“Edward G. Robinson's initial reluctance to sign on largely stemmed from the fact he wasn't keen on being demoted to third lead. Eventually, he realized that he was at a transitional phase of his career, plus the fact that he was getting paid the same as Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray for doing less work”
Edward G Robinson is one of my favourite actors. He can be pathetically meek in one role, and terrifyingly evil in another. He had an outstanding range, but always managed to feel authentic in any performance.
“One day during production Raymond Chandler failed to show up at work and was tracked down at his home; he went through a litany of reasons why he could no longer work with director Billy Wilder. 'Mr. Wilder frequently interrupts our work to take phone calls from women" . . . " Mr. Wilder ordered me to open up the window. He did not say please" . . . "He sticks his baton in my eyes" . . . "I can't work with a man who wears a hat in the office. I feel he is about to leave momentarily". Unless Wilder apologized, Chandler threatened to resign. Wilder surprised himself by apologizing. "It was the first--and probably only--time on record in which a producer and director ate humble pie, in which the screenwriter humiliated the big shots."
There is a wonderful Christmas movie with Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray, in a much lighter vein, called "Remember the Night." The two of them have a great chemistry together, whether it's comedy or the film noir all-time classic "Double Indemnity."
@@a.paulafernandes There are two other MacMurray/Stanwyck pictures: "The Moonlighter" and "There's Always Tomorrow." The latter is one of two movies Stanwyck made with Douglas Sirk (the other is "All I Desire"). Weirdly, though Sirk was mostly using color (and quite subversively, too) by this time, both pictures are in black-and-white.
“In the scene where Phyllis is listening at Neff's door as he talks with Keyes, Keyes exits into the hallway and Phyllis hides behind the door. The door opens into the hallway which isn't allowed by building codes, even back then, but it does give Phyllis something to hide behind and increases the tension.”
@@sparky6086 Wilder copped to reversing the door in interviews. It's just dramatically effective and so no one questions it. The Big Lebowski performs the same trick, possibly even with Wilder in mind, when Bridges bolts his door with a brace that proves to be pointless when the door opens out. The laugh, in that case, justifying the cheat.
The scene where the car wouldn't start at first 9:04 had been filmed without the false starts, but as Billy Wilder was set to go home, HIS car wouldn't start. The idea dawned on him that such an occurrence would add suspense, so he raced back to the shooting location and had them re-shoot.
Edward G. Robinson was one of the most memorable actors in Hollywood. The movie that made made him a star was the pre-code, gangster film _Little Caesar_ (1931). _Little Caesar_ is essential viewing for anyone interested in cinema history. Robinson began his career on the Yiddish stage in New York in 1913, debuting on Broadway in 1915, and making his first film in 1916.
@@swansong487 I guess.... After falling for the stereotype of Robinson, I was expecting him not to be a good character. I thought he was absolutely great in this!
“Initially, Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler had intended to retain as much of the book's original dialogue as possible. It was Chandler who first realized that the dialogue from the novella would not translate well to the screen. Wilder disagreed and was annoyed that Chandler was not putting more of it into the script. To settle it, Wilder hired a couple of contract players from the studio to read passages of Cain's original dialogue aloud. To Wilder's astonishment, Chandler was right and, in the end, the movie's cynical and provocative dialogue was more Chandler and Wilder than it was Cain”
The one movie with Fred MacMurray that I think you should watch is The Caine Mutiny. His character is important in that story, although it isn't a lead role. Humphrey Bogart, Van Johnson, and Jose Ferrer are also in it. Double Indemnity was based on a actual murder that happened in New York City in 1927. The details of that case are very similar to the movie. The Postman Always Rings Twice was inspired by the same case. Double Indemnity is the better of the two films. They're different enough, though, that it's worth seeing Postman. Eventually you'll get around to seeing all of Billy Wilder's significant movies. Ones you haven't done yet are The Lost Weekend, Ace in the Hole, Stalag 17, Sabrina, Witness for the Prosecution, Irma la Douce, and The Fortune Cookie. Thanks for another great reaction!
MacMurray found his master stroke onscreen playing ignoble guys. For MacMurray in his more romantic, regular-guy mode, I'd suggest one of his romantic comedies with Carole Lombard (maybe "Hands Across the Table"), 1945's zany "Murder, He Says," or his 1947 smash with Claudette Colbert, "The Egg and I."
Just like in "Double Indemnity," where Robinson portrayed the conscious of the story, Jose Ferrer did the same thing brilliantly in a co-starring role in "The Caine Mutiny."
Added note: The Postman Always Rings Twice is also based on a book by James M. Cain (as is Mildred Pierce, another film you could do a video on. They are both good.
Just a bit of context on why so many felt Edward G Robinson should have won a best supporting actor Oscar for this. This was 1944... Eddie G was the biggest star of the 30s, with most of his roles being gangsters/killers. Here, he was the really the only "good guy" in a movie with 2 "anti-heros" as the lead characters.
Actually Clark Gable was the biggest male star of the 1930's. But Edward G. Robinson was among the biggest stars of the 1930s. And the 1940's. And he did play a lot of gangster roles (the gangster role is what he was most legendary for) but he also played a lot of non-gangster/non-killer roles in a lot of good movies. And he played the "good guy" in a lot of movies. But again, he became best remembered for his "GANGSTER" persona.
@@billolsen4360 No, there were ways. There were fan polls, and exhibitors polls/numbrs, and box office, and amount of fan mail received by the stars, studios. Clark Gable was widely recognized and considered and labeled the "KING OF HOLLYWOOD" throughout much of the 1930's
Clark Gable was also the biggest star MGM had in the 1930's. MGM itself considered him that. And MGM was considered Hollywood's number 1 studio. So Clark Gable was the biggest studio's biggest star during the 1930s. Clark Gable's only rival as being Hollywood's biggest star during the 1930s was Shirley Temple. Who of course was female. As well as being a little kid
@@keng4847 So maybe the studio measured Gable's "bigness" by the fact he brought in more money than any other actor. That would be a legit measurement, how many people would pay to see you...maybe the best measurement.
Isn't that a phenomenal movie? And there are people who will say, "it's old!" " It's in black and white." "How good can it be?" Ugh. That film is a 10. It's as good as it gets.
Yes, how did those producers, actors & directors pack movie houses back in the old days? By making boring crap that wouldn't turn out to be classics? A Night At The Opera, Citizen Kane, Shadow of a Doubt, Double Indemnity, The Ghost & Mrs Muir, The Coconuts, Gilda, The Maltese Falcon, Laura, Out Of The Past, The Thin Man, It's A Wonderful Life, The Woman In The Window, Marty, The Best Years Of Our Lives, Now Voyager, Seven Angry Men, Naked City, Murder My Sweet, Sargent York, To Have And Have Not, Asphalt Jungle, Kansas City Confidential, The Women, The Big Sleep, It Happened One Night, Stagecoach, Casablanca, Humoresque, and on and on.
They were great because they coordinated great music, a great script and great acting. Today they seem to be afraid of emotion. They had texture, they knew a movie couldn't be all slickness, or all maudlin. You had good people being bad, bad people acting good, it made the ending hard to predict.
I recently saw a couple of rather well-known commentors comment on "Psycho". It was the first B&W movie they had watched and they didn't know know any of the actors and probably not Hitchcock either. They treated it as a travail.
Fred MacMurray is best known as a comedy actor in Disney films like "The Shaggy Dog", "The Absent-minded Professor" and "Son of Flubber". He was also well known for the father in the TV sitcom, "My Three sons". However, he also co-starred in the Humphrey Bogart classic, "The Caine Mutiny".
The stone cold look on Barbara Stanwyck's face as her husband is being murdered right next to her is priceless. Edward G Robinson and that little man inside, gotta love it. Dialogue is top notch. Mildred Pierce is definitely a must. Thanks for the hard work you put into these reactions. Other Fred MacMurry movies worth doing are 1935 Alice Adams (Katherine Hepburn) 1954 Woman's World (all star cast w/Lauren Bacall, Van Heflin, June Allyson, Clifton Webb) 1954 The Caine Mutiny (Humphrey Bogart) 1959 Disney's Shaggy Dog.
That stone cold look on Stanwyck's face comes right back to mind the moment the daughter says something about never forgetting the look in Stanwyck's eye after her mother is murdered: Barbara could get a hell of a lot of mileage out of little more than a subtle change of expression at just the right moment!
Edward G. Robinson was great. Other great ones to check out with him: "Key Largo" (with Bogart, Bacall, and Lionel Barrymore) and "The Stranger" (with Orson Welles).
Double Indemnity! Im so glad you are watching one of the best Noir movies of all time. Fred MacMurray does a fantastic job with a character who makes some amazingly bad choices, and Barbara Stanwyck is a powerhouse and works the heck outta that anklet. Great choice Mia!
"He's so tall" -- some incidental trivia, the cartoonist who first drew Shazam/Captain Marvel patterned him on Fred MacMurray. If you were to look at some of the original covers and art, he actually does look like Fred MacMurray in a cape.
Brilliant Noir with some of my favorites. I love Fred MacMurray and Edward G. Robinson and I LOVE and could watch Barbara Stanwyck everyday. I hope you'll react to more of her movies, like Remember the Night ( Would be GREAT for December, Christmas/New Year month), and one day, when you have time: Ball of Fire, The Lady Eve, Meet John Doe, Sorry, Wrong Number, Stella Dallas, My Reputation, Baby Face, Clash by Night, There's Always Tomorrow, Forbidden, All I Desire, The Miracle Woman.
Don't forget "No Man of Her Own." Perhaps a bit silly and more forgettable than some of her other roles. But it's one of my favorites and was worthy of a Hollywood remake.
The Caine Mutiny (1954), DEFINITELY!!!!! Fred MacMurray being his usual amazing self, and iconic performances from both Bogart and Jose Ferrer. A MUST SEE.
This is how you got past the Code with lines like "not fully covered," as meaning both insurance and states of undress. Wilder and friends knew how to do it. One of the greatest films all of time.
This is quintessential noir! Barbara was so good in so many films. She had quite a career! She was known for being kind to everyone on set, including the crew. Her nickname was "Missy". (Oh, and Barbara, along with Ginger Rogers and me, share birthdays!)
That was a great reaction Mia....well done with your instincts....one of my favourite genres. My suggestions for some of my favourite Fiilm Noirs: The Maltese Falcon (1941)....Humphrey Bogart, Mary Aster Out Of The Past (1947)...Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer Murder, My Sweet (1947)....Dick Powell, Claire Trevor The Killers (1946)......Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner Laura (1949)...Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews Gilda (1946)....Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford There are many more great ones.............keep up the excellent work
I only knew MacMurray from 'my three sons' when I saw this as a kid for the first time. It was a shock to see him as a 'bad man'. I just discovered your channel and as soon as I saw what you are doing, before I dig in to your past work, I want to recommend a film you will definitely (my bet) like: "The Asphalt Jungle" is a 1950 American film noir heist film directed by John Huston (and Marilyn's first notable role)
Please watch "The Maltese Falcon" , Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, Sidney Greenstreet, It's chock full of film noir banter and the characters are top notch. Love your videos.
If you like Edward G Robinson, you must see him in "The Sea Wolf" where he plays the most sadistic character I've ever seen in film. Brilliant! And of course "Soylent Green", where he has one of the most heartbreaking scenes I've ever seen. He died the year it was released, 1973. What an incredibly versatile actor.
"Remember the Night" also stars Stanwyck and MacMurray. It was written by Preston Sturges. It takes place during the Christmas season. Definitely worth a watch during holiday time.
I love how a rather "simple" crime case was so well written with surprising but very believealble twists. Kudos to Mia Tiffany - it's always nice to see, when young people have a heart for "old" movies. :-)
“This film came out in 1944, the same year David O. Selznick released "Since You Went Away (1944)." Part of the campaign for the latter film were major ads that declared, "'Since You Went Away' are the four most important words in movies since 'Gone With the Wind'!" which Selznick had also produced. Billy Wilder hated the ads and decided to counter by personally buying his own trade paper ads which read, "'Double Indemnity' are the two most important words in movies since 'Broken Blossoms'!" referring to the 1919 D.W. Griffith classic. Selznick was not amused and even considered legal action against Wilder. Alfred Hitchcock (who had his own rocky relationship with Selznick) took out his own ads which read, "The two most important words in movies today are 'Billy Wilder'!"
You are right. Fabulous movie. Interesting thought. When" Going my way" won the academy award for the best picture, Billy Wilder tried to trip the director who won it
"Noirvember" -- great concept, I like it, and I'm already primed to see Shadow of a Doubt. Useless trivia: this movie features a Byron Barr, but there's another actor who also just happened to be born Byron Barr -- he went on to call himself Gig Young. This movie has of course been highly influential and I would be interested in your reaction to Body Heat, which is basically a 1980s love letter to it. The business with the car not starting up reminds of Psycho, when Norman dumps the car in the swamp and then it stops, but only for a moment. It makes us ask ourselves: what are we feeling? Excitement that a killer will get caught -- or are we so compelled by the machinery of the evil scheme that we're rooting for it to work after all? Maybe it's an eternal mystery. Finally, so far as picking a side, for me it's easy. Stanwyck is great, MacMURray is great (sadly I can't think of many more movies of his, he decided to go into comedy but I really like his early dramatic work best) -- but for me this movie is Robinson's. The end destroys me every time. Neff says that Keyes was too close, that he was just across the desk, and Keyes says they were even closer than that, and then like a man before a firing squad getting his last cigarette, Keyes lights it for Neff. Beautiful, just beautiful -- frankly, the love between Neff and Keyes feels more real than the whole Phyllis business. This movie practically defines noir all by itself. If you haven't gotten to it yet, you need to see The Maltese Falcon. Thank you, Mia.
You definitely need to do Mildred Pierce. And after you do a few more film noir, you should watch 1982's Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid which is a parody/love letter to the genre starring Steve Martin inserted into several classic movies.
I love Barbara Stanwyck. She's also great in comedy. One of the funniest comedies is The Lady Eve with Henry Fonda. You should also check out her pre-code movie Baby Face
Try _The Caine Mutiny_ , starring Fred MacMurray and Humphrey Bogart. Stanwyck was hesitant to play such an evil character, but Wilder appealed to her professional pride.
With a typically brilliant music score by the brilliant Miklos Rozsa! Wilder loved Rozsa and based his wonderful THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES on Rozsa's "Violin Concerto."
In 1944 MacMurray was playing against type. He was known as an actor in romantic comedy. In the commentary track Wilder approached him to do the movie, MacMurray stated (paraphrase), "You sure you got the right guy? I do comedy."
I grew up watching MacMurray as the genial Dad in the TV show “My Three Sons” , when I got into films later and saw this movie his morally ambiguous tough guy was a real revelation.
Oh man, you should see how many names of classic actors and directors I've mispronounced for YEARS! No worries! Other than this, I usually think of MacMurray as the father on "My Three Sons"! But he's in the fantastic "The Caine Mutiny" with Bogart giving one of his most intense performances. That's definitely a great one to do if you ever do a Bogart month. Most of the time, I think of him in clean-cut Disney movies and as the Dad on that TV show!/Just like "Sunset Boulevard", this is one I knew you'd like! And now I hear you're doing Hitchcock's own personal favorite, "Shadow Of A Doubt"! Guess what? I think you're going to like that one too! :P Noirvember is a good month! PS: For this Thanksgiving, this channel is one of the things I'm thankful for! Great reaction, as always. I loved that you had already seen "Philadelphia Story" so that you could catch that reference!! Loved watching you at the edge of your seat the whole movie. I love the acting as well. Love Edward G. Robinson. I don't know who plays the daughter, but she's great, too!
It's funny, but as a younger Boomer, I mainly knew Fred MacMurray as a good guy, like on "My Three Sons" or the movie, "Follow Me Boys", but I realized later, that before the early 1960's, he was known to most people as playing bad guys or at least ones of questionable character.
I was hoping you'd do this one next. One piece of trivia is that they got a good take of the scene when Walter starts the car after they dump the body. They broke for lunch and Wilder left the lot to eat. When he tried to start his car to go back it would start. He immediately reshot the scene so that there was the extra tension of their car not starting right away. "Sometimes murder smells like honeysuckle." That's so Chandler!
I am impressed when someone gets away with this sort of thing, I am just as impressed when a society doesn't let them. These movies were well written and acted and lots of fun to watch. Thank you.
Great reaction now check out another classic billy wilder movie called “Ace in the hole” starring Kirk Douglas..it happens to be my favorite Wilder movie....and I think you will like it. Cheers !!
5:36 This back & forth exchange which keeps getting topped by the other has always been a favorite. Mr. MacMurry was also fantastic 10 years later in "The Caine Mutiny🌊⚓ 21:08 when is the last time you saw an apartment door which open outward onto the hall? (fire hazard) I believe this is what is called 'artistic license' in order to make the scene work. This was also used in American History X 😉in an early scene.
yesss THAT GENE Tierny film was her best acting, Its in glorious 720 HD and still might be on You tube. THE scene on train when she talks to COrnel wilde and you see her green eyes was magnificent, and the story starts and what a tour de force by her and it was her fave film.
One of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen was with Fred MacMurray. He’s a very funny guy and can do comedy so well. The movie is “Murder, He Says.” (1945). I highly recommend it.
This is the film noir of all film noirs! One of the top 5 of all times and my absolute favorites! Barbara Stanwyck is also one of my top 5 female actors in cinema history. She was at her best in this one. She's an amazing person with an intriguing life story. You should read her biography at some point in time. Wilder knocked it out of the park with this one. I'm looking forward to your next movie reaction. 🎥
When you look back at it.... I think the housekeeper who answered the door was sort-of protecting the castle when telling Fred that if he wanted to talk to the man about something that he should come back at a different time; not deal with the wife. She would have already understood that the wife was no good from the time she was the original wife's nurse.
a classic comedy that you would love is the 1950 classic Born Yesterday with Judy Holliday. She is so great in the role and took home the Oscar for her performance.
Good stuff there, but I'm still hoping you'll do Billy Wilder's 1957 classic "Witness For The Prosecution" (unless you've already seen it)? Not really film noir, but it does have some film noir elements. Think it hit #3 on AFI list for courtroom dramas. Great lines, great stars, and a bang up surprise twist ending!
I just came across your channel today and am so very impressed at your knowledge and understanding of film. Many of the reaction video channels out there are just that, reactions. You really appreciate all aspects of what make a movie great, cinematography, music, acting, blocking and editing. With your obvious love of film it's hard to believe you haven't seen many of these film, but I do believe you. In some way I envy you, experiencing these films for the first time. I'm looking forward to watching more of your videos. You get it.
There was a TV detective show in the 1960's about an insurance investigator called "Banachek". It starred George Peppard. It showed, that the job of insurance investigator was serious detective work. Seemed much like other police detective or private detective shows. Neither here nor there, but I remember, that it featured an early mobile phone installed in Banachek's fancy car.
For a Fred MacMurray comedy, you should catch him with Claudette Colbert in The Egg and I (1947). The big bonus though is the appearance of Marjorie Main (nominated for Best Supporting Actress) and Percy Kilbride as Ma & Pa Kettle, who would go on to star in nine absurdist comedies, starting with The Further Adventures of Ma and Pa Kettle (1949). They were to married couples what the Marx Brothers were to siblings.
I've never seen this movie before! I find it interesting and intriguing with a lot of plot twist! 1 side note, Fred was pretty much a financial genius in his private life, and I believe he is most remembered for his performance as a Dad on the TV show My 3 Sons! I am recommending Strangers On A Train 1951 directed by Hitchcock! Goodbye!
Thanks for this Mia. I really enjoyed it. Another top film with Barbara Stanwyck is a comedy called Ball of fire. She plays a big band singer, Sugarpuss O'Shea. It stars Gary Cooper as a professor writing a book about American slang and is loosely based upon Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. The band leader, drummer Gene Krupa, plays a solo on a matchbox! Great stuff.
if you want more Fred MacMurray, next month would be the perfect time to check out the christmas classic Remember the Night. Also starring - you guessed it - Barbara Stanwyck!
I adore this film. It's such a classic and is absolutely definitive of most of the noir tropes of the time. The deep black shadows, the use of them to cut across people (and relationships). The voiceover, the hard as nails femme fatale, the contrasting good girl/bad girl character. The odd angles and "loner" lead role. I don't know if you know (I'm still only partway through your video), but there was an alternate ending to this film. I'm not sure it was filmed, but apparently there were some stills. You may have noticed the significance that "industry" and the sort of factory automation played as a symbol of progress and an embrace of the future played. You see this in the supermarket scenes, in the numbers Keyes quotes, in the train tracks themselves. The plan was meant to take them "straight down the line." This theme was carried even further in the alternate ending, which meant to follow Neff all the way into the gas chamber, "straight down the line," where he would be executed by the very industrial gas chamber. Such a great film.
The dialogue between Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck is very fast and expertly performed. They keep the pace with Edward G. Robinson's crisp precise acting.
Glad you liked this one, its a favorite. The novel is more explicit, Neff and the daughter having a relationship after the murder, Phyllis' body count is a lot higher and the ending is very dark.
You're right, the intensity of the lead's non-verbal communication was electric! A few movies that came to mind that would be fun to watch reactions to (not sure if you've reacted to any of them yet. Some classics, and some newer films): Dial M For Murder, My Man Godfrey, Nothing Sacred, Murder by Death, What's Up Doc, Sabrina ('95), Regarding Henry, French Kiss, and Hudsucker Proxy.
Hi Mia…love your posts. I’ve always wondered if the Columbo creators, Richard Levinson and William Link, had Eddie G’s character Barton Keyes in mind when they created their rumpled genius. Both characters chomp on cheap cigars, both can appear to be absent-minded, and both hide the fact that they have razor-sharp minds. Keyes has a ‘little man’ inside that gives him indigestion when he senses something isn’t right. Columbo always latches onto a tiny detail that ‘bothers’ him to the point of obsession…but it always leads to him trapping the killer. And by the way…in the second Columbo pilot movie, RANSOM FOR A DEAD MAN (1971), the villain is a ruthless lady lawyer (played by Lee Grant) who kills her wealthy husband and stages a fake kidnapping to pay a fake ransom demand. Her step daughter suspects Grant has killed her father…and during an early confrontation scene, DOUBLE INDEMNITY is playing on the kitchen portable TV. Love from England, hon. ❤
I love when Fred McMurray says to Barbara Stanwyck : "I'd hate to see you smash a fender when you aren't fully covered"--when all she is wearing is a bath towel.........
“Author James M. Cain later admitted that if he had come up with some of the solutions to the plot that screenwriters Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler did, he would have employed them in his original novel.”
If you are looking for a holiday film for December, I strongly suggest MacMurray and Stanwyck in “Remember the Night.” It is a wonderful 180 degree shift from this classic.
Great, Mia! This is the original film noir. There were precursors in the 'doomed love story' trope of You Only Live Once (1938) and the noir lighting was used extensively in Citizen Kane and Cat People but this is where all the tropes of film noir as a genre originated (femme fatale, flashback structure, sense of fate and foreboding, quickfire dialogue). It's a classic. Probably the most important noir film in history along with Chinatown.
OUT OF THE PAST ,yes great noir, like this one also ,the voice over is almost essential in the noir genre ,the banter between the 2 leads ,great movie choices as always Mia.
Fun fact...When Phyllis is listening at Neff's door as he talks with Keyes, he exits into the hall The door opens into the hallway which isn't allowed by building codes, done on purpose by Wilder to increase the tension.
"Double Indemnity--truly one of the templates of film noir movies! I love the background work you do before your reactions. By the way, one of the hallmarks of film noir is the snappy banter, and this one has it in spades. You nailed it when you said that Barbara Stanwyck was playing Fred McMurray from Jump Street!
Like many my age, as a kid I knew MacMurry only as the loveable dad in the TV show My Three Sons. So when I was older and really got into movies it was a real eye opener to see him in Double Indemnity and The Apartment. He could do the dark side with the best of them. I second the recommendations already made for Key Largo (Robinson as a ruthless mobster, plus Bogart and Bacall) and The Lady Eve and Ball of Fire (Stanwyck showing off her comedy chops).
You’ve really picked some great films here. Chinatown, Double Indemnity, etc. Suggestion: if you like film noir pics like those check out Touch of Evil with Orson Wells and The Big Heat with Glenn Ford. These are classics.
Every time I see this movie, I'm amazed by how good it is. Of course, it has three of my favorite actors in it. I think Femme Fatale is my favorite noir subgenre. If you thought Barbara Stanwyck was good in this, you should see her in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (also with a really great performance by Kirk Douglas). Shadow of a Doubt is okay, not a great movie. There are definitely more spectacular noirs out there, even some of the lesser known ones. I really hope you do In a Lonely Place. Or anything with Bogart. A lot of people are mentioning The Caine Mutiny, which I recently saw for the first time. Although not a noir, it is really a great film and just heartbreaking in the end. Fred MacMurray has a very interesting role in that film. Incidentally, I read somewhere that after Double Indemnity, he received so much negative feedback from his fans because of the adultery aspect of the role that he did a complete switch to goody two-shoes family man type roles... which is why many of us first knew him as the father in the My Three Sons TV show.
The Bishop's Wife starring Cary Grant a holiday favorite is available on CZcams... in the public domain free of copyright...I thought it would make a great watch along for your channel....I enjoy the content you have... a great presentation....thanks!
Barbara Stanwyck is the uncontested star of this for me. There's a reason the American Film Institute named Phyllis Dietrichson as one of the best movie villains of all time. Even crazier that Stanwyck is so irresistibly fun and endearing in her comedies.
Teresa Wright, star of Shadow of a Doubt had a very interesting acting career. Five of her first six films were major Hollywood productions of the first order: Little Foxes(Oscar nomination) Mrs Miniver(Oscar win) Pride of the Yankees(Oscar nomination) Shadow of a Doubt, and Best Years of Our Lives. What a start to a career, then she had a falling out with Sam Goldwyn over her principles and for the next ten years or so she mostly made b movies before switching to stage productions and television for the next twenty years.
Growing up I saw Fred McMurray as the father in My Three Sons and also in many 60s Disney films. It wasn’t till I got into old movies and Film Noir that I realised was a great Hollywood actor he was !
“Edward G. Robinson's initial reluctance to sign on largely stemmed from the fact he wasn't keen on being demoted to third lead. Eventually, he realized that he was at a transitional phase of his career, plus the fact that he was getting paid the same as Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray for doing less work”
Edward G Robinson is one of my favourite actors. He can be pathetically meek in one role, and terrifyingly evil in another. He had an outstanding range, but always managed to feel authentic in any performance.
Loved him as a movie studio executive in "My Geisha". A role completely different from anything else he's ever played.
@@bronxboy47 I haven't seen that, so it's going straight to the top of my watchlist. Thanks!
"It sounds crazy, Keyes, but it's true, so help me. I couldn't hear my own footsteps. It was the walk of a dead man."
That quote right there basically sums up what a film noir is about.
“One day during production Raymond Chandler failed to show up at work and was tracked down at his home; he went through a litany of reasons why he could no longer work with director Billy Wilder. 'Mr. Wilder frequently interrupts our work to take phone calls from women" . . . " Mr. Wilder ordered me to open up the window. He did not say please" . . . "He sticks his baton in my eyes" . . . "I can't work with a man who wears a hat in the office. I feel he is about to leave momentarily". Unless Wilder apologized, Chandler threatened to resign. Wilder surprised himself by apologizing. "It was the first--and probably only--time on record in which a producer and director ate humble pie, in which the screenwriter humiliated the big shots."
There is a wonderful Christmas movie with Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray, in a much lighter vein, called "Remember the Night." The two of them have a great chemistry together, whether it's comedy or the film noir all-time classic "Double Indemnity."
I rewatched the two movies, one after the other, and their acting range really is unparalleled. It never ceases to amaze me.
@@a.paulafernandes There are two other MacMurray/Stanwyck pictures: "The Moonlighter" and "There's Always Tomorrow." The latter is one of two movies Stanwyck made with Douglas Sirk (the other is "All I Desire"). Weirdly, though Sirk was mostly using color (and quite subversively, too) by this time, both pictures are in black-and-white.
“In the scene where Phyllis is listening at Neff's door as he talks with Keyes, Keyes exits into the hallway and Phyllis hides behind the door. The door opens into the hallway which isn't allowed by building codes, even back then, but it does give Phyllis something to hide behind and increases the tension.”
True, but in the spirit of the suspension of disbelief, perhaps it was an older "pre-code" building?
@@sparky6086 Wilder copped to reversing the door in interviews. It's just dramatically effective and so no one questions it. The Big Lebowski performs the same trick, possibly even with Wilder in mind, when Bridges bolts his door with a brace that proves to be pointless when the door opens out. The laugh, in that case, justifying the cheat.
@@hwinker Like I said, "in the spirit of the suspension of disbelief".
The scene where the car wouldn't start at first 9:04 had been filmed without the false starts, but as Billy Wilder was set to go home, HIS car wouldn't start. The idea dawned on him that such an occurrence would add suspense, so he raced back to the shooting location and had them re-shoot.
Edward G. Robinson was one of the most memorable actors in Hollywood. The movie that made made him a star was the pre-code, gangster film _Little Caesar_ (1931). _Little Caesar_ is essential viewing for anyone interested in cinema history.
Robinson began his career on the Yiddish stage in New York in 1913, debuting on Broadway in 1915, and making his first film in 1916.
And I love that after being type casted for years, he's the by-the-book good guy in this.
@@swansong487 I guess.... After falling for the stereotype of Robinson, I was expecting him not to be a good character. I thought he was absolutely great in this!
“Initially, Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler had intended to retain as much of the book's original dialogue as possible. It was Chandler who first realized that the dialogue from the novella would not translate well to the screen. Wilder disagreed and was annoyed that Chandler was not putting more of it into the script. To settle it, Wilder hired a couple of contract players from the studio to read passages of Cain's original dialogue aloud. To Wilder's astonishment, Chandler was right and, in the end, the movie's cynical and provocative dialogue was more Chandler and Wilder than it was Cain”
Raymound Chandler was a master of Dialogue.
It's very odd. I always critique Tarantino as a master of Dialogue, but a pilferer of plot. I get a lot of push back.
The one movie with Fred MacMurray that I think you should watch is The Caine Mutiny. His character is important in that story, although it isn't a lead role. Humphrey Bogart, Van Johnson, and Jose Ferrer are also in it.
Double Indemnity was based on a actual murder that happened in New York City in 1927. The details of that case are very similar to the movie. The Postman Always Rings Twice was inspired by the same case. Double Indemnity is the better of the two films. They're different enough, though, that it's worth seeing Postman.
Eventually you'll get around to seeing all of Billy Wilder's significant movies. Ones you haven't done yet are The Lost Weekend, Ace in the Hole, Stalag 17, Sabrina, Witness for the Prosecution, Irma la Douce, and The Fortune Cookie.
Thanks for another great reaction!
MacMurray found his master stroke onscreen playing ignoble guys. For MacMurray in his more romantic, regular-guy mode, I'd suggest one of his romantic comedies with Carole Lombard (maybe "Hands Across the Table"), 1945's zany "Murder, He Says," or his 1947 smash with Claudette Colbert, "The Egg and I."
Just like in "Double Indemnity," where Robinson portrayed the conscious of the story, Jose Ferrer did the same thing brilliantly in a co-starring role in "The Caine Mutiny."
Stalag 17 is a great flick but I suspect Mia would be of those who should see 12 O'clock high so she know how all of those sergeants became prisoners.
Added note: The Postman Always Rings Twice is also based on a book by James M. Cain (as is Mildred Pierce, another film you could do a video on. They are both good.
WOW I DIDN'T KNOW THAT.
Just a bit of context on why so many felt Edward G Robinson should have won a best supporting actor Oscar for this. This was 1944... Eddie G was the biggest star of the 30s, with most of his roles being gangsters/killers. Here, he was the really the only "good guy" in a movie with 2 "anti-heros" as the lead characters.
Actually Clark Gable was the biggest male star of the 1930's. But Edward G. Robinson was among the biggest stars of the 1930s. And the 1940's. And he did play a lot of gangster roles (the gangster role is what he was most legendary for) but he also played a lot of non-gangster/non-killer roles in a lot of good movies. And he played the "good guy" in a lot of movies. But again, he became best remembered for his "GANGSTER" persona.
@@keng4847 Hard to say who was "biggest" since there's no true measurement, except maybe income.
@@billolsen4360 No, there were ways. There were fan polls, and exhibitors polls/numbrs, and box office, and amount of fan mail received by the stars, studios. Clark Gable was widely recognized and considered and labeled the "KING OF HOLLYWOOD"
throughout much of the 1930's
Clark Gable was also the biggest star MGM had in the 1930's. MGM itself considered him that. And MGM was considered Hollywood's number 1 studio. So Clark Gable was the biggest studio's biggest star during the 1930s. Clark Gable's only rival as being Hollywood's biggest star during the 1930s was Shirley Temple. Who of course was female. As well as being a little kid
@@keng4847 So maybe the studio measured Gable's "bigness" by the fact he brought in more money than any other actor. That would be a legit measurement, how many people would pay to see you...maybe the best measurement.
Isn't that a phenomenal movie? And there are people who will say, "it's old!" " It's in black and white." "How good can it be?" Ugh. That film is a 10. It's as good as it gets.
Classic movies are amazing...they cannot be duplicated, and attempts to recreate them never works out.
Yes, how did those producers, actors & directors pack movie houses back in the old days? By making boring crap that wouldn't turn out to be classics? A Night At The Opera, Citizen Kane, Shadow of a Doubt, Double Indemnity, The Ghost & Mrs Muir, The Coconuts, Gilda, The Maltese Falcon, Laura, Out Of The Past, The Thin Man, It's A Wonderful Life, The Woman In The Window, Marty, The Best Years Of Our Lives, Now Voyager, Seven Angry Men, Naked City, Murder My Sweet, Sargent York, To Have And Have Not, Asphalt Jungle, Kansas City Confidential, The Women, The Big Sleep, It Happened One Night, Stagecoach, Casablanca, Humoresque, and on and on.
People who dislike old B&W movies just because they're B&W and old are almost always low-iq individuals.
They were great because they coordinated great music, a great script and great acting. Today they seem to be afraid of emotion. They had texture, they knew a movie couldn't be all slickness, or all maudlin. You had good people being bad, bad people acting good, it made the ending hard to predict.
I recently saw a couple of rather well-known commentors comment on "Psycho". It was the first B&W movie they had watched and they didn't know know any of the actors and probably not Hitchcock either. They treated it as a travail.
Fred MacMurray is best known as a comedy actor in Disney films like "The Shaggy Dog", "The Absent-minded Professor" and "Son of Flubber". He was also well known for the father in the TV sitcom, "My Three sons". However, he also co-starred in the Humphrey Bogart classic, "The Caine Mutiny".
MacMurray's Disney movies were top-notch fun.
I totally get where you're coming from, but I'm still gonna say he's best known for *THIS* film!
The stone cold look on Barbara Stanwyck's face as her husband is being murdered right next to her is priceless. Edward G Robinson and that little man inside, gotta love it. Dialogue is top notch. Mildred Pierce is definitely a must. Thanks for the hard work you put into these reactions. Other Fred MacMurry movies worth doing are
1935 Alice Adams (Katherine Hepburn)
1954 Woman's World (all star cast w/Lauren Bacall, Van Heflin, June Allyson, Clifton Webb)
1954 The Caine Mutiny (Humphrey Bogart)
1959 Disney's Shaggy Dog.
Did you know that was a wing Barbara was wearing, and the reason the style was like that, is to make her look cheap.
The Egg and I with Claudette Corbett and Ma and Pa Kettle. Also his t.v. series My Three Sons
Yes, Mildred Pierce is excellent too.
That stone cold look on Stanwyck's face comes right back to mind the moment the daughter says something about never forgetting the look in Stanwyck's eye after her mother is murdered: Barbara could get a hell of a lot of mileage out of little more than a subtle change of expression at just the right moment!
Edward G. Robinson was great. Other great ones to check out with him: "Key Largo" (with Bogart, Bacall, and Lionel Barrymore) and "The Stranger" (with Orson Welles).
Little Caesar, and All My Sons with Burt lancaster
He was awesome in Key Largo! Everyone in that movie was fantastic.
And House of Strangers with Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Debra Paget, Richard Conte, Susan Hayward and, of course, Edward G. Robinson. Great film.
@@sunncheria8088 Plus "The Woman In The Window"
@@billolsen4360 Yes! And Scarlett Street, which was almost the same script, same actors...
Double Indemnity! Im so glad you are watching one of the best Noir movies of all time. Fred MacMurray does a fantastic job with a character who makes some amazingly bad choices, and Barbara Stanwyck is a powerhouse and works the heck outta that anklet. Great choice Mia!
"He's so tall" -- some incidental trivia, the cartoonist who first drew Shazam/Captain Marvel patterned him on Fred MacMurray. If you were to look at some of the original covers and art, he actually does look like Fred MacMurray in a cape.
Oh yes!! I am definitely searching that up right now 😁😁
-The Postman Always Rings Twice- and -Mildred Pierce- were also James M. Cain novels.
John M Cain
Brilliant Noir with some of my favorites. I love Fred MacMurray and Edward G. Robinson and I LOVE and could watch Barbara Stanwyck everyday. I hope you'll react to more of her movies, like Remember the Night ( Would be GREAT for December, Christmas/New Year month), and one day, when you have time: Ball of Fire, The Lady Eve, Meet John Doe, Sorry, Wrong Number, Stella Dallas, My Reputation, Baby Face, Clash by Night, There's Always Tomorrow, Forbidden, All I Desire, The Miracle Woman.
Don't forget "No Man of Her Own." Perhaps a bit silly and more forgettable than some of her other roles. But it's one of my favorites and was worthy of a Hollywood remake.
As long as you're talking at Stanwyck and the Holidays, how about "Christmas in Connecticut" ??
Stanwyck is worth a month of her own! Baby Face is a wild pre-Code drama.
The Caine Mutiny (1954), DEFINITELY!!!!! Fred MacMurray being his usual amazing self, and iconic performances from both Bogart and Jose Ferrer. A MUST SEE.
Girl, my favorite Hitchcock is "The Lady Vanishes". You should also this month watch "To Have and Have Not" and "The Maltese Falcon"
This is how you got past the Code with lines like "not fully covered," as meaning both insurance and states of undress. Wilder and friends knew how to do it. One of the greatest films all of time.
I love this movie.
Barbara Stanwyck also has similar performance in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers.
Would love for you to watch Mildred Pierce.
Mildred Pierce! Now I have to se it again! Pass the popcorn 🍿
This is quintessential noir! Barbara was so good in so many films. She had quite a career! She was known for being kind to everyone on set, including the crew. Her nickname was "Missy". (Oh, and Barbara, along with Ginger Rogers and me, share birthdays!)
That was a great reaction Mia....well done with your instincts....one of my favourite genres.
My suggestions for some of my favourite Fiilm Noirs:
The Maltese Falcon (1941)....Humphrey Bogart, Mary Aster
Out Of The Past (1947)...Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer
Murder, My Sweet (1947)....Dick Powell, Claire Trevor
The Killers (1946)......Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner
Laura (1949)...Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews
Gilda (1946)....Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford
There are many more great ones.............keep up the excellent work
I only knew MacMurray from 'my three sons' when I saw this as a kid for the first time. It was a shock to see him as a 'bad man'.
I just discovered your channel and as soon as I saw what you are doing, before I dig in to your past work, I want to recommend a film you will definitely (my bet) like:
"The Asphalt Jungle" is a 1950 American film noir heist film directed by John Huston (and Marilyn's first notable role)
Same! He was such a nice dad. Seeing him in different roles is somewhat shocking, especially in The Apartment.
Please watch "The Maltese Falcon" , Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, Sidney Greenstreet, It's chock full of film noir banter and the characters are top notch. Love your videos.
If you like Edward G Robinson, you must see him in "The Sea Wolf" where he plays the most sadistic character I've ever seen in film. Brilliant! And of course "Soylent Green", where he has one of the most heartbreaking scenes I've ever seen. He died the year it was released, 1973. What an incredibly versatile actor.
"Remember the Night" also stars Stanwyck and MacMurray. It was written by Preston Sturges. It takes place during the Christmas season. Definitely worth a watch during holiday time.
Great movie, and the ending is bittersweet.
Every good film of the 1930s and 1940s is a great film.
Mildred Pierce is just as amazing, I promise you!
I love how a rather "simple" crime case was so well written with surprising but very believealble twists.
Kudos to Mia Tiffany - it's always nice to see, when young people have a heart for "old" movies. :-)
One of the few movies in which Fred MacMurray was cast against type. Another is The Caine Mutiny where he stars along with Humphrey Bogart.
"The Apartment" is another movie where Fred Mac Murray played against type as Shirley MacLaine's boss/seducer.
“This film came out in 1944, the same year David O. Selznick released "Since You Went Away (1944)." Part of the campaign for the latter film were major ads that declared, "'Since You Went Away' are the four most important words in movies since 'Gone With the Wind'!" which Selznick had also produced. Billy Wilder hated the ads and decided to counter by personally buying his own trade paper ads which read, "'Double Indemnity' are the two most important words in movies since 'Broken Blossoms'!" referring to the 1919 D.W. Griffith classic. Selznick was not amused and even considered legal action against Wilder. Alfred Hitchcock (who had his own rocky relationship with Selznick) took out his own ads which read, "The two most important words in movies today are 'Billy Wilder'!"
MacMurray is excellent in "The Caine Mutiny". He'll make you cringe all the way through, but he's supposed to.
A really great movie, Humphrey Bogart at his best and as you say Fred MacMurray is great in it.
You are right. Fabulous movie. Interesting thought. When" Going my way" won the academy award for the best picture, Billy Wilder tried to trip the director who won it
Another great choice! Maybe watch "This Gun for Hire" with Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake. 😁
"Noirvember" -- great concept, I like it, and I'm already primed to see Shadow of a Doubt. Useless trivia: this movie features a Byron Barr, but there's another actor who also just happened to be born Byron Barr -- he went on to call himself Gig Young. This movie has of course been highly influential and I would be interested in your reaction to Body Heat, which is basically a 1980s love letter to it. The business with the car not starting up reminds of Psycho, when Norman dumps the car in the swamp and then it stops, but only for a moment. It makes us ask ourselves: what are we feeling? Excitement that a killer will get caught -- or are we so compelled by the machinery of the evil scheme that we're rooting for it to work after all? Maybe it's an eternal mystery. Finally, so far as picking a side, for me it's easy. Stanwyck is great, MacMURray is great (sadly I can't think of many more movies of his, he decided to go into comedy but I really like his early dramatic work best) -- but for me this movie is Robinson's. The end destroys me every time. Neff says that Keyes was too close, that he was just across the desk, and Keyes says they were even closer than that, and then like a man before a firing squad getting his last cigarette, Keyes lights it for Neff. Beautiful, just beautiful -- frankly, the love between Neff and Keyes feels more real than the whole Phyllis business. This movie practically defines noir all by itself. If you haven't gotten to it yet, you need to see The Maltese Falcon. Thank you, Mia.
You definitely need to do Mildred Pierce. And after you do a few more film noir, you should watch 1982's Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid which is a parody/love letter to the genre starring Steve Martin inserted into several classic movies.
She HAS to do Mildred Pierce!!!
The crème de la crème of classic Film Noir! Yet another great reaction, thanks so much!
I love Barbara Stanwyck. She's also great in comedy. One of the funniest comedies is The Lady Eve with Henry Fonda. You should also check out her pre-code movie Baby Face
Excellent choice as always & stoked for "Shadow of a Doubt"..another brilliant Hitchcock & I believe his own favourite out of all his films 👏 🇬🇧
A great noir film with Edward G. Robinson is Scarlet Street directed by Fritz Lang.
Try _The Caine Mutiny_ , starring Fred MacMurray and Humphrey Bogart.
Stanwyck was hesitant to play such an evil character, but Wilder appealed to her professional pride.
The Breaking Point is an underrated noir that has become one of my favorites.
Great point about rooting for the villain.
It's the same in Psycho when Norman is trying to sink the car. Or rooting for the thieves in The Score
With a typically brilliant music score by the brilliant Miklos Rozsa! Wilder loved Rozsa and based his wonderful THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES on Rozsa's "Violin Concerto."
In 1944 MacMurray was playing against type. He was known as an actor in romantic comedy. In the commentary track Wilder approached him to do the movie, MacMurray stated (paraphrase), "You sure you got the right guy? I do comedy."
I grew up watching MacMurray as the genial Dad in the TV show “My Three Sons” , when I got into films later and saw this movie his morally ambiguous tough guy was a real revelation.
Oh man, you should see how many names of classic actors and directors I've mispronounced for YEARS! No worries! Other than this, I usually think of MacMurray as the father on "My Three Sons"! But he's in the fantastic "The Caine Mutiny" with Bogart giving one of his most intense performances. That's definitely a great one to do if you ever do a Bogart month. Most of the time, I think of him in clean-cut Disney movies and as the Dad on that TV show!/Just like "Sunset Boulevard", this is one I knew you'd like! And now I hear you're doing Hitchcock's own personal favorite, "Shadow Of A Doubt"! Guess what? I think you're going to like that one too! :P Noirvember is a good month! PS: For this Thanksgiving, this channel is one of the things I'm thankful for! Great reaction, as always. I loved that you had already seen "Philadelphia Story" so that you could catch that reference!! Loved watching you at the edge of your seat the whole movie. I love the acting as well. Love Edward G. Robinson. I don't know who plays the daughter, but she's great, too!
It's funny, but as a younger Boomer, I mainly knew Fred MacMurray as a good guy, like on "My Three Sons" or the movie, "Follow Me Boys", but I realized later, that before the early 1960's, he was known to most people as playing bad guys or at least ones of questionable character.
@@sparky6086 he was always known for playing good guys this,the apartment, and I believe the Caine mutiny are the rare exceptions
@@randywhite3947 What yo'u're calling exception came first, then the good guy rolls came.
As the Caine Mutiny goes, I can never decide who I like best in that, Bogart, MacMurray or Jose Ferrer.
@@billolsen4360 They were all stellar performances!
I was hoping you'd do this one next.
One piece of trivia is that they got a good take of the scene when Walter starts the car after they dump the body. They broke for lunch and Wilder left the lot to eat. When he tried to start his car to go back it would start. He immediately reshot the scene so that there was the extra tension of their car not starting right away.
"Sometimes murder smells like honeysuckle." That's so Chandler!
I enjoyed this the most of all your videos I've watched! Just the right balance of comments and clips!
Wow! Thank you so much! I really appreciate your comment 😁 and thank you for watching!
I am impressed when someone gets away with this sort of thing, I am just as impressed when a society doesn't let them. These movies were well written and acted and lots of fun to watch. Thank you.
You are very much forgiven for any mis
pronunciation.. Love watching movies with you 😊
Great reaction now check out another classic billy wilder movie called “Ace in the hole” starring Kirk Douglas..it happens to be my favorite Wilder movie....and I think you will like it. Cheers !!
5:36 This back & forth exchange which keeps getting topped by the other has always been a favorite.
Mr. MacMurry was also fantastic 10 years later in "The Caine Mutiny🌊⚓
21:08 when is the last time you saw an apartment door which open outward onto the hall? (fire hazard) I believe this is what is called 'artistic license' in order to make the scene work. This was also used in American History X 😉in an early scene.
I love how there are still people out there enjoying the classics!
This movie is so good.
If you want a really marvelous monstrous Femme Fatale, check out Leave Her to Heaven. A rare Noir in color.
yesss THAT GENE Tierny film was her best acting, Its in glorious 720 HD and still might be on You tube. THE scene on train when she talks to COrnel wilde and you see her green eyes was magnificent, and the story starts and what a tour de force by her and it was her fave film.
One of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen was with Fred MacMurray. He’s a very funny guy and can do comedy so well. The movie is “Murder, He Says.” (1945).
I highly recommend it.
This is the film noir of all film noirs! One of the top 5 of all times and my absolute favorites! Barbara Stanwyck is also one of my top 5 female actors in cinema history. She was at her best in this one. She's an amazing person with an intriguing life story. You should read her biography at some point in time. Wilder knocked it out of the park with this one. I'm looking forward to your next movie reaction. 🎥
When you look back at it.... I think the housekeeper who answered the door was sort-of protecting the castle when telling Fred that if he wanted to talk to the man about something that he should come back at a different time; not deal with the wife. She would have already understood that the wife was no good from the time she was the original wife's nurse.
a classic comedy that you would love is the 1950 classic Born Yesterday with Judy Holliday. She is so great in the role and took home the Oscar for her performance.
1981's "Body Heat" starring William Hurt and Kathleen Turner is an on-point homage to this classic and worth checking out to compare.
Good stuff there, but I'm still hoping you'll do Billy Wilder's 1957 classic "Witness For The Prosecution" (unless you've already seen it)? Not really film noir, but it does have some film noir elements. Think it hit #3 on AFI list for courtroom dramas. Great lines, great stars, and a bang up surprise twist ending!
Oh yeah!!! "Witness for the Prosecution" is a real gem. That twist is completely unexpected.
Paths of glory , Kubricks most underrated film
Love this movie - watched it dozens of times - the dialogue is fantastic and Edward G Robinson was amazing ❤️❤️❤️
This film has one of the best, most unexpected endings in cinema
Recommended: Fred MacMurry and Kim Novack in "Pushover" -(1954) - you won't be disappointed! Thanks for the great reaction!
One of the best movies ever and a sterling example of why I hold people who 'don't watch b&w' in absolute contempt.
I just came across your channel today and am so very impressed at your knowledge and understanding of film. Many of the reaction video channels out there are just that, reactions. You really appreciate all aspects of what make a movie great, cinematography, music, acting, blocking and editing. With your obvious love of film it's hard to believe you haven't seen many of these film, but I do believe you. In some way I envy you, experiencing these films for the first time. I'm looking forward to watching more of your videos. You get it.
There was a TV detective show in the 1960's about an insurance investigator called "Banachek". It starred George Peppard. It showed, that the job of insurance investigator was serious detective work. Seemed much like other police detective or private detective shows.
Neither here nor there, but I remember, that it featured an early mobile phone installed in Banachek's fancy car.
For a Fred MacMurray comedy, you should catch him with Claudette Colbert in The Egg and I (1947). The big bonus though is the appearance of Marjorie Main (nominated for Best Supporting Actress) and Percy Kilbride as Ma & Pa Kettle, who would go on to star in nine absurdist comedies, starting with The Further Adventures of Ma and Pa Kettle (1949). They were to married couples what the Marx Brothers were to siblings.
I've never seen this movie before! I find it interesting and intriguing with a lot of plot twist! 1 side note, Fred was pretty much a financial genius in his private life, and I believe he is most remembered for his performance as a Dad on the TV show My 3 Sons! I am recommending Strangers On A Train 1951 directed by Hitchcock! Goodbye!
Thanks for this Mia. I really enjoyed it. Another top film with Barbara Stanwyck is a comedy called Ball of fire. She plays a big band singer, Sugarpuss O'Shea. It stars Gary Cooper as a professor writing a book about American slang and is loosely based upon Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. The band leader, drummer Gene Krupa, plays a solo on a matchbox! Great stuff.
if you want more Fred MacMurray, next month would be the perfect time to check out the christmas classic Remember the Night. Also starring - you guessed it - Barbara Stanwyck!
I adore this film. It's such a classic and is absolutely definitive of most of the noir tropes of the time. The deep black shadows, the use of them to cut across people (and relationships). The voiceover, the hard as nails femme fatale, the contrasting good girl/bad girl character. The odd angles and "loner" lead role.
I don't know if you know (I'm still only partway through your video), but there was an alternate ending to this film. I'm not sure it was filmed, but apparently there were some stills. You may have noticed the significance that "industry" and the sort of factory automation played as a symbol of progress and an embrace of the future played. You see this in the supermarket scenes, in the numbers Keyes quotes, in the train tracks themselves. The plan was meant to take them "straight down the line." This theme was carried even further in the alternate ending, which meant to follow Neff all the way into the gas chamber, "straight down the line," where he would be executed by the very industrial gas chamber.
Such a great film.
The dialogue between Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck is very fast and expertly performed. They keep the pace with Edward G. Robinson's crisp precise acting.
Glad you liked this one, its a favorite. The novel is more explicit, Neff and the daughter having a relationship after the murder, Phyllis' body count is a lot higher and the ending is very dark.
You're right, the intensity of the lead's non-verbal communication was electric! A few movies that came to mind that would be fun to watch reactions to (not sure if you've reacted to any of them yet. Some classics, and some newer films): Dial M For Murder, My Man Godfrey, Nothing Sacred, Murder by Death, What's Up Doc, Sabrina ('95), Regarding Henry, French Kiss, and Hudsucker Proxy.
Hi Mia…love your posts. I’ve always wondered if the Columbo creators, Richard Levinson and William Link, had Eddie G’s character Barton Keyes in mind when they created their rumpled genius. Both characters chomp on cheap cigars, both can appear to be absent-minded, and both hide the fact that they have razor-sharp minds. Keyes has a ‘little man’ inside that gives him indigestion when he senses something isn’t right. Columbo always latches onto a tiny detail that ‘bothers’ him to the point of obsession…but it always leads to him trapping the killer. And by the way…in the second Columbo pilot movie, RANSOM FOR A DEAD MAN (1971), the villain is a ruthless lady lawyer (played by Lee Grant) who kills her wealthy husband and stages a fake kidnapping to pay a fake ransom demand. Her step daughter suspects Grant has killed her father…and during an early confrontation scene, DOUBLE INDEMNITY is playing on the kitchen portable TV. Love from England, hon. ❤
I love when Fred McMurray says to Barbara Stanwyck : "I'd hate to see you smash a fender when you aren't fully covered"--when all she is wearing is a bath towel.........
Fantastic noir film. So happy to see a reaction to this film.
If you haven't watched, "Witness for the Prosecution," yet, I highly recommend it.
“Author James M. Cain later admitted that if he had come up with some of the solutions to the plot that screenwriters Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler did, he would have employed them in his original novel.”
If you are looking for a holiday film for December, I strongly suggest MacMurray and Stanwyck in “Remember the Night.” It is a wonderful 180 degree shift from this classic.
For whatever reason, it’s not available streaming. It is out on DVD and BluRay.
Great, Mia! This is the original film noir. There were precursors in the 'doomed love story' trope of You Only Live Once (1938) and the noir lighting was used extensively in Citizen Kane and Cat People but this is where all the tropes of film noir as a genre originated (femme fatale, flashback structure, sense of fate and foreboding, quickfire dialogue). It's a classic. Probably the most important noir film in history along with Chinatown.
Love watching the old movies from the 1940s and 1950s produced by 20th Century Fox
OUT OF THE PAST ,yes great noir, like this one also ,the voice over is almost essential in the noir genre ,the banter between the 2 leads ,great movie choices as always Mia.
Fun fact...When Phyllis is listening at Neff's door as he talks with Keyes, he exits into the hall The door opens into the hallway which isn't allowed by building codes, done on purpose by Wilder to increase the tension.
I got so excited when i saw that you posted this! I swear i was waiting the whole week for your reaction.
Sorry to make you wait so long! I hope you like the video 😁
I love your reactions Mia and your speculations about what's coming up in the movie. 🌹
"Double Indemnity--truly one of the templates of film noir movies! I love the background work you do before your reactions. By the way, one of the hallmarks of film noir is the snappy banter, and this one has it in spades. You nailed it when you said that Barbara Stanwyck was playing Fred McMurray from Jump Street!
Like many my age, as a kid I knew MacMurry only as the loveable dad in the TV show My Three Sons. So when I was older and really got into movies it was a real eye opener to see him in Double Indemnity and The Apartment. He could do the dark side with the best of them. I second the recommendations already made for Key Largo (Robinson as a ruthless mobster, plus Bogart and Bacall) and The Lady Eve and Ball of Fire (Stanwyck showing off her comedy chops).
You’ve really picked some great films here. Chinatown, Double Indemnity, etc. Suggestion: if you like film noir pics like those check out Touch of Evil with Orson Wells and The Big Heat with Glenn Ford. These are classics.
Every time I see this movie, I'm amazed by how good it is. Of course, it has three of my favorite actors in it. I think Femme Fatale is my favorite noir subgenre. If you thought Barbara Stanwyck was good in this, you should see her in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (also with a really great performance by Kirk Douglas). Shadow of a Doubt is okay, not a great movie. There are definitely more spectacular noirs out there, even some of the lesser known ones. I really hope you do In a Lonely Place. Or anything with Bogart. A lot of people are mentioning The Caine Mutiny, which I recently saw for the first time. Although not a noir, it is really a great film and just heartbreaking in the end. Fred MacMurray has a very interesting role in that film. Incidentally, I read somewhere that after Double Indemnity, he received so much negative feedback from his fans because of the adultery aspect of the role that he did a complete switch to goody two-shoes family man type roles... which is why many of us first knew him as the father in the My Three Sons TV show.
Robinson steals this film. Fabulous.
The Bishop's Wife starring Cary Grant a holiday favorite is available on CZcams... in the public domain free of copyright...I thought it would make a great watch along for your channel....I enjoy the content you have... a great presentation....thanks!
Barbara Stanwyck is the uncontested star of this for me. There's a reason the American Film Institute named Phyllis Dietrichson as one of the best movie villains of all time. Even crazier that Stanwyck is so irresistibly fun and endearing in her comedies.
Teresa Wright, star of Shadow of a Doubt had a very interesting acting career. Five of her first six films were major Hollywood productions of the first order: Little Foxes(Oscar nomination) Mrs Miniver(Oscar win) Pride of the Yankees(Oscar nomination) Shadow of a Doubt, and Best Years of Our Lives. What a start to a career, then she had a falling out with Sam Goldwyn over her principles and for the next ten years or so she mostly made b movies before switching to stage productions and television for the next twenty years.
Arguably the best actress of the 40s
Hats off to Raymond Chandler.
One to watch.
Humphrey Bogart.
The Big Sleep. 🙂
Growing up I saw Fred McMurray as the father in My Three Sons and also in many 60s Disney films. It wasn’t till I got into old movies and Film Noir that I realised was a great Hollywood actor he was !