Some Came Running (1958)

[Mr. Arkadin]

A great movie. Comes on this Tuesday.

Sinatra and MacLaine give incredible performances here although I think everyone would agree Dean Martin steals this whole film.

Goddard pays homage to Martin in his film "Contempt" (1963) when Michel Piccoli wears his hat in the bathtub. When BB asks what he's doing, he shouts:

"I'm Dean Martin in Some Came Running!"

Martin's hat is a source of luck, and his unwillingness to remove it in the film provides much humor.

This also sets us up for the most touching scene where he is finally willing to take off his hat.

Comments? Thoughts anybody?

[sugarpuss]

Had to reply to this one. I love this film. I'm so happy that it's also available on TCM on Demand as well, because I can watch it any time I want.

I have to agree with you that Dean Martin really steals the whole movie here. Although the first time I saw this, I was shocked when he called Shirley a "pig". I've watched a lot of 50's era movies since, and that seems to be the preferred slang for loose women--but that was the first time I ever heard anyone use that word! (Sad to say, I'm used to the common terms of today). The payoff of the ending scene with his hat is fantastic. He's a wonderful actor, and I'm glad that he was able to show his range in roles like this.

It's redundant to say that I love Arthur Kennedy (because I love him in everything) as Sinatra's upper class brother, Frank Hirsh. I especially love the hypocrisy of his marriage: lovey dovey in public and then tearing each other to shreds in private. It's amusing, but it's also way too realisitic.

But my favorite scene is a brief one. It's where Sinatra walks into the bar (after dropping off Martha Hyer), and Shirley MacLaine is with her new date, Raymond. And she's doing her nails and fighting with Raymond over the coat, and she turns to Sinatra and says (paraphrasing): "I can date any man I want." She gives him this really bright happy smile and then her facade falls for a brief second. It's as though all these emotions hit her at once and you can read it on her face. She just wants to be loved and she's finding it in all the wrong ways. It's really poignant, for me anyway. Shirley is one of my favorites, and I think she's just excellent in this role.

[Sue Sue Applegate]

Mr. Arkadin, Sugarpuss: good points, all.

I also think Dino was highly underrated. His talents also included lack of convention, subtlety of character, and a highly refined sense of what audiences love.

Sugarpuss, I recall the same highly-charged emotions registering on the screen with Shirley's portrayal.

[mrsl]

This movie has been tops with my for a long time. I seem to recall seeing it on the big screen, although I can't imagine how, or why.

This is one I can't understand why people don't use it as an arguing point when discussing Franks' acting abilities. He's so sympathetic to Shirley through it all while actually disliking her. However, I do wish he had removed that stick in Martha Hyers' you know what, before the end of the movie.

Anne

[MissGoddess]

This is one I can't understand why people don't use it as an arguing point when discussing Franks' acting abilities. He's so sympathetic to Shirley through it all while actually disliking her. However, I do wish he had removed that stick in Martha Hyers' you know what, before the end of the movie.

Anne

LOL! Anne, I love this movie, too and my only quibble with it is Martha Hyer's character. It's a tough part, though. In the book, she's just as difficult to understand. Lots of things couldn't be translated to the screen because of censorship issues, so Hyer is left with portraying a conflicted prude. It's hard for me to comprehend why Frank is so stuck on her, the way it's played out in the film.

And I agree with everyone, Dino is fabo in this.

I've read that Shirl' got her Oscar in large part because Frank pushed to have the ending changed (I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it).

[Mr. Arkadin]

Got home to see the last half. Does anyone know when this comes out on DVD?

[sugarpuss]

I don't think there's ever been talk about releasing this on dvd lately, but I thought it was supposed to be released in a Sinatra box set. I'd totally buy that.

I watched this yesterday (I don't know why I look forward to watching movies in "real time" when I already have them recorded on dvd, but I do!), and like always, I find myself thinking about it still today. It seems unfair that Ginny, the most goodhearted, honest person in the cast is the one who gets the ending that she does. She was the only one not concerned with appearances, social standing, etc. Even at the ending, she wanted to go back to the bar to see the girls from the factory because she promised them she'd come back. Of all the characters, she's the only one I'd really want to be friends with. Her only shortcomings were her lack of formal schooling and her neediness to be loved (she even cleaned Dino's house for him, just to prove her love for Sinatra!) The scene where she proclaims her love for Sinatra to Martha Hyer is completely heartbreaking, because she's so honest. That's why it hurts even more when Dean keeps calling her a pig. She's true to herself. She doesn't really care about what others think, but she just wants to be happy. And in a way, perhaps the ending she got was the best, because I think in the long run, Sinatra would have hurt her all over again.

I know it's just a movie, but I always have a tendancy to overanalyze the ones that I like the most.

Also, I LOVE the scene where Raymond is bathed in bright red light, looking for Shirley. That's just fantastic!

[MissGoddess]

Hi Sugarpuss---it was hard lines on Ginny to end that way, but Frank pushed for it because he knew it sew up Shirley's chances for an Oscar. I agree her character had the clearest soul.

I believe this is the movie which Vincente Minelli wanted to deconstruct the entire carnival set, at enormous cost and time, just because it wasn't placed correctly in the frame. Frank nearly blew a gasket over that because all Minelli needed to do to solve the problem was move the camera. Ah, artists!

[cmvgor]

SomeCame Running (1958) is quite a good movie.
Its also a pretty good Ratpackfest.
But it is a damn poor interpretation of the James Jones novel (He's also
the author of From Here To Eternity)

I won't go into a rant on this. Suffice it to say that I know changes are
often made in adapting a story to the screen from another medium. I've
had occasion to note elsewhere recently that John Huston made changes
in adapting a Graham Green work for the Henry Fonda film The Fugitive (1947). That adaptation worked. This one did not. As written by Jones, (1) the Sanatra character was the one the ex-boyfriend killed at the end. (2) The lady professor (Hyer) was not, in fact seducible. (3) Jones had a lot to say about the life of the artist stranded in the middle-
class Midwest. This adaptation did rachet up to a Hollywood Ending.
Again, good Ratpack, bad Jones.

[Mr. Arkadin]

Malicks interpetation of The Thin Red Line was also pretty disgusting. From Here to Eternity has differences from the book as well, but like SCR it's a watchable film.

[MissGoddess]

It is very different to the novel. I found this particular James Jones novel a morass difficult to wade through, so I can say this time I like the movie but not the source material. I appreciate what Jones was getting at, especially about the hypocracy in society, but for me it was all rather dull reading. I think O'Hara and Sinclair did better jobs at tackling that subject.