The Whole Sick Crew

Sleep, My Love

A 1948 film from Triangle Productions that was directed by Douglas Sirk. It's based on a novel by Leo Rosten.

Allison (played by Claudette Colrbet) wakes up in a train headed to Boston. Her confusion turns into panic. Last night, she'd gone to bed in her home in NYC. Now she's going somewhere with no idea how she got on the train or WHY her husband's gun is in her possession.

At the same time, her husband Richard (played by Don Ameche) has called the police to report Allison missing. But, just before the investigation gets going, she calls Richard from the train station. He sends her a plane ticket for her to return home . . .

I'm gonna be vague in order to keep the mystery of the plot under wraps.

FWIW, I'm not super familiar with Colbert's work outside of It Happened One Night, so my impression of her when I started watching this movie was v. incomplete. Like the rest of the cast, she does a decent job in her role as a devoted wife of a rich architect. To my utter lack of shock, I liked Robert Cummings as Bruce, a friend of a friend of Allison's. He rocks it in his role.

A special shoutout goes to Hazel Brooks as Daphne. First of all, she's gorgeous. Secondly, her voice is surprisingly deep. And that, combined with her glamourpuss aesthetic elevates her dialogue to a deliciously campy level. EVERY LINE SHE SAYS has this undercurrent of vampiness that I LOVED. I do wished the movie had been from her point of view cuz she was a lot of a lot.

This next thing is something that really surprised me abt the movie. Because there was a moment where Bruce and Allison go to Bruce's brother's wedding. His brother, Jimmie (played by Keye Luke) is Chinese American. The wedding is fully Chinese. As far as I could tell, I didn't see anyone in yellowface. FTR, I'm not Chinese, so take my lack of squickiness because I didn't pick up on any blatant or oblique racism against Chinese folks with a tiny grain of salt.

Douglas Sirk and Joseph A. Valentine, his cinematographer, KNEW what kind of movie they wanted to shoot. The majority of the film takes place in Allison and Richard's 3-story brownstone that has a gorgeous terrace. Throughout the movie, there's excellent use of SPACE. Frex, there were scenes where characters would be looking for someone who happened to be hiding up on the 3rd floor. Also some scenes of ppl going up and down the stairs that truly worked. There's a good sense of how tall and expansive the home is (which includes a conservatory.)

The story is okay. It's watchable.


Do I have any criticisms?

I have 3, but two of them are SPOILERS.

Again, keep in mind that I'm gonna spoil HUGE THINGS abt this film

SPOILER 1

By the end of the first 10 minutes, it was super clear that the main plot was one of intense gaslighting. NGL, that made me lose some interest in the movie a little.

SPOILER 2

The potential romance between Allison and Bruce was poorly handled.

OK, so iMO, Allison did love her husband, but it was more of the kind of love someone has for a friend. However, she'd only known Bruce for abt a week. And yet they not only had excellent chemistry but, whenever they talked, Allison would GLOW. She'd come alive regardless of the conversation topic. It legit didn't matter if it was the weather, food, his friends, etc cuz it was their INTERACTIONS that livens her up.

OFC, since she's married, though, the movie gets as close to the edge of the line that she'd have to cross into infidelity as it can get. By the end, Allison and Bruce as holding each other and it's super clear that they'll be together, but they had so much sparkage that it drove me nuts that they never kissed.

END OF SPOILERS

The third one has to do with Det. Sgt. Strake (played by Raymond Burr). As soon as he showed up, I perked the F up because he's one of my faves. Unfortch, he's deffo a background character who only pops in two scenes. :|


Do I recommend it?

I do . . . if you have an hour and a half ot kill? Some of the romantic aspects are much subtler than I'd generally liked and the mood was a bit uneven. It's online. I give it a 2.4 out of 5.


Queerness level

Zip.

Johnny O'Clock

A 1947 movie from J.E.M. Productions directed by Robert Rossen.

Johnny O'Clock (played by Dick Powell) co-runs a casino alongside Guido Marchettis (S.Thomas Gomez). He's a guy who knows all the angles, moves, scams, and whatnot. Harriet (played by Nina Foch), a hat-check girl, is someone Johnny's friendly with. She happens to be in a volatile relationship with crooked cop!Chuck Blayden (played by Jim Bannon).

Things get v. complicated when Blayden disappears and Harriet is found dead.

AND THEN, Nancy (played by Evelyn Keyes), Harriet's sister, shows up wanting answers. Not to mention the dangerous mess that is Nell (played by Ellen Drew), Guido's wife, who won't let Johnny go.

ON TOP OF ALL THAT, there's a cop named Koch (played by Lee J. Cobb) who keeps clashing with Johnny. (Personally, I got the feeling he was envious or jealous of him? #Unsure)

This is a CHAOTIC story, hahah. Everyone's acting is on deck. Dick Powell is someone who I first met in musicals, so it wasn't until much later that I discovered his noir movies. In this case, he plays the part really well. The film has extremely snappy dialogue, the kind that calls attention to itself. The artificiality of it all actually works; EVERYONE has at least two lines that are ridic witty.

It's a v. interesting noir.


Do I have any criticisms?

The story's kinda convoluted. There's the mystery of Harriet's death, the disappearance of the crooked cop, the mobster's wife who is obsessed with Johnny, and the viewer is never quite sure WHAT KIND OF CHARACTER Johnny actually is. OTOH, he's not a villain, but he's not an anti-hero either.

There's a scene where another character calls him out for being the type of person who not only will never pick a side, but who is also deeply selfish. And Johnny shrugs that character off. I do agree with that character's assessment of Johnny cuz, FWIW, you're never quite sure of his motivations. Even after finding out abt his background and how he ended up as a casino co-owner.

Finally, Powell has some chemistry with Evelyn Kayes (who I know as the wife in The Seven Year Itch movie with Marilyn Monroe.) But it's not strong enough.


Do I recommend it?

Sure. I had a good time watching it despite the jumbled plot and my ??? abt Johnny and Koch's motivations. I think you can watch it on Tubi (plus additional copies floating on YouTube.) Gonna give it a 2.9 out of 5


Queerness level:

None.


Le trailer

Watch on YouTube

The Chase (YouTube)

A 1946 movie from Nero Films and directed by Arthur Ripley. It's based on the novel The Black Path of Fear by Cornell Woolrich.

The movie is abt Chuck Scott (played by Robert Cummings), a down on his luck WW2 veteran who, thru an act of kindness, ends up as the chauffeur for a Miami gangster called Eddie Roman (played by Steve Cochran). Now with a steady job and a place to live, Chuck is doing okay! That is, until he forms a bond with Lorna (played by Michèle Morgan)--who just happens to be Eddie's wife…

Actingwise, things are solid. Cummings and Peter Lorre (as Eddie's right hand man Gino) are good. Cochran plays his gangster role with this suave vibe who will turn violent in an instant. I like how he plays Eddie in a way that will unsettle viewers; he also has a v. magnetic persona.

Do I have any criticisms?

The plot feels like two movies in one (and not in a good way). With the first half being verrrrrry noirish as the suspense keeps building up. Then something happens that has the story change lanes in a way that made me MUPPET FACE at the screen.

Lorna as a character was uninteresting. I'm not sure if it was the direction or Morgan's own acting limits or what. She had a couple of good scenes with Cochran and then I'd be like "whatever, girl."


Do I recommend it?

I do as long as you accept that the movie will take a sharp turn. It's also only an hour and 30. I"m giving it a 2.1 out of 5. I didn't feel like I wasted my time watching it, but it's not one I'll rewatch any time soon or, like, ever.

Queerness level:

An argument can be made for Gino's closeness and protectiveness toward Eddie. At least, the way Lorre plays him. YMMV.


Le trailer

Watch on YouTube