Movie Review: Racket Busters (1938)

A routine low budget crime drama, Racket Busters is a flat story of truckers caught between goons and government.

In New York City, gangster boss John Martin (Humphrey Bogart) is gradually exerting control over elected officials, and turns his attention to domination of the city's food market. He unleashes his thugs to intimidate the food truckers into joining a new union under his control. The government responds by appointing Special Prosecutor Hugh Allison (Walter Abel) to break up the rackets.

Trucker Denny Jordan (George Brent), his business partner Skeets Wilson (Allen Jenkins) and old-school honest union boss Pop Wilson (Oscar O'Shea) are all opposed to Martin's power grab. Initially Denny takes a strong public stand to oppose the criminals, but when he is frozen out of a living and his pregnant wife Nora (Gloria Dickson) is imperiled, he has a difficult decision to make. In the meantime, Martin does not hesitate to leave a trail of victims as he muscles in on his next target group, the food supply merchants.

A filler feature recycling overused themes from the Warner Bros. crime repertoire, Racket Busters offers nothing new in a story of featureless hardhead goons threatening salt-of-the-earth truckers. But at least the film does not overstay its welcome: director Lloyd Bacon hustles the hard boiled action along in a B-movie appropriate 75 minutes, and does capture some decent street mood scenes with good camera work down at the bustling food market.

Humphrey Bogart's name was retroactively elevated to the top of the credit list once he achieved fame a couple of years later, but his role is quite secondary. He appears in just a few short scenes as intimidating crime boss Martin, and otherwise disappears for long stretches.

The real main character is independent trucker Denny Jordan, and co-writers Robert Rossen and Leonardo Bercovici send the protagonist on a wild and unlikely ride, first intent on stopping the racketeers with his fists, then suddenly changing course to meekly play along, before just as suddenly rediscovering his soul and working his way into a ridiculous climactic brawl. George Brent is miscast and fails to convince in any iteration of the role. 

The good government guys are represented by Walter Abel in the role of Hugh Allison, a character inspired by celebrated real life prosecutor Thomas E. Dewey. Abel is unable to do much in a repetitive portrayal, beseeching the truckers to resist the racketeers then failing to protect them when they do so.

Racket Busters is standard and uninspired, but also economical and unpretentious.

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Movie Review: The Spiral Staircase (1946)

A woman-under-threat suspense thriller, The Spiral Staircase boasts impressive visuals and a gloomy milieu.

It's 1906, and a serial killer is terrorizing a small rural New England town. All the victims are women with physical disabilities. Helen (Dorothy McGuire) is mute, and is attending a movie when the killer strikes again, murdering a woman with a limp. With a thunder-and-lightning storm erupting and nighttime approaching, Helen feels threatened that she could be the next victim. The kindly Doctor Parry (Kent Smith) helps her scramble home to the mansion of the bedridden Mrs. Warren (Ethel Barrymore), where Helen is a housekeeper. 

The staff members include the groundskeeper-and-cook couple Mr. and Mrs. Oates (Rhys Williams and Elsa Lanchester) and Nurse Barker (Sara Allgood). Professor Albert Warren (George Brent) is the man of the house, and his stepbrother Steven (Gordon Oliver) is in town for a visit. Steven is romancing Albert's secretary Blanche (Rhonda Fleming), who also lives at the Warren estate. A constable arrives to warn Albert that the killer is in the area, setting up Helen for a long and terrifying night.

A seminal chapter in the suspense-bordering-on-horror genre, The Spiral Staircase helped define the language of violent slasher whodunnits. By 1946 standards the scenes of murder are disturbing if not shocking, director Robert Siodmak somehow getting away with showing flailing limbs as life seeps out of victims.

Other stylistic punctuation marks provide further jolts. A close-up focus on the killer's eye transitions to point-of-view shots, and in one case the killer sees a victim's disability in a clever bit of superimposed mind-of-the-murderer terror. Siodmak makes excellent use of deep shadows and candlelight to heighten the drama in the spooky Warren mansion, the wine cellar - at the bottom of the titular spiral staircase - providing many opportunities for misadventures in the dark. And the thunder, lightning and pouring rain emphasize the siege mentality.

The Mel Dinelli script establishes the killer-is-in-the-house premise early, with Mrs. Warren urging Helen at the start of the evening to pack up and leave, because only bad things can happen if she stays at the estate. The Spiral Staircase then unfolds with some theatrical constraints, all the scenes confined to a few rooms and the pool of candidate murderers limited to the sparse members of the cast.

But a couple of performances rise above the limitations of the material. Dorothy McGuire as the mute Helen builds enormous empathy, conveying emotion without over-acting as Helen struggles against both her affliction and the threat of an unknown murderer. And Ethel Barrymore takes over gargoyle duties as the elderly matron confined to her bed, drifting in and out of consciousness and yet seemingly aware of everything that has happened and is about to happen. Her frequent forebodings add a surreal current of dread.

In a compact 84 minutes and over just one night, The Spiral Staircase packs in psychological trauma, multiple murders, inter-family conflict and a touch of romance, and helps construct the twisty foundations for many thrillers to come.

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The Movies Of George Brent

All movies starring George Brent and reviewed on the Ace Black Movie Blog are linked below:

The Painted Veil (1934)

Jezebel (1938)

Racket Busters (1938)

Dark Victory (1939)

The Rains Came (1939)

The Spiral Staircase (1946)

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The Movie Star Index is here.

Movie Review: The Painted Veil (1934)

A drama about adultery and atonement, The Painted Veil is bogged down by stiff execution.

The initial setting is Austria. After her younger sister gets married, Katrin (Greta Garbo) feels the pressure and hastily agrees to wed the earnest but uncharismatic Dr. Walter Fane (Herbert Marshall). He loves her, but she is ambivalent. They relocate to China, where Walter is quickly preoccupied with fighting a cholera epidemic.

The neglected Katrin is charmed by British diplomat Jack Townsend (George Brent), who is himself married but unabashedly lusts after Katrin. She cannot resist his charms, and with Walter intent on pursuing the inland source of the worsening epidemic, Katrin's marriage is soon in a heap of trouble.

Directed by Richard Boleslawski and based on a W. Somerset Maugham story, The Painted Veil offers a dependable Greta Garbo performance and a decent recreation of Chinese locations on the MGM backlot.

But otherwise this is a stodgy drama about a cold marriage, infidelity and attempted redemption, with unconvincing performances by Herbert Marshall and George Brent. The cholera sub-plot could have added some intrigue, but is poorly handled. Somehow Dr. Fane takes on the role of dictative commander and social disruptor, issuing orders to the Chinese military. Walter is eventually undone by his own preposterous actions, and it's not in the film's favour that his consequent punishment appears richly deserved.

Garbo lights up the screen whenever she is on it, draping her co-stars in long shadows, but she is not helped by a character who demonstrates ill judgment at every turn. The noisy recreations of Chinese culture, festivals, rural hardship and epidemic-induced panic are passable as an exotic distraction from the dull plot.

The Painted Veil cannot hide Garbo's transcendent talent, but neither can she lift the drama above the doldrums.

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Movie Review: Jezebel (1938)

A melodrama and romance set in the deep south, Jezebel features a captivating story and an unforgettable central character.

New Orleans, 1852. Julie Marsden (Bette Davis) is a young and headstrong woman from a rich family, engaged to banker Preston Dillard (Henry Fonda). Julie is not beyond using eligible bachelor Buck Cantrell (George Brent) to make Preston jealous. When Preston misses a date due to a business meeting Julie feels particularly snubbed. She plots to cause a scandal at a social event to force him to prove his commitment. Preston calls her bluff, causing her great embarrassment. Tired of her antics he breaks off the engagement and leaves New Orleans to New York.

A year later an epidemic of yellow fever is sweeping through New Orleans, while talk of an impending civil war begins to dominate social circles. Julie is delighted to hear that Preston is coming back to town, and she plans to apologize for her past behaviour and win back his love. She organizes a welcome party at the family's Halcyon Plantation, but when Preston arrives, a bitter surprise awaits Julie.

Directed by William Wyler and co-written by John Huston, Jezebel is based on the 1933 Owen Davis play. The film is a compelling cinematic experience, Wyler comprehensively breaking free of any stage constraints and delivering a visually rich 103 minutes. The pacing is brisk and the energy level high, thanks in large measure to the main character of Julie Marsden. She is substantively ahead of her time, extending the feisty southern belle convention towards a streak of rebellious female independence that would only emerge in broader society more than 100 years after the film's setting.

And Julie is brought to life by Bette Davis in one of her defining performances. Davis earned the Best Actress Academy Award as she runs across the full spectrum of emotions. Julie is never far from cold, conniving and calculating, but she can also be anxious, giddy, playful, excited, seductive and crestfallen. Helped by Wyler's clever shot selection, Davis nails every transition, perfectly marrying her passions to the story's shifting societal and personal dynamics.

The plot is filled to the brim with issues and events. In addition to the romance, Jezebel features helpings of business, politics, and even a pistols-at-dawn duel. The yellow fever epidemic emerges as a major sub-plot in the final third, and Wyler does not shy away from showing the impact of a rampant deadly virus in an urban area.

The dialogue is crisp, and the exchanges short and sharp. The lavish sets are complemented by a series of stunning gowns worn by Davis. Many of the secondary characters make meaningful contributions, including Donald Crisp as a doctor and Preston's friend and mentor, Richard Cromwell as Preston's brother, and Fay Bainter as Julie's aunt.

Julie's stubborn impulsiveness is both her charm and her flaw, and her unique spirit propels Jezebel into a captivating orbit.

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Movie Review: The Rains Came (1939)

A character drama and serious romance set against a mammoth natural disaster, The Rains Came offers excellent special effects, powerful emotions, and memorable characters in an exotic location.

Tom Ransome (George Brent) is an American artist living the lazy expatriate life in the fictional city of Ranchipur, India, where the respected but childless Maharaja (H.B. Warner) and Maharani (Maria Ouspenskaya) throw lavish parties for society's elites. Tom's apathetic routine is disrupted when he meets Fern Simon (Brenda Joyce), the daughter of local missionaries. Fern develops a serious crush, and latches on to Tom as a potential escape route away from her parents. Around the same time, the uppity and bored Lady Edwina Esketh (Myrna Loy) and her insufferable older husband Lord Albert (Nigel Bruce) arrive for a visit.

Edwina and Tom were formerly lovers, but although he is willing to resume an affair, she is not as interested. Instead, Edwina sets her sights on Major Rama Safti (Tyrone Power), a distinguished local doctor. Edwina pursues Rama aggressively, but he maintains his distance, not impressed but her haughty airs. With emotions at a fever pitch, the drought of Ranchipur suddenly comes to an end with a period of intense rain. A major earthquake then hits the area, causing a dam to breach and a massively destructive flood. The hospital is overwhelmed, Rama's medical skills are tested to the limit, while Tom, Fern, Edwina have to readjust their priorities in a devastated city.

An adaptation of the Louis Bromfield novel and directed by Clarence Brown, The Rains Came is a serious story given lavish treatment. Tom, Fern, Edwina and Rama create a romance-driven foursome with plenty of flaws, passion and varying levels of ambition. Despite plenty of local flavour and an abundance of sights and sounds to evoke India, Brown keeps the focus on his main characters, and the film succeeds in unveiling a grand story through an intimate lens.

When the time comes for spectacle, Brown does not hold back. Coming at almost the exact halfway point of the film's 105 minutes, the scenes of rain, then earthquake, then flood are exceptionally good for the era. In convincing fashion, the ground shakes, buildings fall, a dam breaks, and an entire city is devastated, streets turn to rivers, estate grounds turn to mush, and mass panic ensues. The sequence is thrilling as cinema and heartbreaking as unspeakable tragedy. The Rains Came deservedly nabbed the first Special Effects Academy Award, beating out the likes of Gone With The Wind and The Wizard Of Oz.

The natural disaster creates a massive inflection point. Caught in an isolated disaster zone, Tom, Fern, Edwina and Rama have to deal with a new reality, and the decisions they now have to make will change the trajectories of their lives. New bonds will form, self-discoveries made, and destinies confronted. The wise and wily Maharani keeps a watchful eye, taking a broader view than just personal interest, influencing events from a distance but influencing them nevertheless.

The performances are solid, with Myrna Loy particularly notable in an against-type role as she guides Lady Esketh on a journey from rich, privileged and spoiled to a woman seeing the world through the eyes of love, perhaps for the very first time. George Brent is appropriately caustic in a Clark Gable-type incarnation. Maria Ouspenskaya is a revelation as the crafty Maharani. Tyrone Power and Brenda Joyce are also good, but perhaps more stock. Henry Travers and Jane Darwell appear in smallish supporting roles.

There are some missteps in the movie. The romantic entanglements tend to overwhelm the film at the expense of other developments, and some of the dramatic romance elements veer into weepy melodrama, with a few too many scenes emphasizing longing and desperation. Fern is a bit too brash, while Lord Albert Esketh is milked for some mild buffoonery and then cast aside too easily. While the portrayals of the Maharani and Rama are dignified and there is some talk about a better future for India led by Indians, all the other local characters disappear to the background.

But overall, there is plenty to enjoy, and four characters to care for. When cholera sweeps through the destroyed Ranchipur, death comes calling with renewed vigour within the hospital walls, bringing a new urgency to unresolved relationships. Rama is a man of his people, Tom, Fern and Edwina are strangers in a friendly land, and all will come to terms with love, life and the winds of change emanating from a ravaged city.

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Movie Review: Dark Victory (1939)

A life-in-the-face-of-death drama, Dark Victory is enlivened by a radiant Bette Davis performance but otherwise marches straight ahead to its inevitable conclusion.

Popular society girl Judith Traherne (Davis) enjoys the Long Island rich life of upper class parties, friends, suitors and business associates, including wealthy potential suitor Alec Hamm (Ronald Reagan). Her secretary Ann King (Geraldine Fitzgerald) is also her best friend and close confidant. Even stablehand Michael (Humphrey Bogart) is infatuated with her. When Judith has a riding accident caused by blurred vision and a persistent headache, Ann expresses her concern and insists that Judith consult with a doctor.

Judith's family doctor Parsons (Henry Travers) concludes she needs expert help and connects her with brain specialist doctor Frederick Steele (George Brent). He accepts the case although he is about to close his practice and move to Vermont to concentrate on the growing field of brain disease research. Steele pushes past Judith's denial and diagnoses her with a brain tumour. He successfully operates and she recovers, but Steele's subsequent diagnosis indicates that the tumour will return and Judith will lose her eyesight and die within a few months. Steele is falling in love with his patient, and decides to not tell her about her fate in an attempt to give her some months of happiness.

A straight-ahead weepy drama, Dark Victory builds up to a melodramatic ending on the shoulders of Davis' performance. She dominates the film as Judith comes to terms with her fate, journeying from denial to hope after the first operation, then anger, love and acceptance. Director Edmund Goulding carefully constructs the film around his leading lady, and she sets the emotional tone on the journey to a prolonged, melancholy (and quite blatantly manipulative) denouement designed to release the floodgates of tears, at least for the audiences of the day, not yet exposed to the myriad of disease-of-the-week television productions.

Of the rest of the cast, Fitzgerald as best friend Ann provides a stable point of reference for Judith's ordeal. George Brent is adequate, and provided with reasonable depth as a doctor ready to move away from his practice but finally finding a compelling case and an enthralling patient to delay his career move into research.

Not much else happens in Dark Victory, as the characters of Michael (a gruff Humphrey Bogart on the cusp of stardom) and Alec (Ronald Reagan trying for smooth but achieving awkward) are sketched in but given relatively little to do. There is a minor sub-plot involving Judith and Michael engaging in a running debate about the potential of Challenger, one of Judith's horses, but that story never seems to leave the stable.

Dark Victory establishes modest goals and attains them easily, not as much a stunning victory as a typically polished achievement for Ms. Davis.

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