Friday, October 16, 2020 at 2:08:00 P.M. EDT
TCM’s Film Noir of the Week Saturday Night-Sunday Morning at Midnight and 10 a.m. ET is Destination Murder (1950), directed by Edward L. Cahn. It features Joyce Mackenzie, Stanley Clements, Hurd Hatfield, Albert Dekker, James Flavin and Myrna Dell.
Film Noir Guide: “A messenger boy (Clements) has a deadly delivery for Mackenzie’s father—two bullets—compliments of a sadistic hood (Dekker).
“Mackenzie, who got a glimpse of Clements as he was fleeing the scene, romances the killer to find out more about her father’s murder. Later, she goes undercover as a cigarette girl at Dekker’s nightclub.
“Dekker’s femme fatale moll (Dell), who has the unrequited hots for the club’s manager (Hatfield), joins Clements in a badly thought-out blackmail plot against Dekker.
“Mackenzie, meanwhile, makes the rounds—dating Clements, flirting with Dekker, and falling in love with Hatfield, a dame-hater from way back.
“At times, Destination Murder is a complicated mess that might leave you scratching your head, but it’s still enjoyable if you pay close attention (or watch it twice).
“The diminutive Clements enjoyed a tumultuous marriage to noir icon Gloria Grahame from 1945 to 1948.”
David in TN: Destination Murder is another short (72 minutes) RKO film that has a noirish beginning with twists and turns.
2 comments:
On Thursday Night, beginning at 8 pm ET, TCM is having a "Hemingway" Double Bill. First is Don Siegel's The Killers (1964), with Ronald Reagan, Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson, and John Cassavetes.
The storyline is: Why does a man not run when he knows he is going to be killed?
Next at 9:45 ET is Michael Curtiz's The Breaking Point (1950) starring John Garfield. I think The Breaking Point has already been on TCM four times this year.
The Killers (Originally titled Ernest Hemingway's The Killers) was supposed to be the first ever made-for-TV movie, but it was considered "too violent," so it was released in theaters. In his autobiography, Don Siegel said, "There was nothing Hemingway in the film but the title, 'Ernest Hemingway's The Killers."
The Killers was Ronald Reagan's last film before running in 1966 for Governor of California. He did a few Death Valley TV episodes during 1965. Reagan regretted doing the film, playing the villain, though he had needed the money. Reagan especially hated slapping Angie Dickinson as part of the plot.
Don Siegel, in his book, told how John F. Kennedy was assassinated during the filming. Siegel heard someone shrieking on the set. It was Angie Dickinson. Upon hearing JFK was dead, she went into hysterics and had to be given tranquilizers and driven home.
What TCM should do is show the 1946 version of The Killers along with the 1964 film. It goes without saying The Breaking Point should be featured with Don Siegel's The Gun Runners (1958) starring Audie Murphy.
You could compare the same character being played by one of the greatest actors of all time, Garfield, followed by Audie Murphy, who while not the greatest actor, was in real life, similar to the character.
TCM's Film Noir of the Week Saturday Night-Sunday Morning at Midnight and 10 am ET is Joseph Von Sternberg's Macao (1952) with Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, William Bendix, Thomas Gomez, Gloria Grahame, and Brad Dexter.
Film Noir Guide: "When an undercover officer of the International Police is murdered by a gang of jewel smugglers in Macao, the 'Monte Carlo of the Orient,' the cops send in another agent to take his place. On the run from the law, Mitchum arrives in Macao on the same boat as a sexy nightclub singer (Russell) and a traveling salesman (Bendix). Casino owner Dexter, the gang's ringleader, believes that Mitchum is the undercover cop sent to lure him beyond the three-mile limit so the international cops can apprehend him. After hiring Russell to sing at his casino, Dexter bribes Mitchum to leave Macao. Mitchum refuses because he's fallen for man-hater Russell, who in turn is getting the evil eye from Dexter's moll (Grahame), a croupier at the club. A little confusing, but interesting nevertheless thanks to the witty dialogue and the chemistry between sex symbols Russell and Mitchum. Gomez is terrific as the corrupt Portuguese police lieutenant, but noir icon Grahame has a too-small part."
Last week's entry was a "B Picture." This week's entry is an RKO "A Picture."
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