This site is devoted to the love of classic movies. What qualifies as a classic film or movie is somewhat subjective. There are certain films which endure because they strike an emotional chord long after their initial release. For example, a movie like "Casablanca" (1942) would qualify as a classic under that definition.
Robert Mitchum (1917 - 1997) was the original movie bad boy. When he entered the movies, his easy-going naturalistic acting style kept him starring in movies for five decades. Discover how much, or how little you know about this movie legend.
Studio portrait of Robert Mitchum
1. Mitchum's older sister, Julie, persuaded him to join her at The Players Guild of Long Beach, a local theater guild. He worked as a stagehand and bit player.
2. He worked as a machine operator for Lockheed Aircraft Corporation during World War II. He had to quick due to the damage the loud machinery did to his hearing.
3. Mitchum tried acting again and was cast in the Hopalong Cassidy (1942 - 1943) film series in various minor roles as villains and bad guys.
4. Under contract to RKO, Mitchum starred in B-Westerns based on the novels of Zane Grey. He gained prominence and fame when he was loaned out to United Artists for the film The Story of G. I. Joe (1945). For his performance in that film, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. It would be his only Academy Award nomination.
5. In the mid-1940s, Mitchum began to make his mark in film noir, earning supporting roles in When Strangers Marry (1944), Undercurrent (1946), and The Locket (1946).
Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer in the film noir classic Out of the Past
6. His career got a boost with his co-starring role opposite Teresa Wright in Pursued (1946) directed by Raoul Walsh. The next year, he became a film noir icon with his role in Out of the Past.
7. In 1948, Mitchum was arrested with actress Lila Leeds for possession of marijuana. The arrest did not harm his career. In fact, the movies he made after his arrest were box office successes.
8. Mitchum hit his stride in the 1950s with starring roles in The River of No Return (1954), The Night of the Hunter (1955), Not as a Stranger (1955), and Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1956).
9. He made three films opposite Deborah Kerr: Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison, The Sundowners (1960), and The Grass is Greener (1960), which also starred Cary Grant and Jean Simmons, an actress who starred in three films with Mitchum.
10. The American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Stars listed Mitchum as the 23rd-greatest male star from Hollywood's classic period.
Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Mitchum, and Jean Simmons in The Grass is Greener
Pursued (1947) Is considered the first noir western, directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Teresa Wright and Robert Mitchum. The cinematography is by the legendary James Wong Howe and music by the equally legendary Max Steiner. Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese counts Pursued as one of his favorite films.
Mitchum is Jeb Rand, a man haunted by traumatic events from his past that left him an orphan. Mrs. Callum (Judith Anderson) adopts him and raises him as her son with her natural children Adam (John Rodney) and Thorley (Wright). But there is tension in these relationships, and a man he doesn’t even know torments Jeb for reasons he doesn’t understand.
Others in the cast include Dean Jagger and Alan Hale.
Publicity still of Teresa Wright and Robert Mitchum
Raoul Walsh (1887 - 1980) was an American director, actor, and founding member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Walsh got his start acting on the stage in New York. He eventually began acting in silent films and worked as an assistant director alongside D.W. Griffith. He eventually became a director on his own working with major silent-film stars Douglas Fairbanks, Gloria Swanson, and Anna May Wong. He lost his right eye in a freak accident in 1928 and never acted again, instead of focusing exclusively on directing. Some of his notable films include The Roaring Twenties (1939) starring James Cagney and Priscilla Lane, High Sierra (1941) starring Ida Lupino and Humphrey Bogart, The Strawberry Blonde (1941) starring Cagney and Olivia de Havilland, White Heat (1949) starring Cagney and Virginia Mayo, and Captian Horatio Hornblower (1951) starring Gregory Peck and Mayo.
Teresa Wright (1918 - 2005) was an American stage, film, and television actress. She received Academy Award nominations in her first three films, a record that still holds today. In 1942, she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Mrs. Miniver and for Best Actress in The Pride of the Yankees. She won the Supporting Oscar for Mrs. Miniver, her co-star, Greer Garson won Best Actress. Today Wright is most famous for playing Lou Gehrig’s wife in The Pride of the Yankees, The Best Years of Our Lives, and Alfred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt (1943). Wright was a popular star throughout the 1940s starring opposite Robert Mitchum, Ray Milland, Gary Cooper, and David Niven. She starred opposite Marlon Brando in his first film role in The Men (1950). Wright continued working in film, with her last role as Miss Birdie in The Rainmaker (1997). Wright is the only non-baseball player to be honored by the New York Yankees when she passed away at age 86.
Robert Mitchum (1917 - 1997) was an American film actor, director, and singer. His breakthrough came in The Story of G.I. Joe (1945) for which he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award. He later starred in the film noir classic Out of the Past (1947) Crossfire (1947), Rachel and the Stranger (1948), River of No Return (1954) The Night of the Hunter (1955) Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957), Home from the Hill (1960), Cape Fear (1962), and Ryan's Daughter (1970). Mitchum would remain busy until the late-nineties. Mitchum is rated number 23 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male stars of classic American cinema.
Pursued trivia
When the film was released, Teresa Wright was #6 at the box office.
Charles Bates who plays Adam Callum as an 11-year-old boy played Teresa Wright's younger brother in Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt (1943).
The film was filmed in Gallup, New Mexico.
The screenplay was written by Niven Busch who was Teresa Wright's husband.
Niven Busch also wrote the novel Duel in the Sun which was made into a hit western that was supposed to star Wright. Wright had to drop out due to pregnancy. Pursued was a consolation prize of sorts.
Producer Milton Sperling and his United States Pictures production company worked out a distribution deal with Warner Bros. It was a profitable deal for both.
Teresa Wright was on the cover of Life magazine on December 16, 1946.
Why watch this film?
The film features beautiful black and white cinematography by James Wong Howe.
It's an opportunity to see Robert Mitchum in an early lead role.
It's considered the first film noir western, directed by a legend of the Classic Hollywood period.
The film boasts a strong cast including top-billed Teresa Wright, Judith Anderson, and Dean Jagger.
To watch the film on YouTube, click the link below.
Discussion questions:
Do you think a western could be classified as a film noir?
Freud and psychological dramas were all the rage in the 1940s. Does Pursued work as a psychological western?
What did you make of Jeb's relationship with his stepmother, stepbrother, and sister?
Do you think the family dynamics would have been different had Jeb's true origins been known from the beginning?
The scene when Jeb and Adam sing together is a pleasant one and suggests that togetherness and family love was possible or does it?
Was there a performance that stood out to you?
Did anything surprise you?
Do you think the movie had a theme? If so, what do you think it was?
Teresa Wright on location with cinematographer James Wong Howe behind the camera
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Contemporary reviews for Pursued
Bosley Crowther in The New York Times said this about the film: "...And it is likewise hard to work up any sympathy for the hero, who seems bored by all his woes. That may be because Robert Mitchum, who plays the latter, is a very rigid gent and gives off no more animation than a Frigidaire turned to 'Defrost.'"*
Variety praised the film: "Pursued is potent frontier days Westernfilm fare. Standout in picture is suspense generated by the original script and Raoul Walsh's direction. It builds the western gunman's death walk to high moments of thrill and action. Strong casting also is a decided factor in selling the action wares. Production makes use of natural outdoor backgrounds supplied by New Mexico scenery, lending air of authenticity that is fully captured by the camera."**
*New York Times, Crowther, Bosley, review March 8, 1947
**Variety magazine, Variety staff, review December 31, 1946
The Red House (1947) is a mystery written and directed by Delmer Daves and starring Edward G. Robinson, Lon McCallister, and Judith Anderson. The film score is by Miklos Rozsa. Others in the cast include Rory Calhoun, Julie London, and Allene Roberts.
The film centers around brother and sister Pete (Robinson) and Ellen Morgan, and their adopted daughter Meg (Roberts). Because of their reclusive ways, rarely leaving their farm, the Morgans are the subject of gossip. Meg and her relationship with Pete and Ellen is also a subject that is whispered about among her schoolmates. Pete warns Meg not to wander alone in the woods near their farm and he also warns her to stay away from a mysterious red house.
Meg and schoolmate Nath (McCallister), out of curiosity, go in search of the red house. What secret will the red house reveal and how will it affect Pete, Ellen, and Meg.
Lon McCallister, Allene Roberts, Edward G. Robinson
Delmer Daves (1904 - 1977) was an American writer, producer, and director. He worked in many genres including film noir, but he may be best remembered for his westerns. Broken Arrow (1950) starred James Stewart and Debra Paget, one of the first westerns to feature a Native American protagonist. During his career, Daves worked with many top stars from Hollywood's Golden age including Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Glenn Ford, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Gene Tierney, Susan Hayward, Cary Grant, and Richard Widmark. Daves is responsible for some of the most popular movies of the 1940s and 1950s like Destination Tokyo (1943), The Pride of the Marines (1945), 3:10 to Yuma (1957), and A Summer Place (1959).
Edward G. Robinson (1893 – 1973) was an American actor on the stage and screen. Robinson is a true legend from Hollywood’s Golden Age where he starred in the gangster classic Little Caesar (1931), Kid Galahad (1937), Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939), The Sea Wolf (1941), Double Indemnity (1944), and Key Largo (1948). Robinson was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 1973, but he was never nominated for a competitive Oscar.
Lon McCallister (1923 - 2005) was an American film actor who was a popular star during the 1940s. McCallister was mostly cast as the youthful hero in films like Home in Indiana (1944) and Winged Victory (1944). Columnist Hedda Hopper called him "the cutest boy the movies have hauled up out of obscurity since Mickey Rooney." At only 5' 6", McCallister had difficulty finding movie roles as he grew older. He eventually worked in television but retired from acting in 1953. After his acting career ended, McCallister became a successful real estate investor.
Judith Anderson (1897 - 1992) was an Australian actress who was a star stage, film, and television. Anderson left Australia for a career in the United States. After a period of struggle, she made a name for herself on the Broadway stage in Strange Interlude (1929) replacing Lynn Fontaine. She starred in As You Desire (1931) and The Old Maid (1935). With her success in the film Rebecca (1940), Anderson's career got a boost. She continued to work in film throughout the remainder of her career appearing in Laura (1944), Pursued (1947), The Ten Commandments (1956), A Man Called Horse (1970), and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984).
The Red House trivia
The film was produced by Thalia Productions, a production company owned by Edward G. Robinson and producer Sol Lesser.
The novel on which the film is based was serialized in The Saturday Evening Post in 1945.
This was the film debut of Allene Roberts (Meg).
The Red House was Rory Calhoun's second credited film role.
To watch the film on YouTube, click on the link below.
To join the discussion on January 24, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and link to join the discussion on Zoom.
Discussion questions:
What genre do you think this film fits? Is it a mystery, horror, psychological thriller, film noir?
Do you think the film narrative is realistic?
Did the film have an overall message or theme?
Was there a scene that stood out to you?
Is there a character and/or performance that stood out to you?
No Way Out (1950) is an American film noir directed by Joseph Mankiewicz and starring Richard Widmark, Linda Darnell, Stephen McNally, and in his film debut, Sidney Poitier. The movie was produced by Darryl F. Zanuck with music by Alfred Newman.
The plot concerns Dr. Luther Brooks (Poitier) as the first black doctor to be employed at the urban hospital where he trained. While working at the hospital's prison ward, brothers Johnny and Ray (Widmark) Biddle are brought in to be treated for gunshot wounds they received while attempting a robbery.
Johnny’s symptoms worry Luther, suspecting he may have a brain tumor. While he is trying to tend to Johnny, Ray hurls insults and racial epitaphs at Luther. Still believing that Johnny may be suffering from a brain tumor, Luther performs a spinal tap, but Johnny dies during the procedure. Ray accuses Luther of murdering his brother and vows revenge.
Will Luther be able to survive the suspicion that he may have misdiagnosed Johnny? Will Ray make good on his vendetta against Luther?
Richard Widmark Linda Darnell, and Sidney Poitier
Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1929 – 1972) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Mankiewicz won Academy Awards for directing and writing A Letter to Three Wives (1949), and All About Eve (1950). He is the only director to win back-to-back Academy Awards for writing and directing. Other films directed by Mankiewicz include Dragonwyck (1946), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), Julius Caesar (1953), The Barefoot Contessa (1954), and Guys and Dolls (1955). He directed the 1963 crisis-plagued production of Cleopatra which negatively affected his career as a director.
Richard Widmark (1914- 2008) had a sensational movie debut playing the crazy villain Tommy Udo in director Henry Hathaway’s Kiss of Death (1947). His performance won him a Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year – Actor. He was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Udo. Widmark was under contract to Twentieth Century-Fox where he played mostly villains. Later in his career, he started playing more heroic roles in films like Slattery’s Hurricane and Down to the Sea in Ships (both 1949).
Linda Darnell (1923 – 1965) was an American film actress. She signed a contract with 20th Century-Fox at age 15 and became a star almost overnight. She was immediately cast opposite Tyrone Power in Day-Time Wife (1939). She made two films with Power in 1940: Brigham Young and The Mark of Zorro. In 1941, she was again paired with Power in Blood and Sand, which also starred an up-and-coming Rita Hayworth. Darnell’s most famous role was that of Amber St. Clair in Forever Amber (1946), which turned out the be the biggest hit of the year. The role of Amber was the most sought-after female role since the casting of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939). Other important films she starred in include Unfaithfully Yours (1948), A Letter to Three Wives (1949), and No Way Out (1950). She died tragically at age 41 in a fire while visiting friends in Glenview, Illinois.
Stephen McNally (1911 - 1994) was an American film, stage, and television actor. He is mostly remembered for his roles in westerns. McNally often played the bad guys like his portrayal of Locky McCormick in Johnny Belinda (1948). McNally earned a law degree from Fordham University Law School. During the 1950s, he started working in television starring in popular series like Wagon Train, Riverboat, Rawhide, 77 Sunset Strip, The Virginian, Fantasy Island, Starsky & Hutch, Charlie’s Angels, The Rockford File, and Police Story.
Sidney Poitier (1927 - 2022) was an American actor and director. He was the first black man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field (1963). Poitier made his film debut in No Way Out which launched him on a path to movie stardom. Other early films include Cry, The Beloved Country (1951), Blackboard Jungle (1955), and Edge of the City (1957). Another breakthrough came with The Defiant Ones (1958) where he co-starred with Tony Curtis. Both actors were nominated for the Best Actor Academy Award, with Poitier’s nomination the first for a black man. In 1959, he starred in the first production of A Raisin in the Sun on Broadway. He starred in the film version in 1961. That same year he starred with Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in Paris Blues. Other film roles include The Bedford Incident (1965), A Patch of Blue (1965) co-starring Elizabeth Hartman and Shelley Winters. Poitier’s big year was 1967. He had three hits with To Sir, with Love, In the Heat of the Night, and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. The popularity of these three films made him the top box office draw of the year. Later in his career, Poitier started directing films like Uptown Saturday Night (1974) and Stir Crazy (1980). Poitier was a recipient of an Honorary Academy Award for his contribution to the motion picture industry.
No Way Out trivia
Sidney Poitier lied to director Joseph Mankiewicz, telling him he was 27 years old when he was only 22.
James Edwards, another pioneering black actor, was the first choice to play Luther.
The film was initially banned by the Chicago Police Department until the scene where the two gangs arm themselves was deleted.
Linda Darnell was in a serious car accident during filming that almost burned her to death.
Of the main cast, Linda Darnell was the veteran having starred in her first film in 1939 when she was still in her teens. She was only 27 when No Way Out was released.
Why watch this film?
To see star-in-the-making Sidney Poitier.
It’s an early film dealing with the issue of prejudice and racism.
It’s a chance to see Richard Widmark when he was still playing criminals and low-lives.
Linda Darnell is featured in a non-glamorous role.
To watch the film on YouTube, click the link below.
Discussion questions:
How would you compare this film to Odds Against Tomorrow?
Did you think the situations in this film were realistic?
What did you think of Sidney Poitier’s big-screen debut?
Did you have a favorite scene, piece of dialogue, or performance?
Was Linda Darnell’s character arch believable?
To join the discussion on January 17, 2022, at 6 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you’ll receive an invitation with a link to the discussion on Zoom.
Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) is an American film noir, produced and directed by Robert Wise and starring Harry Belafonte, Robert Ryan, and Shelley Winters. The film features a jazz film score directed by John Lewis of the Modern Jazz Quartet.
A former policeman (Ed Begley), an ex-con (Robert Ryan), and a nightclub entertainer (Harry Belafonte) join forces to rob a bank in upstate New York. There is tension between Earle Slater (Ryan) and Johnny Ingram (Belafonte) due to Slater's racism against Ingram who is black. David Burke (Begley), the mastermind of the robbery does his best to keep the tension between Slater and Ingram to a low boil.
Will Burke be able to keep Slater and Ingram on task to get the job done or will it all blow up before right in front of him?
Robert Wise (1914 - 2000) was an American director, producer, and editor. Wise began his movie career at RKO as a sound and music editor. For several years, he worked with senior editor William Hamilton. Wise’s first solo film editing credits were on Bachelor Mother (1939) and My Favorite Wife (1940). He was the film editor on Citizen Kane and was nominated for an Academy Award for Film Editing. Wise got his chance to direct at RKO from Val Lewton, the producer of horror classics like Cat People (1942). The Curse of the Cat People (1944) was the first film that Wise received director credit for. He eventually directed films noir, westerns, melodramas, and science fiction. Some popular films directed by Wise include The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), Executive Suite (1954), I Want to Live! (1958), which earned Wise his first Oscar nomination for Best Director. He went on to win Best Director Oscars for West Side Story (1961) and The Sound of Music (1965).
Harry Belafonte (1927 - ) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. As a singer, he popularized the Caribbean music style to an international audience. He had the first million-selling album by a single artist in 1956. Belafonte made his movie debut in Bright Road (1953) co-starring Dorothy Dandridge. The next year he starred with Dandridge again in Carmen Jones (1954) directed by Otto Preminger. In 1957 Belafonte starred alongside James Mason, Joan Fontaine, and an all-star cast in Island in the Sun. He didn't like the film roles that he was offered during the late 50s and early 60s so he decided to concentrate on his singing career.
Robert Ryan (1909 - 1973) was an American film and stage actor. Ryan got his start in acting with a theater group in Chicago, where he was born, in the late-1930s. By 1939, he had a film contract with Paramount appearing in minor roles in a variety of pictures. In 1943, he signed a long-term contract with RKO based on his stage performance in Clash by Night (1941). The studio was grooming him for stardom with 1943’s Tender Comrade co-starring Ginger Rogers when he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, serving as a drill instructor. He resumed his career after the war and was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his performance in Crossfire (1947). Ryan worked on stage, TV, and in film during the next three decades. His other film roles include The Set-Up (1949), Flying Leathernecks (1951), On Dangerous Ground (1951), Clash by Night (1952), and Bad Day at Black Rock (1954).
Shelley Winters (1920 - 2006) was an American actress whose career in film began in 1943 and continued into the 2000s. Some of Winters’s film roles include A Double Life (1947), The Great Gatsby (1948), Winchester 73 (1950), and A Place in the Sun (1951) for which she was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award. Winters was in demand throughout the 1950s having four films in release in 1955 including Night of the Hunter. She won a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for The Diary of Anne Frank (1959). She won her second Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in A Patch of Blue (1965). Besides her film work, Winters starred on Broadway and was a frequent guest star on popular television series and made-for-TV movies.
Odds Against Tomorrow trivia
Harry Belafonte was the first black protagonist in film noir.
Shelly Winters signed onto the film without seeing a script, based on the director and cast involved.
Richard Widmark was offered the Robert Ryan role.
Cicely Tyson's second film role
Shot on location in New York City, Robert Ryan lived at the Dakota and later sold his apartment to John and Yoko Lenon.
To watch the movie on YouTube, click on the link below.
To join the discussion on January 10, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and link to the discussion on Zoom.
Harry Belafonte, Ed Begley, and Robert Ryan
Discussion questions:
New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther wrote in his review of the film that it was “tight and strong ... sharp, hard, suspenseful melodrama,” with a "sheer dramatic build-up ... of an artistic caliber that is rarely achieved on the screen.” Do you agree with his review?
What do you think the film’s overall theme is?
Did you think the performances were realistic/believable? Was there a standout among the cast in your opinion?
Did the characters as played by Harry Belafonte and Robert Ryan have anything in common?
