By David in TN
Friday, October 4, 2019 at 10:30:00 P.M. EDT
Film Noir: Trapped (1949). Lloyd Bridges, John Hoyt, James Todd and Barbara Payton star, directed by Richard Fleischer.
Film Noir Guide: “Convict Bridges, serving time for counterfeiting, is set free to help the Secret Service find the gang that’s using his old counterfeiting plates. Bridges escapes the T-Men, foolishly thinking he’s pulled a fast one, but it’s all part of the agents’ plan, as is their surveillance of his girlfriend (Payton). Hoyt, who usually was typecast as a gangster or an evil Nazi, is the Treasury agent who goes undercover to gain Bridges’ trust and to nab Todd, the head of the ring. Bridges was always terrific as a bad guy, and though he’s not quite as despicable here as in Try and Get Me, he still elicits his share of hisses. Despite its similarities to T-Men, Trapped stands on its own as a suspenseful and well-plotted noir.”
This is the first time Trapped has ever been on TCM, according to our host Eddie Muller. (N.S.: Unfortunately, I missed deadline posting this essay. Sorry, David.)
Speaking of Red Eddie, he did an excellent job last week with The Harder They Fall (1956). Eddie said Budd Schulberg was a friendly witness while screenwriter Philip Yordan was often a front for blacklisted writers, but Eddie praised Schulberg for caring about fighters and calling for cleaning out crooked elements.
And Eddie mentioned everything I pointed out above—Max Baer’s real life fight with Primo Carnera and knockout of Pat Comiskey, along with the “hard” and “soft” endings. Schulberg eventually won out with the soft ending.
Eddie recalled John Huston’s eulogy at Humphrey Bogart’s funeral: “There will never be another like him.” Eddie said, “There never has been.”
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TCM's Film Noir of the Week Saturday Night-Sunday Morning at 12:30 am ET (and 10 am ET) is Fritz Lang's Clash By Night (1952). The cast is loaded: Barbara Stanwyck, Paul Douglas, Robert Ryan, Marilyn Monroe, J. Carroll Naish, Keith Andes.
Film Noir Guide: "A top-notch cast brings new life to this screen version of Clifford Odets' failed Broadway play. Stanwyck plays a world-weary woman wo returns to her fishing community after a decade of big-city disillusionment. A bulky, big-hearted fisherman (Douglas) quickly falls in love with her. During their courtship, Douglas makes the mistake of introducing he to his buddy (Ryan), an embittered mysogynist, who spends his free time hitting the bottle and worrying about his faithless stripper wife. Stanwyck, who is looking for 'a man who isn't mean and doesn't hate women,' takes an instant dislike to Ryan, and when she becomes aware of the sexual tension between them, she agrees to marry the dumbfounded Douglas, who can't believe his good luck. After Ryan's wife divorces him, he makes his move on Stanwyck, who by now is bored with playing housewife and mother. Andes is Stanwyck's brother, unenthusiastic about her return, especially since his gorgeous steady (Monroe) is an admirer of Stanwyck's daring and independence. Veteran character actor Naish plays Douglas' moocher uncle. Stanwyck is good as the faithless but guilt-stricken wife, as is Douglas as the overly trusting and quick-to-forgive cuckold. But the film belongs to Ryan, as Douglas' cynical 'friend.' Fans who prefer a dash of crime with their noir might not enjoy this soap opera.
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