Universal Noir #1 — Universal Noir #1( Blu Ray Boxset)

Following on from the excellent series of five Columbia noir boxsets, here from the marvellous folks at Powerhouse films is their first dive into noir films released by Universal studios. The set features six films from between the late 40s to early 50s, which highlight the different takes on the noir form. Going from a twisting ‘n’ turning thriller, con-man focused fare, a London set post-war noir, missing person-come-racketeering take on the genre, a deporting criminal noir, and a police drama-come thriller. Each film gets its own disc- with a new 2 to 4k scans of each feature, and a great selection of commentary/ extras- with the whole thing being finished off with a one-hundred-and-twenty-page book. A must-have release for those who even have a passing interest in the film Noir genre of the 1940s & 1950s.

First, out of the gate, we have The Web- this is a noir thriller, with some neat and clever twists along its length- oh and a wonderful performance from a young Vincent Price, as a seemingly Teflon tycoon. The film is from 1947 and was directed by Baltimore, Maryland-born Michael Gordon. In total he had twenty-two credits to his name- these went from detective mystery Crime Doctor (1943), sword fighting period adventure drama Cyrano de Bergerac (1950), melodrama Portrait in Black (1960), and romantic comedy The Impossible Years (1968).

After the credits, the film starts with go-getting attorney Bob Regan (Edmond O'Brien) pushing his way through the offices and various secretaries of Colby Enterprises- all the way to the boardroom to speak with the firm's kingpin Andrew Colby(Price). The tycoon ran into and broke Regan’s client's work cart, and has sent several letters to Mr Colby, chasing up the court-awarded compensation. Colby is both amused and impressed by Regan’s pushy/ won’t take no for an answer attitude- so he instructs his PA Noel Faraday (Ella Raines) to ask him to his house that evening for a job.

The attorney turns up at the businessman's large townhouse- here he meets Charles (John Abbott) Colby’s butler/ come right-hand man, and Noel who he takes rather a shine to. The ‘job’ is to be the businessman’s bodyguard for two weeks- as his old business partner, who has just been released from prison for defrauding Colby- and he now blames the businessman, and has threatened his life. To start off Regan turns the businessman down, though when he offers him several thousand dollars- he can’t resist.

The businessman gives him a gun, and off he goes to see family friend Lt. Damico (William Bendix) to fast-track his gun licence. He gets this, and heads back to Colby's mansion- checks the doors, and is just about to dance with Noel- when he hears a shot upstairs- the two rush up to find Colby batting with his ex-business partner, so Regan shoots, and kills the Oldman. As things unfold it seems things may not be as cut ‘n’ dry as was first thought- with Regan possibly facing a murder charge and worse.

Acting wise the cast is all on point- Price is wonderful as the seemingly slick, and cool-as-a-cucumber businessman. Regan is as well placed as the pushy attorney, having a very likeable screen presence. And Raines is spot on as the sultry, and mysterious Noel. With some great support cast, notable of these is Bendix as the no-nonsense/ wanting to get to the truth cop.
The Web is both a well-shot and realized film, blending its thriller and noir tropes nicely. The script is nice and tight, with some rewarding twists along its length, leaving you unsaw of the outcome right until to end. All in all a great opening film to the boxset.

Moving onto the extras for this disc, we get a track from film historian David Del Vall- who is one of the commentary track pros. I‘ve now heard more than a  few tracks from him, and he always does a wonderful job, with a great blend of facts, observations, and generally entertaining banter- this track is up to his usual standard. He begins by discussing how this is a noir that has been barely seen, unknown & unreleased for many years. He dedicates the track to John Abbott who played Prices butler in the film- Del Vall knew the actor very well in his later years and interviewed him many times. We find out all of the picture was captured in studio backlots. He discusses the noirs of Price, O'Brien, and Ella Raines. He moves on to detail John Abbort's career, and the versatility of Price as an actor. He touches on the interesting themes running through the movie, and how this and the great cast- be it lead or supporting, make this such a great film. Later on, he discusses important early noir films of the 40s, and how films of this period had just right runtimes- never over-stretching things like today. He points out an openly gay character in the film, which was very uncommon for the time, and much, much more. Otherwise, on this disc we get the following archive extras- Film Noir Festival Q&A with Victoria Price (29.47) a 2018 video recording of Vincent Price’s daughter in conversation with the Film Noir Foundation’s Alan K Rode following a screening of The Web. Lux Radio Theatre: The Web (52.38) a 1947 radio adaptation of the screenplay, featuring Ella Raines, Edmond O’Brien and Vincent Price reprising their roles from the film. Skirmish on the Home Front (13.14) a 1944 promotional short film regarding war bonds starring Alan Ladd, Betty Hutton, Susan Hayward, and The Web’s William Bendix. And lastly an image gallery.

 

 

Moving onto the second disc in the set, and we find 1948’s Larceny- which is a con man-focused noir. It was directed by New York City-born George Sherman- he had one hundred and thirteen credits. These take in fair few westerns from the 30s such as Wild Horse Rodeo, Heroes of the Hills, Pals of the Saddle, and Red River Range. Moving onto Israel set action drama Sword in the Desert (1949), crime drama Steel Mill (1952), fantasy comedy Wizard Of Bagdad (1960), and Mexican bandit bio pic Murieta (1965).

The film opens in Miami beach where we see supposable developers Silky(Dan Duryea) and Rick Maxon(John Payne) trying to finish off a deal on a golf course. The mark suddenly thinks something doesn’t feel right, pulling out of the deal- and we find out both Silky and Rick are part of a group of conmen, who are travelling around the country carrying out one scam after another.

One of the gang's more shifty and snake-like members is Tory (Shelly Winters) who is carrying on with both the gang boss silky, who has a rough baby face and blond brill cream hair, and ladies' man Rick- she packed away on a flight abroad out of harm’s way. Also, going for a trip is Rick, who’s sent to Union City on the gang’s next scam.

The new scam entails Rick comfiting up to naïve small-town girl Deborah (Joan Caulfield) pretending that he’s the old army buddy of her husband- who was killed in service a few years back. The scam is getting money by pretending to build a youth centre/ war memorial. But as you’d expect things don’t go to plan- first the fiery and brash Tory turns up in town, then Silky and his boys, and lastly it looks like Rick may be falling for his mark.

The film plays at the one hour and twenty-eight-minute mark- and remains entertaining, at times quite tense when the whole con looks like it may collapse around Rick’s ears. Acting wise Payne is well-placed as the smooth and charming Rick- who is starting to have some doubts about his career choices. Duryea makes for a charismatic gang boss. Winters is excellent as a brash femme fatale, and on the reverse Caulfield is effective as naïve-seeing- the best in folks’ small-town girl. The film's resolve felt may be a tad rushed, but it tied up things well enough- all making Larceny an engaging and entertaining con man focused noir.

Extras wise on this disc we get two things. Firstly, we have a commentary track from Australian academic and curator Eloise Ross, and this is largely a rewarding track. She begins by commenting on the lead actor's credits & that there all given joint billing, before briefly touching on the book the film was based on. She talks about how the film is often a lighter take on the noir form, with this tone certainly prevalent in its often bright & shiny first half. She points out some of the more distinctive ties worn by the characters in the film. She talks about character actor Percy Helton, who plays the quirky owner of the hostel where Rick Maxon stays- going on to discuss Helton's career in some detail. She gives quotes from the press reviews of the time and points out early fleeting examples of noir fatalism in the film. She points out the film's great cinematography and the use of space. Later on, she discusses the career of Dan Duryea, and other noir films he appeared in. She discusses how the visual Iconography of noir appears later in the film. Touches on the career of other supporting actors, and much more. The other extra is The Heel with Sex Appeal ( 29.31) which sees author and critic Nick Pinkerton talking about Dan Duryea moving from talking about his early career as an Ad man- which unfortunately led to having a breakdown, so he went into acting as he’d enjoyed in his youth. He talks about how the actor often played dodgy characters- making a career out of playing scum bags. He discusses the actor's work for Universal studios- which were split fairly evenly in the 40s between noirs and westerns. He mentions memorable roles he took, and talks about how he was very much of a pleasant family man in real life- married to the same woman for 30-plus years- which was the complete opposite of his onscreen persona & of course fairly atypical for Hollywood stars of the ’40s and ’50s. I’ve seen a few featurettes from Pinkerton, and as always he does a great job here- really making one wanting to dip further into Mr Duryea’s filmography. Lastly, we have an image gallery.

 

 

On disc number three we have the rather provocatively titled Kiss The Blood Off My Hands. This is a post-war London set noir, which finds an unpredictable ex US Serviceman slowly getting entwined with a lonely nurse after he commits a crime. The film is from the year 1948, and was directed by Richmond, Indiana born Norman Foster. He had forty feature lengths to his name, as well as US TV show credits for the likes of Batman and Zorro. His film credits went from killer in winter resort murder mystery Fair Warning (1937), a fair few Charlie Chan films, romantic western Viva Cisco Kid (1940), comedy The Great Sex War(1969), and treasure hunting horror film The Deathhead Virgin (1974).

The credits run with smog/fog-shored shots of key London landmarks- though seemingly the whole movie was captured on Hollywood backlots. The film opens at closing time in a London public house- with the landlord asking the late-night drinkers to drink up. One of these is the hunched, yet clearly tense Bill Saunders (Burt Lancaster)- is asked to leave, he ignores but when the landlord touches his shoulder he swings a punch, with bar pianist Harry (Robert Newton) declaring the landlord dead. At this Bill runs out into the night- with several men, later police giving chase- after dodging & running for a while he climbs on the top of a roof lying low, with a searchlight shining about. He decides he must get inside, so jumps from the roof, onto the scaffolding, and into the window of an upstairs flat. In the single room sleeping is Jane (Joan Fontaine)- she awakes initially fearful, Bill puts a chair against her door, and promptly falls asleep. In the morning she insists she must go off to work, as she works as a nurse- and it will cause suspicion if she doesn’t go in. When given the opportunity to report Bill she doesn’t, and we then see him stealing from another man to pay for a boarding house.

He tracks down Jane to thank her for not reporting him- initially she says she wants nothing to do with him, but in time the pair go to a zoo, and spend a day at the races. But on the way back on the train he snaps again, beating up a man and two police officers…this lands him in court and sentenced to six months in prison. When getting back out he goes to see Jane again, and slowly but surely a romance develops between the two as she gets him a job driving a van in the hospital she works in. But unfortunately, Harry- the pianist from the bar where Bill punched/ possibly killed the landlord, is a fly in ointment- as the wily criminal is blackmailing Bill.

The film features some great smog/fog-bound street scenes, with the tense opening chase. As it unfolds, we get more brooding nighttime shots- either in smog or in lashing rain. The developing romance is done in a fairly believable manner- with you constantly wondering when the unpredictable Bill will snap, and if he is really a good guy.

Lancaster is, of course, a perfect fit for Bill- who shifts from a ready-to-explode powder keg, to a more charming and (possibly) loving ex-serviceman. Fontaine is good as the lonely, though no-nonsense-taking nurse. But I’d say the highlight here is Newton as the blackmail/ slippery as they come east end criminal Harry. All in all Kiss The Blood Off My Hands is a good post-war set noir, with the time & setting used to great effect. The film's title suggests something fairly brutal and gory, but aside from a few scuffles, and a briefly seen knife stabbing-it’s not really what its title suggests.

On this disc, we have one new extra, a commentary track by film historian Josh Nelson- and this is very well-researched, informed, and wholly interesting. He begins by pointing out that the film's title has to be one of the most lurid in history, and that the picture is a treasure trove of delights. He discusses the film treatment of trauma, and how the lead character is skilfully framed via the use of bars, meshes, and similar throughout its runtime. He points out how we are set down from the off into the noir world of wrong and right, and the wonderful tense opening chase. He points out interesting and subtle details in some of the scene's background. He talks about the sets that were built for the film on a soundstage- and with the shifting around sets creating up to thirty blocks of streets. He talks about reviews of the film from at the time of release & in more recent times. Later on, he talks about the novel the film was based on, and an intriguing news story regarding the book & a group of US sailors. He talks about how the book was adapted for the screen and how its story changed for the film. He discusses the wonderful tense and potent noir atmosphere created towards the end of the film, and much, much more. Simply put a great track- which I’ll certainly play it again down the line. Otherwise, we have the following archive extras-a sixty-three-minute audio interview with actress Joan Fontain from 1978. United Action Means Victory (38.11) a 1939 documentary about the General Motors strike of the time, with narration written by Kiss the Blood Off My Hands screenwriter Ben Maddow. An original trailer, and image gallery.

 

The fourth film here is Abandoned- this is from 1949, and is a missing person-come-racketeering-focused noir. It was directed by Logan Utah-born Joseph M. Newman. He spent the first ten years of his career (1938-1947) making shorts and documentaries. After this he moved on to feature-length films, these went from the character-driven wartime movie Jungle Patrol( 1948), onto cops-meets-scammers noir 711 Ocean Drive ( 1950)- which appeared on the now sadly OOP Columbia Noir #2 boxset. Through to snow-bound western The Outcast Of Poker Flats (1952), and Circus drama The Big Circus (1959)- before ending his career in the mid-sixties with US TV work.

The film opens up at nighttime looking down on a city hall- in drops Mr Voice Over man talking about how many crimes happen in any city at night. Then we drift down to the city hall steps- as we see a woman rushing up the steps of the building- in the shadows watching is a man. The woman is Paula Considine (Gale Storm), and she is there to report her missing sister who disappeared some weeks back in the city. As she is just about to leave the building in darts Mark Sitko (Dennis O'Keefe) an always-on-his-toes reporter looking for his next story. The two walk down the city hall steps, and we notice another figure in the shadows- and as they walk into an underpass the figure follows, this turns out to be twitchy and shifty PI Kerric (Raymond Burr) who was employed by Paula father some weeks back to find her sister too- he has found no trace of her.

Fairly soon we find out that her sister is in the city morgue - after a supposable suicide where she gassed herself in a car. Paula doesn’t believe she killed herself, as firstly she recently gave birth, and secondly, she didn’t drive. So, she teams up with reporter Sitko to find out what really happened to her sister, and her baby. And along the way, they uncover a baby- adoption racket, which involves the seemingly respectable, middle age, and rich Mrs Donner (Marjorie Rambeau).

The one hour and nineteen-minute film unfolds at a fine pace- with shady crims, stakeouts, undercover set-ups, and a rather neat in-the-shadows shoot-out. Storm and O'Keefe work well as the investigating duo. Burr is spot-on as the twitchy, later sweaty and nervous PI getting out of his depth. With a worthy mention going to Will Kuluva as match flicking and looking to cause pain crim Little Guy Decola. The theme of baby- adoption racketeering is rather distinctive, and the film surrounding it is a great example of engaging and moody noir.

Extras-wise for this film we have a commentary from writers/ film experts Barry Forshaw and Kim Newman, and this of course is a wonderfully researched & informative track from these two pros. They begin by discussing why they think the film is not quite a noir, being more of a tabloid expose. They talk about the wonderful moody shots of LA city hall, and how much of the film was done on studio lots. They chat about the character's motivations, and how Burr went from a film actor to TV roles, with of course one of his key roles being a wheelchair-bound detective Ironside. They discuss the film's baby farming racket, a key real-life case, and how they couldn’t cover all the angles the subject should have due to censorship. They talk about lead actress Gail Storm- and how much of her career took in lightweight film fodder of the 1940s, though she went on to have great success acting in US TV- meaning she could retire early. Later on, they touch on the film's writers, and other memorable noir films they penned. We get a few quotes from reviews of the time, discussion on other studios take on the noir form, and much more- very much a play-a-few-times track. Otherwise, on the disc we get Easy to Get (21.27): a 1947 short film made as part of the US Armed Forces’ campaign on venereal diseases, directed by Joseph M Newman. And lastly an image gallery.

 

Film number five is Deported from the year 1950, and this drama-come-noir finds an Italian American gangster being sent back the old country. The film was directed by Dresden Germany Robert Siodmak. His career ran between the 1930s and late 1960s- with him tallying up fifty-nine credits. These took in the likes of comedy drama Abschied (1930), musical comedy-drama Symphonie D'Amour (1936), a few 40’s horror films Son of Dracula (1943) and The Spiral Staircase (1946). As well as a fair few noir’s- such as Phantom Lady (1944), The Dark Mirror (1946), and Cry Of The City (1948).

After the credits, the film drops us down in portside Italian, as sleek and cool as a cucumber Vic Smith (Jeff Chandler) has thrown a dollar into the sea to watch the young urchins scramble for it. When he gets off the boat he’s met by Vito Bucelli(Claude Dauphin) a cynical Italian cop-come-probation officer, who is sure Vic will return to his old gangster ways. And fairly soon Vic has bumped into one of his old partners in crime from New York City Bernardo(Richard Rober) who with the help of his temptress girlfriend Gina(Marina Berti) tries to shake Vic up to find out where he hid $100,000 the pair stole before Vic went down for a five stretch. 

So trying to lie low Vic heads back to the small Italian town he grew up in. Here he gets welcomed with open arms by his uncle Armando(Silvio Minciotti) who is a hardworking town baker, who believes Vic works for the US government.  Fairly soon Vic has caught the eye of sad-but-sultry Countess Christine di Lorenzi(Märta Torén), who lost her husband some years ago, but is still in mourning.

As the film moves on the relationship between the two develops- with Vic helping out with her local charity work. Though he’s also rubbing shoulders with local small-time moustached & tubby crook Guido(Carlo Rizzo). Both officer Bucelli, and his American crim friend Bernardo are sure Vic is going to try and get his money shipped into the country, though the authorities are monitoring his post.

The picture was filmed on location in Tuscany, as well as on US backlots- so it has a decidedly sunny and bright feel, and this does also bleed into the film's general tone. And while there are certainly noir tropes present- like an early fist fight, shadowy meetings, and later fighting/shootouts in a night-time warehouse. The film focuses on Vic living in the small town, and his developing relationship with the Countess

Chandler is good enough as the cool ‘n’ calm gangster, though at times he comes across as a little stiff & one-dimensional. Torén is more effective as the slow emotional thawing countess. Though I think the most memorable moments come from the supporting cast, such as Minciotti the gullible-trying-to-see-best-in-everyone uncle of Vic. And Rizzo as the lightly comedic small-time crook. The film runs at around the hour and a half mark, and if I’m honest it feels a little saggy in places- and I think it would have worked better trim of fifteen minutes or so. In finishing both the Italian setting and the whole deportation/ trying to go straight plotting of Deported makes it stand out from your run-of-the-mill noir film. And while I enjoyed well enough what we had here- I just wish there had been more of the genres moody edges in place, and Chandler’s performance had been less emotionally one note.

On this disc extras wise we get a track filmmaker and film historian Daniel Kremer, and this is certainly well researched if a little dry & stuffy at points. He begins by talking about how the lead of the film is a Jewish man playing an Italian, which apparently happened quite alot. He comments on the neo-realism feel of the opening on boat shots. We find out that the film had three weeks location in Italy, and two on the Universal backlot. The film was allocated a budget of three hundred thousand dollars, but in the end only landed up costing around one hundred and seventy thousand. He comments on the beautiful Italian location shots,  and gives bios on each supporting actor as they appear. We get a bio of the director after he filmed Deported, as shortly after it’s filming he left Hollywood to film in Europe, and in particular his homeland Germany. Later he discusses other larger-budget Hollywood films made in Italy, and talks about how at points the camera almost dancers. It’s a passable one-play track, which I can’t see myself re-visiting, due to Kremer's rather dry/ dull delivery. Otherwise, we have Return to Europe (10.28) critic and writer Christina Newland discussing the film, its director, and what inspired the film- the true life gangster Charles ‘Lucky’ Luciano who was deported in 1946, and a novel. A Salute to France (35.54) a 1944 promotional film by the Office of War Information on the wartime alliances of the French, British and American nations, co-directed by Garson Kanin and Jean Renoir, and starring Burgess Meredith, Philip Bourneuf, and Deported’s Claude Dauphin. And an image gallery.

 

 

The sixth and final film on the set is 1954’s Naked Alibi, and it’s a great police drama-focused noir, with tons of atmosphere, effective rough ‘n’ ready violence, and some classy acting- so a great end to the set. The film was helmed by Jerry Hopper, a Guthrie, Oklahoma-born director. He was mostly known for his US TV series work- having sixty credits between the 50s and late ’60s, for shows such as Leave It To Beaver, Gunsmoke, and Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea. Though he also had seventeen features to his name- these went from Cold War thriller The Atomic City (1952), US Cavalry-focused western Smoke Signal(1955), charming comedy Everything But The Truth(1956), and gunman meets nun western Madron(1970).

The film opens with baker owner Al Willis (Gene Barry) being questioned late at night by the police- as he was causing issues in a bar, and they suspect he might be involved in a murder. He keeps insisting he’s a businessman & was just having a few drinks. He seems very tense, and at one point lashes out breaking a bottle over an officer's head- making clear the officer will pay, this, of course, increases suspicion- but when they get an ID check back, all seems fine. And he is as he suggested the married owner of a local bakery, with no criminal record- so he is allowed to go home.

The same night the officer he threatened is gunned down in the street, but Al has an alibi- he was working with witnesses. But police department head Joseph E. Conroy (Sterling Hayden) still thinks he had something to do with it, and this suspicion increases when a few days later two more officers are killed with a car bomb. They try and arrest Al, but land up chase him down in a park- as he runs away. Conroy is positive Al is a killer, but due to pressure from above he’s told to stand down…he doesn’t so is let go. Conroy belief stays firm, and it leads him to the shady and dangerous streets of Border City- here he meets bubbly & troubled nightclub dancer Marianna(Gloria Grahame), and young shoeshine boy Petey(Billy Chapin).
Acting wise Barry is wonderful as baker Al- as he shifts between being a balanced businessman, and a nervy/ unpredictable mess. Hayden is very believable as the focused, possibly obsessed cop. And Grahame Marianna plays wonderful the happy-go-lucky to decidedly tragic nightclub dancer.

From the off and the rough ‘n’ tumble interview, the film presents us with some fights & action. With along the way back street rough-ups, gunplay, a tense getaway/ kidnap, and a great on night-time roof finale. Equally, we get great moody and atmospheric noir moments, with shadowy figures lurking on night-time streets, tense and sweaty interviews, and tailings on neon-licked streets.

The picture runs at just under the one hour and thirty-minute mark, and from the off your pulled in & held throughout the film. Really Naked Alibi is a truly excellent example of the film noir form, and can easily be held up as a prime example of the genre.
 
For the extras on this disc we get a commentary track from film historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson, and as you’d expect from these two pros- it’s wonderful informed & entertaining. They begin by discussing the films working titles of Cry Copper and Tight Squeeze. They talk about the fairly rapid casting and filming- it was shot in just under a month in early 1954. We get interesting bios of supporting actors, including other notable roles. They discuss the large number of Universal noirs still to be released- mentioning key titles, and hoping that Powerhouse has more boxsets lined up. They talk about how the film influenced Dirty Harry & similar films. They discuss lead actor Sterling Hayden, and his physicality/onscreen presence. They touch on the film's score which isn’t fully credited and suggest some of the cues were reused on other 1950s Universal titles. Later on, they give snippets of reviews of the film from its time for release. The films toning down of sexual elements, as films of the time were still very much controlled by the production codes, and much, much more. Truly an excellent track, which I will most certainly be playing again. Next, we have Absolute Magnetism  (41.50) which finds academic Lucy Bolton taking an in-depth look at the life and career of Gloria Grahame- who is seen as one of film noir’s greatest femmes fatales. There’s an original trailer & image gallery.

The finished set comes presented with a  one hundred and twenty-page book featuring new essays by Iris Veysey, Jill Blake, Karen Burroughs Hannsberry, Sabina Stent, Sergio Angelini, and Walter Chaw, extensive archival articles and interviews, new writing on the various short films, and film credits.

 

So, in summing Universal Noir #1 is another gold standard boxset release from Powerhouse. With a wonderful selection of new scans of each of the six films, largely very interesting & informative commentary tracks, and other worthy extras. To buy direct drop by Powerhouse here.