The film is the story of a traveling salesman from San Francisco whose wife wants to adopt a child where an adoption agent becomes suspicious and learns that this man has another wife and a child in Los Angeles. It is a film with a simple premise as it also has a unique structure in Collier Young’s screenplay where the first 20 minutes is about this traveling salesman in Harry Graham (Edmond O’Brien) as he is meeting this adoption agent in Mr. Jordan (Edmund Gwenn) who notices something is off about Harry during their meeting that included Harry’s wife Eve (Joan Fontaine). Mr. Jordan goes to Los Angeles to know more about Harry in his business trips to the city where he finds a name similar to Harry in an address where he makes this discovery.
It is where the film’s tone becomes a reflective one where Harry tells his story to Mr. Jordan about the fact that he has another wife in Phyllis Martin (Ida Lupino) whom he had met at a bus tour as they just clicked despite not romantically being interested in one another. During the course of the film, Harry struggles to do the right thing for both women but circumstances beyond his control as it relates to Eve’s own family issues and Phyllis’ health forces him to be with both whenever he can as both women are unaware of each other’s existence.
Lupino’s direction is largely straightforward in its visuals though there are bits that do play like a noir film of sorts though it is largely a dramatic film set and shot in both San Francisco and Los Angeles. While there are wide shots to establish some of the locations, much of Lupino’s direction is intimate as it play into the drama with the usage of medium shots and close-ups. Lupino also maintains this tense atmosphere in the conversation between Mr. Jordan and Harry with the latter talking about how he met Phyllis and how their relationship only began slowly because both of them were lonely with Harry often feeling secondary to Eve who is dealing with her ailing father. Lupino’s direction showcase the conflict that Harry is dealing with where he thinks about leaving Eve because she’s been distant in order to be with Phyllis but then Eve calls him to be more involved emotionally as things get more complicated. Even in the third act where Mr. Jordan processes Harry’s story where Lupino showcase how complicated things are as its ending is heartbreaking not just for the women but also for Harry who knew things weren’t going to end well. Overall, Lupino crafts a compelling yet haunting film about a man who is married to two women.
Cinematographer George E. Diskant does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography where it is largely straightforward for many of the daytime interior/exterior scenes as well as the usage of some lights for some of the scenes at night. Editor Stanford Tischler does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some nice usage of transitional dissolves to play into the drama. Art director James W. Sullivan and set decorator Edward G. Boyle do fantastic work with the look of the home that Graham lives with Phyllis as well as the Chinese restaurant where Phyllis worked at. The sound work of Dick Tyler Sr. and Howard Wilson is terrific for its natural approach to the sound from the way some noise is presented at a party to the quieter moments in the film. The film’s music by Leith Stevens is wonderful for its lush orchestral score that ranges from its dramatic and somber themes to suspenseful themes with the string arrangements to play into Harry’s plight.
The film’s superb ensemble cast feature some notable small roles and appearances from George Lee as the Chinese restaurant head waiter Sam, John Maxwell as the judge in the film’s final scene, Lilian Fontaine as Phyllis’ landlady, Peggy Maley as a phone operator that works in the L.A. building where Harry would work at, Jane Darwell as Mr. Jordan’s cleaning lady Mrs. Connelley, and Kenneth Tobey as Harry’s lawyer Tom Morgan. Edmund Gwenn is brilliant as Mr. Jordan as an adoption agent who is suspicious about Harry as he tries to figure him out as he would later listen to Harry’s story where he makes his own assessment revealing to be a man who has a job to do but is sympathetic to Harry’s issues. Joan Fontaine is amazing as Eve as Harry’s wife/business partner as a woman who was emotionally-detached for a time due to her ailing father as she is someone who is always good to him and hopes adopting a child would bring them closer.
Ida Lupino is amazing as Phyllis as a woman who works at a Chinese restaurant as she befriends Harry through mutual loneliness as they have a tryst that at first meant nothing until she realizes she is pregnant while also realizing how much they care for each other. Finally, there’s Edmond O’Brien in an incredible performance as Harry Graham as a traveling salesman who is in love with two women as he puts himself in an awful situation as it is largely driven by uncertainty and loneliness where O’Brien displays that vulnerability of a man who knew he had done something wrong but couldn’t help but try to make things right for these two women.
The Bigamist is a phenomenal film from Ida Lupino that features great performances from Lupino, Edmond O’Brien, Joan Fontaine, and Edmund Gwenn. Along with its simplistic presentation as well as its study of bigamy and a man’s conflict in the decisions he’s made. It is a film that definitely explore a subject matter with great sensitivity while also knowing the implications it would cause in the lives of three people. In the end, The Bigamist is a sensational film from Ida Lupino.
Ida Lupino Films: (Not Wanted) – (Never Fear) – Outrage (1950 film) - (Hard, Fast, and Beautiful) – The Hitch-Hiker - (The Trouble with Angels)
© thevoid99 2022
The film follows a young woman who is walking home from work where she is raped by a man with a scar on his neck as she struggles with what happened to her as she runs away from her life and home uncertain about what to do. It is a film that has a simple premise as it explores rape and trauma where a woman who just got engaged to another man is pursued and raped by another man whom she sees every day at work but never really knew. The film’s screenplay by Ida Lupino, Malvin Wald, and Collier Young is largely straightforward in its narrative yet it is really more of an exploration of trauma and how a woman’s life shatters by this event and how it would force her to run away but still haunted by what happened to her. The script largely follows its protagonist Ann Walton (Mala Powers) who had a lot going for her but being raped by a concession stand worker she sees everyday but is unaware that he was stalking her would change things.
The film’s first half is set in small town where Ann’s family and her fiancée Jim Owens (Robert Clarke) are concerned for her but there’s people gossiping and whispering around her as it added the carelessness she is dealing around her forcing her to leave. The film’s second half has her trying to go to Los Angeles but ended up in a small town when she learned she’s being searched as she finds refuge in a small town after she had been found by Reverend Bruce Ferguson (Tod Andrews) who is unaware of her real identity after she sprained her ankle. Ferguson is a man who also went through a lot following World War II as he returned to his home because he felt a peacefulness there and wants to help as he gets Ann a job while learning more about who she is and the trauma she is dealing with.
Lupino’s direction does bear elements of style yet much of her presentation is straightforward though the film opens with a view of Ann running as she is being chased by this unknown man. Shot on various locations in California including some sets in Hollywood, Lupino does maintain this air of suspense during this chase scene where her usage of close-ups and medium shots add to the terror where she doesn’t show the actual rape but rather use sound and bits of shadow to show what is happening. Since the word “rape” was taboo in the late 1940s/1950s and wasn’t considered a serious things back then. Lupino does showcase this sense of ignorance and lack of real understanding over what happened to Ann despite the concerns from her parents, Jim, and a few others including a police detective that is trying to understand what happened to her. Lupino’s direction also play into this air of claustrophobia into the shame that Ann is carrying as she thinks it’s her own fault. Lupino’s wide shots that includes the film’s opening sequence and another version of that same chase scene do play into that sense of fear but also in serene moments in the film’s second half where she meets Ferguson as he shows her his favorite place overlooking his hometown.
Lupino does calm things down for the film’s second half when Ann is in this new town where she is given a new job but there are these moments of a woman that is having a hard time opening herself to people with Ferguson being patient. Even during a scene that is about trauma and Ann completely losing it where Ferguson not only learns what happened to her but he is the one that is willing to say something. The film’s ending is an ambiguous one as it relates to Ann’s journey as it is clear that she’s still coping with what happened to her where Lupino keeps the camera away but knows when to shoot a close-up or a medium shot to play into Ann’s final decision. Overall, Lupino crafts a riveting yet terrifying film about woman who gets raped and deals with the trauma of what happened to her.
Cinematographers Louis Clyde Stoumen and Archie Stout do amazing work with the film’s black-and-white cinematography as it add to the film’s eerie presentation in its usage of shadows and light for the chase scene as well as aiming for something naturalistic in the daytime exterior scenes. Editor Harvey Manger does excellent work with the editing as it has some stylish montages and some rhythmic cuts that play into the suspense as well as the usage of dissolves as it help play into the drama. Production designer Harry Horner, with set decorators Harley Miller and Darrell Silvera, does brilliant work with the look of the Walton home as well as the look of the home that Ferguson lives in. The sound work of John L. Cass and Clem Portman is terrific for the atmosphere it creates in some of the film’s suspenseful moments as well as how sound effects add to the drama. The film’s music by Constantin Bakaleinikoff and Paul Satwell is wonderful for its orchestral score as it play into the drama with its lush strings and eerie arrangements for the film’s suspenseful moments.
The film’s superb cast featured some notable small roles from Tristram Coffin as a judge at a small town, Jerry Paris as a man at a gathering that pursues Ann at the small town, Roy Engel as the local sheriff, Kenneth Patterson and Angela Clarke in their respective roles as Tom and Madge Harrison who are friends of Ferguson, Hal March as Detective Sergeant Hendrix who is trying to help Ann find her attacker, and Raymond Bond and Lilian Hamilton as Ann’s parents who are troubled by what happened to Ann as well as try to understand her trauma. Robert Clarke is fantastic as Ann’s fiancée Jim as a man that is having a hard time coping with what happened to her while is hoping marriage will heal things. Tod Andrews is amazing as Reverend Bruce Ferguson as a kind-hearted man from a small town who helps Ann in finding a job and solace while being patient in trying to understand what happened to her. Finally, there’s Mala Powers in an incredible performance as Ann Walton as a woman who suffered a traumatic event in her life where Powers displays the anguish and turmoil of a woman that is suffering while being unsure in how to cope with what happened to her as it is a mesmerizing performance from Powers.
Outrage is a phenomenal film from Ida Lupino that features a haunting performance from Mala Powers. Along with its ensemble cast, striking visuals, and its themes of trauma and anguish following the act of rape. The film is definitely a look into a then-taboo subject matter and how it is told as it is a film that was ahead of its time when the subject of rape wasn’t in the discussion. In the end, Outrage is an incredible film from Ida Lupino.
Ida Lupino Films: (Not Wanted) – (Never Fear) – (Hard, Fast, and Beautiful) – The Hitch-Hiker - The Bigamist – (The Trouble with Angels)
© thevoid99 2021
The film is about a hitch-hiker who is on a killing spree as he kills those who pick up him as he is then picked up by two men who are in Mexico on a fishing trip as they become aware of who they just picked up as they cope with the situation they’re in. It is a film with a simple premise as it play into these two men who find themselves picking up a sociopath with a gun as he orders them to do thing they’re not comfortable with in a land where barely anyone speaks English. The film’s screenplay by Ida Lupino and Collier Young is straightforward yet it opens with a montage of the series of murders committed by Emmett Myers (William Talman) who kills his victims whenever they resist, take their money, and their car until the car runs out of gas and then hitch-hikes to be picked up by anyone else who would become victims.
For Roy Collins (Edmond O’Brien) and Gilbert Bowens (Frank Lovejoy), picking up Myers and then realizing who he is would be a decision these two men have to cope with. Even as they realize how controlling he is and how they can’t even escape whenever they’re sleeping as it adds to the dramatic suspense. There is also a subplot involving U.S. and Mexican police forces trying to find Myers as well as discovering that Collins and Bowens are taken hostage as the Mexican police would ask locals as it would lead to some major discoveries.
Lupino’s direction does bear some style from the opening sequence of images of faceless victims lying dead as well as stock footage of police cars on the chase as it play into the severity of the situation that Collins and Bowens are to face. Shot largely on location in desert areas in California, Lupino does use some wide shots to play into the scope of the locations yet maintains a simplistic approach to play into the sense of terror that occurs in the film through medium shots and close-ups. Lupino’s usage of medium shots for the scenes of the three principle characters in the car doesn’t just play into the suspense along with scenes outside the car where Myers is often seen from the overhead looking at Collins and Bowers sleeping on their sleeping bags as the two men watch in fear.
Lupino also uses the locations such as the desert to play into the setting that is unforgiving as it adds to the drama where Myers maintains a sense of control while Collins and Bowers are dealing with injuries, lack of resources, and being threatened with death. Even in scenes set in the night as it play into the suspense that include the film’s climax as it relates to the destination that Myers wanted to go into as adds to the tension. Notably as it play into Myers being this man of threat and treating Collins and Bowers horrifically to the point that the two men deal with the fact that he is a madman that needs to be stopped. Overall, Lupino crafts a gripping and unsettling film about two men who are taken hostage by a scary hitchhiker.
Cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca does excellent work with the film’s black-and-white photography as it play into its low-budget aesthetics with its somewhat-grainy presentation that does add to the sense of terror and realism into the film for much of the exterior scenes in the day and night. Editor Douglas Stewart does brilliant work with the editing with its usage of rhythmic cuts to play into the suspense along with bits of transition wipes and dissolves to add to the drama. Art directors Albert S. D’Agostino and Walter E. Keller, with set decorators Harley Miller and Darrell Silvera, do fantastic work with the look of the grocery stores and cantinas that the three men stop at as well as the gas station and the port in the film’s climax.
The sound work of Roy Meadows and Clem Portman is superb for the atmosphere of the locations as well as the sounds of gunfire and such that add to the suspense. The film’s music by Leith Stevens is amazing for its soaring orchestral score that play into the suspense and sense of terror with loud and bombastic strings as it adds to the film’s unsettling tone.
The film’s wonderful ensemble cast feature some notable small roles from radio announcer Wendell Niles as himself, Jean Del Val as an inspector, Clark Howat as a government agent who works with the Mexican authorities, Natvidad Vacio as a man named Jose who gives Myers the name of a boat he can use, and Jose Torvay as Captain Alvarado as the leader of the Mexican police in the search for Myers. Edmond O’Brien and Frank Lovejoy are incredible in their respective roles as Roy Collins and Gilbert Bowen as two men who are going on a fishing trip until they pick up Myers where they deal with their situation as well as try to escape with O’Brien as the more sensible Collins who is able to speak Spanish while Lovejoy as the latter is a skilled mechanic who would also deal with the brunt of Myers’ physical abuse. Finally, there’s William Talman in a phenomenal performance as Emmett Myers as this sociopathic serial killer who hitch-hikes his way to Mexico as he brings terror to these two men as well as being someone that isn’t a fool while can also do things to instill fear as he is one of the most chilling figures to ever grace the cinema.
The Hitch-Hiker is a tremendous film from Ida Lupino that features great performances from William Talman, Edmond O’Brien, and Frank Lovejoy. Along with its eerie visuals, minimalist premise, a haunting music score, and its sense of terror, the film is definitely a neo-noir film that doesn’t play by convention while being a study of two men being held hostage by a madman. In the end, The Hitch-Hiker is a spectacular film from Ida Lupino.
Ida Lupino Films: (Not Wanted) – (Never Fear) – Outrage – (Hard, Fast, and Beautiful) – The Bigamist – (The Trouble with Angels)
© thevoid99 2021
Directed by Sam Peckinpah and written by Jeb Rosebrook, Junior Bonner is the story of a rodeo cowboy who returns to his hometown for a rodeo events as he deals with his estranged parents and his brother. The film is an intimate portrait of a man dealing with aging as well as trying to make amends with his family where they all deal with change in their surroundings. Starring Steve McQueen, Joe Don Baker, Robert Preston, Ben Johnson, and Ida Lupino. Junior Bonner is a heartwarming and evocative film from Sam Peckinpah.
Set in the 4th of July weekend, the film revolves around an aging rodeo cowboy who arrives to his hometown for an event as he meets with his estranged family as his parents are going through hard times and a separation while his brother has become a successful businessman. It’s a film that plays into a man trying to see his family during the weekend as he copes with the fact that his brother has torn down the old family home to create a line of mobile homes as well as other things relating to his family. It’s a film with a simple story as it play into changing times but also a man trying to make amends as he deals with his family. Jeb Rosebrook’s script follows the titular character (Steve McQueen) who has been down on his luck in the rodeo circuit as a bull he’s trying to ride remains undefeated as he wants another shot in his hometown of Prescott, Arizona. Yet, he is aware that it’s his last shot as he’s broke and in need to do something for himself.
While his brother Curly (Joe Don Baker) would offer him a job, it is done with a sense of arrogance as Junior doesn’t like what Curly is doing. At the same time, their father Ace (Robert Preston) wants money to go to Australia for prospecting believing there is something there as Curly thinks it’s a bad scheme while Ace’s estranged wife Elvira (Ida Lupino) agrees as she sells antiques for a living while being unsure about living in a mobile home. Junior’s relationship with his father is a unique one as both men are dreamers in some ways where Junior understands what his father wants no matter how foolish the dream is as Junior is like his dad in some ways. Though Ace is a womanizer, he still carries a torch for Elvira as he wants her to join her yet she doesn’t know considering the many failures he’s had. Even as the family becomes unsure if Junior can pull off one last victory in the rodeo as it is clear he doesn’t have much time left as well as very little options in his life.
Sam Peckinpah’s direction is very understated in terms of the fact that it’s a more subdued film in comparison to a lot of the films he’s known for as they’re very violent. With the exception of a comical barroom brawl and a fight between Junior and Curly, the film isn’t very violent at all as it’s more about the life of a family in this small town in Arizona. Shot largely on location in Prescott, Arizona, the film does play into a world that is changing as the images of the old Bonner family home being destroyed is startling while there are these shots mobile homes from afar that are being shown to play into this sense of change. Many of Peckinpah’s compositions are simple as well as have an air of intimacy in the medium shots and close-ups to play into the interaction of the Bonner family. The wide shots would play into the locations as well as some shots of the 4th of July parade while Peckinpah would just maintain that sense of Americana that feels like a community coming together and celebrate. The rodeo scenes are quite stylish as Peckinpah presents them with that air of energy but also excitement as it is a world that is in its own time no matter how much the world around it changes. Overall, Peckinpah creates a somber yet touching film about a rodeo cowboy returning home to make amends with his family and go for one last victory in the rodeo.
Cinematographer Lucien Ballard does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography from the grainy, low-key look of the flashback scenes of a rodeo in the film‘s opening scene to the more colorful look of the exteriors in Prescott as well as the interiors inside the bar. Editors Frank Santillo and Robert L. Wolfe do amazing work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts, split-screens, slow-motion cuts, and other stylistic cutting as it plays into the vibrancy of the rodeo as well as the world of the American West in its modern context. Art director Ted Haworth, with set decorators Angelo P. Graham and Jerry Wunderlich, does nice work with the look of the home that Elvira lives in as well as the bar where many of the locals hang out at. The sound work of Larry Hooberry is terrific for the sound of the crowd at the rodeo and at the bar as well as the quieter moments involving Junior and his parents. The film’s music by Jerry Fielding is superb as it‘s mainly a country-based score with its guitars and sliding guitars as well as some songs in that style of country-western music.
The casting by Lynn Stalmaster is excellent as it features some notable small roles from Sandra Deel as Ace’s nurse Arlis whom Ace flirts with, Don “Red” Barry as a rodeo impresario named Homer Rutledge, Bill McKinney as a rival rodeo cowboy named Red Terwiliger, Barbara Leight as Rutledge’s girlfriend Charmagne who takes a liking towards Junior, and Mary Murphy as Curly’s wife Ruth. Joe Don Baker is terrific as Curly Bonner as Junior’s brother who has become a successful yet arrogant businessman that is eager to make money out of mobile homes as he believes it is the future while not understanding that Junior and their father are part of the old ways of the world. Ben Johnson is superb as Buck Roan as a rodeo owner who knows Junior and his father as he is reluctant to let Junior ride this bull knowing that Junior’s luck has been running out.
Ida Lupino is amazing as Elvira Bonner as the estranged wife of Ace who is a down-to-earth woman that is happy to see Junior though she is aware of the path he’s taking as she tries to understand why he can’t exactly give up the world of the rodeo. Robert Preston is brilliant as Ace Bonner as Junior’s father who likes to drink and chase around women as he laments over the ways of the world as he hopes to go to Australia to mine and raise sheep there as a way to be with the old ways. Finally, there’s Steve McQueen in a phenomenal performance as the titular character as this aging rodeo cowboy that is aware that he’s running out of chances as well as try to make amends with his family no matter how complicated things are as it’s a very grounded and solemn performance from McQueen.
Junior Bonner is a remarkable film from Sam Peckinpah that features great performances from Steve McQueen, Ida Lupino, and Robert Preston. While it is a very different western of sorts from Peckinpah as well as a more dramatic-based feature. It is still a fascinating film about the ideas of the old ways vs. the new ways where a man tries to cope with change and help his family. In the end, Junior Bonner is a marvelous film from Sam Peckinpah.
Sam Peckinpah Films: The Deadly Companions - Ride the High Country - Major Dundee - Noon Wine - The Wild Bunch - The Ballad of Cable Hogue - Straw Dogs - The Getaway - Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid - Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia - The Killer Elite - Cross of Iron - Convoy - The Osterman Weekend - The Auteurs #62: Sam Peckinpah
© thevoid99 2016
