Category: 1940s

Orphaned Robert Mitchum is haunted by nightmares of the night his family was massacred. Taken in by a local family, he grows to fall in love with his adopted sister and develops a feud with his adopted brother, a feud that continues the one that had resulted in the death of his family. It’s an unusual mix of Western and noir that hinges on Mitchum’s steadfast but troubled performance, ably supported by Teresa Wright as his love interest.    

Dean Stockwell is a war orphan, kept in the dark of his parents’ fate, who is tossed from one home to another until he finally finds a forever home with retired actor Pat O’Brien. Unfortunately for Dean, after he discovers his status as an orphan, his hair suddenly turns green. The small minds of the local townsfolk can’t handle it. An allegory for war itself particularly its effects on children, it’s a bit of an oddity of a film, but the acting, and the adorable chemistry between Stockwell and O’Brien, keeps the story engaging.

Farley Granger escapes from prison with Howard Da Silva and Jay C. Flippen. They take refuge at the home of Da Silva’s brother where Farley bonds and falls in love with his niece, Cathy O’Donnell. The inexperienced couple would love to start their lives over with each other, but in the Hays Code world that was never going to be possible and that feeling of dread is a shadow over the young lovers from the moment they meet. A heart-breaking noir, it’s really hard not to wish things were different and root for the baby-faced couple which makes the end harder to take.  

After being double crossed by his most-recent employer, assassin Alan Ladd travels from San Francisco to Los Angeles on a mission for revenge. Along the way he meets up with Veronica Lake who has been hired by the employer to sing in his LA club. He’s also being tracked by Lake’s boyfriend and police detective Robert Preston. It’s an intriguing World War II era noir that also involves stolen chemical formulas and appeals to war-time patriotism. I like Ladd as the assassin; he has an air of mystery while also bringing a mix of menace and humanity to the role. I’m up in the air about how I feel about Lake, especially during her singing performances here which are a bit stiff and unnatural even when they involve magic tricks and black satin fishing costumes. 

At the end of a secret mission during World War II, black soldier James Edwards suddenly becomes paralyzed. He undergoes psychoanalysis to get to the root of his problem which has no physical explanation. It’s a quickly told story of one man’s experience dealing with racial prejudice in the Army and feeling like an outsider because of it. With a rather small cast, it often resembles a stage production, particularly during the actual psychoanalysis. There is an interesting camaraderie between Edwards and fellow soldier/longtime friend Lloyd Bridges, a relationship that epitomizes the difficulties James has experienced.  

Myrna Loy and William Powell start off married in this slapstick romp. When the planned celebrations for their fourth wedding anniversary get waylaid through a series of mishaps and misunderstandings, they find themselves on the verge of divorce, an outcome that Powell will do anything, including dressing in drag and trying to have himself committed, to prevent from happening. The chemistry between the two is near its highest in this, their eleventh film together. They are helped along the way by Jack Carson and Gail Patrick, both trying in their own ways to pull apart the couple.