Bogie & Lizabeth Scott in Derivative ‘Dead Reckoning’ 1947

 

Lizabeth Scott & Humphrey Bogart team for 1947's film noir, "Dead Reckoning."

Humphrey Bogart's Dead Reckoning was released in 1947 by Columbia Pictures, the same year as Bogie’s WB effort, Dark Passage. Both film noirs had a few things in common: Bogart's on the lam, looking for a killer; there's Bogie-style noir narration; and he meets mysterious blondes that instantly fall for him.

Humphrey Bogart as war hero "Rip" Murdock, in 1947's "Dead Reckoning." 
Bogie's Rip is determined to get the bottom of the death of his war buddy.

Dead Reckoning feels like a mashup of Gilda and The Maltese Falcon. This Columbia film noir was intended as a vehicle for their top star, Rita Hayworth, to be teamed with Bogart for the first time. Imagine, Bogie working with the inspiration for his later film, The Barefoot Contessa! But Rita was still toiling on hubby Orson Welles’ own noir, The Lady from Shanghai. Columbia cleverly borrowed new star Lizabeth Scott from Paramount, considered “The Threat” to Bogie's co-star and spouse, Lauren Bacall. They were both blonde with husky voices but that's where the similarities end.

They didn't call Lizabeth Scott smoky-voiced for nothing! Humphrey Bogart lights
her cigarette and more, in 1947's "Dead Reckoning."

In Dead Reckoning, Bogart plays “Rip” Murdock, a war hero who is looking for the killer of his wartime comrade. The movie opens with Bogie's soldier on the run from cops and bad guys. Injured, he ducks into a church. There, he begins confessing his tale to an Air Force chaplain in true film noir narration style. I was smiling, imagining what the priest thought of this over-detailed, lingo-laden tale of woe, which lasts for most of the movie! It reminded me of Carol Burnett’s Mildred Fierce, where she tells the police her story in flashback, starting when she was a poor little girl with shabby shoes!

Humphrey Bogart hides out in a church and tells his long, convoluted tale to a priest,
in the 1947 film noir, "Dead Reckoning."

Film noirs are renowned for their coincidences and Dead Reckoning is no exception. Bogie barely gets to his missing pal's home town before the coincidences start a collision pile-up. When he arrives in Gulf City, he happens to check into the hotel that his buddy already booked for him, knowing he'd follow him. A fugitive AND a friend, how thoughtful! A trip to the library to research any clues on his pal’s life before the military handily provides front page headlines of his pal's involvement in a murder. Later, at the night club where these peeps patronized, The Sanctuary, meeting these characters proves instantly fruitful. One witness is a very nervous bartender. The lady in question sidles up to Rip before he barely has time for a first sip of his drink. The bad guys then zero in on the soldier turned sleuth. The bartender has some secret info for Bogie’s Rip, which means he'll soon turn up dead. Of course, Lizabeth Scott’s Coral Chandler is a nightclub singer, and is soon asked to sing her signature ditty from their table! And no way does it resemble Scott’s speaking voice, plus her blowfish mouth movements—all very strange, since Lizabeth made several musical records later.

Love these old movies where the leading man or lady in question has a framed picture to represent them at a climatic moment! Humphrey Bogart and Lizabeth Scott
in 1947's "Dead Reckoning."

The smooth club owner and his sadistic sidekick run the club the size of a soundstage and they seem to have something on Lizabeth's song bird. Bogie’s Rip is wary of all of them. Perhaps he saw Gilda! From there, Rip is determined to get the info and the murder weapon back, but he seems thwarted at every turn. Who keeps tripping him up? From there, there's some plot lifting of The Maltese Falcon.

***Spoiler Alert Ahead***

Bogie does the best he can with the over the top dialogue assigned to him. That he does so credibly speaks to Bogie's talent as a screen actor. As for Lizabeth Scott, it's hard to get a bead on her. Back in the day, she was poorly reviewed, often called wooden. I don't think that's true, but while her character shows warmth, Scott doesn't really seem at home in the femme fatale role. Like Rita Hayworth in The Lady from Shanghai, Lizabeth Scott's character does a total about face and revealed as the villain. As Scott's Coral is so languidly femme, she barely seems to possess the energy to be fatale! There’s no variety Scott’s performance, in her character’s behavior or revealed motives. Her voice is indeed husky, like Lauren Bacall, but Scott seems to have a lisp or slur. Every time she says yes as “yesh,” I thought of Carol Channing. While Lizabeth Scott is certainly attractive, there's an odd look to her, particularly in profile. Unfortunately for her, Scott became instantly typecast in these noirs and it shortened her career. 

Love, noir style! Tears and throat clutching, between endless cigarettes,
with Humphrey Bogart and Lizabeth Scott, in 1947's "Dead Reckoning."

John Cromwell's direction is adult and with some style, but there's only so much he can do with this story. The film really pushes the after-war bit. Bogie's "Rip" uses lots of nicknames or pet phrases relating to his stint in the military. By the end of the movie, so does his gal Coral Chandler. Bogie’s Rip also goes from instantly mistrusting Scott's Coral to falling instantly in love with her, which goes back and forth several times. And Rip’s takes on life and love are an eye roll, even for the era.

Lizabeth Scott as femme fatale Coral Chandler, gets a glam death scene, in 1947's
 "Dead Reckoning."

The supporting cast is adequate, but they're mostly stereotypes, and none of them really stood out for me; in Bogart’s same year Dark Passage, there were a number of standout supporting actors. Like Dark Passage, Dead Reckoning is quite watchable, but not the least bit credible, even on film noir terms.

Bogie & Bacall team for a WB film noir with a different vibe than Dead Reckoning, in 1947’s Dark Passage:

https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2024/09/bogie-bacalls-chemistry-brings-depth-to.html

Despite the poster's tag line, Humphrey Bogart is the same Bogie from his other
film noirs. The difference is the husky-voiced blonde, Lizabeth Scott,
in 1947's "Dead Reckoning."

Lombard & Stewart are ‘Made for Each Other’ 1939

Carole & Jimmy are looking for a Happy New Year in 'Made for Each Other.'

The rap on 1939’s Made for Each Other reminds me of the ‘glass is half empty/half full’ mindset. Many movie viewers and writers consider the film an unworthy, dated soap opera. Others love the movie for its iconic stars, Carole Lombard and Jimmy Stewart, adoring its old-fashioned entertainment value. I fall somewhere in the middle with Made for Each Other: I’m aware that certain aspects are dated, but can suspend my disbelief for what’s pleasurable about this film.

Young couple John and Jane Mason, with their baby boy...who was played by a girl!

The charismatic stars, strong supporting cast, and skilled production values, all make Made for Each Other a worthwhile watch. Yes, it’s old-fashioned (over 80 years old!) and unabashedly soapy (just like certain mainstream movies today!), but that’s part of its charm. I find the conventions that no longer exist fascinating. It’s like looking at an old photo album. Yet, despite the old-style suds, the core story is still universal. Made for Each Other could easily be updated. The story of newlyweds struggling over marriage, money, career, bosses and bossy in-laws, would still pack them in theaters if two young rom-com stars were attached.

Carole & Jimmy on the set. Both were 30 at the time. Life would drastically
change for them in a few short years.

There’s a melancholy tinge to 1939’s Made for Each Other, aside from its bittersweet story, which is heightened by hindsight. Two years later, Jimmy Stewart joined the Army, was off-screen for five years, and returned a changed man, for It’s a Wonderful Life. Carole Lombard died in a plane crash three years later, Jan. 16, 1942, returning from a war bonds rally. Ironically, the cliffhanger of Made for Each Other involves a plane crash, caused by dire winter weather.

Stewart & Lombard play newlyweds
who must cope after their whirlwind romance.

Though Stewart and Lombard were born the same year, Carole had been in the movies since the silent days, and she seems more sophisticated. Her wit and energy are a great contrast to Jimmy’s folksy, boyish demeanor, and it’s appealing.

Carole's Jane is not happy that her honeymoon is put on hold for a court case.

As a newly independent star, Carole Lombard was opting away from comedy for serious roles. She appeared in two films in ’39, both soaps: Made for Each Other and In Name Only. Carole is rightly regarded as a classic comic actor, but I think she was just as effective as a dramatic actress. Back when actresses postured and whose faces were plastered with glamour masks, no matter what the role, Lombard’s acting and visual style looks distinctly modern. While the era’s insistence on glamour made its way in this film, it’s comparatively toned down. Carole’s hair, makeup, and clothes are simple for the movie era, and when the film shows her keeping vigil for her deathly ill child, she’s dressed in black, with little makeup, and hair combed back. Most importantly, Lombard’s acting is realistic. When the young couple faces a marital and later, a medical emergency, Lombard’s usual high spirits are almost unnervingly hysterical. Side note: Has anyone ever noticed that Carole Lombard’s speaking voice sounds a great deal like Joanne Woodward’s?

This film was Carole's desire to do more dramatic roles, & one of 5 films Jimmy made in 1939.

James Stewart made five films in 1939. Typical of the era, Jimmy did better on loan out, including two pictures that put him on the map, Destry Rides Again and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Made for Each Other was considered ‘disappointing.’ But the last two were duds, It’s a Wonderful World, a comedy with Claudette Colbert, and Ice Follies of 1939 with Joan Crawford, at home studio MGM. Jimmy and Joan on ice!

An emergency with the their baby brings the couple closer.

Movie fans have noticed the similarity in Stewart’s character in Made for Each Other with his signature role as George Bailey in ‘46’s It’s a Wonderful Life. There are indeed likenesses, such as Johnny’s self-doubt over marital, career and money woes. Stewart is honing his folksy persona here and he is most ingratiating. At key moments, Jimmy as Johnny rises above the image and is refreshingly natural as he lets his guard down and expresses his fears to loving wife Jane. Stewart held his own with Lombard, as well as Jean Arthur, Marlene Dietrich, Claudette Colbert, and Joan Crawford—all in the same year. I hope he got a vacation in 1940!

Lucile Watson is a scenestealer as the overbearing mother-in-law.

Lucile Watson made a career of playing imperious old women, sympathetic or otherwise. The same year, she was Norma Shearer’s no-nonsense mother in The Women. Here she plays Carole’s royal pain of a mother-in-law. Watson is quite the comedic scene stealer without becoming a caricature. Near the finale, there’s a lovely scene when Jane and Mrs. Mason comfort each other during the one of the film’s bleakest moments.

Charles Coburn is the other scenestealer, as Jimmy's irascible boss.

Watching Charles Coburn, as Jimmy’s irascible boss, Mr. Doolittle, I wondered if he was EVER young in movies. Nope! He was 61 when Made for Each Other was filmed and absolutely ancient by the time Marilyn Monroe’s Loralei got her gloves on him, as Binky, in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

Eddie Quillan is the cocky but brave pilot. A veteran
character actor, Eddie should have had bigger roles.

I recognized only the name Eddie Quillan, but probably saw the prolific character actor on TV when he was older. Here, as the brash pilot who delivers the baby’s pneumonia serum, Eddie is a charmer. I love wisecracking guys from classic movies, and Quillan does it so well. Brought up in vaudeville, Eddie later appeared in classics like Mutiny on the Bounty and The Grapes of Wrath to “B” movies and serials, to later TV shows like Rifleman and Little House on the Prairie. At 5’6” and 140 lbs., he was not leading man material, but with his twinkling dark eyes and smile, Eddie was absolutely adorable in his youth.

Louise Beavers and Carole Lombard have a heart to heart.

Louise Beavers has a small role, which she lights up the screen with warmth and wisdom. Yes, there’s a wince-worthy scene where she compares spitting out the bad in life like watermelon seeds, but I’ve seen far worse in better movies. Esther Dale is a hoot as Annie, the first maid who quits before the important dinner party is over. “I’m a human being!” is her hilarious refrain. Other familiar faces in Made for Each Other include Ward Bond as the older pilot who won’t fly during the storm, and Harry Davenport as the baby’s doctor.

Off-camera, Carole Lombard's dream
was to have a baby by hubby Clark Gable.

Made for Each Other moves along at brisk clip for its 90 minute running time. The film’s look is imaginative, from the fun opening credits, to the great camera work of Leon Shamroy. His camera captures the cramped but cozy apartment, the baby’s arrival, the characters’ physical interaction, and especially, the still-realistic plane delivery. Production design was by the great William Cameron Menzies, who always worked close with the director and camera man. John Cromwell seems like a good director of actors judging from his output (such as Of Human Bondage, Caged, and The Goddess.) The entire cast is strong, even those performing stereotypical roles; they are acted with empathy and humanity.

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There are some clever lines by screenwriter Jo Swerling and the humor that arises from universal situations is still funny. The last 15 minutes of the movie deals with their baby’s health crisis and feels tacked on, though staged and performed strongly. This may have been producer and professional meddler David O. Selznick’s doing, as he did this with many of his post-MGM films, where he had free rein to run rampant.

Jimmy & Carole's characters get dressed to impress, for a dinner with his boss.

There are some great little moments in this movie: the couple’s chaotic dinner party that ends with the boss giving the promotion to the office suck-up still stings. Or when Johnny comes home late from a class reunion and Jane awakens, with the fleeting change of expressions as she puts on her game face for Jimmy’s disappointed hubby, is marvelous acting moment by Lombard.

And baby makes three, and a happy ending for 'Made for Each Other.'

Is Made for Each Other a classic? No. Yet, Made has its merits—two great stars, a stellar supporting cast, and its look at a past era—and is worth a watch.