BIG HOUSE USA (1955) obscure noir July 7
BIG HOUSE USA (1955) obscure noir July 7
TCM is finally bringing back one of the great unsung noirs of the 1950s: BIG HOUSE USA, starring Ralph Meeker as an unrepentant thug, a cold-hearted kidnapper and murderer who, along with cronies Brod Crawford, Lon Chaney Jr and Charles Bronson, pull off a particularly unsavory crime; I won't go into details, but it will definitely shock and/or disturb you. Bleak, bleak, bleak! This is one of the hardest boiled films out there and Meeker is fantastic. Given its release date of 1955, it's likely that it was his first film after the seminal noir classic KISS ME DEADLY. It's not nearly as great as that film (what is?) but it is nonetheless a top-notch semi-classic that all serious-minded noir junkies should be staying up late for. Don't say I didn't warn you!
While I didn't think it was as good as say: Caged or Brute Force. It did remind me (with the Narration) of The Naked City.
Yes, Ralph Meeker was great in the role as the Ice-Man. and it didn't hurt with Co-Stars, Crawford, Bronson and Chaney jr. and the always weird William Talman.
vallo
Yes, Ralph Meeker was great in the role as the Ice-Man. and it didn't hurt with Co-Stars, Crawford, Bronson and Chaney jr. and the always weird William Talman.
vallo
"We're all forgotten sooner or later. But not films. That's all the memorial we should need or hope for."
-Burt Lancaster
-Burt Lancaster
-
moira finnie
- Administrator
- Posts: 8024
- Joined: April 9th, 2007, 6:34 pm
- Location: Earth
- Contact:
I watched this one based on Dewey's recommendation, and, while I enjoyed some of it, (such as Broderick Crawford's disdain for his prison buddies' intelligence), I just don't get Ralph Meeker's many phlegmatic performances, including this one. Is he supposed to be an existentialist whose lack of real pity for the lost kid and indifference to his surroundings makes him somehow superior and therefore more interesting?
Honest, I've tried to like him and watched Kiss Me Deadly (1956) twice to see what the heck I'm missing. I even watched The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1957) recently to see if Ralph could be a quietly deadpan comedian a la Keaton, but it only revealed that not even Jane Russell could save this one, (though Fred Clark perked things up considerably). Even when Ralph works himself up to exhibiting enough emotion to display one of his little smirks, I still think he's posing. The only time he almost interested me was in Something Wild (1961), (and I haven't seen that in years). I guess I'm just a shallow philistine and should wear a big P on my blouse from now on. What am I missing from Mr. Meeker's minimalist performances?
Perplexed and puzzled,
Moira
Honest, I've tried to like him and watched Kiss Me Deadly (1956) twice to see what the heck I'm missing. I even watched The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1957) recently to see if Ralph could be a quietly deadpan comedian a la Keaton, but it only revealed that not even Jane Russell could save this one, (though Fred Clark perked things up considerably). Even when Ralph works himself up to exhibiting enough emotion to display one of his little smirks, I still think he's posing. The only time he almost interested me was in Something Wild (1961), (and I haven't seen that in years). I guess I'm just a shallow philistine and should wear a big P on my blouse from now on. What am I missing from Mr. Meeker's minimalist performances?
Perplexed and puzzled,
Moira
Moira asked: "What am I missing from Mr. Meeker's minimalist performances?"
and signed herself: "Perplexed and puzzled,"
Moira, I confess that I'm surprised you're not a Ralph Meeker entusiast! I would have thought that his soul deadeningly accurate picture of the (largely) mid 50s - 60s hetero-erectus variant of the often casually overindulgent and more often than not sub-psychotic atomic-age man might appeal to your particularly peculiar and personal taste-tester.
A string of effective low to mid-budget 50s noir and pseudo-noir (KISS ME DEADLY, BIG HOUSE USA, THE NAKED SPUR, JEOPARDY, SHADOW IN THE SKY) as well as middle to upper-brow 60s culture trash (SOMETHING WILD!, Corman's ST. VALENTINE'S DAY MASSACRE, Aldrich's THE DIRTY DOZEN) form the crux of his most notable big screen accomplishments.
Where he was more widely seen was on television. For all the years spent making the above (and other) features, Meeker was also concurrently appearing (usually as an actual or perceived nut case) in tons of 50s and 60s TV dramatic anthology programs (PLAYHOUSE 90, STUDIO 57, SHLITZ PLAYHOUSE, CLIMAX, the tortured husband in "Revenge" (the classic 1955 half-hour ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS episode, directed by Hitchcock) and guest star roles on shows like ROUTE 66, THE OUTER LIMITS, WANTED--DEAD OR ALIVE, WAGON TRAIN and more. He was slipping in and out of fairly hip 70s cops shows like POLICE WOMAN, HARRY-O (fantastic David Janssen show), CANNON and IRONSIDE. In the late 50s he had his own not bad syndicated pulp TV series, THIS MAN FOR HIRE.
Before getting into movies he understudied Brando in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE on Broadway.
Check him out. This is my man: Ralph Meeker. In the ranks of Brando, Lee Marvin, McQueen, Burr, Janssen, William Conrad and countless others. A tough nail to bend, wtih or without the Hammer.
and signed herself: "Perplexed and puzzled,"
Moira, I confess that I'm surprised you're not a Ralph Meeker entusiast! I would have thought that his soul deadeningly accurate picture of the (largely) mid 50s - 60s hetero-erectus variant of the often casually overindulgent and more often than not sub-psychotic atomic-age man might appeal to your particularly peculiar and personal taste-tester.
A string of effective low to mid-budget 50s noir and pseudo-noir (KISS ME DEADLY, BIG HOUSE USA, THE NAKED SPUR, JEOPARDY, SHADOW IN THE SKY) as well as middle to upper-brow 60s culture trash (SOMETHING WILD!, Corman's ST. VALENTINE'S DAY MASSACRE, Aldrich's THE DIRTY DOZEN) form the crux of his most notable big screen accomplishments.
Where he was more widely seen was on television. For all the years spent making the above (and other) features, Meeker was also concurrently appearing (usually as an actual or perceived nut case) in tons of 50s and 60s TV dramatic anthology programs (PLAYHOUSE 90, STUDIO 57, SHLITZ PLAYHOUSE, CLIMAX, the tortured husband in "Revenge" (the classic 1955 half-hour ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS episode, directed by Hitchcock) and guest star roles on shows like ROUTE 66, THE OUTER LIMITS, WANTED--DEAD OR ALIVE, WAGON TRAIN and more. He was slipping in and out of fairly hip 70s cops shows like POLICE WOMAN, HARRY-O (fantastic David Janssen show), CANNON and IRONSIDE. In the late 50s he had his own not bad syndicated pulp TV series, THIS MAN FOR HIRE.
Before getting into movies he understudied Brando in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE on Broadway.
Check him out. This is my man: Ralph Meeker. In the ranks of Brando, Lee Marvin, McQueen, Burr, Janssen, William Conrad and countless others. A tough nail to bend, wtih or without the Hammer.
Last edited by Dewey1960 on July 9th, 2007, 3:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
klondike
MOIRA WROTE: > "Honest, I've tried to like him and watched Kiss Me Deadly (1956) twice to see what the heck I'm missing. I even watched The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1957) recently to see if Ralph could be a quietly deadpan comedian a la Keaton, but it only revealed that not even Jane Russell could save this one, (though Fred Clark perked things up considerably). Even when Ralph works himself up to exhibiting enough emotion to display one of his little smirks, I still think he's posing. The only time he almost interested me was in Something Wild (1961), (and I haven't seen that in years). I guess I'm just a shallow philistine and should wear a big P on my blouse from now on. What am I missing from Mr. Meeker's minimalist performances?
Perplexed and puzzled,
Moira[/quote] <
Moira, just for a lark, try to run-down & check-out 53's Code Two (heck, PM me and I'll send you my copy!); Meeker is a Police Academy plebe who gets drafted into the newborn Los Angeles Motorcycle Traffic Squad: he's frat-boy macho, full of Bluto-esque, wolf-whistle charm, and though often comically shallow, bulges almost every frame he occupies in this campy, nearly-no-budget quicky, which nonetheless boasts supporting roles from Chuck Connors, Robert Horton, Keenan Wynn & William Campbell.
Trust me, all that's missing are those cherished microphone shadows!
Perplexed and puzzled,
Moira[/quote] <
Moira, just for a lark, try to run-down & check-out 53's Code Two (heck, PM me and I'll send you my copy!); Meeker is a Police Academy plebe who gets drafted into the newborn Los Angeles Motorcycle Traffic Squad: he's frat-boy macho, full of Bluto-esque, wolf-whistle charm, and though often comically shallow, bulges almost every frame he occupies in this campy, nearly-no-budget quicky, which nonetheless boasts supporting roles from Chuck Connors, Robert Horton, Keenan Wynn & William Campbell.
Trust me, all that's missing are those cherished microphone shadows!
vallo said: "Also don't forget Meeker's great performance as one of the doomed soldiers in "Paths of Glory".
Grrrr...how I came to forget a mention of Meeker's greatest role is embarassing to me. A major oversight on my part; it is truly a performance to behold!! Thanks for bringing it in to the discussion!
Grrrr...how I came to forget a mention of Meeker's greatest role is embarassing to me. A major oversight on my part; it is truly a performance to behold!! Thanks for bringing it in to the discussion!
-
moira finnie
- Administrator
- Posts: 8024
- Joined: April 9th, 2007, 6:34 pm
- Location: Earth
- Contact:
Well, guys, I was pretty much aware of Mr. Meeker's extensive résumé prior to seeing him in this film, but I still think he may have been a better actor on stage or in small roles, since he was effective and a recognizable human being in Paths of Glory and The Dirty Dozen, but do you think that it's possible that Mr. M. may have been somewhat charismatically challenged to be a star of a movie?
I do relish many film noirs, even when the subject matter goes off the cliff out of the range of logic or plausibility, but it helps if the actors on screen can make their characters truly interesting as well as violent, ill-fated, and cynical. I wouldn't place RM in the same category as "Lee Marvin, Brando, McQueen, Burr, Janssen, William Conrad and countless others"--all of whom I enjoy enormously, even when they're in trash and even when they play hateful but fun or revelatory characters. Well, now that I think of it, maybe he could sit next to William Conrad.
Ralph performances I've seen:
Paths of Glory
The Naked Spur
St. Valentine's Day Massacre
The Dirty Dozen
The Alfred Hitchcock Presents(1st show)
Police Story
Klondike, I'll pm you about Code Two. If I enjoy the movie half as much as your amusing description here and your previously posted review, it should be worth an hour or two of a summer night.
Thanks, guys!
I do relish many film noirs, even when the subject matter goes off the cliff out of the range of logic or plausibility, but it helps if the actors on screen can make their characters truly interesting as well as violent, ill-fated, and cynical. I wouldn't place RM in the same category as "Lee Marvin, Brando, McQueen, Burr, Janssen, William Conrad and countless others"--all of whom I enjoy enormously, even when they're in trash and even when they play hateful but fun or revelatory characters. Well, now that I think of it, maybe he could sit next to William Conrad.
Ralph performances I've seen:
Paths of Glory
The Naked Spur
St. Valentine's Day Massacre
The Dirty Dozen
The Alfred Hitchcock Presents(1st show)
Police Story
Klondike, I'll pm you about Code Two. If I enjoy the movie half as much as your amusing description here and your previously posted review, it should be worth an hour or two of a summer night.
Thanks, guys!
-
nightwalker
- Posts: 122
- Joined: April 29th, 2007, 7:43 pm
Some other Meeker performances of note, in which he is more than, or other than, his usual "icy" self:
1) Bernie Jenks in THE NIGHT STALKER, the original 1972 TVM starring Darren McGavin as everybody's favorite reporter, Karl Kolchak. Meeker's character is an FBI agent investigating the series of killings, which we know (and the film's cast will discover) are being perpetrated by an honest-to-goodness real-life vampire. Meeker's regular-joe characterization as one of the few "official-types" who actually seems able to stand Kolchak is solid and, at times, even amusing. Also worth noting is his genuine reluctance at the film's end to assist the others in suppressing Kolchak's story.
2) Jim McAndrew, the police lieutenant in the TVM BIRDS OF PREY (1973) with David Janssen. Friends since their WWII days as part of the Flying Tigers, Meeker's character is now a Lt. (I think) on the Salt Lake City police force while Janssen, whose character misses the good old days and feels somewhat disconnected with things as they are in the present day of 1973, is a radio station helicopter traffic announcer. During the course of his work one day, he spots a bank robbery in progress and, seeing the thieves take a young lady hostage and being aware that they will likely escape if he doesn't intervene, decides to follow them in his 'copter. Before long, he becomes much more involved with this scenario than he imagined he would be. The interchanges between Janssen and Meeker during the pursuit, as well as the final encounter between the forces of law & order and the criminals, are indeed memorable and worth a look.
3) as tormented war vet Trevor Stevenson in A WOMAN'S DEVOTION (aka BATTLE SHOCK) from 1956), Meeker scores as an artist who may be responsible for a series of young women's deaths in Acapulco. Trouble is, since he suffers from the (alternate) title's affliction, even he isn't sure!
4) as stalwart & heroic (!) Capt. David Malcolm in 1955's DESERT SANDS, Meeker bravely leads his men, a present-day unit of the French Foreign Legion, against evil desert hordes.
Although not all "leading man type" performances, they do showcase Meeker's ability to do more than snarl and be unpleasant.
1) Bernie Jenks in THE NIGHT STALKER, the original 1972 TVM starring Darren McGavin as everybody's favorite reporter, Karl Kolchak. Meeker's character is an FBI agent investigating the series of killings, which we know (and the film's cast will discover) are being perpetrated by an honest-to-goodness real-life vampire. Meeker's regular-joe characterization as one of the few "official-types" who actually seems able to stand Kolchak is solid and, at times, even amusing. Also worth noting is his genuine reluctance at the film's end to assist the others in suppressing Kolchak's story.
2) Jim McAndrew, the police lieutenant in the TVM BIRDS OF PREY (1973) with David Janssen. Friends since their WWII days as part of the Flying Tigers, Meeker's character is now a Lt. (I think) on the Salt Lake City police force while Janssen, whose character misses the good old days and feels somewhat disconnected with things as they are in the present day of 1973, is a radio station helicopter traffic announcer. During the course of his work one day, he spots a bank robbery in progress and, seeing the thieves take a young lady hostage and being aware that they will likely escape if he doesn't intervene, decides to follow them in his 'copter. Before long, he becomes much more involved with this scenario than he imagined he would be. The interchanges between Janssen and Meeker during the pursuit, as well as the final encounter between the forces of law & order and the criminals, are indeed memorable and worth a look.
3) as tormented war vet Trevor Stevenson in A WOMAN'S DEVOTION (aka BATTLE SHOCK) from 1956), Meeker scores as an artist who may be responsible for a series of young women's deaths in Acapulco. Trouble is, since he suffers from the (alternate) title's affliction, even he isn't sure!
4) as stalwart & heroic (!) Capt. David Malcolm in 1955's DESERT SANDS, Meeker bravely leads his men, a present-day unit of the French Foreign Legion, against evil desert hordes.
Although not all "leading man type" performances, they do showcase Meeker's ability to do more than snarl and be unpleasant.