I watched a western yesterday starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray (1953), nine years after their steamy meeting in Double Indemnity. This was called The Moonlighter. You would expect that those stars, with Ward Bond as the third name in credits would offer a super movie wouldn't you? . . . You would be wrong :!: I believe writer Niven Busch tried because the dialog was not half-bad. And how could director Roy Rowland (Our Vines have Tender Grapes, The Romance of Rosy Ridge), fail with such super-stars? Well, he managed.
We all know how from the minute Babs walks down that little stairway to meet Fred, a sizzle starts in the background that never lets up until the end. How did Billy Wilder get that tense atmosphere? James Cain wrote the novel, and Billy wrote the screenplay, but just having certain people on a job does not mean perfection. You can also toss Eddie G. Robinson into the mix.
The Moonlighter was a fairly involved western concerning cattle rustling, bank robbery, brotherly love, friendships betrayed, and a trianglular love story. As great as Billy Wilder is as a director, he did nothing for this movie. It needed a director like one of the Manns to bring out the pathos necessary for the characters to understand the main character.
That of course, is one of the main reasons I think many people are not big western fans. Often the movie turns to lynch-crowd thinking instead of considering the obvious facts. As much as I love westerns, I get really irritated with movies that jump immediately to killer crowds. I also watched Riding Shotgun yesterday and because he had some information, the towns people were ready to hang the hero, not considering why he came to warn them. So I can easily understand people with some smarts in their heads not being western fans. I personally just ignore the stupidity and enjoy the action.
Do you know of any other star combinations where one movie was a big hit, yet another with the same people was a dud?
Anne
The Ingredients
The Ingredients
Anne
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Interesting topic. I recorded The Moonlighter but haven’t watched it yet.
My two cents would be Ingrid Bergman and Gary Cooper in For Whom the Bell Tolls. They made a great couple with chemistry to spare and that movie was a hit with each of them garnering Oscar nominations. Two years later when their second and last pairing in Saratoga Trunk was released, it only did fairly well. I think they had more chemistry in ST and I like that one much better than FWTBT but for whatever reason it wasn’t a real big hit.
My two cents would be Ingrid Bergman and Gary Cooper in For Whom the Bell Tolls. They made a great couple with chemistry to spare and that movie was a hit with each of them garnering Oscar nominations. Two years later when their second and last pairing in Saratoga Trunk was released, it only did fairly well. I think they had more chemistry in ST and I like that one much better than FWTBT but for whatever reason it wasn’t a real big hit.
“I never really thought of myself as an actor. But I’d learned to ride on my dad’s ranch and I could do some roping stunts and working as an extra was better than starving as an artist nobody wanted on the West Coast.” - Gary Cooper
Good One :!:
I always thought Saratoga Trunk was kind of simpid and dopey. I didn't like Ingrid's character at all, but it was years ago that I saw it, so maybe having grown up, I may get more from it now.
Anne
I always thought Saratoga Trunk was kind of simpid and dopey. I didn't like Ingrid's character at all, but it was years ago that I saw it, so maybe having grown up, I may get more from it now.
Anne
Anne
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