Allied Artists had a hit with Al Capone and ushered in a bunch of gangster flicks including this biopic of the gangster's pal, George Raft. Raft had one of the most fascinating careers of any actor but lawsuits are lawsuits hence this fictionalised version.
Ray Danton should have become a bigger star - handsome, deep voice, can act, can even dance a little. He moves like a dancer so he's not bad casting for Raft. Maybe he lacked a certain warmth. There's a lively collection of support players including Frank Gorshin, Julie London and none other than Jayne Mansfield who plays a Hollywood starlet. She's in a swimsuit in one scene and looks a little heavy as well as being top heavy but it's fun to see her.
Sometimes the film stumbles upon elements of the real Raft - his financial irresponsibility, his tendency to confuse the parts he played with himself, his desire to do more dancing films and less gangster parts, his friendship with Benny Siegel, his tendency to punch people out (including producers on set), his trouble with the IRS, his tendency to be alone. I thought it was cute when he goes to see Al Capone (Neville Brand) after making Scarface to find Capone likes the movie, and hangs out with Texas Guinan, and I didn't mind gangsters firing a machine gun at him.
Other items seem more random. Inserting a night club comedy act from these two comics plus a long song from Julie London (were Allied pushing these talents?). Domestic scenes with his loving mama and disapproving father (which seem like a sketch to send up this sort of biopic "how can I tell my friends what I'm doing).
There's a director on Scarface who I assume is meant to be Howard Hawks. I'm not sure who Mansfield was meant to play - maybe Betty Grable. There's no Carole Lombard or anyone like that - only the gangsters get named. Actually no that's not true - Billy Wilder is mentioned at the end but not seen.
It's not successful as a movie - you can't feel any point to it, there's no theme other than maybe Raft has trouble letting anyone in to love him and is a bit of a sook. I kept expecting that nice cigarette girl to re appear but it doesn't happen. Still as a Raft fan I got a lot out of it - I thought Danton did a decent version of Raft, and I was constantly going "oh that's true... that's not... that's really not... that's true..." so it passed the time entertainingly.
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