[u]JackFavell[/u] wrote: So did you have the least little bit of sympathy for Robert Young? I'm just curious. His sins seemed so weak, he was no good, yes, mercenary and callous to anyone's feelings but his own, but the truth is, he didn't kill anyone!
Actually I did. The boy can’t help it, true. I didn’t want to, but I did feel sorry for him when he was in jail waiting for the verdict as he was talking to Greer. And you’re right, he didn’t kill anyone. But I guess it’s one of those “postman-always-rings-twice” things. If you don’t go to jail for one thing, you’ll go to jail for something else. How could he hope to get away with it?
[u][color=#0000BF]MissGoddess[/color][/u] wrote:I kind of figured you'd like the switched up character Young plays, CineMave. It's a very enjoyable suspense film...and I agree, the part that made me weep was what happened to the lovely Palomino (lots of Pallies in the movies I've been watching lately). I thought it was sweet how concerned the policeman was for the horse...and nasty old Bob was annoyed by this...after all.
Ugh! That added insult to injury. The horse was the only witness. Poor horsie!
[u][color=#0000BF]MissGoddess[/color][/u] wrote:SPOILERS!!
Ironic that They Won't Believe Me is the second movie I saw in a row in which the mistaken identity of a spousal corpse figured...the only identifier being a ring (the same happened in No Man of Her Own). Maybe Young's character in a way is the male counterpart to Stanwyck's Helen Ferguson? Both are desperate to grasp a better life.
Oooh, I’d better get that under my belt quick fast & in a hurry.
I remembered about how the horse ended up, with the policeman drawing his gun and all Bob was thinking about was how he could get away from there, but it was a strike against Bob that he left the horse there in the first place or didn't take care to make sure he couldn't get back there. Of course that faithful horse would try to run to his mistress, unlike Bob - which was almost a slap in the face to him. A horse was more faithful. That was definitely a strike against Bob in my book. But what I liked about the movie was Bob's journey toward being a better person - toward getting a conscience. Unfortunately, it came too late, and with a terrible price to pay.
What I especially liked about They Won't Believe Me was the way the women were no stereotypes. I thought Jane Greer was amazingly good considering her character was probably the least interesting, but she made it into something to remember. Same with Susan Hayward. All three actresses were above and beyond what the story could have been and I'll say the same for Robert Young. The whole thing was done very very well, keeping you in suspense even when you thought you knew where the plot was going, so it remained surprising all the way through. It was good enough to make me look up Irving Pichel as a director, and I find that he did some other movies that don't exactly go where you expect them to - And Now Tomorrow, Tomorrow is Forever ( sorry about all the tomorrows, Goddess ), and Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid.
I watched a bit of "Northside 777" and heard Robert's outro where he talked about Helen Walker. Car accident...never the same; same with my other favorite, Frances Gifford...and what might've been. (I worked with a young actor yesterday who is about as close to Paul Rudd as I'll probably ever get. He's gorgeous and adorable as hell, and his earnestness connects with the camera. Very natural as an actor and at the beginning of his career. He'll have a small teeny walk-on role in the upcoming "Men In Black III" movie. Ha! I told him if he puts my footage on his reel...he'll become a star overnite, and not to forget me. Maybe I can get a yearly Metro Card out of this). And now I've been thinking about "THEY WON'T BELIEVE ME" off and on for a few days now. This was a great role for all four main cast members, and it made me curious about where these stars were exactly in their career; the beginning...middle...end?? I wanted to see what movie came just before and just after "...Believe Me." Greatness was ahead for some, obscurity for another and immortality for yet another. I think Jane Greer achieved screen immortality by just doing this one role; but that's my bias talking, I know. I culled the brief info from IMDB. Hope this is interesting:
ROBERT YOUNG
( 1907 - 1998 )
His movie career consisted of playing characters who were charming, good-looking--and bland. In fact, his screen image was such that he usually never got the girl. Louis B. Mayer would say, "He has no sex appeal," but he had a work ethic that prepared him for every role that he played.His patented shyness and painful insecurity turned his social drinking into a chronic alcohol problem during his MGM years that lasted nearly three decades. He recovered with the aid and encouragement of his wife Elizabeth and through spiritual metaphysics (Science of Mind), not to mention Alcoholics Anonymous. He often held AA meetings in his home. Attempted suicide in 1991 as a result of a chemical imbalance and while battling Alzheimer's disease and heart problems.
Unfortunately, her career came to a halt in 1948 when a hair dryer fell on her head causing brain damage. Brain surgery was performed, but thereafter her screen time was very limited .The doctor noted that apart from her current injuries there were a number of old bruises on various parts of her body. Detectives investigating the injuries, however, reported nothing to indicate it was anything other than an accident. Rumors continued but were never confirmed that she was romantically involved with a gangster who had beaten her. Previous beatings, it was alleged, had caused the old bruises.She died in Los Angeles County General Hospital on Oct. 31, 1965. Miss Johnson was only 52 years old.
In 1958 she gave the performance of her lifetime as real-life California killer Barbara Graham in I Want to Live! (1958), who was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in the gas chamber. Susan was absolutely riveting in her portrayal of the doomed woman. Many film buffs consider it to be one of the finest performances of all time, and this time she was not only nominated for Best Actress, but won. A two-pack a day smoker with a taste for drink, Susan was diagnosed with brain cancer in March of 1972. On 14 March 1975, after a three year struggle against the disease, Susan died at her Hollywood home. Susan Hayward was laid to rest in a grave adjacent that of her husband Eaton Chalkley in the peace of Carrollton, Georgia where they had spent several happy years together in life. She was 57.
“SMASH-UP: A STORY OF A WOMAN” “THEY WON’T BELIEVE ME” (30 y.o.)
“THE LOST MOMENT”
* * *
JANE GREER
( 1924 - 2001 )
As a baby, she was winning beauty contests; as a teenager, with good looks and an attractive contralto voice, she was singing with big bands.She claimed that it was through facial exercises to overcome the paralysis that she learned the efficacy of facial expression in conveying human emotion, a skill she was renowned for using in her acting. Quickly married crooner Rudy Vallee after fleeing a possessed Howard Hughes, who discovered her on a WWII poster and kept her virtually a prisoner during her first few months. An enraged Hughes pressured her and ruined the marriage. She returned to Hughes and her contract.
Personal Quotes:
"I'd always wanted to be an actress, and suddenly I knew that learning to control my facial muscles was one of the best assets I could have as a performer. Emotions often must be portrayed from an inner feeling, of course, but I had a double advantage because I was learning to direct my as-yet expressionless feelings, as well as gaining an ability to express emotion by a very conscious manipulation of my muscles."
"Howard Hughes was obsessed with me. But at first it seemed as if he were offering me a superb career opportunity."
"I love making movies, but I was ready to rationalize being only a mother if my career never got back on track."
“SINBAD THE SAILOR “THEY WON’T BELIEVE ME” (23 y.o.)
“OUT OF THE PAST”
Irving Pichel first came to my attention as narrator on some John Ford projects, then I learned he was basically responsible for "discovering" Natalie Wood, so I guess that was his biggest contribution to movies.
"There's only one thing that can kill the movies, and that's education." -- Will Rogers
I believe he put her first in a movie called The Happy Land, when she was four. Lots of crazy stories about how her mother got Pichel to cast her in Tomorrow is Forever, hopefully not true but might be (she was apparently one of those "stage mothers"). I'm sure Pichel felt sorry for the little kid.
"There's only one thing that can kill the movies, and that's education." -- Will Rogers
JANE GREER and ROBERT MITCHUM in "OUT OF THE PAST." (1947)
"...In 1940, aged 15, Greer suffered from a facial palsy, which paralyzed the left side of her face. She recovered, but it is speculated that the condition contributed to her "patented look" and a calm, quizzical gaze and an enigmatic expression that would later lead RKO to promote her as 'the woman with the Mona Lisa smile'. She claimed that the facial exercises used to overcome the paralysis taught her how to convey human emotion.Bell's palsy is a form of facial paralysis resulting from a dysfunction of the cranial nerve VII (the facial nerve) that results in the inability to control facial muscles on the affected side. Several conditions can cause facial paralysis, e.g., brain tumor, stroke, and Lyme disease. However, if no specific cause can be identified, the condition is known as Bell's palsy. Named after Scottish anatomist Charles Bell, who first described it, Bell's palsy is the most common acute mononeuropathy (disease involving only one nerve) and is the most common cause of acute facial nerve paralysis." - Wikipedia
* * * *
I've just got to find out how Pichel came from in front of the camera, especially after his Moe Howard-hairdo and silky shirted appearance in "Dracula's Daughter" to be trusted with a studio budget to go behind the camera.
How interesting, I had no idea about Jane's condition and never would have suspected any such thing. It certainly added to her portrayal of Kathie, and she spoke in an interview of how director Jacques Tourneur told her to play Kathie with an impassive expression.
"There's only one thing that can kill the movies, and that's education." -- Will Rogers
With all the great Doris on this week, don't miss Friday morning's Kay Francis flicks. Guilty Hands (1931) is a personal favorite of mine (but I like anything she's in):
A Notorious Affair (1930)
A beautiful noblewoman gives up wealth and society for love of a two-timing musician.
Guilty Hands (1931)
A district attorney tries to frame an innocent girl for the murder he committed.
Transgression (1931)
When her lover is killed, a straying wife tries to intercept the confession she mailed her husband.
Jewel Robbery (1932)
A jewel thief falls for a tycoon's wife in Vienna.
I Loved A Woman (1933)
A Chicago meat-packer tries to keep a rein on his social-climbing wife.
Mr. Arkadin wrote:With all the great Doris on this week, don't miss Friday morning's Kay Francis flicks.
A Notorious Affair (1930)
A beautiful noblewoman gives up wealth and society for love of a two-timing musician.[
I have never seen this one, and even though they may have recycled this plotline for many Kay Francis pictures, I'm intrigued. Thanks for the heads up.
Thanks Mr. Ark for the Kay Francis reminder - these are some of her lesser-played movies on TCM, and it's good to see some listed that I haven't already gotten a look at. I have a feeling I've seen Guilty Hands before, and of course, Jewel Robbery, but the others I don't think I've seen, or at least not for a long time.
), and Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid.
