Happy Gloria Grahame Day from FNB

July 13, 2012 by

FNB is a big fan of film-noir great Gloria Grahame. Photo by Halstan Williams, www.halstan.com

For the second year running, we at Film Noir Blonde are celebrating one of film noir’s great treasures, Gloria Grahame (Nov. 28, 1923 – Oct. 5, 1981). Why? Because we feel like it. Though she played a number of iconic parts in the late 1940s and 1950s, and won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her work in “The Bad and the Beautiful” (1952, Vincente Minnelli), co-starring with Lana Turner, Kirk Douglas and Dick Powell, Grahame typically wasn’t considered a top-tier actress in her day.

Gloria Grahame

“I don’t think I ever understood Hollywood,” she once said. Nevertheless, in addition to her film résumé, she worked regularly in TV and theater.

No stranger to scandal (she married her stepson several years after her divorce from director Nicholas Ray), Grahame was unconventional and liked to do things her way. Whether she was flirtatious and tough (remember good girl/bad girl Violet Bick in “It’s a Wonderful Life”?) or the ultimate victim (“The Big Heat”), her parts are often informed by her playful intelligence and sly sense of humor. Maybe that’s why we like her so much.

Anyway, here’s to singular, sexy, supremely talented Ms. Grahame! To read more and to see reviews of her films, click here.

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The Noir File: Lusty? Low-budget? We’re in!

July 13, 2012 by

By Michael Wilmington

A noir-lover’s guide to classic film noirs (and neo-noirs) on cable TV. Just Turner Classic Movies (TCM) so far, but we’ll add more stations as more schedules come in. The times are Pacific Standard (listed first) and Eastern Standard.

Friday, July 13: Sam Fuller Day

Samuel Fuller

The following four films were all written and directed by noir master Fuller.

5 p.m. (8 p.m.): “I Shot Jesse James” (1949, Samuel Fuller). Western noir, with Preston Foster and John Ireland (as the “dirty little coward … who laid poor Jesse in his grave”). (TCM)

6:30 P.M. (9:30 p.m.): “Park Row” (1952, Samuel Fuller). Fuller’s personal favorite of all his movies was this lusty low-budget period film, set in the 1880s, about newspapering in New York. With Gene Evans (“The Steel Helmet”) as a two-fisted editor and Mary Welch as a femme fatale of a publisher. (TCM)

8 p.m. (11 p.m.): “Shock Corridor” (1963, Samuel Fuller). Aggressive, Pulitzer-hunting reporter Johnny Barrett (Peter Breck) feigns madness and gets himself committed to a mental institution to track down a murderer. Constance Towers is the stripper masquerading as his sister. Quintessential Fuller. (TCM)

Constance Towers plays in “Naked Kiss” (shown here) and “Shock Corridor.”

9:45 p.m. (12:45 a.m.): “The Naked Kiss” (1964, Samuel Fuller). A hooker, a pervert, and a sleazy cop get involved in small-town scandal and murder. Stanley Cortez (“Night of the Hunter”) photographs noirishly, both here and in “Shock Corridor.” (TCM)

Also on Friday:

3 a.m. (6 a.m.) “Séance on a Wet Afternoon” (1964, British, Bryan Forbes). Acting fireworks from Oscar nominee Kim Stanley and Richard Attenborough as a crooked spiritualist and her meek husband, tangled up in crime. Based on Mark McShane’s novel. (TCM)

3 p.m. (6 p.m.): “Wait Until Dark” (1967, Terence Young). From the hit stage play by Frederick (“Dial M for Murder”) Knott. Blind woman Audrey Hepburn sees no evil and tries to stave off Alan Arkin, Richard Crenna and Jack Weston. (TCM)

Saturday, July 14

4 a.m. (7 a.m.): “The Black Book” (“Reign of Terror”) (1949, Anthony Mann). French Revolution noir, with Robert Cummings, Arlene Dahl, Richard Basehart and Beulah Bondi. Photographed by John Alton. (TCM)

Sunday, July 15

Richard Widmark is unforgettable in “Night and the City,” set in London.

5:30 a.m. (8:30 a.m.): “Night and the City” (1950, Jules Dassin). Crooked fight promoter Harry Fabian (Richard Widmark) tries to outrace the night. One of the all-time best film noirs, from Gerald Kersh’s London novel. With Gene Tierney, Herbert Lom and Googie Withers. (TCM)

7:30 a.m. (10:30 a.m.): “The Reckless Moment” (1949, Max Ophuls). Blackmail and murder invade a “happy” bourgeois home. Based on Elizabeth Sanxay Holding’s novel, “The Blank Wall,” and directed by one of the cinema’s greatest visual/dramatic stylists, Max Ophuls (“Letter from an Unknown Woman,” “Lola Montes,” “The Earrings of Madame de…”) With James Mason, Joan Bennett and Shepperd Strudwick. (TCM)

11 p.m. (2 a.m.): “Sawdust and Tinsel” (“The Naked Night”) (1953, Swedish, Ingmar Bergman). Film master Ingmar Bergman once said that his major early cinematic influences were “the film noir directors, Howard Hawks, Raoul Walsh and Michael Curtiz.” Here is one of the most noir of all Bergman’s films (along with “Hour of the Wolf” and “The Serpent’s Egg”): a German Expressionist-style nightmare of a film about life at a circus, in three rings of adultery, jealousy and torment. (In Swedish, with English subtitles.) (TCM)

Thursday, July 19

Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten star in “Citizen Kane.”

8:15 a.m. (11:15 a.m.): “Caged” (1950, John Cromwell). One of the best and grimmest of the “women’s prison” pictures. A grim look at life locked up, with Eleanor Parker, Agnes Moorehead, Hope Emerson, Jan Sterling and Jane Darwell. (TCM)

11:15 p.m. (2:15 a.m.): “Citizen Kane” (1941, Orson Welles). A dark look at the sensational, profligate life of one of the world’s most powerful and egotistical newspaper magnates, the late Charles Foster Kane (modeled on William Randolph Hearst and acted by George Orson Welles). Still the greatest movie of all time, it’s also a virtual lexicon of film-noir visual and dramatic style, as seminal in its way as “The Maltese Falcon” or “M.” Scripted by Welles and one-time Hearst crony Herman Mankiewicz, photographed by Gregg Toland, with music by Bernard Herrmann and ensemble acting by the Mercury Players: Welles, Joseph Cotten, Everett Sloane, Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead, George Coulouris, Ruth Warrick, Paul Stewart, et al. (“Rosebud? I tell you about Rosebud…”) (TCM)

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‘They Drive by Night’: a noir gem of the Bogart box set

July 7, 2012 by

Bogart has a supporting role.

The WHV/TCM set

They Drive by Night /1940/Warner Bros./          95 min.

Humphrey Bogart gets fourth billing in “They Drive by Night” (1940, Raoul Walsh). Cool, cocky wisecracks are in short supply and there are no dustups with lanky, gum-chomping weasels or fat men with spats and cravats.

That said, he brings depth and dimension to the part of Paul Fabrini, a salt-of-the-earth, devoted husband (his wife is Gale Page) eking out an existence as a truck driver with his brother Joe (George Raft). Of the two, Joe is brainier and more charming – he is also a bit of a ladies’ man until he meets salty/sweet diner waitress Cassie Hartley (Ann Sheridan).

But, not surprisingly in film noir, Joe’s past taps him on the shoulder in the form of cold-blooded, social-climbing, dressed-to-the-nines Lana Carlsen (Ida Lupino). Apparently, the two of them had a fling, though we don’t learn much about it, lest that info detract from Joe’s decent, stand-up character. Lana is married to blustery, ever-chuckling, Teddy-bearish Ed Carlsen (Alan Hale), who is also Joe’s boss at the trucking company. But. Lana. Wants. Joe. Back. See? If that involves murder, then so be it.

Ida Lupino as slinky but psycho Lana dominates the movie.

As the film’s social-conscience premise is put on the back burner and the melodrama heats up, it really becomes Lupino’s show. In the hands of a lesser director, this would likely be a misstep, but Walsh makes it work. Walsh was known for action-packed storytelling and Lana’s deadly ploy to win Joe back is one of many dramatic high points.

In keeping with the rollicking drama, Walsh establishes a mysterious yet upbeat vibe unlike many of his noir contemporaries who specialized in creating moods of angst, alienation, entrapment and doom.

Here, the supporting players – Bogart, Sheridan, Hale and Page – give sharp, piquant performances, a cause that’s aided by a fast, witty script from Jerry Wald and Richard Macaulay, based on A.I. Bezzerides’ novel, “Long Haul.” Raft and Lupino also shine.

Arguably, by the time Lana goes off the deep end, Lupino’s overdoing it a bit. Look at where she starts, though, and you’ll see subtlety as her simmering emotions build to a crescendo of fury. Upon seeing Joe at Ed’s office, she tells him icily: “I wonder what I ever saw in you, anyway. You’re crude, you’re uneducated. You’ve never had a pair of pants with a crease in them. And yet I couldn’t say no to you.” When he retorts, “Don’t worry about it. I’m not asking you,” the look that flickers over her face leaves no doubt that this is just the end of a round and her menacing intensity grows as she gears up for the rest of the fight.

Walsh also directed Bogart and Lupino in 1941’s “High Sierra” and I’ll be reviewing that title as part of next month’s giveaway.

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Free stuff from FNB: More chances to win Bogart movies

July 7, 2012 by

The reader-giveaway prize for June was the Humphrey Bogart set, which contains “They Drive by Night,” “Across the Pacific,” “Action in the North Atlantic” and “Passage to Marseille,” from Warner Home Video and Turner Classic Movies. I am extending this giveaway to July so that I can run a review of “They Drive by Night.”

In August, I will give away the WHV/TCM Greatest Gangster Films: Humphrey Bogart set, featuring “High Sierra,” “The Petrified Forest,” “The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse” and “All Through the Night.” I will run a review of “High Sierra” in August. Each set is $27.92.

All who entered in June are still eligible to win. To enter the July giveaway, for the Classic Legends: Humphrey Bogart set, just leave a comment on any FNB post from July 1-31.

We welcome comments, but please remember that, for the purposes of the giveaway, there is one entry per person, not per comment.

The June-July winner will be randomly selected at the end of the month and announced in early August. Include your email address in your comment so that I can notify you if you win. Your email will not be shared. Good luck!

Here’s more info on the movies in the Classic Legends: Humphrey Bogart set. [Read more…]

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Guest programmer Spike Lee picks four great titles for TCM

July 4, 2012 by

Andy Griffith and Patricia Neal star in “A Face in the Crowd.”

Director, producer, writer and actor Spike Lee, guest programming for TCM, has selected four excellent films, all of which have strong film-noir elements and social/political themes. The movies will play at various times this month, starting on Thursday, July 5.

“Ace in the Hole” (1951, Billy Wilder) Kirk Douglas stars as a sleazy reporter who will go to any length to restart his career.

“On the Waterfront” (1954, Elia Kazan) A washed-up boxer and mob member (Marlon Brando) tries to redeem himself when he falls in love with a victim of the mob (Eva Marie Saint).

“A Face in the Crowd” (1957, Elia Kazan) The unlikely rise of a brutal drifter (Andy Griffith) to a media/TV sensation is set against the background of the South in the 1950s. Also stars Patricia Neal and Walter Matthau.

“The Night of the Hunter” (1955, Charles Laughton) Another Southern saga: Robert Mitchum plays a murderous preacher, specializing in seducing and killing widows. The outstanding cast includes Shelley Winters and Lillian Gish.

Read Michael Wilmington’s tribute to Andy Griffith here.

Meanwhile, a very happy Fourth of July to everyone!

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Honey, your July noir horoscope is here …

July 1, 2012 by

Leigh: July 6, 1927-Oct. 3, 2004

Stanwyck: July 16, 1907-Jan. 20, 1990

Fate reigns supreme in film noir, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love us some zodiac fun. Hope your July is full of intriguing encounters and a festive Friday, the 13th. And happy birthday, Cancer and Leo!

A special shout-out and remembrances to captivating Cancers James M. Cain and Farley Granger (July 1), Eva Marie Saint (July 4), Janet Leigh (July 6) and Barbara Stanwyck (July 16), and lively Leos Helen Mirren, Sandra Bullock and Stanley Kubrick (July 26), Jackie Kennedy Onassis (July 28) and Hilary Swank (July 30).

Cancer (June 22-July 23): Cancers can be a trifle moody, it’s true. But with celebrations and soirees on the rise this month, mood shifts will likely be from good to ecstatic. This means it will be easier to roll with the punches and let go of elaborate expectations. Midmonth, you could stumble into a chance to score some easy cash and without packing heat! OK, it’s not enough to quit your day job and take early retirement but it might be enough to buy dinner and a round of drinks for you and an enchantingly sexy dinner companion.

Robert De Niro was born Aug. 17, 1943. He shares a birthday with Sean Penn, who was born in 1960.

Leo (July 24-August 23): Resist the urge to put things on your own timetable. Both at work and at play, deals and relationships evolve at their own pace, which may yield surprise benefits. So, just relax and trust that things will work out fine, maybe even better than you expected. Meanwhile, give in to cravings and don’t feel guilty about splurging on an expensive birthday gift for yourself. Relish summer pleasures as spontaneity and romance reign. Follow your intuition on the 6th, 15th and 24th.

Virgo (August 24-September 23): A friend or relative launches a monthlong complain-a-thon, but damn if you didn’t forget which channel it’s on. Oh well, guess you’ll just miss all the woe-is-me excitement. Don’t feel guilty about cutting back the time you spend with closet negheads – you know the ones. Just politely decline when they try to lure you in. Meanwhile, take a spontaneous road trip or wear that daring dress you bought. Summer is the perfect time to mix it up and turn a few heads. Be prepared for lots of attention from the opposite sex the week of the 14th.

Libra (September 24-October 23): Change is in the air and that’s a good thing. Having made a major decision, you are now on the path to new opportunities and an exciting phase of your life. If you encounter any snags, realize that bumps in the road are inevitable and keep on going. Ask for help if you need it – from time to time, even the craftiest femme fatale needs help hauling loot or bouncing ideas around. Even though you’re busy, make time to reward yourself with your favorite guilty pleasures. Patience prevails on the 12th; stand your ground on the 16th.

Lizabeth Scott, an actress with many film-noir credits, was born Sept. 29, 1922; she turns 90 this year.

Scorpio (October 24-November 22): Absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder so tap your inner ice-princess and don’t always be available for that tall, dark and handsome guy. Unless of course he’s tall, dark, handsome and filthy rich. In that case, you can be available at a moment’s notice, especially if he likes to go shopping and insists on taking you to fabulous restaurants. This month, the less you think about cash, the easier it will flow. Don’t sweat the details on the weekend of the 27th.

Sagittarius (November 23-December 22): It’s tempting to tell a dithering friend what to do – take the money and run, for example. However, you may need to devote your energy to making a big decision in your own life. We often regret the things we don’t do more than anything else, but the bottom line is that only you know what’s best – listen to your head and your heart, then stick to your guns (or weapon of choice). Your imagination and prowess for problem solving come into the spotlight as you easily piece together the pieces to a puzzle at work. A sexy surprise awaits you on the 31st.

Capricorn (December 23-January 20): Is there a downside to dating younger men? Well, let’s see, compared with old dudes, they have more energy, nicer attitudes, crisper jokes, less baggage and sweeter dispositions. Oh, and way better (paunch-free) bodies. Nope, no downside there. Go on, enjoy your boy! Meanwhile, work projects proliferate, with one door after another opening and offering fulfillment. Your unique skills are in demand and clients are easy to please. A prediction you made several months ago comes true on the 10th.

Ida Lupino: Feb. 4, 1918-Aug. 3, 1995

Aquarius (January 21-February 19): “Darling, we have a three-day schedule. There’s no time to do anything but to do it.” So said Ida Lupino (Feb. 4, 1918-Aug. 3, 1995) to a Method actor. With typical Aquarian vision and verve, Lupino broke new ground in Golden Age Hollywood by working as an actress, writer, director and producer. Tap her can-do attitude this month when productivity and adhering to deadlines is key. Meanwhile, let yourself be playful in relationships. Glam up for the hell of it on Saturday nights. Life’s too short not to break out the Loubou’s once a week!

Pisces (February 20-March 20): Your independent streak surfaces even more than usual this month. It’s a wonderful quality and key to your success but find time to socialize – it will refuel your energy. As your love life picks up, your days and especially your nights will be downright magical. Relish the attention and have fun being a vamp; don’t rush into any serious conversations. Be sure to look the part of a seductress – sky-high heels perhaps? On a business matter, ask as many questions as you need to around the 19th.

Aries (March 21-April 20): Drama is divine, but tends to be best in small doses. If you’re a bit bored in a relationship, remember that an even keel is usually better than fireworks and fights, which tend to be more exhausting than exhilarating after a while. Enjoy the peace! On the other hand, if you’re the placid one and Man du Jour has a need to create drama just to feel normal, evaluate whether you want that in the long term. Meanwhile, your talents are recognized at work and your expertise is much in demand. Your strength and inner calm averts a crisis on the 25th.

Pam Grier was born May 26, 1949.

Taurus (April 21-May 21): Eager to start a new career chapter? Network like crazy, but remember that sophisticated networking is about connecting and contributing, not just calling in favors or asking for leads. In Vogue’s Book of Etiquette, 1948, you’ll find this handy advice: “If asked why one left a previous job, frankness is the best unless an explanation would involve a loss of proper reticence; for example, “I enjoyed the work, but I wanted a better job,” but not, “I had to leave because I wanted to go west to get a divorce.” Hmm, somehow, “Go west, get a divorce” strikes me an ideal title for a little tome on wicked women and complicated romance.

Gemini (May 22-June 21): You’ll experience a feeling of freedom and joy this month, perhaps just from feeling grateful for the little things like fire-engine red nail polish, fish-net stockings and full-fat ice cream. And be extra thankful for your beautiful, one-of-a-kind body – it was designed to be loved and cherished! Respond to what the moment requires and creativity will flow. Practice saying: “Lie down with your hands up.” This may serve you well since you’ll be spending more time in the yoga studio or gym. On the 18th, make sure your man knows you’re crazy about him.

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Film noir Friday on TCM kicks off a new feature on FNB

June 27, 2012 by

THE NOIR FILE
By Mike Wilmington

A noir-lover’s schedule of film noirs on cable TV. First up: Friday, June 29, an all-noir day on Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Times: Eastern Standard and Pacific Standard.

Friday, June 29
6 a.m. (3 a.m.): “The Letter” (William Wyler, 1940) Bette Davis, in her Bad Bette mode, strings along Herbert Marshall and James Stephenson (but not Gale Sondergaard) in the ultimate movie version of W. Somerset Maugham’s dark colonial tale of adultery, murder and a revealing letter. Like most of Maugham’s stories, this one was based on fact. Script by Howard Koch.

Bogart and Ida Lupino play outlaw lovers in “High Sierra.”

7:45 a.m. (4:45 a.m.): “High Sierra” (Raoul Walsh, 1941) “The ‘Gotterdammerung’ of the gangster movie,” according to Andrew Sarris. Humphrey Bogart and Ida Lupino (both great) as outlaw lovers in Walsh’s classic noir from the W. R. Burnett novel. Script by Burnett and John Huston; with Arthur Kennedy, Cornel Wilde, Barton MacLane, Joan Leslie, Henry Hull and Henry Travers. If you’ve never seen this one, don’t miss it: the last shot is a killer.

9:30 a.m. (6:30 a.m.): “The Fallen Sparrow” (Richard Wallace, 1943) John Garfield, Maureen O’Hara and Walter Slezak in an anti-Fascist thriller, with a Spanish Civil War backdrop. From the novel by Dorothy B. Hughes (“In a Lonely Place”).

11:15 a.m. (8:15 a.m.): “Johnny Angel” (Edwin L. Marin, 1946) Night-life murder mystery with George Raft, Claire Trevor, Signe Hasso and Hoagy Carmichael. Too plain visually, but a nice script by Steve Fisher and Frank Gruber.

John Garfield, Hume Cronyn and Lana Turner share a tense moment in “The Postman Always Rings Twice,” directed by Tay Garnett.

12:45 p.m. (9:45 a.m.): “Deception” (Irving Rapper, 1946) Bette Davis, Claude Rains and Paul Henreid in a stormy classical music triangle. Script by John Collier (“Evening Primrose”), from Louis Verneuil’s play.

2:45 p.m. (11:45 a.m.): “The Postman Always Rings Twice” (Tay Garnett, 1946) John Garfield and Lana Turner make the screen blaze as the bloody, adulterous lovers in this hot-as-hell, cold-as-ice movie of the steamy James M. Cain classic noir sex-and-murder thriller. With Hume Cronyn, Cecil Kellaway and Leon Ames. Script by Niven Busch.

4:45 p.m. (1:45 p.m.): “Hollow Triumph” (aka “The Scar”) (Steve Sekely, 1948) Crime and psychology and doubles and scars, with two Paul Henreids, Joan Bennett and Eduard Franz. Script by first-rate Brooklyn novelist Daniel Fuchs (“Low Company”).

Ava Gardner tempts Charles Laughton in “The Bribe.”

6:15 p.m. (3:15 p.m.): “The Bribe” (Robert Z. Leonard, 1949) Ace femme fatale Ava Gardner tempts Robert Taylor and Charles Laughton. Script by Marguerite Roberts (“True Grit”), from a Frederick Nebel story.

8 p.m. (5 p.m.): “Woman in Hiding” (Michael Gordon, 1950) Marital tension with Ida Lupino, real-life hubby Howard Duff (as the wry love interest) and bad movie hubby Stephen McNally (the villain). Script by Oscar Saul (“The Helen Morgan Story”).

10 p.m. (7 p.m.): “Julie” (Andrew L. Stone, 1956) Doris Day is terrorized by hubby Louis Jourdan. With Barry Sullivan and Frank Lovejoy. Stone scripted.

12 a.m. (9 p.m.): “The Two Mrs. Carrolls” (Peter Godfrey, 1947) Humphrey Bogart, in Bad Bogie mode, has marriage problems with Barbara Stanwyck and Alexis Smith. Nigel Bruce co-stars; Thomas Job scripted.

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Mitzi Gaynor to appear at UCLA’s Jack Cole tribute night

June 27, 2012 by

So many bad girls, so little time ...

Innovative choreographer Jack Cole is finally getting his due. Long neglected in most discussions of dance on film, Cole introduced radically modern ideas and forms to a sphere often treated as merely decorative. He also lent distinction to the careers of stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth, Betty Grable and Mitzi Gaynor. Cole came to Hollywood from the world of nightclubs and Broadway.

Jack Cole

Mitzi Gaynor

As dance critic Debra Levine points out, Cole was a preeminent film choreographer when he joined Twentieth Century Fox to coach Monroe and Jane Russell in 1953’s “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.”

His film portfolio includes remarkable female solos: “Put the Blame on Mame” for Hayworth in the film noir “Gilda” (1946); “No Talent Joe” for Grable in “Meet Me After the Show” (1951) and “Beale Street Blues” for Gaynor in “The I Don’t Care Girl” (1953).

On Saturday, Aug. 4, the UCLA Film & Television Archive is hosting a tribute to Cole. There will be a screening of “The I Don’t Care Girl” and a discussion with Gaynor, Levine and Larry Billman, founder of the Academy of Dance on Film. Directed by Lloyd Bacon, the movie shows Cole’s hyper-stylized choreography to dazzling effect.

The UCLA event precedes Levine’s guest-host appearance on Turner Classic Movies. “Choreography by Jack Cole,” a four-film Cole homage, airs Sept. 10 on TCM.

UCLA’s tribute is at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 4, at the Billy Wilder Theater, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90024, 310-206-8013. Tickets are $10 and I hear they are going fast!

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‘A Little Prince’ recalls Ford family’s ‘perfect’ Hollywood life

June 26, 2012 by

Peter Newton Ford, son of Glenn Ford and Eleanor Powell, grew up among Hollywood royalty. His father rose to stardom with Rita Hayworth in the film noir classic “Gilda” (made by Charles Vidor in 1946, the year after Peter was born). His mother was known as “The Queen of Tap” at MGM.

Life in the Fords’ Beverly Hills mansion looked picture perfect. But, says Peter Ford, much was hidden behind the warm, charming, cheerful exterior and, as his parents’ marriage dissolved, he found himself divided between fantasy and reality. The documentary “A Little Prince” explores his family relationships against the backdrop of Hollywood’s Golden Age, with its mighty magic and sweeping illusions.

“A Little Prince” by Alexander Roman, plays June 29 to July 5 at Laemmle Noho 7, 5240 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA, 91601. There will be a Q&A with Ford and Roman on Saturday, June 30, and Sunday, July 1.

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Film noir feline stars: The cat in ‘Strange Love of Martha Ivers’

June 22, 2012 by

The butler tries to help Martha (Janis Wilson) keep Bundles safe.

More on the most famous kitties in film noir …

The Cat in “The Strange Love of Martha Ivers” 1946

Name: Marvin Saperstein

Character Name: Bundles

Bio: As I mentioned in my “Martha Ivers” review, it is Bundles the kitten who, through no fault of his own, sparks the chain of evil events that unfold in this noir melodrama.

The malevolent Mrs. Ivers (Dame Judith Anderson), a bit of a fat cat herself, hates anything that her niece Martha (Janis Wilson) loves, in particular, the girl’s treasured feline. But it’s one thing to say you hate a cat, it’s another thing to give it a brutal beating with your cane. Some would argue that Martha’s badass retaliation against her aunt was exactly what the nasty old lady deserved. (You could also argue that Martha, as an adult, symbolizes the corruption and decadence of capitalism, but that’s another post.)

Australian-born Dame Judith Anderson was a Broadway and film actress. She had a particular gift for playing snide, snooty matrons.

Anyway, back to Bundles, known offscreen as Marvin Saperstein. After his performance in this film, he acquired a reputation as a bruiser and found that working as a bodyguard for an alley cat named Lucky Malone, who controlled the downtown LA feline nightclub circuit, paid far better than working as an actor. The Sap, as he was called, had more to offer than just brawn, however. With a keen eye for spotting singers and other talent, and sharp negotiation skills, it wasn’t long before he became an agent and protector for a number of A-list feline entertainers.

When Malone was discovered dead in his Beverly Hills home (his oft-meowed claim to having 19 lives apparently false), the Sap took over the business and acquired great power by not only managing careers, but also by overseeing the covert gambling that took place in the clubs.

Saperstein never married, though he had a string of relationships with noted cat celebs such as Lola Pawsingham, Clawdette Montgomery and Fluffy Taylor. He prided himself on his Brentwood mansion as well as his enormous collection of diamond-studded collars and imported catbeds. Though he was dogged by the police, no charges ever stuck, likely because of The Sap’s close friendship with Tiger Brown, pet cat of L.A’s driven and often drunk police chief, Bill Parker. Saperstein died in Palm Springs in 1976.

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