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."

‘Desert Fury:’ Crazy, Colorful Film Noir 1947

Lizabeth Scott and John Hodiak make a striking team in neon noir "Desert Fury."

Typically, film noir is as visually dark as its storyline. 1947’s Desert Fury is a rare exception. Like Fox’s ’45 noir classic, Leave Her to Heaven, Paramount’s Desert Fury is a film noir in blazing Technicolor.

The story of Fritzi Haller, a tough casino owner whose wayward daughter and gangster ex come back to fictional Chuckawalla, Nevada, and cause dramatic clashes, was originally Desert Town, by Ramona Stewart, her first novel.

Lizabeth Scott is the prodigal daughter, back home & under mom Mary Astor's skeptical eye.

Much has been made of the “gay gaze” of Desert Fury. I won’t dwell on the subtext, as it’s already been much discussed, except to say that Mary Astor’s Fritzi is more like a sugar daddy than a mama, constantly calling daughter Lizabeth Scott “Baby,” and with more conviction than Fred MacMurray does with Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity. Some have commented on Astor’s cropped do, but she sported the look since '41's The Maltese Falcon and the same brusque manner in ‘41’s The Great Lie with Bette Davis, which nabbed Astor a best supporting actress Oscar. Astor’s acting is forceful, though at times her exchanges with daughter Scott are so rapid fire that Robert Rossen’s screenplay sounds like a speed reading contest. 

Daughter Paula wants a big kiss on the mouth from mama Fritzi, at the film's finale!

Then there’s Lizabeth Scott as Paula, the prodigal daughter. She calls her mother “Fritzi” and demands a kiss on the mouth at the finale, and they act more like a bickering couple. Because film noir was for adults, perhaps such subversive material was easier to sneak in during Hollywood’s golden era.

Hodiak's Eddie and Corey's Johnny enjoy a quiet moment at home before Lizabeth Scott's Paula comes along...

John Hodiak’s gangster, Eddie, constantly barks orders at sidekick Wendell Corey’s Johnny, like a bullying husband. And yes, their relationship seems like a charismatic husband, stuck with a jealous wife... and Lizabeth Scott is the third wheel. You could play a drinking game with how many times Astor slaps Scott, or Hodiak belts Corey!

Lizabeth Scott as  Paula, the world's most sophisticated 19-year-old!

I haven’t seen Lizabeth Scott in many movies, so I don't know quite what to make of her. Scott's an intriguing personality and looks stellar full face, yet she has that pushed-in profile like Faye Dunaway, Jessica Lange, and Angie Dickinson, giving her a severe look.

In the novel, Paula is only 17 but already a wild child. In the film, she is 19 and Lizabeth Scott was 25, but with her perfect hair, makeup, clothes, and languid demeanor, Scott looks and acts like a 30-something sophisticated lady. Plus, despite Paula’s wanting to run wild with one of mama’s old gangster boyfriends, Scott seems a bit staid. Unlike Lizabeth here, I don’t think Lana Turner read books by the fire with her gangsta guys! Scott’s style was not as theatrical as most golden era stars, and while a strong screen presence, she doesn’t really rise to the big emotional moments.

Mary Astor as The Purple Sage proprietor & Burt Lancaster as the sexy cop in a leather jacket.

Though Paramount tried to expand Burt Lancaster's part, I don't understand why they shoehorned Burt into the second-lead good guy role. Lancaster had already broken through in The Killers and Brute Force on loan out and would have been a natural for the Hodiak role, but the production must have been set. Nothing against Hodiak, but all you have to do is look at re-release posters. In the film, Hodiak gets top billing. For Fury re-releases, the posters bump him to second billing and finally, third billing. Paramount newcomer Lancaster had to be a team player and play the secondary part. Burt Lancaster is most appealing and self assured, but he has nothing exciting to do in the nice cop role. Still, Burt sure looks good in his uniform, especially with the black leather jacket. Lancaster's tidal wave of a pompadour also preceded Elvis Presley by about a decade.

John Hodiak sure looks like movie star material to me!

John Hodiak got a bit of a bum rap. He was one of those interim male stars who did well when the established stars went off to war. However, post-war, he was swiftly sidelined to second leads. Even though he wasn't the typical star personality like Gable or Jimmy Stewart, he was more natural, and in keeping with the coming generation. But stars like Lancaster and Kirk Douglas were also breaking through, and they were a combo of the old school stars with a bit of the more modern stars of the '50s. I think Hodiak kind of had one foot in both eras, and was rather underrated in both. John Hodiak was interesting, intelligent, and most attractive. Maybe not a Clark Gable style star or a Monty Clift gifted method actor, but certainly a cut above some stars of the time. Spencer Tracy ruled the MGM roost during the war, of course. But Hodiak got lost in the shuffle when aging Gable and the ever-dull Robert Taylor came back. Who else was there? Mickey Rooney? Van Johnson got lots of attention. Robert Walker was on the skids after his breakup with Jennifer Jones. Peter Lawford? Why wasn’t Hodiak ever considered for The Postman Always Rings Twice? MGM borrowed WB’s John Garfield instead, who was brilliant, of course. As Eddie Bendix, the gangster with a short fuse and a fragile ego, John Hodiak is intense and sexy as hell in Desert Fury.

John Hodiak as cuckoo criminal Eddie Bendix loses his cool.

Desert Fury was Wendell Corey’s film debut. Corey had those deadpan cold blue eyes, which he uses to great effect here. In his decade-long tenure as a top movie actor, he could play either the laconic leading man or the stone cold villain. How ironic that a decade later, Corey and Scott would be fighting again, this time over Elvis Presley's loyalty, in Loving You?!

Wendell Corey, in his first film. His Johnny doesn't take to Scott's Paula putting  the moves on Hodiak's Eddie.

The color is lush, but not gaudy, compared to 20^th Century Fox musicals. The visuals seem lavish for a film noir, without any big box office names, but Hal Wallis was giving Lizabeth Scott the big buildup, hence the glamour and production values. There’s lots of lovely Arizona location shooting, especially Cottonwood, standing in for fictional Chuckawalla.

It sure is nice that mom Mary Astor kept college kid Lizabeth Scott's bedroom intact for her!

Edith Head's costumes for the two women look so chic and most of them are so simply timeless, that they could be worn today. Fritzi's house is so lavish that her Purple Sage gambling den must really rake in the loot. Daughter Paula's bedroom in particular is so insanely extravagant. Still, Fritzi drops cigarette ashes all over her home like she’s at The Purple Sage. Speaking of which, in the book, her biz is a gambling joint and brothel. If it’s one in the movie, it’s pretty damn discreet.

Desert Fury is the perfect example of a ‘40s flick, filled with rapid repartee, eye-popping visuals, outlandish coincidences, and old-style performances.

When 'Desert Fury' was released, John Hodiak got top billing in the film.
But when it was re-released several times, Hodiak's billing kept dropping on the posters.

Burt Lancaster and his hair got the big buildup circa 'Desert Fury.'

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Elvis Presley: Still ‘Loving You’ 1957

Elvis Presley was 22 when he made 'Loving You' in 1957. 20 years later, he was gone.

At age 42, Elvis Presley died Aug. 16, 1977. I remember that day vividly. I was almost 18, babysitting my cousins that day, and it was all over the news—back then, that meant radio and TV. When my aunt came home from work, she quietly and immediately started playing her Elvis albums. Back home, I remember watching the evening news, and how shocked we were, despite the fact that Elvis hadn’t looked well the last few years. Mom was also a huge fan, and she had a DA haircut in high school. When Mom watched the Aloha from Hawaii TV special, her ‘70s kids thought his rhinestone jumpsuits were totally uncool. We’d laugh and roll our eyes when the afternoon movies played his “drive-in” flicks.

Still, when our local station ran some of his early movies, we had to admit the songs from Jailhouse Rock and King Creole, that made Elvis the King of Rock, were still pretty rockin’. When Elvis died, CBS bought the broadcasting rights to 1957’s Loving You. With our bowls of popcorn, my mom, sister, and I watched our first Elvis movie in the evening! Ah, TV’s olden, golden days, with only CBS, ABC, NBC, and PBS to entertain us.

Nearly all of Elvis Presley's pre-Army pictures were his biggest hits.

Loving You is a musical fairy tale, though based on a magazine story, is a riff on Elvis Presley’s own rags to riches story. It may not be the most sophisticated movie, but it’s surprisingly sweet and good-natured, like the star himself. Loving You was Elvis Presley’s second movie, and though he has lots of rough edges, Elvis is filled with innocence, energy, and a joy of performing.

Lizabeth Scott's PR pro gives Elvis' Deke a makeover.

Elvis Presley is introduced as Deke Rivers, a delivery guy dropping off beer at a governor’s campaign rally that PR rep Glenda Markle (Lizabeth Scott) is spinning. The next thing you know, Deke/Elvis is up onstage! Deke is persuaded to just jump up onstage in his work denim and black boots, and wow everybody with the rockabilly “Got a Lot O’ Livin’ to Do.” Naturally, the young people go wild, while the older folks look bewildered, at best.

Elvis delivers more than beer when he's pulled onstage to sing "Let's Have a Party!"

Glenda sees dollar signs, and offers Deke a job with ‘Tex’ Warner (Wendell Corey) and his Rough Ridin’ Ramblers, but he’s reluctant to give up his steady job. Glenda gets him canned on the sly, so that he will show up the next morning to join them. At warp speed, Deke goes from “called up” on stage from the audience, to joining the group, to becoming the big draw. Ordinarily, this would be a farfetched, except Elvis’ own rise to fame was a rocket ride, too.

One fun moment in the montage of Deke hitting all the Texas cow towns is singing “Hot Dog” at a gig in Towanda, which always makes me think of Kathy Bates’ rallying cry in Fried Green Tomatoes. 

Elvis/Deke performing 'Hot Dog!'

Imagine 'Fried Green Tomatoes' Kathy Bates as Elvis' biggest fan!

I always thought it was hilarious that Elvis got dared to sing in many of his early movies. Loving You had the best version of Elvis “taking requests.” Presley’s Deke is sitting in a restaurant, trying to eat his BBQ ribs, when a local “fast girl” goes gaga over seeing heartthrob Rivers in the flesh. Her jealous boyfriend, Wayne, tries to goad Deke to sing. After some trash talk, Deke agrees to Wayne’s strong-arming. FYI, Kenneth Becker played a similar stooge in three other Elvis movies. In a memorable battle of wits, Wayne taunts, “Well, sing, Sideburns!” “Alright, I’ll sing,” Deke mumbles. He goes to the jukebox and picks a song. Luckily, it’s one Deke knows: “Mean Woman Blues.” Even luckier, The Jordanaires are singing back up! In a matter of seconds Deke/Elvis has the place hopping, with his crazy rockabilly singing and sexy moves, which includes not just hip swiveling, but holding his wrists limp (a move Cher later stole) and dragging a leg across the floor like it fell asleep. Kidding aside, Elvis ROCKS! Even in a lip-synched movie musical number, Presley’s energy is electric. After wowing the crowd, Deke asks Wayne what he can do, which leads to a surprisingly rough and tumble movie fight.

Once again, Elvis is goaded to sing!

Luckily, the jukebox has just the right number for Elvis to rock along with!

Deke is basically good-natured, unless someone pries into his background. When Tex teases the young singer that he’s getting so successful that he’ll need to change his name to Tab or Rock—as if Deke isn’t distinctive enough!—he gets irate. About halfway through Loving You, Deke reveals his origins to Glenda. As Jimmy Tompkins, he ran away from an orphanage the night it burned down. He hid in a cemetery, where Jimmy saw a tombstone with an inscription that inspired him, one that belonged to Deke Rivers. At age 11, Jimmy became “Deke Rivers.”

Glenda offers Deke an exclusive contract, which he gladly signs. Tex later finds out her cut is 50 percent, which raised my eyebrows, as it was rumored that Elvis’ infamous Colonel Parker got a similar exorbitant take. In fact, many of Glenda’s PR shenanigans are worthy of the wily Parker.

Elvis/Deke & Lizabeth Scott's Glenda form a mutual admiration society, to the chagrin of her ex, Tex (Wendell Corey)!

Amusingly, Markle refers to Deke’s unhinged fans as “lovely little creatures,” echoing Lady Gaga’s much later dubbing her fans “little monsters.” Glenda comment that it’s hard to believe the screaming girls will be grandmothers someday, made me think of my mom and aunt. One scene that gave me a smile was Elvis reading a Bible in his hotel room. Imagine a pop star today passing the time that way!

The movie mirrors and editorializes on Deke’s scandalous reputation to Elvis’ own image at the time. One town refuses to let Deke perform, which gives Glenda the opportunity for her biggest PR boost yet: a national hook up with locals and Deke’s crew to promote freedom of speech and defend him against the older generation. Deke bolts when he can’t handle all the attention and is further agitated to find out that Glenda and Tex were once married and divorced. Glenda tracks him down, comes clean, and convinces Deke to go back, for his own sake. Just in a nick of time, Deke River performs, is redeemed in the eyes of the public, and the back stage drama is swiftly resolved.

Stars of 'Loving You': Wendell Corey, Elvis Presley, Dolores Hart, and Lizabeth Scott.

While Loving You was Elvis’ second movie, this was essentially Lizabeth Scott’s final film, and Wendell Corey’s last starring role. Also, just five years after her film debut, Dolores Hart gave up movies, and began her journey as a nun. Ironically, Elvis Presley’s last movie was 1970’s Change of Habit, where his co-star is Mary Tyler Moore, as a nun!

Lizabeth Scott as Glenda Markle, in a rare departure from film noir.

Loving You was made at Paramount by producer Hal Wallis, who made stars of Lizabeth Scott and Wendell Corey, and would make a movie star out of Elvis. Scott plays Glenda Markle, a sharpie press agent who’s a little too good at her job. Scott looks timeless in her tailored, stylish Edith Head wardrobe. Also, Scott’s husky voice and sharp delivery makes the dialogue seem snappier than it really is. I noticed that, despite their totally different images, Lizabeth’s voice—not just the huskiness, but her enunciation—is almost identical to June Allyson’s. As for her performance, Scott finds a convincing balance in her character’s questionable ethics, but retaining some redeeming and empathetic qualities.

Wendell Corey's Tex finds out Scott's Glenda has already signed Deke/Elvis.
Can I tell you how much I love Elvis' shirt and jacket combo here?!

Wendell Corey, as Walter ‘Tex’ Warner, is the leader of the country band that Scott’s press agent is strenuously trying to spin to stardom. Corey has a way with a laconic, wry line. This was Scott’s and Corey’s third time together as a team, and they have a realistic rapport that grounds the movie. By this point in their careers, I’m sure Scott and Corey knew that 22-year-old Elvis was the show, but they have their moments and seem to be enjoying themselves.

Aside from Elvis co-star, Dolores Hart was a huge hit in 'Where The Boys Are!'

As kids, we loved the fact that Dolores Hart, a two-time Elvis co-star, later became a nun. My Mom joked that she had to, after working with Elvis! Seriously, Dolores is genuinely fresh-faced and sweet in her first film, looking a bit like a girl-next-door version of Grace Kelly.

Elvis Presley and Lizabeth Scott are all smiles here in 'Loving You.'

As for Elvis Presley, imagine with training and encouragement, what Elvis might have accomplished as an actor? As Deke, Elvis is wobbly in some of the more dramatic moments, but he’s not bad at all in the graveyard scene, confessing to Glenda his true identity. In the rest of Loving You, Elvis’ natural sweetness and sense of humor come through, and need I say that Presley had charisma to spare? If Presley had pushed back against being assigned all the later glorified “B” movies, Elvis could have been one of the great movie star personalities of the ‘60s, I think.

Elvis Presley looks and sounds great in his second film, here performing 'Teddy Bear.'

Elvis Presley’s numbers in Loving You are all simply staged, but all that’s needed is Elvis’ energy, enthusiasm, and magnificent voice. “Lonesome Cowboy” is the most dramatically put on, with Presley all duded up, singing in a solo spotlight. Two of Elvis’ classics are performed: “Teddy Bear” and “Loving You.” The latter is one of my favorite Elvis songs, not just for its simple but beautiful song, but Elvis’ sincere and subtle vocals. The rockabilly songs are a real blast: “Got a Lot O’ Livin’ To Do,” “Let’s Have a Party,” “Mean Woman Blues,” and “Hot Dog.” Presley’s playfulness and 22-year-old high energy is something to see!

Loving You is a legacy as to why fans will always remember Elvis.

Elvis Presley stops peddling a moment to share a hug with Lizabeth Scott.

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