Rex Harrison and Gene Tierney are “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir”

Set in the early 1900s, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, directed by Joseph Mankiewicz, follows Lucy Muir (Gene Tierney), a headstrong young widow determined to escape her overbearing in-laws and forge an independent life. Against the advice of a skeptical real estate agent, she rents Gull Cottage, a secluded seaside home with a reputation for being haunted. Lucy is unfazed by the rumors, seeking the house’s salt-aired solitude to raise her young daughter (Natalie Wood), but she soon discovers that the stories of a restless spirit are very much true.

The cottage is “occupied” by the ghost of its former owner, Captain Daniel Gregg (Rex Harrison), a blustery and foul-mouthed sea captain who supposedly committed suicide. While he initially attempts to scare Lucy away with standard ghostly theatrics, he finds himself begrudgingly impressed by her lack of fear and her stubborn resolve. An unlikely truce forms between the living woman and the spectral sailor, evolving into a profound, intellectual companionship as they collaborate on writing his salty memoirs to save the cottage from financial ruin.

As their bond deepens, the film explores the poignant limitations of their relationship. Lucy must navigate the challenges of the physical world—including a charming but slick “earthly” author (George Sanders)—while the Captain remains a constant, invisible presence in her heart. It is a sophisticated and atmospheric blend of romance and fantasy, trading traditional scares for a melancholic reflection on loneliness, independence, and the idea that a soulmate might not necessarily belong to the world of the living.

Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison

Joseph Mankiewicz (1909 – 1993) was a cerebral and sophisticated force in Hollywood’s Golden Age, celebrated as a “literary” director who prioritized razor-sharp dialogue and complex character psychology over visual spectacle. After a successful tenure as a producer at MGM, he transitioned to directing and achieved the unprecedented feat of winning consecutive Academy Awards for both Screenplay and Direction for A Letter to Three Wives (1949) and All About Eve (1950). His work often explored the intricacies of social status and the art of performance, utilizing intricate flashback structures and witty, cynical narration that became his professional hallmark. Despite the turbulent production of the epic Cleopatra (1963), Mankiewicz’s legacy remains defined by his ability to translate the depth of the theater to the silver screen, cementing his status as one of cinema’s most eloquent storytellers.

Gene Tierney (1920–1991) was a captivating leading lady of the 1940s whose ethereal beauty and refined poise masked a formidable dramatic range. After rising to stardom at 20th Century-Fox, she became an immortal icon of film noir in the title role of Laura (1944) and earned an Academy Award nomination for her chilling portrayal of a possessive socialite in Leave Her to Heaven (1945). Despite her professional success, Tierney’s life was marked by immense personal tragedy, including her daughter’s disability and her own harrowing battle with bipolar disorder. By courageously sharing her experiences with mental illness and shock therapy in her autobiography Self-Portrait, she became a pioneering advocate for mental health awareness, ensuring her legacy was defined by both her cinematic elegance and her profound human resilience.

Natalie Wood and Gene Tierney

Sir Rex Harrison (1908–1990) was an acclaimed English actor of stage and screen, celebrated for his suave delivery and mastery of high comedy. Born Reginald Carey Harrison, he began his career at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1924 and achieved a major breakthrough in the 1936 West End play French Without Tears. Harrison became internationally iconic for his definitive portrayal of Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, a role that earned him a Tony Award for the 1956 Broadway production and the Academy Award for Best Actor for the 1964 film adaptation. Throughout his six-decade career, he delivered notable performances in films such as The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), Cleopatra (1963), and Doctor Dolittle (1967), while continuing to perform on stage until just weeks before his death. Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1989, Harrison remains one of the most distinguished figures of the Golden Age of cinema and theater.

Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison between takes on location

George Sanders (1906–1972) was a Russian-born British actor and singer renowned for his smooth, bass voice and his definitive portrayal of sophisticated, cynical, and often villainous characters. Throughout a prolific career spanning over 40 years, he became a fixture of Hollywood’s Golden Age, starring in classics such as Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca (1940) and Foreign Correspondent (1940), and the fantasy-romance The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947). His career reached its pinnacle with his performance as the acid-tongued theater critic Addison DeWitt in All About Eve (1950), a role that won him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Beyond his live-action work, Sanders is fondly remembered by younger generations as the voice of the malevolent tiger Shere Khan in Disney’s The Jungle Book (1967). Known off-screen for his wit and self-described persona as a “professional cad,” Sanders remained a distinguished and in-demand talent until he died in Spain in 1972.

 

Gene Tierney with Natalie Wood and Tierney’s dog

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The Ghost in Mrs. Muir trivia

• Composer Bernard Herrmann considered his work for The Ghost and Mrs. Muir to be his personal favorite. Unlike his later tension-filled scores for Hitchcock (like Psycho), this music was lush and romantic, designed to bridge the gap between the living and the dead. He even reused some of its haunting themes for his only opera, Wuthering Heights.
• Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz famously directed Rex Harrison to play the ghost of Captain Daniel Gregg as if he were actually alive. He instructed Harrison to speak his lines with a booming, physical presence rather than a traditional spectral or whispered voice. This choice emphasized that, to Lucy Muir, the Captain was a very real, vital force in her life.
• The film’s popularity led to a 1960s sitcom of the same name. While the movie is a poignant, bittersweet romance, the TV show (starring Hope Lange and Edward Mulhare) leaned much further into comedy. Despite the tonal shift, the series was a hit and ran for two seasons, keeping the story of Gull Cottage in the public consciousness for a new generation.
• A very young Natalie Wood appears in the film as Lucy Muir’s daughter, Anna. At just eight years old, Wood delivered a remarkably natural performance. It would be another eight years before her breakout role in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), but her work here showed the early promise of the legendary star she would become.

 

Discussion questions

1. Lucy Muir’s move to Gull Cottage is her first act of rebellion against her in-laws. In what ways does her relationship with Captain Gregg help her find her own voice, and in what ways does it keep her tethered? Does she achieve true independence, or has she simply swapped the control of her living family for that of a ghost?
2. The romance between Lucy and Daniel Gregg is entirely non-physical, built on shared secrets, intellectual collaboration, and mutual respect. How does the film use the supernatural to comment on the nature of companionship? Does the film suggest that a “soulmate” is defined by a connection of the mind and spirit rather than a physical presence?
3. Compare the characters of Captain Gregg and Miles Fairley (the “real” suitor). Miles is charming and physically present but ultimately deceptive, while Daniel is gruff and invisible but honest. What is the film saying about the romanticized ideals we hold versus the disappointing realities of the people we encounter in the world?
4. The final act of the film covers several decades of Lucy’s life. How does the passage of time—shown through the aging of Lucy and the growing up of her daughter—affect the audience's perception of the ghost? Is Captain Gregg's decision to “recede” from Lucy’s mind an act of love or a tragic necessity for her to live a human life?

 

Glenn Ford and Gene Tierney want to know “The Secret of Convict Lake”

The Secret of Convict Lake (1951) is an American Western film directed by Michael Gordon and starring Glenn Ford, Gene Tierney, Ethel Barrymore, and Zachery Scott. The cinematography was by Leo Tover (The Snake Pit, The Heiress, and The Day The Earth Stood Still).

Six convicts escape from a Carson City prison in 1871 during a blizzard. One freezes to death, while the others find their way to Lake Monte Diablo, where eight women are on their own while their men are away prospecting. At first, the women are reluctant to have anything to do with the convicts, but eventually, they break down and offer them shelter and food. One of the men, Jim Canfield (Ford) is looking for the man who lied about him on the witness stand, which resulted in him going to prison. The man Canfield is looking for, Rudy Schaefer (Harry Carter) happens to be the man one of the women, Marcia Stoddard (Tierney), is planning to marry. Carter stole $40,000 and perjured himself, which led to Canfield being convicted of killing a mine owner and stealing his money. The convicts traveling with Canfield are convinced he hid the money somewhere in Lake Monte Diablo. Canfield denies he has the money hidden and explains he is only out for revenge; he plans on killing Schaefer for putting him in jail.

Will Canfield be successful in his quest for revenge? And what about the other convicts? What will their fates be?

Gene Tierney with rifle, flanked by Ann Dvorak on her right and Ruth Donnelly on her left; Ethel Barrymore in the doorway with a pistol

Michael Gordon (1909 - 1993) was an American film director who directed a wide variety of movies including melodramas, films noir, and comedies. His career as a director spanned almost 30 years. Some of his films include Cyrano de Begerac (1950), Pillow Talk (1959), Boys' Night Out (1962), and Move Over, Darling (1963). Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt is his grandson by his daughter Jane.

Glenn Ford (1916 - 2006) was a Canadian-American actor who was one of the biggest box office draws for three decades. Ford acted on stage in California before being signed to a contract with Columbia Pictures. He appeared in mostly B movies until The Lady in Question (1940), the first time he was paired with fellow Columbia contract player, Rita Hayworth. After serving in the Coast Guard during World War II, Ford’s career began to take off. He and Hayworth had a huge hit with Gilda (1946) and A Stolen Life (1946) with Bette Davis. Ford came into his own in the 1950s with films like Blackboard Jungle (1955), Interrupted Melody (1955) with Eleanor Parker, Jubal (1956), and The Fastest Gun Alive (1956) with Jeanne Crain, all box office successes. By the end of the decade, Ford was one of the biggest stars in the world. Ford continued making movies in the 1960s but his successes were more uneven than in the previous decade but had hits with Experiment in Terror (1962) and The Courtship of Eddie’s Father  (1963). In 1978, he played Clark Kent’s adoptive father in Superman. His last film role was Raw Nerve (1991).

Gene Tierney, Glenn Ford, and Ethel Barrymore

Ethel Barrymore (1879 - 1959) was an American stage and film actress and part of the famous Barrymore family of actors. Her equally famous brothers were Lionel and John Barrymore. Barrymore got her start on the stage and she was among its brightest stars for many years. Barrymore also had a successful career on the other side of the Atlantic in London, where she starred in Peter the Great. She achieved one of her biggest Broadway successes in W. Somerset Maugham’s comedy, The Constant Wife (1926). Barrymore was a popular character actress in film during the 1940s. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in None but the Lonely Heart (1944) opposite Cary Grant, who played her son. Other film roles include The Spiral Staircase (1946), The Paradine Case (1947), and Pinky (1949).

Zachary Scott (1914 - 1965) was an American actor on stage and most notably in film. He made his film debut in the film noir The Mask of Dimitrios (1944). As a contract player at Warner Bros., Scott was the perfect slick, film noir villain. Before his career in film noir took off, he starred in The Southerner (1945) directed by Jean Renoir. It would be his role as Monty Beragon in Mildred Pierce (1945) that would be his most enduring role with film fans. Scott worked in film, stage, and television until 1963. He died of a malignant brain tumor.

Gene Tierney in a costume test for the film, with the scenes listed for when it would be worn.

The Secret of Convict Lake trivia:

• Dana Andrews and Linda Darnell were originally set to star as Jim Canfield and Marcia Stoddard respectively.
• The story is fictional but it is inspired by a real incident where a posse had a shoot-out with escaped convicts from the Carson City prison. Convict Lake is a real place in California that was named after the incident.
• This was actress Ann Dvorak’s last film role

Click HERE to watch the movie on YouTube.

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Discussion questions

1. What do you think the film’s major theme is? Does it have one in your opinion?
2. Were you surprised by women’s roles in the film?
3. The film features a great cast of supporting actresses. Did one actress’s performance stick out to you more than the others?
4. Did Gene Tierney and Glenn Ford have good on-screen chemistry?
5. Did this movie remind you of other films you’ve seen?

Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney are trapped behind “The Iron Curtain”

The Iron Curtain (1948) is an American espionage thriller directed by William A. Wellman and starring Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney. It is based on the memoirs of Igor Gouzenko, a Russian code deciphering expert working at the Soviet embassy in Ottawa, Canada, in 1943. The supporting cast includes June Havoc, Berry Kroeger, and Edna Best. This was the first about the Cold War.

Dana Andrews plays Igor Gouzenko, an expert at deciphering codes, who arrives at the Soviet embassy in Ottawa to help set up a base of operations to spy on the Canadian government. At first, Igor is loyal to the Russian cause, but once his pregnant wife, Anna (Tierney), arrives, he begins to have second thoughts.

Is capitalism as evil as he has been taught? Does Russia deserve his loyalty?

Once it is decided that Igor is to be sent back to Moscow, he faces a difficult decision.

 

Gene Tierney and Dana Adrews

William A. Wellman (1896 – 1975) was an American film director. He started his directorial career in silent films. Wellman directed Wings (1927), which was the first film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 1st Academy Awards ceremony. Wellman directed two classic films released in 1937: Nothing Sacred and A Star is Born. Other important films directed by Wellman include Beau Geste (1939), Roxie Hart (1942), The Story of G.I. Joe (1945), Yellow Sky (1948), Battleground (1949), and The High and the Mighty (1954).

Dana Andrews (1909 – 1992) was an American stage and film actor. During the 1940s, Andrews was a major star and leading man in Laura (1944), State Fair (1945), A Walk in the Sun (1945), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), Canyon Passage (1946), Boomerang! (1947), and Daisy Kenyon (1947) co-starring Joan Crawford and Henry Fonda. During the 1950s, film roles were harder to come by, but he had success in Elephant Walk (1954) co-starring Elizabeth Taylor and Peter Finch, While the City Sleeps (1956), and Curse of the Demon (1957). In 1958, he replaced Henry Fonda on Broadway in Two for the Seesaw.

Gene Tierney (1920 – 1991) was an American actress. Tierney got her start on the stage where she played the ingenue lead in The Male Animal. Tierney made her movie debut in 1940 in The Return of Frank James starring Henry Fonda. She worked steadily in the early 1940s but established herself as a top box office star with Laura (1944). She starred in Leave Her to Heaven the next year, which was the biggest hit of the year and Fox’s biggest moneymaking success until The Robe (1953). Other successes for Tierney include Dragonwyck (1946), The Razor’s Edge (1946), and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947).

 

The Iron Curtain trivia

• The film was shot on location in Ottawa.
• Soviet sympathizers tried to disrupt location shooting, but were unsuccessful.
• The fourth of five movies Andrews and Tierney made together.
• The film was the number one movie in America during its first two weeks of release and was a commercial success.
• New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther said the film would negatively impact U.S. Soviet relations. Producer Darryl F. Zanuck responded to Crowther’s review in a much-publicized letter to the critic.
• Twentieth Century Fox considered The Iron Curtain to be one of their biggest films of the year; the film’s score was played with the studio logo instead of the Fox fanfare.

 

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Discussion questions

1. Considering this film was made at a time when the Cold War was just beginning, does it hold up as entertainment?
2. Did the film’s documentary-style narrative appeal to you?
3. Do you think the film was realistic in its portrayal of the Russian spies?
4. Did the on-location filming at to the film’s realism?
5. How do you think the film was received by audiences in 1948?
6. Did the film remind you of other movies you’ve seen?
7. Forgetting that the film is based on a true story, does it work as a political thriller?
8. The film was criticized for using music from Russian composers. What did you think of the film score? Does it work?

Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney find out “Where the Sidewalk Ends”

Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) is an American film noir directed and produced by Otto Preminger and starring Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney. The screenplay was written by Ben Hecht, and the cinematography was by Joseph LaShelle.

Mark Dixon (Andrews) is a tough New York City cop who was demoted due to excessive force in the line of duty. During a routine investigation with a witness to a crime (a possible murder), things go terribly wrong. When Dixon questions Ken Paine (Craig Stevens), a drunk Paine becomes angry and starts a fight. Defending himself, Dixon punches Paine who falls and hits his head, killing him instantly. In a panic, because of his recent demotion and fearing his career would be over if he told his superiors, Dixon disposes of Paine’s body. 

Paine’s estranged wife, model Morgan Taylor (Tierney), is brought in for questioning because she too was a possible witness to the murder. Morgan’s husband used her as “bait” to lure a Texas tycoon to a floating crap game at mobster Tommy Scalise’s (Gary Merrill) apartment. The tycoon ends up dead and it looks like Scalise was trying to pin it on Paine. When circumstantial evidence gets Morgan’s father (Tom Tully) arrested for the murder of his son-in-law, Dixon finds himself with a moral dilemma, complicated by his attraction to Morgan.

Will Dixon come clean and face the consequences, or will he let Morgan’s father take the fall?

Otto Preminger (1905 -1986) was an American film director who made more than 35 feature films during a five-decade career. Born in Austro-Hungarian into a Jewish family. Preminger was drawn to acting from an early age and became the apprentice of famed stage director Max Reinhardt. In 1935, he was recruited by Twentieth Century-Fox to apprentice as a director at the studio. After a rocky start, Preminger established himself as an A-list director after Rouben Mamoulian was fired from Laura (1944). The film noir classic made major stars of Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews and is considered one of the best film noirs of all time. While under contract to Fox, Preminger directed Fallen Angel (1945), Centennial Summer (1946), Forever Amber (1947), and Daisy Kenyon (1947). After he left Fox, Preminger became a maverick, constantly clashing with members of the Production Code. He released two films without the approval of the Production Code: The Moon is Blue (1953) and The Man with the Golden Arm (1955). Both films were financial successes and helped bring an end to the Code entirely. Later successes for Preminger include Anatomy of a Murder (1959) and Exodus (1960).

Dana Andrews (1909 – 1992) was an American stage, film, and television actor. During the 1940s, Andrews was a major star and leading man, starring in Laura (1944), State Fair (1945), A Walk in the Sun (1945), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), Canyon Passage (1946), Boomerang! (1947), and Daisy Kenyon (1947), the latter co-starring Joan Crawford and Henry Fonda. During the 1950s, film roles were harder to come by, but he had success in Elephant Walk (1954) co-starring Elizabeth Taylor and Peter Finch, While the City Sleeps (1956), and Curse of the Demon (1957). In 1958, he replaced Henry Fonda on Broadway in Two for the Seesaw. Andrews worked a lot on television, guest-starring on shows like The Twilight Zone, Checkmate, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, Ben Casey, The Love Boat, Ironside, and Falcon Crest. He also starred in the daytime soap opera Bright Promise (1969 - 1971).

Gene Tierney (1920 – 1991) was an American actress. Tierney got her start on the stage where she played the ingenue lead in The Male Animal. She was spotted by 20th Century-Fox Studio head Darryl F. Zanuck and he offered her a movie contract. Zanuck said that Tierney was the most beautiful woman in the movies. Tierney proved that she could carry a film not completely based on her beauty in films like Laura (1944) and Leave Her To Heaven (1945) for which she was nominated for her first and only Best Actress Academy Award. Other important films include The Razor’s Edge (1946), Dragonwyck (1946), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), The Iron Curtain (1948), Whirlpool (1949), and The Mating Season (1951). In the late 1940s, she struggled with mental illness which negatively affected her career. After 1955’s The Left Hand of God, Tierney was off the screen until Advice & Consent (1962). She appeared in two films after that, but her career in film effectively ended in 1964 after a guest appearance in The Pleasure Seekers.

Where the Sidewalk Ends trivia:

• This was the last film that director Otto Preminger directed under contract to 20th Century-Fox.
• It reunited Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney, cinematographer Joseph LaShelle, and Preminger, who all worked on the classic film noir Laura (1944). 
• Andrews and Tierney starred in five films together; this was their last.
• Designer Oleg Cassini, who was married to Gene Tierney at the time, has a small role as a fashion designer in the film. While the two were married, Cassini designed many of the film costumes for Tierney.
• Craig Stevens, who played Ken Paine went on to fame on the small screen in the television series Peter Gunn.
• Otto Preminger made more films with Dana Andrews than any other actor; the two made five films together.

Why watch this film?

The film has a reputation as one of the first, if not the first, of the “bad cop” films. Dana Andrews delivers a great multi-layered performance as Dixon. Otto Preminger was a master of the film noir genre, and this is one of his best.

It’s the last time Andrews and Gene Tierney appeared together on film.

Click HERE to join the online discussion on May 12, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Click HERE to watch the movie on YouTube.

Discussion questions:

1. What did you make of  Dixon’s character? Were you rooting for or against him?
2. How do you think the director handled the subject matter? Was it believable?
3. Did anything in the film surprise you?
4. The film had some amazing character actors. Did you have a favorite?
5. Was the chemistry between Andrews and Tierney believable?
6. Did the film end the way you expected it to? Did you find it satisfying?

Technicolor Noir: “Leave Her to Heaven” starring Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde, and Jeanne Crain

Leave Her to Heaven (1945) is a Technicolor film noir directed by John Stahl, produced by William A. Bacher and Darryl F. Zanuck, and starring Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde, and Jeanne Crain. It is based on the best-selling novel by Ben Ames Williams published in 1944. Jo Swerling adapted the screenplay.

Cornel Wilde and Gene Tierney

Tierney plays Ellen Berent, a rich socialite who meets novelist Richard Harland (Wilde) on the train to New Mexico. She thinks Richard resembles her dead father and that mesmerizes Ellen. Ellen’s relationship with her father seems to have been a strange and obsessive one. Ellen lives with her mother (Mary Phillips) and adopted sister Ruth (Crain). Ruth is really Ellen’s cousin and someone that Ellen sees as a rival rather than a beloved family member.

Ellen’s infatuation with Richard quickly turns into marriage. Richard introduces Ellen to his brother Danny who is crippled due to the effects of polio. In short order, they all move to Richard’s lodge in northern Maine called Back of the Moon. At first, all seems idyllic, but then Ellen begins to resent anyone occupying Richard’s time including Danny and her own family. Things go downhill when Ellen accuses Richard of enjoying Ruth’s company more than her own.

Will Ellen get control of her jealousy or will it destroy her and all the lives she’s touched?

John M. Stahl (1886 – 1950) was an American film director and producer who began his career in silent movies in 1913. In 1919 he signed with the film company Louis B. Mayer Pictures, which would eventually become Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Stahl transitioned to sound and directed Imitation of Life (1934) starring Claudette Colbert which was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. In 1935, he directed Magnificent Obsession starring Irene Dunne and Robert Taylor. Other films of note include Back Street (1932) starring Dunne and John Boles, and The Keys of the Kingdom (1944) starring Gregory Peck. Many believe that director Douglas Sirk was influenced by Stahl’s melodramatic style. Sirk remade Magnificent Obsession (1954) and Imitation of Life (1959).

Darryl F. Zanuck (1902 – 1979) was an American film producer and studio executive. Zanuck began his career as a writer for silent films. Zanuck worked successfully at Warner Bros. but left the studio to become a partner in 20th Century Pictures. Zanuck and his business partner bought out Fox Studios in 1935 to form Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. He won three Academy Awards as a producer for How Green Was My Valley (1940), Gentleman’s Agreement (1947), and All About Eve (1950).

Jo Swerling (1897 – 1964) was an American screenwriter who collaborated with Frank Capra on such films as Ladies of Leisure (1930) and Platinum Blonde (1931). Other screenplays by Swerling include Double Wedding (1937), The Westerner (1940), Blood and Sand (1941), and The Pride of the Yankees (1942) for which he was Oscar-nominated. Swerling was one of the dozens of writers who worked on the script (not credited) for Gone with the Wind (1939).

Leon Shamroy (1901 – 1974) was an American cinematographer under contract to 20th Century-Fox studio. He was famous for his Technicolor work, which is exemplified in Leave Her to Heaven (1945) for which he won the Academy Award. He won four Academy Awards during his long career and shares the record for most Oscar nominations with Charles Lang (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir). Other films Shamroy shot include The Robe (1953), Love is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955), The King and I (1956), South Pacific (1958), and The Planet of the Apes (1968).

Gene Tierney (1920 – 1991) was an American actress. Tierney got her start on the stage where she played the ingenue lead in The Male Animal. Tierney made her movie debut in 1940 in The Return of Frank James starring Henry Fonda. She worked steadily in the early 1940s but established herself as a top box office star with Laura (1944). She starred in Leave Her to Heaven the next year which was the biggest hit of the year and Fox’s biggest moneymaking success until The Robe (1953). Other successes for Tierney include Dragonwyck (1946), The Razor’s Edge (1946), and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947).

Cornel Wilde (1912 – 1989) was a Hungarian-born American actor and film director. Wilde had small roles in films like High Sierra (1941) until he was signed by 20th Century Fox. He was loaned out to Columbia to play the role of Frederic Chopin in A Song to Remember (1945) for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. At Fox, he was a popular leading man. For that studio, he starred in Centennial Summer (1946), Forever Amber (1947), and Road House (1948). With the decline of his acting career, Wilde produced and directed several independent productions including Beach Red (1967) and No Blade of Grass (1970).

Jeanne Crain (1925 – 2003) was an American actress who began her movie career with a bit part in The Gang’s All Here (1943). Now under contract to Fox, Crain was featured in Home in Indiana (1944)  filmed in Technicolor and was a big hit. Crain was given top billing in her next feature In the Meantime Darling (1944). She made another film that same year, Winged Victory. In 1945 she co-starred with Dana Andrews in State Fair. She was now one of Fox’s top female stars. Margie (1946) was another popular success. She had another critical and box office success with Apartment for Peggy (1948). Her peak came in 1949 with A Letter to Three Wives and Pinky for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Jeanne Crain and Gene Tierney

Other actors in the cast are Vincent Price as Russell Quinton, Ray Collins as Glen Robie, Gene Lockhart as Dr. Saunders, Chill Wills as Leick Thorne, and Darry Hickman as Danny Harland, Richard’s younger brother.

Below is the link to the movie on YouTube. Please use this link because several versions on the channel are inferior to this one. I recommend you watch this on your TV. The Technicolor is amazing and you will appreciate it more on a larger screen.

Click HERE to watch the film on YouTube.

Click HERE to join the discussion on September 30, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a link to join us on Zoom.

Discussion Questions:
1. This is considered the first film noir shot in color. Do you think this film would have been as effective if shot in black and white?
2. What do you think motivated Ellen’s jealousy? Do you really think she loved Richard or anyone?
3. Do you think there was any sympathy for Ellen’s character in 1945? Do you have any sympathy for her today?
4. What did you think of the contrast between Ellen and Ruth?
5. This is one of Martin Scorsese’s favorite films from Hollywood’s Golden Age. He thinks Gene Tierney was one of the most underrated actresses from the 1940s. Would you agree with Scorsese on his assessment of Tierney?

Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney lead the cast in "Laura"

Laura (1944) is set among New York City’s upper crust, with Detective Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) investigating the murder of beautiful advertising executive Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney). The suspects are some of her closest friends and associates including fiancé (Vincent Price), aunt (Judith Anderson), and mentor (Clifton Webb).

When production on Laura  started, no one believed that the end product would be worth seeing. From the beginning the project was problematic. Arguments between studio boss Darryl Zanuck and the original director, Rouben Mamoulian ended in Mamoulian being fired. Zanuck then assigned Otto Preminger, already the film’s producer, to be its director too. The only problem: Preminger had limited experience as a movie director. 

Under Preminger’s supervision, what began as a fairly ordinary murder mystery, turned out to be a critical and box office success. Tierney in the title role became a superstar and was forever identified with the beautiful, enigmatic Laura Hunt. Andrews, as Detective Mark McPherson, established himself as a major star and popular leading man. Webb, who hadn’t made a movie since the early days of talking pictures, earned an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his role as Waldo Lydecker. Thomas M. Pryor, in his October 12, 1944 New York Times review called Laura “a top-drawer mystery.”

With some of the sharpest and wittiest dialogue ever recorded on film, Laura set the standard for 1940s film noir. Andrews’s portrayal of McPherson became a prototype for what would become known as the hard-boiled detective, influencing a generation of movie actors. Pryor from the Times put it this way: “Mr. Andrews is fast proving himself to be a solidly persuasive performer, a sort of younger-edition Spencer Tracy.”

The musical score by David Raksin is one of the most hauntingly beautiful movie themes ever recorded and will forever be associated with the enigmatic Tierney.

Laura trivia

• Vincent Price thought this was the best movie he ever made.
• David Raskin's famous film score wasn't nominated for an Academy Award.
• Jennifer Jones and Hedy Lamarr were both offered the role of Laura but turned it down.
• Gene Tierney, knowing that she wasn't the first choice was reluctant to take the part.
• Dorothy Adams, memorable as Laura's maid Bessie didn't receive screen credit.
• Joseph LaShelle won an Academy Award for his black and white cinematography.

Click HERE to watch the film on Internet Archive. You can play the film on your laptop or phone. If you have an HDMI cable, you can hook it up to your TV.

Click HERE to join the discussion on August 19, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. Laura is considered one of the top films noir of all time. Do you think it deserves that reputation?
2. Some critics upon the film's release thought that Gene Tierney was miscast. Do you agree with that assessment?
3. Did David Raskin's score help the movie narrative?
4. The film is filled with great performances; did one performance stand out to you?
5. Where you surprised by the plot twists?
6. Do you think Waldo Lydecker was in love with Laura?

Merry Christmas from Classic Movie Man

 

Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney find out “Where the Sidewalk Ends”

Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) is an American film noir directed and produced by Otto Preminger and starring Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney. The screenplay was written by Ben Hecht and the cinematography was by Joseph LaShelle.

Mark Dixon (Andrews) is a tough New York City cop who was demoted due to excessive force in the line of duty. During a routine investigation with a witness to a crime (a possible murder), things go terribly wrong. When Dixon questions Ken Paine (Craig Stevens), a drunk Paine becomes angry and starts a fight. Defending himself, Dixon punches Paine who falls and hits his head, killing him instantly. In a panic, because of his recent demotion and fearing his career would be over if he told his superiors, Dixon disposes of Paine’s body. 

Paine’s estranged wife, model Morgan Taylor (Tierney), is brought in for questioning because she too was a possible witness to the murder. Morgan’s husband used her as “bait” to lure a Texas tycoon to a floating crap game at mobster Tommy Scalise’s (Gary Merrill) apartment. The tycoon ends up dead and it looks like Scalise was trying to pin it on Paine. When circumstantial evidence gets Morgan’s father (Tom Tully) arrested for the murder of his son-in-law, Dixon finds himself with a moral dilemma, complicated by his attraction to Morgan.

Will Dixon come clean and face the consequences or will he let Morgan’s father take the fall?

Otto Preminger (1905 -1986) was an American film director who made more than 35 feature films during a five-decade career. Born in Austro-Hungarian into a Jewish family. Preminger was drawn to acting from an early age and became the apprentice of famed stage director Max Reinhardt. In 1935, he was recruited by Twentieth Century-Fox to apprentice as a director at the studio. After a rocky start, Preminger established himself as an A-list director after Rouben Mamoulian was fired from Laura (1944). The film noir classic made major stars of Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews and is considered one of the best film noirs of all time. While under contract to Fox, Preminger directed Fallen Angel (1945), Centennial Summer (1946), Forever Amber (1947), and Daisy Kenyon (1947). After he left Fox, Preminger became a maverick, constantly clashing with members of the Production Code. He released two films without the approval of the Production Code: The Moon is Blue (1953) and The Man with the Golden Arm (1955). Both films were financial successes and helped bring an end to the Code entirely. Later successes for Preminger include Anatomy of a Murder (1959) and Exodus (1960).

Dana Andrews (1909 – 1992) was an American stage, film, and television actor. During the 1940s, Andrews was a major star and leading man starring in Laura (1944), State Fair (1945), A Walk in the Sun (1945), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), Canyon Passage (1946), Boomerang! (1947), and Daisy Kenyon (1947), the latter co-starring Joan Crawford and Henry Fonda. During the 1950s, film roles were harder to come by, but he had success in Elephant Walk (1954) co-starring Elizabeth Taylor and Peter Finch, While the City Sleeps (1956), and Curse of the Demon (1957). In 1958 he replaced Henry Fonda on Broadway in Two for the Seesaw. Andrews worked a lot on television guest-starring on shows like The Twilight Zone, Checkmate, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, Ben Casey, The Love Boat, Ironside, and Falcon Crest. He also starred in the daytime soap opera Bright Promise (1969 - 1971).

Gene Tierney (1920 – 1991) was an American actress. Tierney got her start on the stage where she played the ingenue lead in The Male Animal. She was spotted by 20th Century-Fox Studio head Darryl F. Zanuck and he offered her a movie contract. Zanuck said that Tierney was the most beautiful woman in the movies. Tierney proved that she could carry a film not completely based on her beauty in films like Laura (1944) and Leave Her To Heaven (1945) for which she was nominated for her first and only Best Actress Academy Award. Other important films include The Razor’s Edge (1946), Dragonwyck (1946), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), The Iron Curtain (1948), Whirlpool (1949), and The Mating Season (1951). In the late 1940s, she struggled with mental illness which negatively affected her career. After 1955’s The Left Hand of God, Tierney was off the screen until Advice & Consent (1962). She appeared in two films after that, but her career in film effectively ended in 1964 after a guest appearance in The Pleasure Seekers.

Where the Side Walk Ends trivia:

• This was the last film director Otto Preminger directed under contract to 20th Century-Fox.
• It reunited Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney, cinematographer Joseph LaShelle, and Preminger who all worked on the classic film noir Laura (1944). 
• Andrews and Tierney starred in five films together; this was their last.
• Designer Oleg Cassini, who was married to Gene Tierney at the time, has a small role as a fashion designer in the film. While the two were married, Cassini designed many of the film costumes for Tierney.
• Craig Stevens who played Ken Paine went on to fame on the small screen in the television series Peter Gunn.
• Otto Preminger made more films with Dana Andrews more than any other actor; the two made five films together.

To watch the film on YouTube, click the link below.

Why watch this film?

The film has a reputation as one of the first, if not the first, of the “bad cop” films.

Dana Andrews delivers a great multi-layered performance as Dixon.

Otto Preminger was a master of the film noir genre and this is one of his best.

It’s the last time Andrews and Gene Tierney appeared together on film.

To join the discussion on October 25, 2021, at 6:30 p.m., click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions:

1. What did you make of  Dixon’s character? Were you rooting for or against him?
2. How do you think the director handled the subject matter? Was it believable?
3. Did anything in the film surprise you?
4. The film had some amazing character actors. Did you have a  favorite?
5. Was the chemistry between Andrews and Tierney believable?
6. Did the film end the way you expected it to? Did you find it satisfying?