NOIR CITY 5
Music
Box Theatre (Chicago, IL)
Monday,
August 26th, 2013
For
reasons that escape me, I have failed to attend any of the great NOIR CITY presentations
of recent years. I vowed this year would be different, and made it for an
entertaining two features last night, both directed by John Reinhardt. The Film
Noir Foundation's Alan Rode was present to introduce each film.
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| Lee Tracy and Don Castle face HIGH TIDE |
HIGH TIDE (1947) was a special treat to see
resurrected in 35mm thanks to the combined efforts of The Film Noir Foundation,
UCLA Film & Television Archive, and The British Film Institute. The
74-minute B-picture opens at the scene of an automobile accident, where Hugh
Fresney (Lee Tracy, BOMBSHELL) and
Tim Slade (Don Castle) appear to be doomed. Most of the remaining film unfolds via
flashback, and we learn that Slade was brought in by the hard-nosed news editor
Fresney as a little protection against a mobster (Anthony Warde) Fresney has
been investigating. Things get awkward quickly since Fresney’s boss has a wife
(Julie Bishop, SANDS OF IWO JIMA)
anxious to resume her past romance with Slade. What transpires only can be
described as one of the nastiest double-crosses the wonderful world of noir has to offer. Let’s hope this
worthy little Monogram Pictures title eventually finds its way onto DVD.
The
other presentation, CHICAGO CALLING
(1951), already is available for purchase at the Warner Archive (CHICAGO CALLING DVD).
The lone Arrowhead Pictures production, this 75-minute docudrama is typical of
early '50s noir, filmed on location. William
Cannon (Dan Duryea, SCARLET STREET, WINCHESTER '73) is a photographer
turned drunk, and his wife Mary (Mary Anderson, LIFEBOAT) has had it. She packs her bags and leaves town with the
couple’s young daughter Nancy (Melinda Plowman). After getting some tough news,
Cannon realizes he must come up with some cash quickly to keep his phone from
getting disconnected. He finds some unlikely help from a boy named Bobby
(Gordon Gebert). This is a memorable story of redemption, tragedy, and a
hard-earned second chance. In non bitch-slapping mode, this may be Duryea at
his most sympathetic. According to Rode, Duryea agreed to take the part without
salary other than profit sharing (which never materialized).
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| Dan Duryea is fit to be tied in CHICAGO CALLING |
