"Sudden death sells papers."

In the 1950ies Fritz Lang made three movies, which would become known as his newspaper noir trio. The first one is based on a story by Vera Caspary: THE BLUE GARDENIA.

In a nutshell:

On her birthday Norah Larkin (Anne Baxter) receives a letter from her boyfriend, who is positioned in Korea: he has met another woman and is in love with her.

When playboy Harry Prebbles (Raymond Burr) calls to invite Norah's roommate Chrytal (Ann Sothern) Norah accepts in lieu of Chrystal and meets him in the Blue Gardenia Club. Harry manages that she gets drunk and when she goes with him into his appartment he tries to rape her. She defends herself with a poker.

On the next morning at home she can't remember anything - meanwhile Harry Prebble is found death - next to him Norah's shoes, her handkerchief and the blue gardenia she was gifted from him. For headlines journalist Casey Mayo (Richard Conte) tries to find the "Blue Gardenia Murderess" - and falls for Norah.

Watch out for:

• Nat King Cole's cameo as a barsinger - singing the title song BLUE GARDENIA - and George Reeves as Police Cap. Sam Haynes.

Schmooze:

• Norah's roommate Sally (Jeff Donnell - her real name was Jean Marie Donnell) likes to read Mickey Mallet-thrillers - this is a parody of Mickey Spillane novels, which are as horrible as the Mickey Mallet novels which are described in this film.
  
• On a magazine cover (COLLIER'S WEEKLY) at the magazine booth you can spot Rosemary Clooney.
  
• George Reeves starred as Superman in the tv series ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN (1952 -1958) and he has also a part in GONE WITH THE WIND (1939, -> Stuart Tarleton).
  
• Neslon Riddle did the arrangements for the song BLUE GARDENIA.
  
• The German title is GARDENIA - EINE FRAU WILL VERGESSEN (lit. = "Gardenia - A Woman Wants To Forget"), which is quite funny because the heroine of this film tries to remember..
  
• The French title is LA FEMME AU GARDÉNIA (lit. = The Woman With Gardenia).
• The two other newspaper noirs by Fritz Lang are WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS (1956) and BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT (also 1956).
  

Sight-Read:

• PRELUDE and LIEBESTOD from TRISTAN & ISOLDE by Richard Wagner.
  
  

Celebrate the celluloid:

• You could wear a blue gardenia,
  
• drink Polynesian Pearl Divers (rum, pineapple juice and ice - I figured it out myself so it might be not accurate - but I do know that Pearl Divers are usually mixed with rum - and pineapple juice and ice are mentioned by Raymond Burr as Harry Prebble..) or
  
• coffee - and also you can
  
• eat a hamburger.
  

My favourite feature:

The Blue Gardenia Club - it so glamourous: Imagine going out and Nat King Cole sings in the backround..

My favourite characters:

I like Norah's roommates Chrystal and Sally - but maybe Chrystal the most for she has the wittiest lines..

Scene to see:

The Blue Gardenia club scenes - esp. Nat King Cole singing.


Window shopping:

Norah's black taffeta dress, Chrystal's pyjamas and the big basket-chairs from the Blue Gardenia Club.


Quotes corner:

"Come on, Chrystal, I made another mistake."

There are some analogies to Vera Caspary's LAURA: The housekeeper is destroys some of the evidences and that working girl theme, which I do love most in Vera Caspary's stories. I also like the flat the three women are living in - but I would go berserk, if I hadn't a room of my own.

Anne Baxter is one of my favourite actresses and I do like Ann Sothern, too - so that's why I wanted to see this film. And I really enjoyed it!

There are some people who say that the scene in which Harry tries to rape Norah is not convincing for Raymond Burr was homosexual - but I don't agree with this opinion. I do not think that the sexual orientation (resp. political or wathever else orientation) matters. It is no argument for not being convinced by a performance. If anyone thinks that a homosexual actor is not convincing in this kind of perfomance because of his orientation, I guess a real rapist would be more convincing.?

Then I know people who say that this scene is much too tame - I think, you have to get the meaning of a scene. If you want to see real violation you maybe should watch another kind of movie or a really creepy documentation. - It is Hollywood for God's sake! What also means: You got to do a little bit of the thinking by yourself. ;")

Sorry, that was just something that I had to say. Speaking of convincing: When Richard Conte tips the ashtray over - it makes me laugh because he does it sooo low-key..

And now my pretty civilised résumé:

BLUE GARDENIA is a great picture and you should watch it, even if you are allergic to gardenias.

Goodbye - I'll go and watch another movie - or this one again?


"Honey, if a girl kills every man who gets fresh with her - how much male population you'd think would be left?"

"I am legally dead!"

It was the first film, that Fritz Lang made in America after he flew from the Nazi regime in Germany - yes, I am talking about FURY (1936).

In a nutshell:

Joe Wilson (Spencer Tracy) and Katherine Grant (Sylvia Sidney) are engaged to be married. To raise money Katherine goes west and takes a job as a teacher, while Joe stays in Chicago and - together with his brothers Charlie (Frank Albertson) and Tom (George Walcott) - establishes a filling station.

A year has elapsed and on the way to Katherine (finally the date for the wedding is set) Joe is mistaken for a wanted kidnapper and arrested. Gossip goes wild in that small town called Strand and a furios mob - leaded by Kirby Dawson (Bruce Cabot), a local ne'er-do-well - rages against the prison, where Joe is locked, and blows it up.

Joe is believed to be buried to death but he has survived. He pretends to be dead and goes back to his brothers, where he hides out. Tom and Charlie bring 22 citizens, who were ivolved in the lynching, to trial. The witnesses tell lies to protect the defendants. Joe anonymously sents evidence, which prove Katherine that he is still alive. Tom and Charlie change their opinions and want to withdraw the charge, whilst Joe is all "eye for an eye". Finally he changes his mind and in the moment the defendants are about to hear wether they are found guilty or not guilty he steps in the court.

Watch out for:

• Walter Brennan (who may be bestknown as "Stumpy" in RIO BRAVO),
• George Chandler (one of the Sheriff's helpers - amongst others he was the bell hop in LIBELED LADY) and
• Walter Abel, who gives a marvellous perfomance as district attorney.
• And if you wonder wether you know that youngster at the salon yelling: "Come on, let's have some fun!" - it's George Offerman, jr, whom you may know from A LETTER TO THREE WIVES.

Schmooze:

• Rainbow, Joe's dog, was portrayed by no one but Terry, who you may know as "Toto" of THE WIZARD OF OZ - I forgot to mention that in my last post: Terry has a fighting scene in THE WOMEN at "Sydneys"! She later would star under the name "Toto". (Guess why!)
• Ward Bond and Clara Blandick (another cast member of THE WIZARD OF OZ) did scenes but were cutted out.
• It was the only film Sylvia Sidney made for MGM.
• FURY was Leila Bennett's (who plays the "modiste" Edna Hooper) last picture.

Celebrate the celluloid:

Eat salted peanuts!

Murphy's law:

• When the newsreel pictures a held you can still hear the projector.
• After Kirby Dawson has thrown a stone into the sheriff's office you can see, that he had worn out one bar. When the sheriff goes to the window and looks out of it, there is no bar left - boy, what a pitch!!

My favourite feature:

The wedding ring Katherine gives to Joe! It is engraved "Henry to Katherine to Joe" - Henry was her father and she is named after her mother - In my opinion this ring says: "You are part of my family." and I think this is a really, really wonderful thing to say to someone.

Scene to see:

The court scenes are a must - and because half the movie takes place in the court, you might as well watch the whole movie.. ;")

Wishlist:

I simply love Sylvia Sidneys' hats and I would like to get some of the flowers of the flowershop Spencer Tracy gazes at..

This film is really awesome. Sometimes I wonder that the newsreel pictures show so many angles - but that's allright with me.

It is quite creepy to see that mob go off the rails. (I confess: especially the women!) - And each time I wonder wether I should laugh about that visual analogy between the chatting women and the gaggling chicken or should I be offended. (Most of the time I laugh..)

And my favourite line is that about a citizen "peaceably armed with an axe". Terrific!!

By the way: To those who expected a post about "that horse-movie": There are actually NO horses - I have checked that. But don't be sad: There're a few puppys in it. (who don't look like their mother, but: they're dogs and that's possibly the main point..)

Goodbye - I'll go and watch another movie. Because:

"An impuls is an impulse. It's like an itch. You gotta scratch it."