Last night (Dec. 26th), we watched another Michael Shayne mystery, "Sleepers West"(1941). Lloyd Nolan was back, along with Mary Beth Hughes, an unbeatable duo for crime/com tomfoolery. This time they're on a train. Nolan is of course Michael Shayne, Detective. MBH, instead of portraying his girlfriend (as she did in "Blue, White and Perfect"), is the star witness for the defense in an upcoming murder trial. Her testimony will free a wrongly accused man, which means that the real killer will want her dead. That's why Shayne is hiding her in a sleeper car, in disguise, with an order not to answer her door. Before the train departs, we meet "Kay Bentley" (Lynn Bari), a reporter friend of Shayne's. Always on the lookout for a scoop, she tricks him into revealing his assignment.
The Michael Shayne formula seems to be about interactive character setups and the confusion (read amusement) they produce. First of all, the train is behind schedule, so the engineer orders the coal stoker to "burn it white hot", i.e. so he can haul some major league bootation. Now it's running too fast down the tracks. Is an accident just around the corner? Then, one of the porters finds fifteen thousand bucks in an open suitcase. This sets off a rumor that there's a bank robber on the train. Michael Shayne hears about the money, and wonders - instead - if it's a payment for a hit on Mary Beth. He checks in on her and finds a man in her room. Is he a killer? MBH says no. "This is Mr. Jason" (Louis Jean Heydt), she tells Shayne. "He and I were just sharing a drink". A bunch of drinks, actually. They're both hammered. Jason's a family man who's running away from his life. "It's too conventional, don't you see? Nothing ever happens that's exciting". If it's excitement he wants, he's come to the right place. Mary Beth has that look on her face again, like she's either gonna laugh or blow her stack, and this time she's drunk so watch out. You can see why she's a cult favorite in these movies. Meanwhile, Kay Bentley, while angling for a story, gets stuck in the room next door and has to call for the porter's help to get free. Shayne comes to her rescue instead, and finds out she's been spying on him. This sets up a conflict with her fiancee, who turns out to be the crook with the money.
1930s wiseguy Edward Brophy, who goes all the way back to Buster Keaton (see the classic dressing room scene in "The Cameraman") is also onboard as a dumbell Private Eye. I have very much enjoyed the two Michael Shayne mysteries we've seen. They're all about the characters, the setups and the banter with the plot being a secondary concern. I liked "Sleepers West" even better than "Blue, White and Perfect". It's the best "trouble on a train" movie since "Narrow Margin", and I give it Two Big Thumbs Up. Watch it and become a fan of the series. The picture is razor sharp. ////
The previous night - on Christmas - we saw an excellent little Noir : "Hunt the Man Down"(1950), starring James Anderson as "Richard Kincade", a fugitive who claims he was wrongly accused of murder. As the movie opens, he's working under an alias as a dishwasher in a small town cafe, having escaped from custody twelve years earlier. He's eluded capture all this time by leading a nondescript life. Then one night after closing, as he and waitress "Sally" (Lynne Roberts) are about to lock up, the cafe is robbed. A fight ensues. Kincade grabs the robber's gun and shoots him dead. He's hailed as a hero in the local paper, but the attention costs him his freedom. A prosecutor from the D.A.s office recognizes his picture. "That's him! This guy calling himself 'Bill Jackson' is Richard Kincade"! He's arrested and brought back to the city to face trial. "Paul Bennett" (Gig Young) is appointed as his public defender.
The movie then becomes a courtroom drama, and Paul Bennett takes over as the protagonist. He's gotta track down seven witnesses from the original trial. The murder Kincade is accused of committing took place in 1938, after a party where he danced with a married woman. Her husband showed up drunk; later that night he was shot. Circumstantial evidence points to Kincade. Gig Young is stellar in his role as the public defender. He hires his father, an ex-cop, as his assistant, and together they track down every witness from the 1938 party who saw Kincade's fight with the drunk husband. Much of the plot hinges on their recall after all that time, and Young, as Paul Bennett, is expert at ferreting out their deceptions. The innocent tend to forget the details over the years, while the guilty remember everything that happened. However, they are expert at hiding it.
Cleo Moore, the Blonde Bombshell from the Hugo Haas movies, turns up late in the film as a surprise prosecution witness. Sweet Lynne Anderson stands by Kincade even when it looks like he's going to the chair. Also making an appearance in a surprisingly non-smarmy role is our old pal Gerald "Less Is" Mohr, as the new husband of the murder victim's widow. At 69 minutes, "Hunt the Man Down" has the tightly layered plot of a film 20 minutes longer. While filled with memorable performances from it's large and varied cast (including Frank Cady, i.e. "Sam Drucker" from Green Acres, as a European pupetteer), it's Gig Young who carries the movie. We saw him last year in "The Neon Ceiling", a legendary TV movie from the 1970s, and remarked on what a great actor he was. His life took tragic turns due to alcoholism, though you'd never know it watching him in this movie. "Hunt the Man Down" is an interesting take on the Wrongly Accused Man formula, and filled with unexpected twists. It gets Two Big Thumbs Up from your trusty reviewer and is highly recommended. The picture is sharp but not razor. ////
And that's all for this evening. I'm heading out for a Freezing Cold Walk. I trust all is well as we head into the New Year and I send you Tons of Love, as always. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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