Westerns

[moirafinnie]

Maybe BD was just a mean SOB ?

From what I've been able to find out about Brian Donlevy, I wouldn't characterize him as "a mean SOB", just a typical, wildly insecure actor. And, like many of his generation and profession, one with a drinking problem. But then, *sigh*, I'd drink too if I were stuck making Curse of the Fly and Gammera the Invincible after over forty years as an actor.

I'd love to find a decent biography of him.

You might try the links below, one of which is a post I wrote about the actor. His off-camera behavior may not have been exemplary at all times, though I like the guy, for some reason. This probably has more to do with movies like The Great McGinty and Impact than any schoolboy bluster he may have exhibited on a movie set. Btw, in director William Wellman's autobiography, "A Short Time for Insanity: An Autobiography", he mentions the isolation and boredom that afflicted the all-male crew on the set of Beau Geste, (which grew even more acute for cast and crew after the local bordello burned down). So maybe some of the "let's take revenge on Donlevy's Markoff antics" was the product of this overwhelming atmosphere of machismo and stultifying frustration--which I suspect may have been fueled by the mischief maker in Wellman. Besides, Donlevy probably felt pretty threatened by the big, strapping, young guys surrounding his military martinet character in Beau Geste and in Wake Island.

Brian Donlevy Official Webpage

Brian Donlevy: "A Tough Guy, Not a Wrong Guy"

[klondike]

But then, *sigh*, I'd drink too if I were stuck making Curse of the Fly and Gammera the Invincible after over forty years as an actor.

I sure can't speak for Gammera the Invincible, but hey, no joking, have you ever seen Curse of the Fly?
I'll bet you tomorrow's lunch money that you'd be very surprised!
To begin with, it's not truly a horror film at all; eerie sci-fi/mystery probably cuts a lot closer to the film's marrow, but even that misses the mark by a whisker or so.
And there is no "Fly" within this movie at all; the only thing that makes it even remotely a sequel is that it follows the further exploits of the actual family that the original film's protagonist came from, and in doing so explores a bold new concept: what if an entire generation or 2 of that family had all been brilliant physicists, and had made it their secret quest to perfect the science of atomic transportation?
Not to mention that Curse of the Fly's entire cinematic axis is skewed: the film begins by chronicling the nighttime escape of a barely-dressed lass from a mental asylum, and we meet the infamous Delambre clan along with her, experiencing much of their weird, creepy charm through her senses, as she is welcomed into their rambling gothic estate.
From there, things get very strange, and very twisty, as we begin to suspect, along with a nosy police inspector, and a mysterious, midnight piano player, that maybe London, England and backcountry Ontario really are mere seconds apart . . . !
Spoil it I shan't by divulging any more, except to say that if you would be intrigued by a collaboration between Val Lewton on opium & a menopausal Charlotte Bronte, adapted for the screen by Rod Serling on a dare, this might just be your cup of tea (just make sure you switch cups when the host isn't looking)!

[moirafinnie]

But then, *sigh*, I'd drink too if I were stuck making Curse of the Fly and Gammera the Invincible after over forty years as an actor.

I sure can't speak for Gammera the Invincible, but hey, no joking, have you ever seen Curse of the Fly?
I'll bet you tomorrow's lunch money that you'd be very surprised!
To begin with, it's not truly a horror film at all; eerie sci-fi/mystery probably cuts a lot closer to the film's marrow, but even that misses the mark by a whisker or so.
And there is no "Fly" within this movie at all; the only thing that makes it even remotely a sequel is that it follows the further exploits of the actual family that the original film's protagonist came from, and in doing so explores a bold new concept: what if an entire generation or 2 of that family had all been brilliant physicists, and had made it their secret quest to perfect the science of atomic transportation?
Not to mention that Curse of the Fly's entire cinematic axis is skewed: the film begins by chronicling the nighttime escape of a barely-dressed lass from a mental asylum, and we meet the infamous Delambre clan along with her, experiencing much of their weird, creepy charm through her senses, as she is welcomed into their rambling gothic estate.
From there, things get very strange, and very twisty, as we begin to suspect, along with a nosy police inspector, and a mysterious, midnight piano player, that maybe London, England and backcountry Ontario really are mere seconds apart . . . !
Spoil it I shan't by divulging any more, except to say that if you would be intrigued by a collaboration between Val Lewton on opium & a menopausal Charlotte Bronte, adapted for the screen by Rod Serling on a dare, this might just be your cup of tea (just make sure you switch cups when the host isn't looking)!

Uh, gee, yeah, I've seen both Gammera and the Fly follow-up! I thought that the sadness of Donlevy's character in both was one of the few likable and coherent qualities of the movies. But, no, I didn't quite buy "the Curse" as a complex, family drama such as you suggest. Your brilliant review of the movie was a lot more entertaining than sitting through "A Long Day's Journey Into Physics" aka The Curse of the Fly.

But maybe I missed something you saw. Hey, isn't this thread supposed to be about Westerns!?

[klondike]

You're right on all counts, Moira.
I get carried away too easily sometimes, and lose track of perspective & topic; sorry!

[moirafinnie]

I dunno, Klonny. I'm gonna have to watch The Curse of the Fly again now! Btw, I love your new John McIntire avatar.

Speaking of Brian Donlevy, one of my favorite nice guy parts he played was as the reformed ranch foreman in Billy the Kid (1941-Frank Borzage).

Has anyone seen this one with Robert Taylor as the kid and Ian Hunter as an English transplant in the frontier? The various comments about Union Pacific make me wish I'd recorded this, though I suppose it will be repeated soon, no?

[MissGoddess]

Moira, I've seen that version of Billy the Kid and I was expecting to maybe....hate it! And it wasn't so bad, really. In fact, if you just completely set aside facts and the casting of Taylor and take it as just a western on its own merits, it's actually pretty entertaining and Donlevy is very good.

By the way, I used to kind of not care much for Donlevy as an actor, I always would confuse him with Preston Foster
but now I like him more (I like Foster more, too.). I really felt sorry for him in The Fly sequel. Oh, dear. But then,
I always feel sorry for actors when I see them in productions like this in the late fifties thru the 70s.

P.S. One thing that stood out in that Fly sequel was the beautiful, Elizabeth Taylor-clone actress that starred
in it. She was so lovely, and not too bad, that I am surprised not to have ever seen her in anything else.

[JackFavell]

Thanks so much Moira!

You know, considering what kind of characters Donlevy played, and the stories about him, I just can't help liking the guy (I was also thinking this about Joseph Calleia in the Candids thread). One of my favorite performances is in The Glass Key as Alan Ladd's is-he-good-or-is-he-bad buddy Paul Madvig.

[movieman1957]

Caught a "new" western. Stranger on Horseback. It stars Joel McCrea and is directed by Jacques Tourneur (again.) Nice little western about a by-the-book judge (McCrea) who comes to town to check on things. One man town is run by Bannerman (John McIntire) and his son has been a bad boy by shooting a man. McCrea doesn't care who is in charge and is determined to bring young Bannerman to trial. Keeping the law and being tough enough to do it helps bring the big shot family in line.

I guess these films were typical for McCrea. It only clocks in at ab out 65 minutes. Lots of familiar faces including John Carradine who is enough of a blowhard here to signal his "Starbuck" character coming in "Liberty Valance." Good, if typical story for a western.

A nice way to spend an hour. McCrea is always worth watching for my money.

[klondike]

Any film featuring my kinsman John McIntire is always worth catching, in my book, regardless whether he's bein' nasty or nice.
I've been trying to catch up with this one for sale somewhere online; it's a tough one to run down, along with another McCrea/McIntire horse opera, Saddle Tramp.
Even Lenny Maltin hasn't seen that one!

[MissGoddess]

I'm not sure if I've seen this one, though the title is awfully familiar...I love Joel so I'd definitely
like to see it.

[movieman1957]

I got mine from Netflix. It was remastered from a print found at the British Film Institute. It has that old almost hand lettered British Film Censor Board approval title card. They say the original negative was lost.

[movieman1957]

Anyone who gets Encore Westerns and is a Joel McCrea fan might want to see "Ramrod" showing tomorrow. It also stars Veronica Lake and come with a nice performance by Don DeFore. I've seen some books don't think it any good but would be interested to see what others think.

[ChiO]

Another movie that I need to watch again. It is interesting, as most Andre de Toth movies are (at least those that I've seen). It was also his first Western, and his DAY OF THE OUTLAW (1959) is near the top of my favorite Westerns. One interviewer asked de Toth if he intended to make a more "adult" Western with RAMROD (1947) than had ever been made before. De Toth's response:

Herr Director of the future, don't make pictures for "adults" or "juveniles". Adults are often more juveniles than juveniles. Just be true to the story, to life.

[MissGoddess]

I wrote about Ramrod somewhre around these parts, when I saw it earlier this year. I really enjoyed it!
I think Veronica Lake was sensational, I never have seen her so feisty.

[movieman1957]

I looked through this thread but didn't see it so I posted about it again.