By David in TN
Friday, July 12, 2019 at 3:13:00 P.M. EDT
TCM’s Film Noir of the Week Saturday Night-Sunday Morning at Midnight (and 10 a.m.) ET is The People Against O'Hara (1951). John Sturges directed a cast of Spencer Tracy, Pat O'Brien, Diana Lynn, John Hodiak, Eduardo Cianelli, James Arness and Jay C. Flippen.
This is a particular Noir type-the wrong man. And per Film Noir Guide, fatalism and corruption.
Film Noir Guide: “A former district attorney (Tracy), now a civil lawyer, takes on a murder case against the wishes of his daughter (Lynn), who is afraid the stress will cause him to start hitting the bottle again. Arness (Matt Dillon of TV’s Gunsmoke) plays the man framed in the murder of his boss. Determined to get his client off the hook and to beat the pompous D.A. (Hodiak), Tracy, already nipping the booze, resorts to bribing a witness (Flippen). When that fails, he puts his life in danger in an attempt to trap the real killer. O’Brien plays a homicide detective, an old buddy of Tracy, who tries to help his friend by passing on information. Cianelli is the gangster husband of Arness’ girlfriend. Keep a sharp eye out for Charles Bronson (billed as Charles Buchinsky) in a bit role as one of six hoodlum brothers. Tracy and O’Brien, both looking older and more worn than their real ages (early 50’s), are excellent in their first film together.”
Saturday, July 13, 2019
TCM’s Film Noir of the Week Saturday Night-Sunday Morning at Midnight and 10 a.m. ET is John Sturges’ The People Against O'Hara (1951), Starring Spencer Tracy, with Pat O'Brien, Diana Lynn, John Hodiak, Eduardo Cianelli, James Arness and Jay C. Flippen, with a Script by John Monks Jr., Based on Eleazar Lipsky’s Novel
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TCM's Film Noir of the Week Saturday Night-Sunday Morning at Midnight and 10 am ET is Fritz Lang's While the City Sleeps (1956). There is a great cast of Dana Andrews, Rhonda Fleming, George Sanders, Howard Duff, Thomas Mitchell, Vincent Price, John Barrymore Jr., Ida Lupino, James Craig, and Sally Forrest.
This is about a New York City tabloid newspaper, circa mid-1950's. Two of the best character types are the crusty editor (Thomas Mitchell), and the Sob Sister Lady Reporter perfectly cast with Ida Lupino.
Film Noir Guide: "A news conglomerate's managers (Sanders, Mitchell, and Craig) are in a dogfight for a promotion promised by the corporation's arrogant new owner (Price) to the first one who finds the deranged psycho known as the 'Lipstick Killer' (Barrymore). Andrews, a hard-drinking TV commentator, who sides with newspaper editor Mitchell in the competition, is so shallow that he puts his fiancee (Forrest) in mortal danger by setting her up as a decoy to trap the killer. Then, in one of his frequent alcoholic stupors, he allows himself to be seduced by a sexy gossip columnist (Lupino), who's using him to help the newswire manager (Sanders) win the promotion. In the meantime, the photo editor (Craig) is having an affair with Price's scheming wife (Fleming), hoping she'll help him land the job. Duff is a homicide detective and Andrews' former rival for Forrest's affections. Director Lang is more interested in the anything-for-a-story ruthlessness of the scheming journalists than in the pathetic serial killer, who, even in his deranged condition, provokes more sympathy than any of the newsmen. Luckily, the confusing soap opera subplots of this somewhat talky, but interesting, film noir are offset by the veteran cast."
A disagreement if I may. I don't see how the audience sympathizes with the killer. At WEJB/NSU we deal with the real thing.
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