Noir Alley

[Hibi]

Oops, my mistake -- thanks for the correction! I didn't know about Arthur Franz either...(I always remember him as the good scientist from the supremely creepy 1953 INVADERS FROM MARS)

Yeah, he was in several Svengoolie type features in the 50s that I remember.

I used to confuse Arthur and Eduard (that's the way he spelled it) Franz -- not visually because Eduard had an old European professor/scientist look about him and Arthur was sort of an all-purpose American guy. (Eduard also btw co-starred in a few horror movies himself, including the wonderfully titled THE FOUR SKULLS OF JONATHAN DRAKE)

Now I'M getting confused!!!!

[Hibi]

Aww, John Qualen, lol. But believe me, you didn't miss anything, including George Tobias making with Billy Wilder-style wisecracks in the steam room.

Oh, no! Not George Tobias too!

Well, there's probably very few 1940's WB movies made without George Tobias, lol. He always pops up usually playing Greeks or Russians.

True. But Tobias and Qualen is a double whammy!

[Hibi]

It does seem like her left side is always favored, even in THREE CAME HOME where you'd think that wouldn't matter with such a harrowing story but even there I saw mascara on Claudette's lashes! And that was in the prison camp where they were all starving and beaten.

LOL! I haven't watched it yet, but I'll keep my eye out for that! Just haven't had time lately. But for that film, Claudette would've been Margo Channing! I can't picture anyone else but Bette playing that role now, but I'm sure Claudette would've been ok. Just a different Margo. I bet that really crushed her. Her career was winding down at that point and that film would've revived it for awhile. But I'm glad Bette got to play it!

I can believe Claudette got that back injury from THREE CAME HOME -- she probably had to do several takes in the scenes where she winds up on the floor after the guards beat her.

As for Margo Channing, I just cannot imagine anybody but Bette playing that role. Maybe Tallulah Bankhead (who Davis replaced in the film version of THE LITTLE FOXES. Bankhead played Regina on Broadway) They both shared larger-than-life screen personas. (check out Tallulah in DIE, DIE, MY DARLING! She is powerfully creepy)

Yeah, I can't either. Bette owned that role. I think Claudette would've had a harder time pulling off the aging angle as she didn't look her age, unlike Bette. I think she would've played the part in a more sophisticated style as well.

[Hibi]

As you probably know, Bette Davis said she didn't base her Margo Channing on Tallulah Bankhead, but had a cold when filming began and thus had to keep the throaty voice for the whole movie. This started a Bette/Tallulah "feud" and Tallulah got her own radio show. It has been said that if Claudette Colbert had played Margo, then someone like Ina Claire would probably have gotten her own radio show and a feud with Claudette.

Perhaps All About Eve would have been more of a champagne cocktail comedy if Claudette had played Margo? I agree that Claudette was holding her age very well.

Ina Claire. LOL

[jamesjazzguitar]

This week's Noir Alley film is Two O'clock Courage (1945). The film is a remake of Two in the Dark. Both are RKO films.

A film where the protagonist is an amnesiac searching for the truth. I've never seen. The running time is 68 minutes.

One thing that piqued my interest was that this is the first credited film for Jane Greer. (Billed as Bettejane Greer).

The main actress is Ann Rutherford. She can be cute in light comedies, so I'm curious to see her in a darker situation \ role.

[Hibi]

I'm not sure if I've seen this or not as that plot was used so often. Guess I'll find out. Yes, Jane was billed Bettyjane early in her career.

[nakanosunplaza]

Howard Hughes always used Bettyjane when he was having a conversation with her,probably to remind her of his importance.

[Dargo]

Yeah, I can't either. Bette owned that role. I think Claudette would've had a harder time pulling off the aging angle as she didn't look her age, unlike Bette. I think she would've played the part in a more sophisticated style as well.

...I agree that Claudette was holding her age very well.

Funny, but by 1950, I've always thought Claudette was looking rather, lets say, matronly. Perhaps it was that "helmet head" hairstyle she sported at that time. (that especially didn't do Jane Wyman any favors back then either, ya know)

Sure, she might not have had all that many wrinkles at that time (good skin care is SO important, ya know...LOL...not to mention not smoking like a chimney and like Bette did all her life), but Claudette still always gave me the impression of being solidly middle-aged by then. In fact, while watching Eddie's recent presentation of 'The Secret Fury', I even started thinking that she looked a little too old to be Robert Ryan's "blushing bride" in that flick and which was made the same year as 'All About Eve'.

(...BUT, and with this being said, there's no way Claudette could have spit out that "seat belt/bumpy night" line as acerbically nor as memorably as Bette did)

[C*i*g*a*rTheJoe]

I posted on the other thread. Will the Administrators combine the two?

That would be a positive solution.

[Hibi]

Yeah, I can't either. Bette owned that role. I think Claudette would've had a harder time pulling off the aging angle as she didn't look her age, unlike Bette. I think she would've played the part in a more sophisticated style as well.

...I agree that Claudette was holding her age very well.

Funny, but by 1950, I've always thought Claudette was looking rather, lets say, matronly. Perhaps it was that "helmet head" hairstyle she sported at that time. (that especially didn't do Jane Wyman any favors back then either, ya know)

Sure, she might not have had all that many wrinkles at that time (good skin care is SO important, ya know...LOL...not to mention not smoking like a chimney and like Bette did all her life), but Claudette still always gave me the impression of being solidly middle-aged by then. In fact, while watching Eddie's recent presentation of 'The Secret Fury', I even started thinking that she looked a little too old to be Robert Ryan's "blushing bride" in that flick and which was made the same year as 'All About Eve'.

(...BUT, and with this being said, there's no way Claudette could have spit out that "seat belt/bumpy night" line as acerbically nor as memorably as Bette did)

That may be true, but she looked a lot better than Bette in the film! LOL. I agree her take on the role would've been quite different. It wouldn't be a let it all hang out performance like Bette. That wasn't Claudette's style. I can't picture her in Bette's Edith Head party dress either LOL. I'm sure the wardrobe would've been quite different. Plus the sets; camerawork would have to favor Claudette's left side!

[jamesjazzguitar]

Watched this week's Noir Alley film: Two O'clock Courage (1945). Entertaining film, with Tom Conway and Ann Rutherford.

The best part was Bettejane Greer. She was a hoot!

[ElCid]

I had forgotten who done it, but had seen Two O'clock Courage many years ago. I don't see how this could be considered a noir movie, but I like it anyway. Has two of my favorite actors - Tom Conway and Jane Greer. Plus Anne Rutherford and Jean Brooks.
I'm a big fan of The Falcon movies and others that Conway was in. I Walked With A Zombie is excellent. Apparently his Falcon movies were more successful than the ones with brother George Sanders. I agree. Jane Greer (plays a night club singer) is in one and Brooks is in several.
Enjoyed Eddie's Outro as I had not heard the story of Jean Brooks before.
Have TCM On Demand and saved it to watch list. They also showed the intro and outro which I had not seen them do before for Noir Alley presentation.

[Andree]

A fairly entertaining, fairly routine B movie. The comedy helps a bit and the plot is convoluted enough to
keep one watching, though you'd be a pretty bad detective to not figure out that Tom and Ann would get
together in the end. I was watching Bettejane Greet to figure out who she reminded me of. In some scenes
and at certain angles, she looks a little like Hedy Lamarr.