I won't say more than that so as not to give away anymore of the story.  I will say that there is a totally major twist, which I never saw coming.



Beyond a Reasonable Doubt is a very interesting, exciting film, and up until the very end, I was going to give it 4 stars.  However, in the end, I decided to go with 3 stars (more like 3.5), as I thought the final few minutes were a bit of a letdown.  I think it was just wrapped up too quickly; there could have been a bit more depth.  Even though I was disappointed in the strength of the ending, though, I definitely enjoyed this film and fully intend to watch it again sometime.  Though Joan Fontaine gets second billing, as Andrews' fiance, she has almost nothing to do.  She is hardly more than a beautiful face in a couple of scenes.

The film is out on DVD, plus it is on the TCM schedule for Monday, October 22nd, at 4:45 p.m. (ET).  Try to catch it if you can.  Dana Andrews is always worth watching!

Happy viewing!!

More of James Cagney's Words

Here are just a few more great passages from James Cagney's wonderful autobiography, Cagney by Cagney.  

About the final scene of Angels with Dirty Faces:

"Through the years I have actually had little kids come up to me on the street and ask, "Didya do it for the father, huh?"  I think in looking at the film it is virtually impossible to say which course Rocky took---which is just the way I wanted it.  I played it with deliberate ambiguity so that the spectator can take his choice.  It seems to me it works out fine in either case.  You have to decide."


About his wife, whom he called Bill:

"I went from chorus boy to specialty dancer---and in the show I met the great girl who became my wife.  I can't conceive of how lucky a guy can get, but this lady and I just celebrated our fifty-fourth wedding anniversary the other day, and it's been joy all the way."  (My take---in Hollywood, where most marriages were filled with unfaithfulness or ended in divorce, Mr. Cagney is one of the brilliant exceptions.  He was a faithful husband to one woman for over sixty years.  You gotta love that!)


About comedies:

"Mister Roberts is the kind of thing I enjoy doing best in the non-musical field, drama with comic overtones.  Comedies as such have never appealed to me particularly.  I have always thought a story with opportunities to drop in some fun was a lot better than trying to be funny for two solid hours."  (My take---most of my blog readers know I don't care much for comedy.  Far and away, I prefer drama---high drama; however, drama with occasional comic relief---the kind Mr. Cagney likes---works for me too.)


About heroes:

After talking a bit about Babe Ruth, he says this:  "It may be hard for young people to get such a kick now because I sense in America these years---and I'm saddened to say it---I sense a systematic attempt to tear down our heroes.  Eddie Robinson just said in his posthumously published autobiography about Charles A. Lindbergh, "To hell with his politics.  He is our last, great hero."  If ever our country needed heroes, it is in these melancholy days (he wrote this in 1976), and when I hear of things like the broadcast not long ago that said Thomas Jefferson slept with his slave girls, I am depressed.  Maybe Jefferson did, maybe he didn't; in any case, why drag that in?  What does that have to do with the greatness of this man?  I've seen announcement of a projected  story on George Washington purporting to prove he was drunk when he instigated a massacre of some French troops.  This robbing us of our heroes is the heritage of some fine so-called liberal thinking that tries to kill one of the finest things we possess---warrantable pride in our past..."

Mr. Cagney's thoughts echo my own; however, he said it far more eloquently than I could have.  I suppose the dismantling of "heroes," of digging up the dirt on people and then publishing a "tell-all" book, of sullying the character of men and women who aren't even alive to refute the story, is the main reason I don't read many biographies anymore.  I think it is important to think highly of people, and when shocking, scandalous stories are published about people long-dead, it only serves to ruin their good names.  Quite honestly, I don't think all "dirty laundry" needs to be made public.  (In my recent review of Slander [HERE], I said this same thing.)

I hope you all have enjoyed this small glimpse into the great Jimmy Cagney's autobiography.  If you are a Cagney fan...or if you would just like to learn a bit more about him...check your library for a copy of Cagney by Cagney.  It is a wonderful read!!

She Aged Beautifully!!

When I was growing up in the 60's and 70's, one of my favorite TV shows was The Big Valley.  It used to be on in the afternoons, around 3:30 or 4:00, so many an afternoon, when I got home from school, I would grab the stereotypical plate of cookies and glass of milk and settle in to watch it.  I'm pretty much thinking I was watching re-runs, because to my recollection, this was happening in the early 70's, and the show ended in 1969 after a 4-season run.  At that time, my draw to The Big Valley was Lee Majors.

When I got into classic films, imagine my surprise to discover that Miss Barbara Stanwyck, who I had known as Victoria Barkley since childhood, was a famous actress with a long and distinguished movie career.  At the time I was watching The Big Valley, I thought that was her only claim to fame.  While I didn't ever hate Miss Stanwyck or her character, as I said, my reason for watching the show was Lee Majors.  I was completely wild about him.

Now, though, I still love The Big Valley; in fact, I would deem it one of my six all-time favorite TV shows.  I don't watch TV shows nowadays except for reality TV shows like The Amazing Race and Chopped, and while I enjoy them, they really don't hold a candle to old-time TV for me, so it is absolutely no lie that The Big Valley is one of my six favorite TV shows.  (The others would be Little House on the Prairie, The Fugitive, The Andy Griffith Show, Streets of San Francisco, and Perry Mason.)  One of the main draws for me now is my beloved Miss Stanwyck.  Besides showcasing her wonderful dramatic abilities, The Big Valley showcases the beauty and grace with which Miss Stanwyck aged.  In her early 60's here, she looks sensational.

About two years ago, I discovered that the first season and the first half of the second sesaon of The Big Valley had been released on DVD.  I immediately purchased them, and have enjoyed watching every single one of the episodes.  Sadly, though, no further episodes have come out...not the remainder of the second season, nor any future seasons.  Recently, however, I discovered a network called The Inspiration Network (INSP), which is part of my dish program, and it airs an episode of The Big Valley every weekday.  So, I am adding to my collection.

So for any of you who are fans of The Big Valley, see if your cable/dish package includes The Inspiration Network.  Even if "the powers that be" won't release the entire Big Valley series on disc, through that network, you will still be able to catch that great show.

Happy viewing!!

In James Cagney's Words

As previously made known, last month, I read James Cagney's autobiography, Cagney by Cagney.  It was a fascinating, delightful read, and by the time I reached the end, I was more wild about this fabulous actor than ever.  He is easily one of my top 5 actors, and, quite honestly, he isn't very far off the "beloved status" of my top 3 guys.  So that others might get a glimpse into this amazing actor's life, I want to share bits and pieces of some of the wonderful things I've read.

On growing up in a poor family:

"My chidhood was surrounded by trouble, illness, and my dad's alcoholism, but as I said, we just didn't have time to be impressed by all those misfortunes.  I have an idea that the Irish possess a built-in don't-give-a-damn that helps them through all stress.  Moreover, we had the advantage of an awful lot of love in our family..."

"If we didn't have much in material gain, we were amply supplied with the best in nonmaterial gain---lots of laughs."

"It never occurred to us, despite the poverty to hold our heads or feel sorry for ourselves.  We just did the best we could."


About one's work ethic:

"One shouldn't aspire to stardom, one should aspire to be doing the job well."  (My take on this---Mr. Cagney was completely successful at fulfilling this aspiration, because I do believe he may be the most brilliant actor there has ever been.  He always did the job well!)


About what kept him and his brothers from going wild despite being raised in a rough neighborhood:

"A question people have asked me through the years is why the Cagney boys didn't get involved with guns and crime the way my old Sing Sing pals did.  The answer is simple:  there wasn't a chance.  We had a mother to answer to.  If any of us got out of line, she just belted us, and belted us emphatically.  We loved her profoundly, and our driving force was to do what she wanted because we knew how much it meant to her."


Aren't these awesome quotes?!  I hope you all are enjoying the opportunity to get to know James Cagney a bit better through these snippets from his autobiography.  I have a few more passages to share and will be doing so in a future post.