Movie review - "The Guilt of Janet Ames" (1947) *1/2

 A film with its head up its arse. Starts alright - Rosalind Russell walks in front of a car, we wonder why, boozy journo Melvyn Douglas investigates in part because he knew her dead husband, she's got PTSD from death of her husband, she resents the survivors.

But then - ugh - Douglas asks her a bunch of questions and we go into dream sequences of meeting the people who's life her dead husband saved. They include newcomer Betsy Blair wife of some dull soldier, and Sid Caesar who does an unfunny though energetic seven minute comic routine. 

Psychology dramas work best when there's some secret and/or social point ef Suddenly Last Summer, Home of the Brave. This is just bad.

Problematic shoot Producer writer Virgina Van Upp clashed with Charles Vidor and quit, Vidor quit. 

This film was inept. 

Movie review - "The President's Lady" (1953) **

 The story of Andrew Jackson and his wife, best remembered for being bigamous.  Charlon Heston plays Jackson in his typical dogged, conscientous way. Ditto Susan Hayward as is lady love. Slavery and Indians are dealt with as you'd expect, i.e. mostly ignored - Hayward has a black maid.

The story constantly has Jackson going away, which isn't that interesting. Look, this is fine. Acting fine, treatment fine. Lacks fire.  I didn't care for the characters. Might be different for Americans with more of a connection to Jackson.

Movie review - "The Lonely Man" (1957) **

 Solid story but of a type that would become over saturated on TV - gunslinger tries to connect with long lost son despite other outlaws being on his tail. Superb villains - Neville Brand, Claude Akins - but Jack Palance is awkward as the gunslinger and never convincing for a second as Tony Perkins' son. Perkins is a lousy cowboy. (It's amazing how often he was miscast in his career.)

Moody, lots of chat. They could've livened it up with action but they don't. More typical of director Heny Levin's Columbia films.  The idea of Palance going blind had huge potential they don't do enough with it.

Movie review - "Convicted" (1950) ***

 Solid melodrama which benefits from its well-honed story, already filmed twice before. Broderick Crawford and Glenn Ford are ideally cast as a DA/warden who takes an interest in prisoner Glenn Ford.

Crawford plays a real bleeding heart - giving Ford arguments to get out of trouble, criticising Ford's lawyer, lets Ford drive his daughter around, goes above and beyond helping Ford get parole..

The relationship between Dorothy Malone and Ford is quite well done mostly because of the stars. I wish it had an extra beat/complication.

Well handled from director Henry Levin. Beautifully shot. John Ireland turned down a role - foolish. His sexiness and threat would've worked well, better than the old character actors. 

Enjoyable prison picture. 

Movie review - "A Nice Little Bank That Should be Robbed" (1958) **

 Why did they make this? To cover overhead? It's in CinemaScope so black and white. Maybe they needed a vehicle for Tom Ewell. Maybe Buddy Adler was impressed by The Lavendar Hill Mob.

Wacky heist comedies can work if you like the heroes. Tom Ewell, Mickey Rooney and eventually Mickey Shaughnessy try but aren't that. Why should we care? Why not make the bank slimey? Why not have a villain? Why does Dina Merrill (Ewell's girlfriend) look so bored? 

Henry Levin shoots the script as usual.  He makes mistakes like directing the victims of the robberies as scared - if they'd been mean and horrible it would be more fun.

The final heist takes forever. A poor movie. 

Movie review - "Night Editor" (1946) *** (warning: spoilers)

 This was meant to be a series but you can kind of see why it didn't result in one - it's low concept (journalists read out stories). Fine for radio anthology, not for recurring series.

This has a strong story - William Gargan is a cop cheating on his wife with a dame. They see a murder. He has to investigate it. He can't reveal what he saw.

That's strong. So is Janis Carter as the married rich woman, aroused by violence, who stabs Gargan. The film really should have ended with him dying.  Gargan isn't quite handsome enough for his role but plays pain well. Jeff Donnell (a female) does what she can as the ever lovin' wife.

Some decent support players wonderful photography. Columbia's B section was strong. The device of using journalists talking about it wasn't necessary. 

Movie review - "The Farmer Takes a Wife" (1953) **

 Not much of a musical though Fox splashed the cash on some decent sets and costumers - it's almost overproduced. Some of the tunes aren't bad. Betty Grable seems unsure. She wears huge dresses and is a cok on the canal. She has no chemistry with Dale Robertson who is alright but really has no business being in a musical (a John Payne would have been much better.). Their romance involves him rough handling her. Thelma Ritter's part is too small.

Occasionally comes alive - a dance Grable does with Gwen Verdon, I think, and there's a decent brawl on a boat at the end.

But this isn't much.