We've got a couple of shorties this time, but we love short movies and both are good. Two nights ago we found a flick called "Madonna of the Desert"(1948). No, I'm not talking about Madge in the Mojave, but a Religious Noir about faith, that uses a small statue of Our Lady as it's focal point. In the opening scene, "Nick Julian" (Sheldon Leonard), a racketeer Mafioso type, is talking to an antique dealer in his shop, located in a small town in rural California. The dealer points out an article in a trade magazine, about a clay figure found at a ranch in the desert, a bejewelled statuette of the Madonna created by an artisan in Italy 500 years earlier. "It must be worth a fortune", says Julian. From their conversation we gather that the antique dealer is a crook too, and they set up a plan to steal the Madonna.
Back at his hideout, the slick-suited Julian has a Gal Friday named "Monica" (Lynne Roberts) who he refers to as "Legs". He's discovered, when pulling jobs involving objets d'art, that finesse works better than force. A deception by a woman is ideal. There's no mess to clean up, and by the time the suckers know they've been had, he and Legs will long gone.
So Nick sends her over to the ranch to pretend her car broke down. From there, she'll finagle her way into the house, find where they keep the Madonna and steal it. The plan sounds great in theory, but in practice there's a problem. You see, the ranch is owned by "Joe Salinas"(Don Castle), a man so kind and helpful that Legs can't bring herself to rob him. Her change of heart doesn't come about instantly, of course, but right away, she's softened by his lack of guile. He genuinely cares about her "plight" (the stalled car fraud), and offers not only to repair it, but to give her food and shelter for the night. "You can't be driving through the desert when it's pitch dark", he says. He's also a devout Christian who's not trying to put the make on her, though he does enjoy her company. I should mention that we saw actor Castle recently in "Tombstone : The Town Too Tough to Die" with Richard Dix. We remarked on his charm in that film also, and his resemblance to Clark Gable.
When they enter the ranch house, Monica (not "Legs" when she's with Joe) scans the interior, looking for the Madonna. She finds it on the living room mantle, and pretends to admire it. This brings Joe to her side. He explains it's history (it was found buried on the property), and how it seems to have miraculous properties. "We've had excellent crops ever since we found her, and I've had a lot of personal good fortune too". Monica plays along but in her head she's making plans to take the statue and abscond, as soon as the opportunity presents. Joe has an "Uncle Pete" who lives with him, who's every bit the pessimist to Joe's optimist. But even Pete believes in the power of the Madonna, which starts the wheels of conflict spinning in Monica's heart. Really she wants to get away from Nick Julian and their life of crime, but she knows she can't cross Nick. It'll be curtains if she does. Then the next day arrives and a miracle indeed happens, causing her to alter her decision.
There's to be a wedding that day, of a couple from neighboring families. They're hearty Italian Catholics, so Joe loans them the Madonna for good luck. He asks Monica if she'd like to stay long enough to attend, and she accepts, as at this point she still plans to steal the statuette. But during the wedding a fire occurs. I can't tell you how it's started or what is set aflame, but all the guests are so shocked by the lack of damage that they proclaim it a miracle, attributable surely to the Madonna. No one is more stunned by this than Monica herself. Later that day, back at the ranch, she confesses everything to Joe : the robbery plan, her life of crime, and her association with Nick Julian. Joe then surprises her with a confession of his own. He wasn't always so cheerful. "Monica, I am a veteran of the war. I was left paralysed by shrapnel and the doctors told me I'd never walk again". He goes on to say how cynical he became, until the discovery of the Madonna changed his life. "But it's not about the statue. I mean, that's part of it, but the bigger part is faith. You can have faith too, Monica, faith that you can change your life and get away from Nick".
It's quite a message, and this scene is reminiscent of ones from "The Enchanted Cottage" and "I'll Be Seeing You", also involving injured veterans and faith. Monica decides to remain in the desert. She's falling in love with Joe, who vows to protect her from Nick Julian. Nick knows where the ranch is located and is bound to come looking, but there's going to be a bump in the road for him as well. A hoodlum named "Tony French" (Donald "Red" Barry) has just been paroled from San Quentin, after taking the rap for Nick in a botched bank heist. He's done five years hard time and wants payback, either in the form of money or Nick's blood. French hears about the Madonna, too, and heads out to the ranch to steal it. Everyone will converge in the desert for a white-knuckle climax.
For a movie with next to no budget, "Madonna of the Desert" is surprisingly well written and acted. The dialogue is meaningful, not trite, and the religious message is never ham-handed. It's also a tough little Noir from the crooks' angle, with Monica's character in the middle, torn between two lifestyles and mindsets. We like what we've seen so far from Don Castle, and Lynne Roberts is very good as "Monica" so we'll have to look for more from her as well. For the record Sheldon Leonard, who plays "Nick Julian" was a big time movie and tv producer, and Donald "Red" Barry, playing"Tony French", was one of the most prolific character actors in Hollywood, appearing in over 250 Westerns and Noirs.
Two Big Thumbs Up for "Madonna of the Desert". A ton of story and a good message. ///////
Going from Don Castle to William Castle, the previous night's movie was "Just Before Dawn"(1946), a quickie programmer from The Crime Doctor series. I'd never heard of The Crime Doctor, which began as a radio serial, but apparently there were ten movies made for the franchise, with some being directed by our old pal Castle, the future horrormeister of '60s Cinema. In "Dawn", the seventh entry in the series, Warner Baxter stars as "Dr. Ordway", a psychiatrist who also acts as a detective, because........um, his patients always seem to get murdered, doggonnit. This time, a diabetic dies when his insulin is switched with poison. Ordway himself delivers the fatal injection, but no one's gonna pin it on The Crime Doctor. Instead, he goes in search of the actual killer, in what amounts to a Ten Little Indians plot. The death occurred at a party, so one of the guests must've done it. But who, and why? Not to worry, Crime Doc's on the case. He uncovers a false identity scheme being run out of a mortuary, by a creep named "Mr. Ganss" (Martin Kosleck). The scheme involves plastic surgery to give hoodlums new faces.........and where do ya think they're getting the faces? Well, it's a mortuary, so if you said "from corpses" you're on the right track.
I very much enjoyed "Just Before Dawn", another Paul Shortino that runs just over an hour. The Crime Doctor is a great concept and well played by Baxter, winner of the first Best Actor Oscar in 1929. We'll definitely be watching the entire series, or as many as we can find on Youtube. The direction here by William Castle employs all his trademarks, the well-ordered frame, high contrast lighting and clean camerawork. Like Hitchcock, he knows how to get the most out of a simple setting.
Two Solid Thumbs Up, then, for "Just Before Dawn". Paging Dr. Ordway.....come in Dr. Ordway.....Crime Doctor to the rescue!
That's all for the moment. Have a great afternoon. Tons of love as always!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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