Reviews (13)

A Tortured Soul Finds Peace
This was the first time Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake were in the same film together, and when box office receipts exploded because of the gritty and tortured performance of Ladd as the killer Raven, Paramont knew it had a star. The chemistry of Ladd and Lake together was electric also, and Paramont also knew it had a couple. Ladd might not have gotten her in this one, but they ended up together in the other three films they would make and everyone loved it.

This was a dark and star making performance from Ladd. From the very first scene, as Raven stops on the stairs, gun in hand, to pause and decide if he should shoot the little girl who has seen him, he was a star. Raven has been double crossed by "Neptune Club" owner Willard Gates (Laird Cregar) and is out to settle the score. Ellen Graham (Veronica Lake) has a nightclub act and a cop boyfriend played by Robert Preston.

The government wants Ellen to help get the goods on Alvin Brewster (Tully Marshall) who runs a chemical company that has sold poisonous gas to the Japanese and also happens to be Gates's boss, the man pulling all the strings. But when Ellen senses the pain inside Raven and becomes his only friend, other than cats, we know the bad guys don't have a chance.

Doom follows Phillip Raven also though, his horrific chidhood slowly revealed to Ellen, his willing captive. She begins to reach Raven and make him human once more, maybe human enough to make the ultimate sacrifice for his country, and put his personal demons to rest. It was a teriffic turn from Ladd and one of his most memorable roles.

It's a good movie made great by Ladd's performance. It was also the beginning of screen magic for he and Lake. You have to see this movie if you like crime noir and/or you like Ladd and Lake, and how could you not? They were lightening in a bottle and the cork is blown completely off here....

A nice, slick bit of 40s movie-making
This Gun for Hire was based on the Graham Greene novel A Gun for Sale and was considerably toned down and glammed up for the early 40s movie going public. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

I found this movie rather enjoyable, it is easy to see why Ladd and Lake were made into a screen team. They are supported by Laird Cregar as a plotting spy with no stomach for violence and Robert Preston as Veronica Lake's cop boyfriend. Alan Ladd steals the show as Raven, a killer for hire who really only likes cats. (as a cat lover, I was automatically more sympathetic to him) Cregar's Gates betrayed him to the cops and now he wants revenge.

Raven and Lake's Ellen, a nightclub magician, cross paths throughout the movie and she begins to strip down his tough guy veneer to reveal an abused childhood. Armed with her brains and a considerable amount of flag waving, Ellen tries to persuade Raven to give up his vengeance and uncover an Axis plot.

Ladd, Lake and Cregar are all marvelous but the usually wonderful Preston (best known for his smooth con-man in Music Man) isn't given much to work with and his cop character feels flat especially next to Raven.

This movie is really a must-see for any fan of 40's films and even with its flaws (I also found the final image to be annoying and totally against Lake's independant character), it is still a pleasant way to pass an evening.

Over-rated....Lake and Ladd make up for a tired scenario
This is the movie that made Alan Ladd a star, and his teaming here with Veronica Lake caused quite a stir back in 1942.

Sadly, THIS GUN FOR HIRE is really second-rate noir, a tired melodrama that really doesn't hold up, especially for repeat viewings.

Universal's DVD looks very similar to the old Image laserdisc release from a few years back. Not really any improvement

There's a lot of film-noir available on DVD, but this one doesn't live up to the hype. Skip it.

RAVEN A CHILLING SCREEN CREATION
"This Gun For Hire" is a watered down, glammed up version of Graham Greene's novel A Gun for Sale. It represents the first of four cinematic outings that teamed sultry Veronica Lake with the stoically handsome Alan Ladd, a potent cocktail of personalities that proved to be much in demand over the next decade. Perhaps a tad heavy on sentimentality than most film noirs, the plot concerns Philip Raven's (Ladd) obsession with Ellen Graham (Veronica Lake) a nightclub dancer with a rough and rumble cop boyfriend, Michael Crane (Robert Preston). Ellen is supposed to be working on exposing Alvin Brewster (Tully Marshall), a chemical company CEO who sold poisonous gas to the Japanese. But an odd and Freudian driven relationship surfaces between Ellen and Raven when she senses his childhood pain and angst. Ellen becomes Raven's willing captive, in the process transcending his nightmares and making him more human. The very first scene in this film is so incredibly chilling it begs special mention. After having been double crossed by ne'er-do-well, Williard Gates (Laird Cregar), Raven (Ladd) contemplates killing an innocent little girl who has seen him. Even though the resulting decision is typical "golden age" morality, Ladd makes one believe, if only for a moment, that such cold blooded silencing might be possible.
THE TRANSFER: Universal's DVD transfer is remarkably solid and clean. The gray scale is very well balanced with deep solid blacks and whites that are almost pristine. There's a hint film grain and some age related artifacts. Also, some edge enhancement and pixelization occur, but nothing that will distract from a visual presentation that is a considerable improvement over previously issued VHS tapes. The audio is mono and very well represented.
BOTTOM LINE: There are no extras on this disc. Nevertheless, it is a good disc to add to your library of classic cinema.

this gun for hire
In the world of film noire I found all the elements here, with wonderful casting. Lake and Ladd are imbued with a gorgeous chemistry, there is an underlying element that suggests that if the circumstances had been different:they would easily have succumbed to each other. This is indeed Ladd at his best,he carries the subtle,seething world of hatred just beneath the surface, and the camera is fascinated by the intensity of his physical gestures, and facial expressions. In particular when he recounts the nature of the injury to his wrist, you get a window into how his mind works and what motivates him to be who he is. Lake is strong, and vulnerable and I see no mistep in her performance. This is a film that mesmerized me when I was much younger and I still find it to do so. Laird Cregar as Willard Gates is as oily as grease and I felt his performance too was a standout,a coward at the core but willing to have murder done on his behalf . I enjoyed the whole spy-thing interwoven into the plot, and as well very memorable atmospherics, especially the scene where Ladd and Lake are trapped in the railroad yards; the fog just added an extra dimension to the scene. I also found Robert Preston did a fine job too in his role as Lake's detective love interest with an understated performance, but with just the right touch of resolve to win through the day. ... Read more

Description

This masterpiece by Preston Sturges is perhaps the finest movie-about-a-movie ever made. Hollywood director Joel McCrea, tired of churning out lightweight comedies, decides to make O Brother, Where Art Thou-a serious, socially responsible film about human suffering. After his producers point out that he knows nothing of hardship, he hits the road as a hobo. He finds the lovely Veronica Lake-and more trouble than he ever dreamed of. ... Read more

Reviews (47)

The Original Oh Brother Where Art Thou
This is a wonderful movie about a successful comedy director setting out to find trouble in order to film his next project a serious movie about the Depression called Oh Brother Where Art Thou. Early in the film the studio owners try to disuade Sullivan from the movie and suggest making it into a musical; a suggestion which the Coen brothers took over 50 years later.

Initially Sullivan cannot escape his entourage which comes to include the beautiful and witty Veronica Lake. Later however life becomes more vivid for the restless director and his lesson is learned.

The film is divided into two distinct parts as many people have commented on. While some have said this makes the movie uneven I think that it moves the movie well beyond a simple romantic comedy giving it a complexity and color you don't expect.

The movie is brilliantly written by Preston Sturges. Watch it once for the sheer joy of it but watch it again to experience a brilliance of dialogue that few have been able to accomplish since.

Being a Criterion production the presentation is excellent and it has many extras that we have come to expect and appreciate from this company.

A MOVIE THAT COMBINES COMEDY AND DRAMA.
"Sullivan's Travels" tells the story of director John L. Sullivan (Joel McCrea), who is very famous thanks to his mainstream comedy movies. But now he is tired of making shallow comedies, and decides to start a career of more serious movies. However, Sullivan thinks that because during all his life he has enjoyed special privileges, he doesn't actually know what is the suffering, and he is unable of make a serious social statement in his upcoming film.

So he now decides to hit the road, disguised as a tramp, and live in those conditions for a few months, and to experiment in his own flesh the lack of luxuries. In the road he meets "The Girl" (Veronica Lake), an unemployed actress who knows what is to live in those conditions, so now she decides to help him with his experiment. However, not everything is going to be that easy, because in their adventure they are going to find several obstacles that could make difficult to complete Sullivan's movie.

"Sullivan's Travels" is a very amusing movie, the director Preston Sturges did a good job, he created scenes where the comedy and the drama are mixed together with satisfying results. The movie has interesting situations, because it has an intelligent story and good performances. Also, "Sullivan's Travels" benefits with the presence of the elegant Veronica Lake

A Review for Sullivan's Travels
Directed by Preston Sturges in 1941, this classic screwball comedy with a message is definitely one worth watching. The film opens with famous Hollywood director, John Sullivan, trying to persuade his bosses to let him make a picture about poverty, O Brother, Where Are Thou? His producers proceed to ridicule him about being privileged and that he knows nothing about troubles. They tell him how they had to grow up selling newspapers to get through college and having to support a widowed mother and three sisters and two brothers. Sullivan realizes they have a point and decides to set out to find some trouble. Of course, as soon as Sullivan leaves the office, the bosses confess they were lying about their troubles, adding a bit of comic relief.

Since the bosses feel it would be a liability to them if Sullivan were to travel all alone, they arrange for him to have an entourage following him, writing stories about his travels, and photographing his escapades. Sullivan starts out like a hobo walking alone on the side of the road. A young boy of 13 pulls up and offers him a ride. What next ensues is perhaps the funniest scene in the entire movie. The 13 year old wants to be a tank driver so he sets off like mad, driving insanely fast and wildly out of control. The entourage that has been following Sullivan in a massive bus tries desperately to keep up, hurdling its occupants all over the place. Most funny is the cook who ends up with his head sticking out of the roof of the bus and then falls back down to the floor and gets smacked on the head by the door of the oven. Then a bowl of what appears to be pancake batter falls on his head and he is a royal mess.

After the bus plows into a pile of hay, Sullivan orders the 13 year old hooligan to stop and goes back to his entourage and persuades them that their following him is not a good idea. He advises they just go to Las Vegas and wait for him there. Not crazy enough to turn down a work-free vacation, they agree and each party sets off on their own.

Sullivan next ventures into a small café where he meets a nameless girl, played by Veronica Lake. She has been trying to make a go at it as an actress, but has given up and has plans to head back home. Seeing Sullivan's misfortunes, she offers to buy him some ham and eggs. Sullivan immediately takes a liking to her and offers to give her a lift back home. Still in Hollywood, he goes and gets his own car to drive her there. The police, seeing a hobo driving a nice car, believe he has stolen it and so both Sullivan and his female companion get arrested. Well, they eventually get released when the police realize their error. Sullivan then fesses up to the lovely Veronica, and tells her his plan of finding trouble.

She decides to join him on his journey. They plan to travel east and eventually take her back home. However, Sullivan must first have his butler call the railroad to find out how hobos board trains, another moment of comedic levity. After an awkward boarding of the train, Sullivan and the girl fall asleep in a pig stall. Sullivan gets some sort of allergic reaction to the hay and so when they wake up, they decide to get off the train. They wander into another café where they realize they are now in Las Vegas and Sullivan's entourage is just across the road. Hungry and wear worn, Sullivan goes back to the entourage where his doctor mandates that he stay in bed for three day to get better.

Back on the road again, scenes fly by as Sullivan and his girl mingle with the down and out. He eventually returns to his entourage and is prepared to start production on O Brother, Where Art Thou? but he decides to give one last thank you to his street companions in the form of five dollar bills. As he is handing out bills late one night, he is knocked out, robbed, and thrown onto a train car. As the robber is running off with the money, he accidentally stumbles and drops the money on the train tracks. As he is picking up the money, he gets run over by a train and dies. The people who find his body see some of Sullivan's belongings on him and mistake him for Sullivan. Word circles around the film community that Sullivan met his death mysteriously one night on the train tracks.

Meanwhile, Sullivan's train stops and he gets out where he is confronted by a railroad worker who hits him for hitching a ride on the train. Sullivan retaliates by bashing a rock against the workers face a couple times. For this misdeed, Sullivan is sentenced to six years of hard labor. He is not allowed to make any phone calls or write any letters to let anyone know he is still alive, as he has already seen newspaper pronouncements about his fate. He comes up with a scheme to get his pictures in the papers by confessing to the murder of himself. Of course, the mistake is quickly realized and he is back in Hollywood set to make the picture which has caused him so much trouble.

However, in a twist, Sullivan decides not to make O Brother, Where Art Thou? and instead he wants to continue making comedies. For, when he was in the labor camp, the one moment of happiness he and his fellow prisoners experienced was one night when they got to go to a picture show and watch a Mickey Mouse cartoon. He decides comedy is important because, for some people, it's all they've got.

"Sullivan's Travels" - A Life Changing Experience
Oh, this film is grand! First viewed it at about age 16, formative years & all. Made a great impact. Convinced me to pack off & live life as a hobo. Ah, the rootless life! Between "Sullivan's Travels", "Lust For Life" and Hermann Hesse novels, my character was set. Ah, youth! Oh, brother, where art thou?

One of my all time favorite films
One of the great screen comedies, and one in a string of absolutely brilliant comedies that Preston Sturges made in the space of only a few years, unquestionably the hottest streak any comedy director has ever gone on in a short period of time. This film contains a great deal more slapstick than his other films, and a great deal more social satire. Sturges doesn't quite mean it as a "message" picture, but in the end it does have overtones of an apologia pro vita sua as a comedy director. Sturges wants to say that he is a comedy director, and he isn't going to apologize for it, because making people laugh in hard times is one of the highest functions of art.

SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS is one of two superb comedies that Joel McCrea made with Sturges, the other being the equally outstanding THE PALM BEACH STORY. As most are aware, McCrea plays director John L. Sullivan, who has made his mark in Hollywood directing lightweight comedies, such as the "Ants in Your Pants" series. But now he wants to make a serious, "meaningful" film: O Brother! Where Art Thou? The studio head points out that Sullivan knows nothing about real life, and conceding his point without giving up his intentions, Sullivan decides to hit the road and live as a hobo in order to discover real life.

Like nearly all Sturges films (at least before his rapid and dramatic decline in late 1944), this film features an absolutely outstanding cast. His best films seem to feature a cast with literally dozens of great character actors, and this is no exception. Most of the Sturges regulars are here, like William Demarest and Robert Warwick, along with a host of others whose faces will be familiar to any Sturges fan, even if the names are not. The film also features the first major role for Veronica Lake, who enjoyed only a short career at the top, but who endures in memory as one of most stunningly beautiful women in Hollywood history, so much an icon that in L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, Kim Basinger's character was a prostitute who would be with men impersonating Veronica Lake.

Most Sturges films are characterized by their rapid-fire dialog, manic pace, and enormous wit. He always wrote his own scripts, and as good as he could be as a director, he was much better as a writer. For several years before becoming a director, he distinguished himself along with Billy Wilder as perhaps the premier comic writer in Hollywood. This film contains moments that are classic Sturges. For instance, while arguing with the head of the studio about his next film, his boss makes the point that his last escapist film did well in Pittsburgh. Sullivan retorts: "What do they know in Pittsburgh." Studio Head: "They know what they like." Sullivan: "Then what are they doing in Pittsburgh." But in this film, unlike his others, Sturges dramatically slows down the pace at several points, and allows the film to take a much more serious turn, so as to make his central points about the value of making people laugh. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Worth a watch
Only if you're a Veronica Lake fan will you have any interest in this movie, which was her last. She has the lead role, and plays a scientist who experiments with maggots. For a DVD transfer, it was just awful. Smudges and particles litter the screen and the colors weren't that good. I was interested in seeing an old Veronica Lake, because I have heard rumors she became a big alcoholic and her looks faded and her teeth fell out. Those rumors were SOOOO exaggerated. She looked perfectly fine to me, and she DOES have her own teeth! This isn't one I would watch over and over, and I would suggest ONLY buying from a Marketplace Seller for a few bucks; not really worth $20, but if you're a Lake fan you'll want it. And no, it wasn't THAT bad like people say.

5 Stars, But With Mixed Feelings
I was tempted to give this collection 1 star for its inclusion of one truly offensive film with no redeeming qualities, but it is still an extremely worthwhile collection for those on a budget for other reasons.

The two films which make this collection worthwhile for people on a budget are "I Eat Your Skin" and "The Undertaker and His Pals". Both are fun films, and the picture quality for both films as found in this collection are about as good as they'll ever get.

THE UNDERTAKER... is a fun black comedy about two j.d.'s who run a diner who team up with a crooked undertaker in a scheme to cook up business. They murder people, the diner gets some free meat, and the undertaker gets bodies he can bury while charging large reconstructive cosmetics fees to the deceaseds' relatives. Extremely low brow satire, but better than any of the Evil Dead films. H. Gordon Lewis style gore with laughs.

I EAT YOUR SKIN is for fans of bad but fun old movies. A scientist is forced to create zombies for a power hungry island landowner. Lots of bad makeup and PRC/Monogram style low-budget horror. No gore in this one despite the title (which was slapped onto the film in the 1970s when it became part of a double bill with I Drink Your Blood), but who needs that for a good time?

THE SEVERED ARM (described in detail in another review) was too long for my taste. It has a great set up and ending, but the middle drags. This is quite unfortunate given the film's great potential. I'd love to see The Severed Arm released with some excess fat removed and cleaned up for easier digestion (Sorry. I couldn't avoid the temptation).

SLAVE OF THE CANNIBAL GOD has all the elements of your typical 1970s/early 1980s Italian cannibal film: 1) stupid people wander off into the jungle; 2) argue with each other for a boring hour and a half while various animals get killed for real; until 3) they run into a bunch of cannibals who kill most of them off while the audience cheers. Unlike some people, I don't think nature is a happy fun land where animals live together in peace and eat nothing but marshmallows and ice cream, nor do I have any illusions over where the meat on my plate comes from, but neither do I find it necessary for a film which is supposed to be entertaining to dwell at such great length on scenes of animals killing each other. Sure, when you are filming in the jungle you are presented with opportunities to capture such things on camera and use it to help establish the setting of the film. This has not coloured my opinion of other similar films. But here, e.g., you have one scene of a monkey being killed very slowly by a snake which goes on forever and in graphic detail to the point of complete tastelessness, and in one truly offensive scene natives cut apart an iguana while keeping it alive as long as possible. This is just plain unnecessary cruelty. Resorting to such immature shock tactics does not serve to salvage this film's poor attempt at a story. This is not daring art making some grand statement; it is just people unable to elicit any reaction but boredom without stooping to the lowest depths.

For those who, like me, don't want to own a DVD with scenes of deliberately staged animal cruelty (as distinguished from acts of nature) "The Undertaker and His Pals" is also available solo in a great copy from VCI, and "I Eat Your Skin" is available from Something Weird as a second feature to "The Child" along with some great shorts. The tradeoff is that you'll be paying more and will miss out on "The Severed Arm".

slave of the cannibal god - flesh feast
I was very disturbed by the movie "Slave of the Cannibal God". There are great deal of scenes in which animals are placed in scenes together and filmed fighting to the death. Most disturbing was a scene early in the film in which a monkey is being eaten alive by a snake. I threw my copy of this movie away and suggest others do the same. I am a fan a horror movies but this is an example of trash and animal cruelty.

Teaching Your Zombies Table Manners By Keeping Humans Away
While I'm not going to profess that this DVD set, a four-part collection containing I Eat Your Skin, The Severed Arm, Slave to the Cannibal God (only the rated -R version), and The Undertaker and his Pals, is stunning in the fields of picture quality (unless you're one of those people who believes everyone should have a little grain in their diet), I will say that it is admirable for its price and well worth purchasing. Also, while I won't go into great detail on all of the movies contained here (I have on other reviews which can readily be found), I will go into more detail about one, The Severed Arm, because the only way to really find this piece is in collections such as this one.

The movies are:
Slave of the Cannibal God, a gruesome little piece revolving around the dubiously enchanting Susan Stevenson (Ursula Andress) and her strangely Germanic brother Arthur as they head for South America in search of her long lost, and presumably deceased, explorer/husband. Once there, they enlist the help of the, weird Dr. Edward Foster and find that their destination isn't in the jungle, but is instead on an island teeming with mystery - and underfed cannibals. Unfortunately this isn't the uncut version, but its still pretty graphically appealing.

I Eat Your Skin is something of a blast from the past, taking its audience back to a place where the zombie movement in films was just beginning and when it was fine to blame everything on the strangely exotic practices of Voodoo. Its plot hinges around a cancer researcher stationed on a Caribbean Island that discovers, quite to his dismay, that by treating the natives with snake venom he can turn them into bug-eyed zombies. Not at all interested in this, he is unfortunately forced to use this information to create something after my own heart, an army of (unfortunately tame) zombies to conquer the world. I found this fairly entertaining to watch because the translations of the Voodoo ceremonies, with the people writing around as a priest and priestess dance banally around a fire while sprinkling ceremonial dust about and waiting for a bit of human sacrifice, is so cliche. Sadly, though, the zombies here do everything but eat skin, and I can't truly recall a scene where any skin was lost (a head, but no skin).

The Undertaker and His Pals is one of the more comedic portions of this collection, hinging on the practice that an undertaker and his two restaurant-owning pals are into, one of killing people for profit in their own individual ways. The undertaker makes his money by burying the dead while berating his clientele while his friends use parts of the victim's bodies (i.e., leg of Lamb from a Ms. Lamb) for their specials of the day. Loaded with a lot of humor, this B-movie was something of a jovial surprise to find hiding in this collection and is highly recommended.

The Severed Arm, one of the best pieces in the set, begins with one of our main characters receiving something alarming in the mail - a nice looking box! - o, and a left arm inside. Instead of going to the police about this, however, he instead goes to a doctor friend of his who relapses into a flashback that explains everything in a sickly humorous fashion. These two, along with three others, had been exploring a cave when a bumbling mishap lead to a cave-in and they found themselves trapped. In order to ward off starvation, the five decide (actually, only a few decide and the rest are bullied) into drawing straws to see who will lose a limb so that everyone can lives. The loser, distraught, begs for a few more hours, receives only a fraction of these before his arm is cut off, and then is greeted by the cruelest "hand" that fate can deal him. Before anyone even has the chance to dig into that succulently uncooked morsel, they hear the knocking of rescuers that have found them and are attempting to dig them out. Fearful of jail time, the four men band together and say that the arm was crushed in a cave-in and then amputated and rebut the claims of narrowly averted cannibalism with claims of fever-wrought delirium that has stricken their companion. Before being halled off, however, our now one-armed spelunker swears vengeance. Five years after the fact it looks like he might be coming for it, too, for, one by one, the four are assaulted and their left arms are liberated, leading to an ending that is so beautifully cruel that I had to watch the whole thing over and over again with a smile.

Yes, these four movies are all good in their own right, some better than others and some purely sick gems, making it a set to pick up and disgust your loved ones with as you find yourself laughing over and over again while noting that only the Zombies refain from eating human beings. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

THE JERSEY HILLS
A delightful ghost-witch film which spoofs the genre. Kellaway and his fetching daughter Lake are branded witches in 1690 and condemned to a New England stake. In 1942, Lake comes back to life and marries Fredric March and the results are hilarious! Veronica Lake does amazingly well condsidering she had been in films only a year and Susan Hayward is both pretty and surly at the same time, no small feat of acting. This is indeed a film to keep on video, for it would repeatedly soothe away a wakeful night. Almost carelessly, it use the most professional means to entrance eye and ear throughout its running time. It's not the kind of film which requires roars of approving laughter: the occasional quiet chuckle is much more in its line, as it dispenses a delightful sense of oddity and enchantment. The film's only sin is that it more or less wastes Mr. Benchley, though he has one delightfully confused exit line after light has dawned on him that his friend's wife is really a witch: "Oh well, it's late, I've got to be getting into my strait jacket. "I'll call a broom". Rene Clair's direction is swift and sure and this is Hollywood moonshine, impeccably distilled.

Wow! What a witch!
Veronica Lake reveals a glittering comic ability and proves that she was more than just a luscious film-noir femme fatale type in this gem, a talent she would further go on to display in the equally enjoyable "Sullivan's Travels." The peekaboo-tressed, doll-faced actress is flawless in the role of Jennifer--she manages at the same time to be warm, funny, endearing, vulnerable, and just plain adorable as the "witch" who alternately infuriates and enchants and ultimately is married by Fredric March. March is excellent as he plays off his somber, sedate persona to hilarious effect in his performance as Wallace Wooley, a gubernatorial candidate whose boring, orderly life is turned upside down by Jennifer. A pre-stardom Susan Hayward attracts much deserved notice and is very good in her role as March's beautiful though perpetually bad-tempered fiancee, as is Cecil Kellaway as Lake's mischievous father. To show what pros March and Lake were is evident in their illusory rapport onscreen; offscreen they detested each other--March called Lake a "talentless sexpot" and she called him a "pompous poseur" in return. During the fire scene where March carries her, lake attached 40-pound weights to her gown (which exhausted hims strenuously during the several takes) and in another whre they were filmed together from the waist up, Lake threateningly jiggled her knee between March's legs (she later said he gave her hell for THAT). Despite the hokey title, this is one film you should pop in your VCR whenever you're in the mood for a light-hearted, sparkling, feel-good comedy.

A Bewitching Comedy With Sexy Witch Veronica Lake
It's rare nowadays when you can say that you have seen a totally delightful comedy in the cinemas. That rare marriage of charming scenerio, ideally cast players, and romantic setting seems to be sadly a thing of the past which is why I always find "I Married a Witch", such enjoyable viewing. Here we have two very famous performers in dramatic veteran Fredric March, and Film Noir siren Veronica Lake playing against their usual "type" and having a field day cutting loose with this romantic screwball tale that combines sexy humour with elements of the supernatural. Based on the unfinished novel by "Topper", author Thorne Smith, "I Married a Witch", gave us a whole new image of what witches were like minus the warts and crooked nose and in much the same vein as the later legendary series "Bewitched", showed us witches who were playful and extremely sexy. Veronica Lake had I feel her most appealing role here and proved herself adept at frothy comedy and capable of far more than just looking slinky hiding behind her famous peek a boo hairstyle. Her chemistry with Fredric March is magical here (no pun intended!), and goes a long way towards making "I Married a Witch", the great success it is.

Veronica Lake plays a Salem witch who along with her father is burnt at the stake on charges of scorcery. Before her death however she places a curse on the decendants of the man responsible for the burning, one Wallace Wooley. They are all cursed to marry "unhappily", and then we are treated to a series of highly amusing "historical snippets" showing how each generation of the Wooley family falls victim to the curse with wives they would probably much prefer to see burnt at the stake! The action then moves to the present where we see aspiring political candidate for the State Senate Jonathan Wooley (March) fully involved in the run up to not only his wedding to the hot tempered Estelle (Susan Hayward), daughter of media big shot J.B. Masterson (Robert Warwick), but also the upcoming election financed largely by his overpowering future father in law who is calling the shots in the upcoming election. During a storm both Jennifer (Veronica Lake), and her no good father Daniel (Cecil Kellaway) are freed from their imprisonment inside the tree that grew on the spot where they were burnt. Jennifer sets out to make life a complete misery for Jonathan during this important time in his life. She tries to create a scandal after Jonathan supposedly "rescues" her from a burning building by being "caught", in compromising positions in his bedroom right under the nose of both Estelle and disapproving housekeeper Margaret (Elizabeth Patterson). She tries to sabotage Jonathan's wedding day and in an hilarious scene causes a huge wind to come in and literally destroy the whole event. When she pretends to "die by gunshot", in an adjoining room causing an even bigger scandal which will set Jonathan up on a murder charge Jennifer however gets more than she bargained for. Earlier she had concocted a potion that will make Jonathan fall in love with her, Jonathan now accidently uses it to revive Jennifer and she finds herself madly in love with him! Fed up with Estelle's rages and her greedy father planning his every move Jonathan begins to realise that the disorder and excitement that Jennifer has brought into his ordered existence right down to flying through the air in a car, has revitalised him and love blossoms. When Jennifer's menacing and perpetually drunk father sees the change in her and threatens to take the families revenge out on Jonathan himself he takes Jennifer's powers away from him and ends up back in the bottle that will be his home for all eternity. We then see a flash forward to when Jonathan and Jennifer are a comfortably married middle aged couple and the witch streak is still there when their daughter begins feeling "right at home",playing with a broomstick.

This slapstick piece of Americana was ably handled by none other than French director Rene Clair who really produced his best work during the 1930's before leaving Europe in the wake of Nazi aggression. Here however he seems totally at home with his rapid fire direction and rarely has a director got a more lively and delightfully kittenish performance out of Veronica Lake than Rene Clair does here. Fredric March and Lake combine extremely well here despite the very public clashes they had on the set during filming. Indeed March has rarely been more pleasing on screen where he is normally associated with such diverse dramatic roles as in "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", "A Star is Born", and "The Best Years of Our Lives". He brings a frustratingly frantic skill to his acting that makes Lake's cool and deliciously wicked playing of this sexy witch seem even more amusing. Cecil Kellaway almost succeeds in stealing every scene he is in as the permanently drunk father of Lake and Susan Hayward, an actress I greatly admire has a quite difficult character to play here that nevertheless indicated what she was capable of delivering in later better roles. For 1942 the magical special effects are first rate where we have scenes of Jennifer and her father's disembodied presences in the form of smoke going inside bottles etc. First rate all the way for this time.

Often passed off as the inspiration for the TV series "Bewitched", we will never know for sure if that was indeed the case. What we do know is that in "I Married a Witch", we are in possession of a delightfully wicked little comedy that crosses many sexual boundaries that might not have been gotten away with elsewhere at this time. For those viewers only used to seeing Veronica Lake as Alan Ladd's costar in numerous glossy Film Noirs do yourself a favour and check out her bewitchingly delightful performance opposite Fredric March in Rene Clair's "I Married a Witch". Grand entertainment.

A comedy fantasy

Format: Color
Studio: Warner Studios
Video Release Date: January 31, 1995

Cast:

Fredric March ... Jonathan Wooley/Nathaniel Wooley/Samuel Wooley/Wallace Wooley
Veronica Lake ... Jennifer
Robert Benchley ... Dr. Dudley White
Susan Hayward ... Estelle Masterson
Cecil Kellaway ... Daniel
Elizabeth Patterson ... Margaret
Robert Warwick ... J. B. Masterson
Gordon De Main ... Man with Masterson on Radio
Ralph Dunn ... First Jail Guard
Frank Elliott ... Magistrate

Franklyn Farnum ... Country Club Extra/Man at Fire
Jack Gardner ... Radio Voice
Robert Greig ... Town Crier
George Guhl ... Fred the policeman
William Haade ... Policeman
Reed Hadley ... Young man
Oscar 'Dutch' Hendrian ... Tom, Bartender
Robert Homans ... The Fire Chief
Arthur Stuart Hull ... Wedding Guest
Peter Leeds ... Ambulance Attendant
Jack Luden ... Ambulance driver
Renny McEvoy ... Bellboy
David McKim ... Newsboy
Charles Bates ... Woolley Jr.
James Millican
Frank Mills ... Joe, cab driver
Charles R. Moore ... Samuel's Servant
Edmund Mortimer ... Wedding Guest
Emory Parnell ... The Hotel Owner
Brooks Benedict ... Country Club Extra
Ralph Peters ... Prisoner
Gerald Pierce ... Newsboy
Mickey Rentschler ... Boy at Country Club
Cyril Ring ... Country Club Extra
Ronald R. Rondell ... Country Club Extra/Wedding Guest
Billy Bevan ... Puritan vendor
Ernest Shields ... Waiter
Lee Shumway ... Fireman
Walter Soderling ... Chess Player
Bert Stevens ... Country Club Extra
Billy Bletcher ... Photographer
Monte Blue ... Doorman
Harry Tyler ... Prisoner
Dan White ... Fireman
Wade Boteler ... Cop who arrests Daniel
Aldrich Bowker ... Justice of the Peace
Al Bridge ... Second Jail Guard
Eddy Chandler ... Motorcycle Cop
Chester Conklin ... Party Bartender
Gino Corrado ... Onlooker in Crowd
Florence Gill ... Chess player
Esther Howard ... Bit Role
Georgia Backus ... Older woman
Donivee Lee ... Bit Girl
Eily Malyon ... Tabitha
Viola Moore ... Martha
Kathryn Sheldon ... Elderly wife
Helen St. Rayner ... Vocalist
Marie Blake ... Purity Sykes
Jan Buckingham ... Young Woman
Ann Carter ... Jennifer Jr.
Nora Cecil ... Harriet
Georgie Cooper ... Wedding Guest
Beverly Andre ... Girl at Country Club
Emma Dunn ... Justice's wife
Mary Field ... Nancy
Bess Flowers ... Maid of Honor

A couple of witches are burned in Salem during the pilgrim days, but they first put a curse on the Wooley family and all of their heirs: they will all marry the wrong women. A curse, indeed!

Then Wallace Wooley (Fredric March), in modern times, is running for Governor at the same time that the spirits of the two witches resurface, at the very time that Estelle Masterson (Susan Hayward) and Wally are about to be married. But things go awry when Jennifer, the witch (Veronica Lake) takes a love potion by mistake, and falls for Wally.

This is a funny movie, and was the inspiration for the TV series
starring Elizabeth Montgomery based on the same premise.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and Freedom
and other books

Suberbly Great
This movie is one of the best movies I have ever seen. It is hilarous and the character of Veronica Lake is sooooo great. I have seen this movie at least 10 times and it does not loose its wonderful quaint humour and overall movie viewing joy. I would give it 10 stars out of 5 if I could. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

A Masterpiece
The Blue Dahlia is the finest noir film of its kind and everything is absolutely perfect in the third of four films Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake would make together. Raymond Chandler wrote the origional screenplay and George Marshall turned in his finest directing job in this screen classic. This film has the perfect blend of grit and gloss, romance and female treachery, and for my money is better than the film often held up as the perfect noir, Casablanca.

Lt. Morrison (Ladd) returns from WWII with his two buddies only to find his wife Helen (Doris Dowling) has been unfaithful, in your face unfaithful, and responsible for his son's death while he was away. He confronts her at a party and blows out in a storm, unaware that someone kills her with his gun only hours later. Joyce Harwood(Lake) meets him for the first time when she offers hm a ride in the pouring rain and an attraction between the two begins.

This film is everything others of its kind during the 1940's tried to be. The noir elements are blendid perfectly with romantic touches sprinkled here and there, creating a masterpiece in the genre. A scene as Johnny and Joyce cross paths a second time in a restaurant overlooking the sea is a particular standout, the romantic view brought back into focus when he overhears a bulletin on the radio alerting him he is being sought by the police for the murder of his wife.

Like Johnny, Joyce is running from something,and trying to help him takes her right back to The Blue Dahlia nightclub. Johnny's loyal war buddies are on hand to help him but the shell shocked Buss (William Bendix) can't quite remember what he did the night Johnny's wife was murdered. The list of suspects begins to grow and includes a slimy hotel detective and the guy Joyce is all tangled up with, who just happens to be the owner of--you guessed it-- The Blue Dahlia .

This may be the most entertaining 100 minutes you'll ever spend watching a movie in this genre and is certain to be one of your all time favorites after you see it for the first time. Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake were the perfect screen duo. Johnny tells Joyce early on in the film that every guy has seen her somewhere before; meaning the girl we all see in our dreams. When things are all wrapped up Johnny stops her from driving away, reminding her of what he said. We know then as she does that she is Johnny's dream, and ours as well.

This film is a dream come true for Ladd and Lake fans and one you simply can't miss.

The Ladd/Lake magic continues in "The Blue Dahlia"!
This classic is one of the best examples of film noir of the 1940s, and it's also perhaps the best on-screen pairing of macho Alan Ladd and sexy Veronica Lake. This was Raymond Chandler's first screenplay, adopted from his unfinished 128 page novel, The Blue Dahlia. According to Hollywood legend, he got totally drunk while finishing the script, living up to his reputation as an alcoholic. Nevertheless, this is an excellently-crafted noir murder mystery that will have you guessing right up till the end who the real killer is!

Alan Ladd plays Johnny Morrison, a returning WW2 veteran who is eager to see his wife, Helen (Doris Dowling). He walks into his home only to discover her kissing another man, nightclub owner Eddie Harwood (Howard da Silva). As if that wasn't painful enough for him, she also tells him the truth about their child's death during the war: he was killed in a car crash in which she had been driving while drunk. This spells the end of their already troubled marriage, and Johnny leaves her (along with his .45 pistol) behind.

Johnny's two war pals, Buzz (William Bendix) and George (Hugh Beaumont) get a phone call from Helen saying that he's run out on her, and Buzz goes out looking for her to find out more. The next morning, Helen's lifeless body (killed by Johnny's pistol)is found in her home, and police begin an immediate search for Johnny, who's hitched a ride with a beautiful woman, Joyce (Veronica Lake). Unkown to Johny, Joyce is the unhappy wife of Eddie Harwood! Johnny suspects Eddie of his wife's murder, but nothing is as it seems in this thriller with so many twists you'll be dizzy by the end!

This highly underated film noir has great performances from the outstanding cast, and the Raymond Chandler script is very memorable, especially Alan Ladd's "Every guy has seen you before somewhere, the trick is to find you." to Veronica Lake. I hope Universal will release this classic and "The Glass Key" on dvd soon because the vhs is becoming increasingly difficult to find.

Stylish, but not genuine noir
The opening shot may be one of the most knowing and beautiful ones in film noir, a focus on the word 'Hollywood' which after the camera pulls away, is actually a destination on a bus sign. With fiml noir, just utter "Hollywood" and there is no need to explain betrayal, hypocrisy, seediness, injustice or pretence.

The screenplay is classic Raymond Chandler, sharply brilliant with rat-a-tat fire exchange. But the plot fails -- it's too simple, too linear, and not convuluted enough to darken the shadows and reflect the torn morals noir characters have to face. Veronica Lake as the femme fatale isn't quite vicious enough, and her own private agenda is boring enough to bleach white into the noir. In fact, that credit should go to man-caught-in-the-middle Johnny Morrison's (Alan Ladd) ex-wife, who goes out of her way to make a war hero look bad.

Why isn't this on DVD
Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake made some of the best film noir movies of all time and none of them are on DVD. These are great movies if you love old black and white intrigue and mystery however. They are worth getting in any format.

Engaging Early Noir
Although riddled with improbabilities, Raymond Chandler's tough story and script is well served with a glossy look and the hard-edged performances drawn by director George Marshall from a superior cast.THE BLUE DAHLIA concerns a recently discharged military man Johnny Morrison (Alan Ladd) who returns home to find his wife Helen (Doris Dowling) has been as unfaithful as the day is long--and is presently carrying on with club owner Eddie Harwood (Howard da Silva), over whom her hold is not entirely romantic.After stomping out into the rain, Morrison learns Helen has been murdered, and must race to prove his innocence before the coppers pick him up.

Ladd would give considerably more sophistocated performances in his later years, but he strikes all the right ultra-tough chords, and although Veronica Lake is a rather wooden actress she is remarkably beautiful and as a team the pair has considerable chemistry.The standouts in the cast, however, are Da Silva, who gives the role of the heavy a surprising interpretation, and William Bendix, who plays Ladd's war-wounded buddy to great effect. THE BLUE DAHLIA lacks both the moodiness and grittiness of truly great film noir, so it is not in the first rank of the genre--but it is no less enjoyable for that.The film cracks along at a rapid pace with plenty of action and a surprise twist or two that will keep you guessing to the very end.Ladd and Lake fans will love it, and any one who likes the hardboiled style will be in for a real treat.Recommended. ... Read more