Q & A with Alan K. Rode on Charles McGraw & Film Noir

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Alan K.
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The Resurgence of Film Noir

Post by Alan K. »

I think the popular renaissance of film noir crosses demographic lines to resonate as a cultural vibe for different reasons.

For my parents and the boomer generation, there is the undeniable attribute of nostalgia. We saw the movies during initial release or on commercial television in the long ago. Many of us are vicariously reliving our pasts by watching these films in the present. Another point: Many of these movies are brief by today's standards- an hour and half or so. I don't know about you, but I have trouble concentrating watching any film that runs up to three hours or more.

For the younger set, I think it is the attraction of discovering films that had textured stories about real life and death without the " in-your face" coarseness, television-style camera work and a ear-rattling soundtrack.

Many people are discovering actors like Robert Mitchum, Crawford, etc. for the first time and like what they see.

It's difficult to realize that Mitchum and Kirk Douglas were 30 years old when they appeared in OUT OF THE PAST. There was no doubt that both men were portraying adult characters. Compare that duo to some of the 30 year olds who frequently appear in modern films and still exude the aura of juvenilia.

In short, I think trenchcoats and fedoras can trump backwards ball caps and holed blue jeans for the discriminating audience.

People are drawn to good stories and film noir has them.
Last edited by Alan K. on January 19th, 2008, 4:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Alan K. »

QUESTION 1: Are there tales or aspects of your McGraw book that were left out due to an editor's "space savings"?

The only stuff that got left out was an account of a publicity tour that McGraw went on in 1956 to support the release of The Bridges at Toko-ri. I came upon this information late and the publisher decided to cut it out. I also had to change the opening of the book a bit and was forced to compromise on the title. Other than that, I was left alone.

QUESTION 2: Were there tales that you'd heard about but couldn't research to a conclusion worthy of you including them in this book?
And can you tell us some about them, and the factors that were considered before dropping them out of your book?

There were a couple of stories that were included in the book that I promised not to name the source, so I didn't. There was another instance of a story that was related in detail until the interviewee realized that the tape recorder was running and said, "Oh my God, you can't write that!" We reached a compromise. I wrote about the portion of the story that dealt with McGraw and left out the other part of it that my source was worried about. There were a couple other matters that were omitted that I felt were either unverifiable, in bad taste or not germane to the story.


QUESTION 3: How in the WORLD did you and Jim Steranko get hooked up? As one of the most pioneering artists of the '60s comic boom, it's been wonderful to see him strike back across time and move from psychedelia into noir-dom, and yet keep his distinctive work alive at every age.

I found out that Jim Steranko allegedly based the creation of his character, Nick Fury on Charles McGraw. I contacted Jim and found out that this was indeed the case. Our initial discourse developed into a friendship that continues to this day. I asked Jim to compose the introduction to my book and he agreed with alacrity. I feel honored. Jim Steranko is one of the most talented people on the planet- actor, writer, magician, escape artist, comic writer, musician... the list is endless. Someday, someone should do a bio on him. He is an amazing person and one of the all-time nice guys.
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McGraw in Johnny Staccato

Post by Alan K. »

I did cover McGraw's appearance in Johnny Staccato in the book. The Staccato series is a striking example of film noir's migration to the small tube by the end of the 1950's. Watching McGraw hammer the ivories and indulge in some "hep-cat" repartee in this episode was a real treat!
I was wondering if anything is known about McGraw's working relationship with Cassavetes or if he had any particular feelings about that performance
This is an example of something that is very difficult to discover. I will say that nearly everyone who worked with Charlie admired his work and was fond of him. He was surprisingly nervous while working, the polar opposite of his public persona.
Last edited by Alan K. on January 19th, 2008, 4:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Detour and Born to Kill

Post by Alan K. »

Two great films. Detour is a striking example on what could be done on a nearly non-existent budget. I think Ann Savage's "Vera" is one of the great all-time noir characters. I got to know Ann fairly well and actually saw Detour with her several times. She is a sweet survivor and I am so glad that she got to see her work appreciated during her sunset years.

Born to Kill is a favorite of mine. A complete exercise in over-the-top perversity, it is hard to find a more amoral character in noir than Larry Tierney's "Sam Wild" who is more than matched by Claire Trevor. This film is a Freudian delight- an assortment of fascinating characters with no socially redeeming qualities. BTW- check out one of my favorite character actresses, Esther Howard, who nearly steals the picture. BTW#2 For a censorable account of a 1999 screening of Born to Kill that was crashed by the infamous Lawrence Tierney, go to my comrade in noir, Eddie Muller's website and read "The Big Leak". I was there, but this is Eddie's story.
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The Destruction of RKO

Post by Alan K. »

My question is was RKO deliberately destroyed and it so why ? The studio was a hotbed of leftist producers, directers, sceenwriters, and actors.
I detail the demise of RKO in the McGraw book in a lot of detail.

In addition to the undermining of the studio system by the Consent decree and the advent of television, RKO was decimated by the perverse behavior of Howard Hughes. Hughes ran the studio into the ground by using it as an instrument of his personal obsessions including Jane Russell's breasts and purging real and imagined Communists from the payroll. My research shows that Hughes' behavior evolved from eccentricity to psychosis while in charge of RKO with all of the employees paying the price.
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Post by Ollie »

Thanks for the answers to all of my and these other questions. The McGRAW Book is an excellent 'read', by the way, and I'll be looking for more of your work.
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Noir and Alan Ladd

Post by Alan K. »

My question has to do with another "Alan" - namely Mr. Ladd, who, after getting his early big "legs-up" with roles in This Gun for Hire, The Glass Key, & The Blue Dahlia, seemed to drift right out of noir films at a pretty quick rate . . was that his desire, or an indication of the studio desiring a new direction for Hollywood's "shortest giant"?
He was so darn good in those early noirs, and so (for me) awkward feeling afterward as a soldier, a reporter, a spy, a frontier dad, or a challenged husband, it all just strikes one as bad career management; proven out, I think, by his oddly strong performance in '55's Hell on Frisco Bay, as the framed ex-cop opposing Eddie Robinson's waterfront mob boss.
Agree or disagree?
I hate to speak badly of any actor or bash someone's favorite, but I am afraid that I have to partially disagree. While I believe that Ladd's turn as "Philip Raven" in THIS GUN FOR HIRE justifiably elevated him to stardom and I dig him in THE GLASS KEY and other 40's films with SHANE being one my all-time faves, Ladd became very limited as an actor by the mid- 50's. I know his wife was his agent so perhaps it was due to bad career management. It also appeared to me that Ladd was increasingly stiff and uncomfortable on screen. Some of this undoubtedly had to do with his health; Ladd was in bad physical shape by the end of the decade. I think the strength of HELL ON FRISCO BAY resides in Edward G. Robinson, Bill Demarest, Paul Stewart and other vets in the cast rather than Alan Ladd.
Last edited by Alan K. on January 19th, 2008, 4:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Crawford and Noir

Post by Alan K. »

what about Joan Crawford classics like HUMORESQUE and MILDRED PIERCE
?

MILDRED PIERCE is a pure classic, one of the great Hollywood films of the 1940's and a noir, through and through. HUMORESQUE is more soaper than dark film, but I haven't seen it for a long time, so I have to qualify my opinion.

I think Curtis Bernhardt's POSSESSED is the quinissential Crawford noir, followed closely by THE DAMNED DONT CRY. For me, Crawford is the ultimate Hollywood movie star. She cannot be properly displayed on DVD or television; Joan is simply made for the big screen.

Gotta go for awhile. Will check back later.
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Post by moira finnie »

For a censorable account of a 1999 screening of Born to Kill that was crashed by the infamous Lawrence Tierney, go to my comrade in noir, Eddie Muller's website and read "The Big Leak". I was there, but this is Eddie's story.
Here's a link to that less than enchanted evening that Alan refers to:
http://www.eddiemuller.com/tierney.html

This account is both quite sad and very funny. It seems that some of us mellow as we age, others only become more themselves--in both public or private. :roll:
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Definition of Noir II

Post by Alan K. »

What is your definition of film noir? Is it always a picture with a 'criminal' element? or more a film dealing with mood and atmosphere?

Ann- I think it is both.

BTW- Saw you recently at a screening of DOUBLE HARNESS here in Hollywood. You and William Powell were terrific. together.
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Post by moira finnie »

Here's a couple of questions:

1.) My first conscious awareness of Charles McGraw was in the film, Spartacus (1960), where he plays the "drill instructor"/head tormentor of the slaves in gladiatorial training. I understand that the making of this movie was rather contentious. Did McGraw like working on it? Was he disturbed by the firing, (or was it quitting?) of Anthony Mann, with whom he'd worked many times before? Did he have an opinion of the director who replaced him, Stanley Kubrick?

2.) A friend made an interesting comment to me recently. He asserted that Film Noir was an attempt to work out the problems inherent in being male in our society. Each gender finds a deep satisfaction in these types of films, especially in their bursts of violence, since they are a kind of wish fulfillment and a cri de coeur, even when characters seem to endure punishment for their actions. Do you see any truth in this?

3.)Sometimes it seems that the attitude toward women in film noir seemed to liberate them from conventional behavior and demonize them, often simultaneously. While most of the time women are arm candy, or an opportunity for some not so innocent fun, when they start to think for themselves, they may wind up regretting it big time. For example, the Joan Crawford character in Mildred Pierce or The Damned Don't Cry eschews domesticity for power, (though of course, in Mildred's case it's her domestic skills that get her out of the kitchen). Naturally, she's also punished for trying to "escape" her destiny. Do you think that film noir had, at best, an ambivalence toward women?

Thanks for any thoughts that you might share.
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Post by Bogie »

I know you feel that noir is more about style rather then a genre so I have to ask do you think any film makers today have the chops to pull of a noirish film? I think some of the lighting and atmospherics found in most noirs just can't be made in color although BODY HEAT (1981) would've been one helluva noir film in any era.

Actually what is your opinion on that movie? It seems to be a bit of a remake of DOUBLE INDEMNITY but it has enough originality to it to make it stand on its own.
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Post by raftfan »

Alan,

Your book is a magnificent read. What I most enjoy is that each time I pick it up I learn something new. Your details are so well-researched.

A question I have for you - one that I realize you must answer speculatively, is how do you foresee the future of McGraw's career if he hadn't died so prematurely and tragically? As you state in your book, his career was pretty much on the skids at the time of his death -- but if he had managed to, even partially, clean himself up, do you feel that he could have gone on to future success in films and television?

And are there any specific future roles you can envision him doing?
drednm

Post by drednm »

I see elements of "soap" in both MILDRED PIERCE and HUMORESQUE and both are often considered to be "women's pictures," but they both seem to have strong noir elements, especially MILDRED PIERCE.

That's why I asked. I guess MILDRED PIERCE is easier to peg because of the murder.
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Post by Sue Sue Applegate »

Thank you for gracing our forum here, Mr. Rode. I have enjoyed reading all your responses.

Do you have a favorite role that showcases aspects of the traditional femme fatale?

Thank you!
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