Ginger Rogers Goes Big in ‘Tight Spot’ 1955

Ginger Rogers & Brian Keith star in the crime film noir sleeper, "Tight Spot."

 

Tight Spot is basically a “B+” movie that made a bit of money, thanks to its low production costs, and good word of mouth upon release. For Ginger Rogers, Tight Spot offered the versatile/veteran star a throwback to her brash, street smart roles of the early ‘30s. The gritty little noir was released in 1955, just as male lead Brian Keith was making his mark in movies.

Tight Spot was based on a stage play about a female prison inmate who is pressured to testify against her gangster ex-lover at an upcoming trial. The feds think it would be easier to soften the con up at a hotel under police protection, rather than the city’s jail. Nearly all the action takes place at the hotel, which adds to the hothouse atmosphere, but also feels a little stagey. Whatever, there’s hardly a wasted moment, what with Keith’s cop and Rogers’ con sparring, gangsters plotting, and the clock ticking until the big court date Monday morning.

Cop Brian Keith buys prisoner Ginger Rogers a pretty frock.
Fed attorney Edward G. Robinson doesn't seem impressed! The trio in "Tight Spot."

Ginger's chatty con recalls her start as a model at age 16—Rogers was 43 when Tight Spot was filmed. Hmm, that’s a lot of laps for a swimsuit model and gangster’s moll. Roger’s character is probably 30-ish, which makes Sherry’s sobbing to a prison matron, after the gangsters attack, a nod to her lost innocence. But with a middle-aged woman bawling like a motherless child, it seems absurd. Especially since Katherine N. Anderson, as matron Mrs. Willoughby, was a decade younger than Rogers. Eve McVeagh, eight years Rogers’ senior, plays the “big sister” Clara, who escaped their troubled family home via marriage. Their reunion scene has Sherry and Clara in a family dysfunction smack down, far before Jerry Springer. By the way, Anderson is still alive at 98!

Ginger Rogers as Sherry Conley, former model and gangster moll in "Tight Spot."

As Sherry Conley, Ginger Rogers gives her all and then some, much like the latter day Joan Crawford during this time frame. Gloria Grahame or Jan Sterling could have played Sherry in their sleep, but like Joan, Ginger was hired for her residual marquee value. Leonard Maltin aptly likened Rogers’ brassy banter to Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday. Whether you’re entranced or enervated by such diva dramatics, no one could accuse Rogers of walking gingerly through Tight Spot. And like Crawford, Ginger's cropped hairdo provided a stark comparison to the over-made up face of 40-something Rogers. It works for the character (which I don't think was the intention) but couldn’t have served Ginger well with '50s audiences. And that dress that Keith's cop picks out for Rogers’ Sherry—polka dots, Peter Pan collar, and a bow—perfect, for a child! There’s also an incongruous mix between Ginger’s glamour mask—including long, painted nails—after just getting sprung from prison at the last minute, while her frumpy frock is still wet from laundry duty. Speaking of Crawford, Lucy Marlow, who got roughed up by Joan’s Queen Bee the same year, plays “Prison Girl” in Tight Spot, who gets the inside scoop from Ginger’s inmate. Small world!

Ginger Rogers works up a sweat as a prison inmate in "Tight Spot." 

Brian Keith, as cop Vince Striker, is well on his way with his patented laconic, rumpled persona. Keith is restrained and of the modern school of acting and this makes an interesting contrast with Rogers’ old-school performance.

Brian Keith as cop Vince Striker in "Tight Spot."

Edward G. Robinson is solid as always, with a more restrained character and performance, as the federal attorney. Lorne Greene is in his suave oily period as gangster Benjamin Costain, before he became saintly Ben Cartwright on Bonanza. Look for Kathryn Grant, the future Mrs. Bing Crosby, as the bride whose honeymoon is interrupted by gangsters running roughshod at the hotel.

Ginger Rogers' inmate resists Edward G. Robinson's attorney to testify in 'Tight Spot.'

Interestingly, director Phil Karlson and screenwriter William Bowers both excelled at the film noir and western genre. Though Karlson was known as strong, economic director, he never graduated to “A” films, like so many name directors who honed their talent in “B’s.” However, he worked with some diverse stars: Abbott and Costello; early Marilyn Monroe; Elvis in Kid Galahad; and Dean Martin in two Matt Helm films. His last film, Walking Tall, was a huge hit, which benefited him financially. And Bowers had a long career writing mostly westerns for TV and film, though he had a few solid noirs under his belt.

Ginger Rogers' prisoner cries her eyes out after a gangster attack in "Tight Spot."

As for Tight Spot’s story, better to focus on the taut tale of the prisoner who’s targeted before she can testify, rather than the hokey attraction between the cop and the con. I take the conventional romance with a grain of old time movie salt, since this was the '50s, filtered through Hollywood’s lens. But the pair falling for each other within a span of a weekend is a bit dicey, even back then. There’s also a nifty twist and a realistic ending. Tight Spot would make a great double feature with Storm Warning, for Ginger’s down and dirty noir outings.

Here’s my look at Ginger, in one of her best dramatic performances, with Doris Day and Ronald Reagan, standing up to the KKK, in Storm Warning: https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2019/05/ginger-reagan-doris-day-vs-kkk-in-storm.html

FYI: I put all the movie overflow on my public FB  movie page. 

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Washed up? No way! Ginger Rogers drives this star vehicle home!

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