‘Hurry Sundown’ a Hokey Race Melodrama 1967

 

Jane Fonda & Michael Caine as a not-so-happy couple in 1967's "Hurry Sundown."

Otto Preminger's notorious race drama Hurry Sundown was badly reviewed and a box office underperformer back in 1967, but it has a few redeeming qualities. The classic set up in a small town melodrama is where the poor have something that the rich want, and dramatic fireworks ensue. In Hurry Sundown, it’s land, Katie Scarlett! Sadly, the dynamite explosions overshadow the dramatic variety.

Hollywood started to address race issues in the mid-60s. But for every "In the Heat
of the Night," there were clinkers like 1967's "Hurry Sundown."

Michael Caine nearly disguises his famed Cockney accent to play southern schemer Henry Warren, who marries land-rich Julie (Jane Fonda) to try to build a new empire with wealthy developers. They have a combustible marriage, since Caine's hubby a total heel, and Fonda's southern belle is frustrated, natch. They also have a small son with issues, caused by Caine’s Henry. The boy vents his dysfunction by wailing like a set off car alarm. It's all very fake: Caine doesn't sound Cockney, nor does he sound southern; Jane's accent disappears early on, and goes back to her distinctive finishing school voice; and the boy's wails are so obviously dubbed it inspires hilarity instead of heartache.

Rich cousin Henry (Michael Caine) picks up poor cousin Rad (John Phillip Law),
just back from the war. Rad isn't fooled by his gesture, in 1967's "Hurry Sundown."

Faye Dunaway in her first film, as Lou, wife of soldier/farmer Rad,
in 1967's "Hurry Sundown."

Then there are the poor white farmers, one of two parcels that Caine’s conniver wants. They are played by Faye Dunaway and John Phillip Law, as Lou and Rad McDowell. Faye's been holding down the farm, and Law has just come back from WWII. This was Dunaway's first film and one of the few times that Faye went totally no-glam as the farmer's wife. She's also quite toned down in her performance as well. And while Law was not the most expressive actor, he's solid enough, and looks great in his coveralls! 

Michael Caine's Henry Warren wants both Robert Hooks & John Phillip Law's
 property in 1967's "Hurry Sundown." Thankfully, Caine's not wearing coveralls!

Faye Dunaway & John Phillip Law as the most photogenic farm couple ever,
in 1967's "Hurry Sundown."

The third group is the black family. Beah Richards plays Fonda's mammy, Rose Scott, who claims to own the parcel that Fonda says was just loaned to her. Robert Hooks is her son, Reeve, who's willing to stand up to rich white Caine. And Diahann Carroll is Vivian Thurlow, a school teacher that Hooks is sweet on.

Rose Scott (Beah Richards) wants to keep what's rightfully hers in "Hurry Sundown."

The beginning of the film opens with dynamite explosions, blowing up land to be developed into a canning factory. And the end of the film closes with the same, but for different reasons. The booming Hugh Montenegro score makes you think you're in for a spaghetti western, instead of a southern fried melodrama.

Michael Caine's cad is more interested in feeling Jane Fonda up than her '60s up-do
in the '40s-set "Hurry Sundown."

The movie is set post-WWII, but it's hard to tell, since typical of the movie era, there is only lip service paid to period authenticity. Much like the same year's southern melodrama, Reflections in a Golden Eye, you have token period details, but starring leading ladies with towering '60s hairdos, makeup, and clothes. Critics zeroed in on howlers that come mainly from the bad script and supporting ham actors. The leads, while hemmed in by stereotypes, are quite good.

Michael Caine as Henry Warren with his sax; Jane Fonda as wife Julie with her bottle.
 The notorious sax for sex scene from 1967's "Hurry Sundown."

Michael Caine, with slicked back hair and pinstripe suits, looks like a very pale lounge lizard as the heartless hubby. It's hard to imagine why Jane Fonda's Julie has the non-stop hots for him. While Fonda's accent is quickly gone with the wind, her acting is actually solid. Except for the camp classic moment where the southern minx plays her hubby's saxophone between his legs to turn him on! That Jane could make the scenes of Julie torn, between her frustrated spouse and screaming son, at all believable is a tribute to her innate acting ability.

Jane Fonda as Julie, the southern belle who can be bad, but is ultimately good,
in 1967's "Hurry Sundown."

Dunaway is quite natural in her first film, and without any of her '60s glam that was soon her trademark. Faye actually looks like a work-worn farm woman. She and Law's intimate moments are sweet, though Law is no Henry Fonda, as the poor man's voice of the people.

Madeleine Sherwood & Burgess Meredith are the southern couple from Hell in 1967's
 "Hurry, Sundown." That's Frank Converse in the middle, in an early role.

Beah Richards is fine as the mammy until she has a heart attack that makes her seem possessed. Robert Hooks is solid as the firebrand son. And Carroll is no-nonsense as the teacher who's lived up north, but back home, a bit like Pinky. The scene between Carroll and Fonda in the white women's only bathroom is surprisingly strong.

Diahann Carroll as a schoolteacher who's lived up north and deals with bigots
like Burgess Meredith's judge accordingly. From 1967's "Hurry Sundown."

What brings Hurry Sundown truly down is veteran hams Burgess Meredith as racist Judge Purcell and George Kennedy as good ole boy, Sheriff Coombs. The characters are written and performed as ridiculous stereotypes in the broadest of strokes. Madeleine Sherwood as Eula Purcell offers an over the top version of Sister Woman from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Jim Backus is quirky as the defense lawyer Carter Sillens and Robert Reed is smarmy as the prosecutor Lars Finchley. Frank Converse is decent in an early role as Fonda’s Reverend cousin, as is Rex Ingram as Professor Thurslow.

Those southern bigots sure liked their flowers! Burgess Meredith as the judge in 1967's
 "Hurry Sundown." Think Larry Gates in the same year's "In the Heat of the Night."

The plot motions of Hurry Sundown are so cartoonish, that it inspires amusement instead of drama. At least you can accept Hurry Sundown as a guilty pleasure, unlike the previous year’s pretentious southern potboiler, The Chase.

My look @ Jane Fonda's previous all-star southern melodrama, 1966's: The Chase: 

https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2023/09/all-star-cast-cant-save-chase-1966.html

Jane Fonda's spoiled southern belle & Diahann Carroll's intense schoolteacher
have surprisingly strong scene together in 1967's "Hurry Sundown."

At two and a half hours, Hurry Sundown may seem long, but moves at a decent clip. The K.B. Gilden novel was over a 1,000 pages, which director Preminger thought would be the ‘60s Gone with the Wind.

Robert Hooks is a local farmer & Diahann Carroll is a schoolteacher who's lived
up north and don't quite see eye to eye in 1967's "Hurry Sundown."

Otto Preminger, who was never afraid to take on controversy, was always hit and miss in the latter half of his career. This heavy-handed Hurry Sundown is definitely a miss! 

"Ah-ll just scream if Ah have to hear his non-existent Southern accent ah-gin!"

 

Veteran MacMurray & Newcomer Novak in ‘Pushover’ 1954

 

Veteran star Fred MacMurray & starlet Kim Novak in 1954's film noir, "Pushover."

The tale of an authority figure going bad for big bucks and a beautiful broad is nothing new. In its time, Pushover was a B+ movie with a veteran star who was a leading man for two decades, cast opposite a newcomer starlet with no acting experience. Luckily, Pushover had a strong story taken from two novels, a snappy, adult script and direction, and those stars happened to be Fred MacMurray and Kim Novak. MacMurray was in the process from going from leading man to character roles to future family star via Disney and sitcom My Three Sons. Novak went from minor model to major film star with the release of Pushover. A sleeper hit at the time, Pushover is considered by many a noir classic today.

Note how Kim Novak's outfit and makeup differ in this p.r. photo
than the actual scene depicted at the top from 1954's "Pushover."

Richard Quine directed this crime noir tautly and stylishly. He went from acting to directing about this time, and got praise for handling another B+ film noir with a veteran star: Ride a Crooked Mile with Mickey Rooney. After Pushover, he surprisingly went on to direct mostly romantic comedies. Quine began a professional and occasionally personal association with Kim, and handled her quite well as an actress. Kim was a model with two film credits as an extra to her resume. He worked with her strengths, which was her beauty, sensuality, and vulnerability, which pretty much remained her calling card as an actress. 

Kim Novak spends much screen time silently as Lona McLane in 1954's "Pushover."

Kim Novak, like the later Tippi Hedren, became a star before she developed skills as an actress. Director Quine gave her as little dialogue as possible, photographing her viewed by cops through binoculars, or silently driving in the night, and gazing at herself in mirrors. From the get-go, Kim's first role as Lona McLane was as an object of desire, which Hitchcock utilized best four years in Vertigo. In less voyeuristic ways, Kim was the pretty prize in her breakout star role in Picnic, Jeanne Eagels, Strangers When We Meet, and even her final big movie, The Legend of Lylah Clare. Novak was on the eve of turning 21 during filming of Pushover. Kim is slim, yet curvy and very pretty, though stuck with studio assembly line makeup and hair that make her look a bit tarty—however, it fit the role. Soon after, she'd get the big studio makeover. Despite her trance-like performance, Kim elicits empathy as she goes from a kept woman who schemes to get her bank robber boyfriend’s loot, to a woman who genuinely cares about a crooked cop, played by Fred MacMurray.

Fred MacMurray looked frankly midde-aged as dirty cop Paul Sheridan
in 1954's "Pushover."

Most actors wouldn't want to be cast as middle-aged, even if they actually were. But Fred MacMurray plays the role of Paul Sheridan with no script or visual camouflage. His veteran cop is a bitter about his lot in life, compared to his younger partner, played by Phil Carey. Paul wants to get his hands on the bank robber’s cash stash. MacMurray is photographed jowls and all in his mid-40s, compared to 25 years younger Novak, who get the lovely close-ups. Fred's dirty cop first plays Kim's kept girl, only to fall in love with her. Later, you find out the feeling is gradually mutual from Lona. MacMurray plays basically an older version of his character from Double Indemnity, but more realistically than his previous cad. I never found Fred the most exciting actor in the world, but always thought him more interesting as the bad guy.

Before he was soap bad guy Asa Buchanan, Philip Carey was a good & good-looking
 cop partner in 1954's "Pushover."

As for Philip Carey as McAllister, I wonder why he didn't become a big, mid-century movie star. He was talented, masculine, charismatic, and good-looking. I can think of a number of young actors from the late '40s and early '50s who were given the leading man treatment, but ended up character actors because audiences weren't buying. Carey always worked, but often in westerns and TV guest shots. Much later, Carey became a star, as daytime's version of J.R. Ewing, Asa Buchanan on One Life to Live.

Before Dorothy Malone went platinum, she was the nice nurse next door to sex bomb
 Kim Novak in 1954's "Pushover." With nice cop Phil Carey!

Dorothy Malone, who had been kicking around Hollywood for a decade, as opposed to Kim's instant rise, played the brunette neighbor nurse of Novak’s kept woman. A decade older than Novak, Malone makes the most of her second female lead. It's also amusing that Carey’s good cop is peeping on her Ann Stewart, while bad cop MacMurray is peeping on Novak’s Lona. An easy way to change a golden era actress' image was to dye her hair. Lana and Marilyn's careers took off once they went platinum, and Joan Bennett got a new career by going brunette. This was Malone's last role as with dark hair. She went platinum for 1955's Young at Heart. Her career took off, winning an Oscar for her bad girl in Written on the Wind. 

Like Marilyn Monroe, Kim Novak didn't have much use for bras, either!
With Fred MacMurray as the cop who falls for her, in 1954's "Pushover."

One thing that surprised me was how much got past the censors in Pushover. The production code was starting to erode, but still very much in place. But some of the double entendre dialogue, ala Double Indemnity, is not very subtle. Plus, Kim is obviously bra-less in several outfits, on which the camera lingers. Both Novak and Malone's characters get some fresh attention directed at them, rather blatantly. Not that I'm complaining! I roll my eyes at old movies where prostitutes had to be called hostesses or models, but it’s just surprising here.

Who's playin' who? In film noir, it can be hard to tell! Fred MacMurray & Kim Novak
 in 1954's crime drama, "Pushover."

The bottom line with 1954’s Pushover is that while it's nothing new, it was filmed and performed in fine noir style. The story is told in a very adult way for its time, which is one of the reasons it still holds up. Another reason Pushover still appeals is it’s the first time audiences got to see Kim Novak on film.

Kim Novak's last close-up as the bad girl gone good, in 1954's "Pushover."

Here’s an excellent adult soap, starring Kim Novak and Kirk Douglas, directed by Richard Quine: https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2019/02/kim-kirk-team-for-suburban-soap-opera.html

 

 

 

The Two Faces of Joan Fontaine: ‘Born to Be Bad’ 1950

 

(L) Joan Fontaine as conniver Christabel in 1950's "Born to Be Bad."
(R) Carol Burnett from her TV show, spoofed this noir soap as "Raised to Be Rotten!"

By the end of "Born to Be Bad," everyone wants to strangle Christabel, even herself!

Born to Be Bad is a film noir soap opera that toys with Joan Fontaine's on-screen persona. In the role referenced in the title, Joan's seemingly demure miss recalls the cinematic bouquet of shy English roses that Fontaine played in the '40s. Here, this rose reveals her thorns, as the poor relation who’s a two-faced schemer. Fontaine's memoir was titled No Bed of Roses, ironic since a Bad character sneeringly refers to her schemer’s life in a rich marriage as such. Fontaine was also known off-screen for her sharp-tongued wit. On-screen, her characters were usually soft, wide-eyed, one brow raised, with a Mona Lisa smile. 

Christabel Caine comes to San Fran! "Born to Be Bad's" Joan Fontaine with her
go-to expression, the arched eyebrow, slight smile, and "Who, me?" expression!

As conniving Christabel Caine, Joan and director Nicholas Ray use the Fontaine image very cleverly. As other movie fans have noted, Christabel's tactics are much like the same year's passive/aggressive villain, Eve Harrington, in 1950’s All About Eve. Fontaine's acting style is also similar to Anne Baxter’s, but much more dialed down. There's the same raised eyebrow, deer in the headlights looks, and lowered voice, but Baxter often went big!  They even have the same severe curled bob that was mysteriously popular post-war. Christabel wants a rich husband and Eve wants to be a star, and anyone in the way gets steamrollered.

Christabel seems to be the bad seed, an orphan raised by a meek relative. She leaves her Aunt Clara in Santa Flora and moves up to San Francisco to go to business school, and live with career girl Donna, who works for Christabel’s uncle. At first, family and friends are taken by the poor "girl"—it’s amusing to think of over-30 Fontaine’s goal to be a secretary. Not to mention the poor relation arrives with a gaggle of Hattie Carnegie dresses, swanned throughout Born to Be Bad! 

Joan Fontaine's Christabel feigns innocence in 1950's "Born to Be Bad." 

Joan Fontaine plays the part in perfect studio era style. The demure diva smirks as the supposedly sophisticated city folk fall for her manipulations. Or the left eyebrow that gets an aerobic workout every time Christabel gets away with her latest scheme. While Joan Fontaine was naturally pretty, it's an eye roll that men are falling all over her or that she's so charismatic that others are blinded by her blatant insincerity. The film’s posters describe Christabel as man-bait and a female savage! Rita Hayworth or Vivien Leigh, she ain’t. The spinster bob, plus a series of shoulderless gowns that accentuate her slightly hunched posture and modest bosom don’t help at all, either.

"Born to Be Bad" hardly lives up to the poster's captions or depicted cup size of Joan!

As Donna, Joan Leslie is natural and surprisingly holds her own. Just 25 at the time, and while no Janet Leigh or Eva Marie Saint, Leslie's playing is straightforward and strong. 

Joan Leslie's Donna realizes that scheming Christabel is "Born to Be Bad!

As the men in Christabel's life, there's Mel Ferrer as Gabriel Broome, the young artist who paints her portrait. Nicknamed “Gobby,” he’s more of a frenemy, and some film fans think he was a coded gay character. No wonder he didn’t fall prey to this perilous mantrap! Then there's Robert Ryan, well-cast as rugged author Nick Bradley, who sees through Christabel but can't help but be captivated by her alleged charms. I loved it when Ryan’s Nick declares he won’t be the vixen’s “backstreet boy!” Another staple of this era's type of film is the "smart" dialogue that comes off campy. And Ferrer and Ryan get the best/worst of the cheesy zingers, usually directed at that devil in disguise, Christabel.

A young Mel Ferrer plays a glib, gay young artist in 1950's "Born to Be Bad."

Robert Ryan is the rugged writer who charms himself & Joan Fontaine
in 1950's "Born to Be Bad."

Zachary Scott, at home in a tux or ascot, is the millionaire in 1950's "Born to Be Bad."

Zachary Scott played many characters who were either charmers, creeps, or both. Remember him as the cad Monty in Mildred Pierce? As Donna's rich fiancé Curtis Carey, he's sympathetic, but falls for Christabel's conniving. In the 90 minute film, Donna's out and Christabel is in by the half way mark! But, she still hankers for that rough-hewn Ryan. Natch, Christabel overplays her hand and soon enough gets caught and tossed out on her ear. Donna and the millionaire are reunited, natch. And Christabel contentedly drives off with a carload of furs. 

Carol Burnett as "Christinabelle" in her takeoff of "Born to Be Bad," called
"Raised to Be Rotten!" With Harvey Korman, so good at spoofing Scott's rich guys.

Carol Burnett was famed for her television show’s film takeoffs and she lampooned this type of film perfectly. Here, Born to Be Bad is called Raised to Be Rotten. Carol kicks it up a few notches, playing crafty "Christinabelle!" By the end of the skit, she’s a pickpocket to everyone along the way out. Burnett's spoof cleverly skewers every time Christinabelle and the rugged writer go into a clinch, she swoops into his arms, and the music swells. Or when guest star Richard Crenna as Ryan's writer tells Christinabelle to shorten her name! Carol's got Joan's arched eyebrows and smirk down pat and her bad girl aptly tells Crenna’s bad boy to “take your cheap repartee and get out!” This parody is so close to the bone it reminds me of Carol’s take off of Joan Crawford’s Torch Song.

One thing that makes me laugh about Robert Ryan's rugged artsy type is his proclamations about Christabel as a woman. It reminds me of Dane Clark as the opinionated artist giving Bette Davis guff in A Stolen Life or Steven Boyd's editor to new girl Hope Lange in The Best of Everything. The gist of which is generally: "You know what your problem is? You're afraid of being a real woman!" And their characters surely had a solution for what ailed the leading ladies’ “problem.”

"Read any good books lately?" Joan Fontaine's schemer is feeling Zachary Scott
but looking at Robert Ryan, in 1950's "Born to Be Bad."

Born to Be Bad is one of those post-war film noir soaps that served as showcases for its leading lady. Monster hit Mildred Pierce in '45 was surely the inspiration. Joan Crawford herself did a series of such films in the late '40s through the '50s, as did many established female stars. The formula was the film diva was either a woman in jeopardy or a scheming vixen. The latter usually afforded a film fashion show for the star. The supporting cast was usually a bevy of leading men who were knocked over like bowling pins by the star's feminine wiles. Any women in the movies, while usually younger than the star diva, were no competition. Even if the star's character paid for her sins at the finale, she had a lot of fun along the way. And so it is with Born to Be Bad. Enjoy!

Here’s the film that mixed film noir and soap opera, brought Joan Crawford back and created a subgenre for strong female stars.  My look at Mildred Pierce: https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2020/03/how-joan-crawford-became-mildred-pierce.html

"Portrait of Joanie?" Mel Ferrer's artist creates this masterpiece
of Joan Fontaine's charismatic schemer in 1950's "Born to Be Bad."