Last night's movie was "Danger on the Air"(1938), a screwball murder mystery set at a radio station where, of course, everyone's a suspect in the death of the obnoxious program sponsor, "Caesar Kluck" (Berton Churchill), owner and inventor of a soft drink called "Kluck's Popola". Consolidated Broadcasting Studio (reminiscent of WLW) is abuzz with activity. On-air talent; broadcast engineers; the station manager; a hilarious voice impersonator - everyone is talking a mile a minute as the evening's programs go out. Mr. Kluck is also present, and boy, is he a loudmouth, complaining about the air quality in the studio, which is windowless to prevent outside noise. Worse, in Kluck's eyes, is the coloratura soprano, whom he personally hired but whose bleating is now driving him crazy. The entire staff hates him, the mixing-board technician is ready to kill him and finally throws him out of the control room, at great risk to the financial security of the station because Kluck sponsors half the shows.
Kluck finally calms down when "Christina McCorkle" (Nan Grey), the station's top female star and singer, is sent in to placate him. She's a beauty, less than half his age, and offers to sit with him in the green room even though he looks like and has the attitude of WC Fields. But when they get up there, he tries to put the make on her and......she winds up and socks him in the balls! The camera cuts away a split second before contact, but from the angle of her fist, that's what's clearly implied, and it's a riot. McCorkle (as everyone calls her) leaves the room, as disgusted with Mr. Kluck as everyone else, but when the station manger goes to check on him, he's dead -murdalised, it seems.
The rest of the movie is a typical "everyone's a suspect" mystery, but done with screwball flair, a better than average script that includes many possible methods of murder, and outside locations. Usually these types of movies take place inside a mansion where no one can leave. The sound engineer, "Benjamin Butts" (Donald Woods) suspects poison gas was used "because of the color of his blood," which is dripping out of Kluck's mouth. "It has a cherry red tint that cyanogen gas would cause. I learned that in high school chemistry." A hoodlum was last seen talking to Mr. Kluck, demanding payment for services rendered. Could he be the murderer? McCorkle doesn't think so. "Guys like him don't have access to poison gas."
Could it be the janitor, "Tony Lisotti"? Lee J Cobb, who's only 27 here, but convincingly playing 60, is Lisotti. Cobb always looked 60; he was probably born looking 60. He's the papa of the information desk girl who Mr. Kluck was hitting on earlier. Kluck gave her an expensive brooch ("It's pronounced 'broach', Gilligan" - The Skipper). Lee J. Cobb is only four years older than the actress who plays his daughter.
There's a lot of talking, and yelling. You get five minutes straight of the high-blood-pressure vice president yelling at all and sundry. My Mom and I used to talk about William Shatner, who was turning purpler and purpler as the 1990s progressed. This is around the time his girlfriend drowned in his pool. Mom said "he looks like he's gonna have a stroke at any minute." He never did, and is alive to this day, but we both thought he had the highest blood pressure of any man who ever lived.
What I liked most about this movie was the in-studio stuff, with everyone racing around, because my parents were radio folks, and it kind of blows my mind to think about it now, because it happened so quickly in their lives, and my Mom was a radio star, albeit briefly, on the biggest radio station in the world. And then - for her - it ended. She was only on the air for two years, but had a huge audience. I still have a couple of 78rpm acetates of shows they did (which I've gotta get digitized), but anyhow, that's why I like the radio station setting, in that era, because my Mom and Dad were in the exact same setting, thankfully without the murder but maybe with some of the screwball comedy. Rod Serling was at the station for a little while, and Earl Hamner, too. My Dad shot up from being Mom's secretary to becoming, in 1949, a television assistant programmer. Then he came to Hollywood. Dad was more destined for show biz than Mom, but she started the whole shebang. She was in the radio business first. Well anyhow, Two Big Thumbs Up for "Death on the Air". I won't give away the culprit, but the movie has a 6.4 rating on IMDB, very high for a 68 minute quickie. As noted, the energy lifts it above average, and you have to see it just for the amazing vocal talents of Peter Lind Hayes, who plays "Harry Lake", the voice impersonator. The picture is very good. ////
The previous night, Gary Merrill starred in a hard-boiled crime Noir called "The Human Jungle"(1954). The neighborhood surrounding the Central Precinct in downtown Los Angeles is a jungle, just like the title says. Murder is so routine that the detectives are now blaming it on the victims, who are mainly prostitutes: "These gals outghta know better than to hang out in joints like that". Things have become so blase that, after a cursory investigation, the cops head back to the station to engage in their favorite pastime: poker. It beats working on unsolvable cases. By now, the Chief (Emile Meyer) has thrown his hands up. He's being barraged from all corners, by the Mayor, the Press. And now, one of his brightest officers, "Captain John Danforth" (Merrill), has the bad timing to announce that he's quitting the force, just when the Chief needs him most.
"I've been selected at a top firm," says Danforth, who's taken the bar exam to become an attorney. "Oh, no, not now" says the Chief, "How could you do this to me?" He lists the precinct's woes, which Danforth knows all to well. "That's one reason why I want out," he explains. "Nobody cares around here." The Chief asks him, "What do you mean by that remark? I care!" Danforth says "nothing personal", and the Chief says, "I'll tell ya what, you try running this place for two weeks and see if you can do better. Would ya try it before you go joining that hoity-toity law firm?" Danforth accepts the challenge, and due to his hard-charging nature, he starts cleaning house.
"Listen up! No more card games. no more drinking on the job. No more referring to murder victims as 'bimbos', no matter their background." He wants to crack that most recent case, of the hooker found dead near a nightclub. After dressing down "Detective Lanagan" (Lamont Johnson) who shrugged the case off as worthless, he builds him back up (like a good coach), because he knows that, underneath the cynicism, Lanagan's a good cop. With crusty veteran "Detective Bob Geddes" (Outregis Toomey) helping him, they start leaning on the dead hooker's friends, mainly a dancer (Jan Sterling) who works at the club.
From her, they learn about a guy named "Earl Swados" (Chuck Connors), a hood who was seen with the dead gal. Swados is a slick operator, and Connors is great in the role. He could have been in a Scorsese movie. Connors was also a two-sport professional athlete (Dodgers and Celtics), and was a very good actor. As Swados, he smarts off to Captain Danforth because he knows he'll be sprung from jail in no time. He's working for a low-level mobster who owns "three bowling alleys and a nightclub." Claude Akins plays the mobster's henchman. Swados has screwed up by killing his prostitute girlfriend (he's a hot head), and now, scrutiny is coming down on the mobster because Captain Danforth is determined to clean up the neighborhood.
It's brutal! At one point, after Danforth calls a squad meeting to demand more arrests, a detective tries to haul in a liquor store robber and accidentally shoots a pedestrian. The newsmen are all over the mishap, reporting it as "out of control policing", and now it looks even worse for the precinct. Captain Danforth finally says "screw it", and puts all his chips on busting the the bowling alley owner. He uses Jan Sterling the stripper as bait, to lure Earl Swados, who thinks she's a rat.
The whole thing ends in a chase through the conveniently located Pabst Beer Brewery on Santa Monica Boogalord. Jan Sterling runs in there, to escape from Swados, and starts jumping over keg assembly lines, down corridors, past automated bottling conveyors, with Chuck Connors chasing her. Behind them are Gary Merrill and the cops. Of course, this is where The Climbing Must Begin, up onto the catwalks, behind brewing tanks, with shots fired and not a Pabst employee in sight. Connors is finally cornered and offers to spill on the mobster and his whole operation. Gary Merrill saves the precinct and gives up on becoming a lawyer. The city needs strong police, not wishy-washy attorneys!
It's great stuff. Gary Merrill was married to Bette Davis, so he had to be tough. Two Big Thumbs Up for "The Human Jungle", and Two More for Pabst Brewery! Before PBR became hip! The picture is razor sharp. ////
And that's all for a Hot August Night. My blogging music was "Russians and Americans" by Al Stewart, my late night is "Tristan und Isolde" by Wagner. Are you ready for tropical storm Hilary on Sunday? We'll see if it amounts to anything. My bet is "no". I send you Tons of Love, as always.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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