Arthur Kennedy and Peggy Dow in “Bright Victory”

Bright Victory (1951) is an American drama directed by Mark Robson, starring Arthur Kennedy and Peggy Dow. The supporting cast includes Julia (Julie) Adams, James Edwards, Will Geer, Nana Bryant, Jim Backus, Richard Egan, and Murray Hamilton, and a young actor named Rock Hudson.

Larry Nevins (Arthur Kennedy) is blinded in North Africa during World War II. He is taken to a hospital in Pennsylvania with other blinded soldiers. At the hospital he learns to deal with his disability and how to interact with the other blind patients.

Going home to visit his parents and fiancée, Larry is confronted with the difficulties he will encounter once he’s discharged from the hospital.

While at the hospital, Larry meets Judy Green, a bank teller who volunteers by socializing with the soldiers, where they strike up an easy friendship. Larry is guarded about their relationship due to his engagement to Chris Paterson (Julie Adams).

What does the future hold for Larry?

Peggy Dow and Arthury Kennedy

Mark Robson (1913 – 1978) was a Canadian-American director, producer, and editor. Robson began his career as a film editor, working on such classic films as Citizen Kane (1941) and The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) as Robert Wise’s assistant. He was eventually promoted to the head film editor of The Falcon’s Brother (1942). Some of Robson’s films as a director include My Foolish Heart (1949), The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1955), Peyton Place (1957), The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958), From the Terrace (1960), Von Ryan’s Express (1965), Valley of the Dolls (1967), and Earthquake (1974).

Arthur Kennedy (1914 – 1990) was an American film and stage actor. Kennedy had many supporting roles in a variety of film genres. He won the 1949 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. He was a five-time Academy Award nominee including a Best Actor nod for his performance as a blind WWII veteran in Bright Victory (1951). Kennedy had roles in High Sierra (1941), The Glass Menagerie (1950), Peyton Place (1957), Elmer Gantry (1960), and Lawrence Arabia (1962).

Peggy Dow (1928 - ) is an American philanthropist and former actress whose career in Hollywood was fairly brief (1949 – 1952). While under contract to Universal Studios, Dow appeared in several classic films from Hollywood’s Golden Age. She is probably best known for her role as Nurse Kelly in  Harvey (1950) and as Judy Greene in Bright Victory (1951). Dow graduated from Northwestern University in 1948.

 

Peggy Dow, Richard Egan, James Edwards, Arthur Kennedy

 

Bright Victory trivia

• Ten blind WWII veterans at the hospital appeared as extras.
• Arthur Kennedy wore black contact lenses for the role.
• Jim Backus is wearing a nautical cap in his first scene in the movie, foreshadowing his role in Gilligan’s Island.
• The hospital in the film, Valley Forge General Hospital in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, opened in 1943 and was one of the largest military hospitals in the United States. It was closed in 1973 and became the site of Valley Forge Christian College, renamed the University of Valley Forge in 2014.
• Phoenixville is home to another famous movie location: The diner from The Blob (1958).

 

Click HERE to watch the film on the Internet Archive

Click HERE to join the online discussion on March 24, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an email with a link to the discussion on Zoom.

 

Discussion questions

1. This movie deals with the rehabilitation of disabled veterans—veterans who were blinded during battle in WWII. How does this film compare with other films covering similar ground like The Best Years of Our Lives (1946).
2. Arthur Kennedy’s performance earned him a nomination for Best Actor. Did you think it was well-earned?
3. Was the relationship between Larry (Kennedy) and Judy (Dow) believable? Do you think they had good on-screen chemistry?
4. The supporting cast is strong. Was there one performance that resonated with you?
5. Was there anything in the film that surprised you?

Randolph Scott and Ella Rains traverse “The Walking Hills”

The Walking Hills (1949) is a modern American western directed by John Sturges and starring Randolph Scott and Ella Raines. The cinematography was by Charles Lawton Jr. (The Lady From Shanghai, 3:10 to Yuma). The stars are supported by William Bishop, Edgar Buchanan, Arthur Kennedy, Josh White, and John Ireland.

Nine men of different ages and backgrounds, search for a lost treasure supposedly lost in the shifting sands of Death Valley. One of the men is a detective looking for a fugitive who may or may not be among the treasure seekers. To complicate matters further, a woman named Chris Jackson (Raines) joins the group where she attempts to sort out her feelings between Dave Wilson (Bishop) and Jim Carey (Scott), two men she had relationships with in the past.

Will the search for the lost treasure unite the seekers or turn them against each other?

Randolph Scott, William Bishop, and Ella Raines

John Sturges (1910 - 1992) was an American film director. He started his career in Hollywood in 1932. During World War II, he worked on training films and documentaries for the United States Army Air Forces. After the war, Sturges made a string of B movies before establishing himself as an A-list director. He had great successes with Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), The Magnificent Seven (1960), and The Great Escape (1963). Other films he directed include The Old Man and the Sea (1958), The Halleluja Trail (1965), Ice Station Zebra (1968), and The Eagle Has Landed (1976).

Ella Raines, Randolph Scott, and director John Sturges (back to us)

Randolph Scott (1898 - 1987) was an American film actor whose career spanned over three decades. Scott started out in silent films in some uncredited roles and on the advice of Cecil B. De Mille, he performed on stage at the Pasadena Playhouse where Hollywood took notice. In the early stages of his career in the 1930s, Scott acted in comedies, musicals, and adventure films. He established himself as a dependable leading man in the 1940s but achieved his greatest success in the late 1950s starring in a string of popular westerns directed by Bud Boetticher including Seven Men from Now (1955), 7th Cavalry (1956), and Ride Lonesome (1959). During this period, Scott was a top box office draw often ranking in the top ten.

Ella Raines (1920 – 1988) was born in Washington State where she studied drama at the University of Washington. Howard Hawks spotted her in a college production and signed her to a contract. Right out of the gate, she starred in some big movies, including Preston Sturges’s Hail the Conquering Hero and Tall in the Saddle (both 1944) where she shared equal billing with John Wayne. As her movie career declined in the 1950s, Raines worked in series television starring in Janet Dean, Registered Nurse (1954-55). She appeared on the cover of Life magazine twice, once in 1944 and in 1947.

The Walking Hills trivia:

1. Regarded as a film noir western along with Pursued (1947) and Blood on the Moon (1948)
2. Filmed in the Alabama Hills of California and Death Valley National Monument. Sturges would revisit this location for Bad Day at Black Rock.

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

To join the discussion on May 4, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation to join the discussion with a link to the meeting on Zoom.

Discussion Questions:

1. Did this film remind you of any other films you’ve seen?
2. What do you think motivated the characters in their quest?
3. Was the love triangle between Scott, Bishop, and Raines believable? Did it add to or take away from the narrative?
4. Did you have a favorite character actor?
5. Were you surprised by the ending? Was it satisfying or disappointing?

Focus on Josh White (1914 - 1969)

Joshua Daniel White was an American singer, guitarist, actor, and civil rights activist. He sang blues, country, gospel, and social protest songs. In 1931, he moved to New York where he found success on Broadway, radio, and film. He also expanded his musical repertoire to jazz and folk songs.

In the 1940s, White shared the stage with Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Burl Ives, and the Golden Gate Quartet. His tours with Led Belly were enormously successful and White was tagged the “Joe Louise of the Blues Guitar.” His recording of “Sucking Cider Through a Straw” was a million-selling record, the first by an African-American male artist. Other artists including The Andrew Sisters and Bing Crosby recorded cover versions.

Unfortunately for White, he was caught up in the anti-communist Red Scare during the 1950s. He was labeled a communist which hurt his career.

Interestingly, White’s character in The Walking Hills is that although his part is small, he is an equal partner with his white cohorts. In some ways, his character acts as a Greek chorus for the film. During the late-1940s, Hollywood was starting to grapple with racism and the depiction of people of color on the screen. In this film, the subject of White’s race is never brought up. Not the case with the Native American character Cleve, however, who is maligned by Chalk the character played by Arthur Kennedy.

White’s legacy in music runs deep. He was considered a mentor to Lena Horne, Eartha Kitt, and influenced a generation of singers including Pete Seeger, Elvis Presley, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles, and Harry Belafonte.

“High Sierra” to screen at PianoForte March 11

High Sierra (1941) starring Ida Lupino and Humphrey Bogart will screen March 11, 6:45 p.m. at PianoForte, 1335 S. Michigan Ave., 2nd Floor. Admission is $5 for all admissions.

Ida Lupino and Humphrey Bogart

After the success of They Drive By Night (1940, Lupino was emerging as a major star at Warner Bros. Bogart desperate to advance to lead roles, talked George Raft (director Raul Walsh’s first choice) out of taking the role. It proved to be his breakout performance; he would never again play second leads.

Bogart plays Roy (Mad Dog) Earle recently released from prison and eager for one big-time robbery so he can retire in comfort. Along the way, he meets Marie Garson (Lupino), a rootless young woman who falls in love with him. Planning the big heist isn't an easy job, but Roy is willing to risk it all for his one big chance at a new life with Marie.

Interested in classic film? Consider joining the Chicago Film Club. It’s free to join and you’ll be made aware of classic movies screened in Chicago.

For a complete schedule of films and information on PianoForte, click the link here.

Screening of "Boomerang!" at Daystar Center October 13

Boomerang! (1947)

Where: Daystar Center, 1550 S. State Street, Room 102

When: October 13, 2018

Time: 6:45 p.m

Hosted by Stephen Reginald

Boomerang! (1947) is based on a true crime. A minister is murdered in a small town in Connecticut and John Waldron (Arthur Kennedy), a young drifter, is arrested and charged with the crime.

The prosecuting attorney Henry Harvey (Dana Andrews) is under pressure from local politicians to convict Waldron. The evidence points toward Waldrons’ guilt, but Harvey has his doubts. Directed in a semidocumentary-style by Elia Kazan, the movie features an impressive supporting cast that includes Jane Wyatt, Lee J. Cobb, Karl Malden, and Sam Levine.

General Admission: $5, Students and Senior Citizens: $3.

Join the Chicago Film club; join the discussion

Twice a month we screen classic films and have a brief discussion afterward. For more information, including how to join (it’s free), click here. The Venue 1550 is easily accessible by the CTA. Please visit Transit Chicago for more information on transportation options.

Stephen Reginald is a freelance writer and editor. He has worked at various positions within the publishing industry for over 25 years. Most recently he was executive editor for McGraw-Hill’s The Learning Group Division. A long-time amateur student of film, Reginald hosts “Chicago Film Club,” a monthly movie event held in the South Loop, for the past two years. Reginald has also taught several adult education film classes at Facets Film School, Chicago.