Alice Faye, Dana Andrews, and Linda Darnell star in "Fallen Angel"

Fallen Angel (1945) is an American film noir directed by Otto Preminger and starring Alice Faye, Dana Andrews, and Linda Darnell.

Andrews stars as a grifter hoping to swindle two rich sisters (Faye and Anne Revere) while romancing Stella (Darnell) a diner waitress.

This was director Otto Preminger’s follow-up to Laura released the year before. The cinematography was by Joseph La Shalle, who won an Academy Award for his work on Laura. Also on board for Fallen Angel was David Raksin, who wrote the film score. He composed the music for Laura, one of the most famous film scores in movie history. Last, but not least, Andrews who played Mark McPherson opposite Gene Tierney in Laura, has the male lead in Fallen Angel. Andrews made five films with Preminger, more than any other leading man.

Faye, the musical queen on the Fox lot, was looking to move into dramatic roles. She loved Laura and wanted to star in a similar mystery. As already noted, she got a lot of the same talent that was involved with that film noir classic. When Faye saw the finished film, she felt that the movie emphasized Darnell’s role to the detriment of her own. She was so distressed that she walked out on her contract. Studio boss Darryl Zanuck begged her to come back, promising her roles in prestige films in the planning stages like The Razor’s Edge, but Faye was done. She didn’t return to the big screen until 1962’s State Fair.

Darnell was signed to a contract at 20th Century Fox at age 15. Because she looked older than her age, she worked as a leading lady from the outset, with the studio claiming she was 19. Her role in Fallen Angel helped turn her into a popular pin-up during World War II. In 1944, Look magazine named her one of the four most beautiful women in Hollywood, along with Hedy Lamarr, Ingrid Bergman, and Fox colleague, Gene Tierney.

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

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

To join the discussion on March 14, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time click here. Once you RSVP, you'll receive an invitation and a link to the discussion on Zoom.

Linda Darnell, Percy Kilbride, Charles Bickford, and Dana Andrews

Fallen Angel trivia

• Linda Darnell spent a week at the Fox commissary to prepare for her role as a waitress.
• Alice Faye rejected over 30 scripts before choosing the one for Fallen Angel. She hoped it would be another Laura. After seeing a rough cut of the film, Faye felt that her best scenes were cut and Darnell's role was promoted above hers. She was so upset by this that she walked out on her contract and supposedly tossed her dressing room keys to the guard at the studio gate as she drove off the lot.
• This was the second of five films Dana Andrews made with director Otto Preminger. Preminger worked with Andrews more than any other leading man.
• Preminger assembled most of the same crew as the ones that worked on Laura the year before.

Discussion questions

1. Alice Faye was disappointed with how her performance came off in this film. Do you think she was rash in her judgment?
2. Would you consider this film a classic example of film noir?
3. Did you have any sympathy for the Dana Andrews character?
4. What about Lind Darnell? Was her character all bad or did you find yourself sympathizing with her?
5. Do you think the film had a theme? If so, what was it?

“Fallen Angel” to screen at PianoForte February 3

Fallen Angel (1945) starring Alice Faye, Dana Andrews, and Linda Darnell will screen on February 3 at PianoForte, 1335 S. Michigan Ave. 2nd Floor. Admission is $5.

Andrews stars as a grifter hoping to swindle two rich sisters (Faye and Anne Revere) while romancing Stella (Darnell) a diner waitress.

Anne Revere and Alice Faye

This was director Otto Preminger’s follow-up to Laura released the year before. The cinematography was by Joseph LaShalle, who won an Academy Award for his work on Laura. Also on board for Fallen Angel was David Raksin, who wrote the film score. He composed the music for Laura, one of the most famous film scores in movie history. Last, but not least, Andrews who played Mark McPherson opposite Gene Tierney in Laura, has the male lead in Fallen Angel. Andrews made five films with Preminger, more than any other leading man.

Faye, the musical queen on the Fox lot, was looking to move into dramatic roles. She loved Laura and wanted to star in a similar mystery. As already noted, she got a lot of the same talent that was involved with that film noir classic. When Faye saw the finished film, she felt that the movie emphasized Darnell’s role to the detriment of her own. She was so distressed that she walked out on her contract. Studio boss Darryl Zanuck begged her to come back, promising her roles in prestige films in the planning stages like The Razor’s Edge, but Faye was done. She didn’t return to the big screen until 1962’s State Fair.

Dana Andrews, Percy Kilbride, and Linda Darnell

Darnell was signed to a contract at 20th Century Fox at age 15. Because she looked older than her age, she worked as a leading lady from the outset, with the studio claiming she was 19. Her role in Fallen Angel helped turn her into a popular pin-up during World War II. In 1944, Look magazine named her one of the four most beautiful women in Hollywood, along with Hedy Lamarr, Ingrid Bergman, and Fox colleague, Gene Tierney.

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.

Summer Under the Stars with Dana Andrews—August 22, 2018

I’m always a little depressed in August because I know the summer is nearing an end. But TCM helps make it better with their annual “Summer Under the Stars” tributes.

My favorite movie actor from the Golden Age of Hollywood is Dana Andrews. I’ve always felt that his style was so natural and contemporary. He created some film characters that will live on forever. Like Donald Martin in The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), Detective Mark McPherson in Laura (1944), Eric Stanton in Fallen Angel. Pat Gilbert in State Fair, Logan Stuart in A Walk in the Sun (all 1945), and perhaps his most well know, Fred Derry in The Best Years of Our Lives. Other memorable roles include, State’s Attorney Henry L. Harvey in Boomerang!, Walt Dreiser in My Foolish Heart (1949), and Detective Mark Dixon in Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950).

 

Dana Andrews

Unfortunately, not all of the films mentioned above are included in Dana’s day. One picture that I wish was on the schedule is Daisy Kenyon (1947). Considered a vehicle for Joan Crawford, Andrews gives a tour-de-force performance as the conflicted lawyer Dan O’Mara. It’s a multilayered characterization that has been overlooked, in my opinion.

Of the Andrew films they’re screening tomorrow, here are my picks, in broadcast order.

Curse of the Demon (1958)—Andrews plays scientist out to prove that the occult and witchcraft is all superstition and hysteria. While taking part in a seminar in England, he begins to have doubts about his earlier conclusions.

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)—This is perhaps Andrews’s finest screen performance. Returning veteran Fred Derry comes face-to-face with the reality of being a civilian in post-World War II America. I can’t believe the Academy overlooked his performance in this classic film.

The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)—Andrews plays doomed rancher Donald Martin in this film adaptation of Walter Van Tilburg Clark’s classic novel. This was a real breakout performance, again no nod from the Academy.

Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)—As Mark Dixon, a compromised city cop, Andrews is pitch perfect. This film features his last screen pairing with Gene Tierney.

Fallen Angel ( 1945)—As a conman out to swindle Alice Faye of her family fortune, Andrews’s characterization of Eric Stanton is tinged with sadness, which makes his character all too human and surprisingly sympathetic.

A Walk in the Sun (1946)—Another overlooked performance in a film that today is credited with having a direct influence on Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan. (1998).

For the complete schedule of the films of Dana Andrews, click here.

Dana Andrews gets his due

The title for my class comes from
Carl Rollyson’s recent biography of Andrews.

As any reader of this blog knows, I love classic movies. I have many favorite actors and actresses from Hollywood’s Golden Age, but my favorite actor from this time period is Dana Andrews. As a kid growing up, I used to watch a lot of old movies on TV (before cable and TCM). When I discovered the films of Andrews (Laura, Fallen Angel, The Best Years of Our Lives), I was fascinated by his naturalistic acting style, one without artifice or exaggerated emotions and mannerisms.

Through my blog, I became acquainted with Andrews biographer, Carl Rollyson. Rollyson wrote the first comprehensive biography of the actor, receiving cooperation from the Andrews family. The book inspired me to organize a Dana Andrews blogathon with my fellow classic movie bloggers. It was a huge success. So successful was the blogathon that I decided to propose a class on Andrews. This spring I’ll be teaching Dana Andrews: Hollywood Enigma at Facets Film School, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave, Chicago, IL. If you’re in Chicago and you love classic movies, I encourage you to take this class.

DANA ANDREWS: HOLLYWOOD ENIGMA

Wednesdays, March 20-April 24, 7-10 pm

Dana Andrews (1909-1992) was one of Hollywood’s most popular movie stars during its golden age. He worked with many legendary, accomplished directors including John Ford, Lewis Milestone, Otto Preminger, Fritz Lang, and William Wyler to name just a few. Andrews’s career is a true American rags-to-riches story as he was the third of 13 children born to a Baptist minister and his wife, yet rose to become a movie star. His minimalist acting style personified ‘the male’ mask of the 1940s, in such classic films as Laura, Fallen Angel, and Where the Sidewalk Ends, in which he played the ‘masculine ideal of sang froid impassivity. These singular films, all directed by Preminger, recognized this distinguishing characteristic of Andrews’s acting ability and perhaps exploited it best. Although Andrews fulfilled his dreams, he did not live the typical celebrity lifestyle. A family man at heart, Andrews avoided the limelight that many of his contemporaries fully embraced. A complicated man, he had a problem with alcohol for most of his adult life, but despite his personal conflicts, he was admired and well liked by his colleagues, leaving us with an extraordinary body of work that will be studied for generations to come.

To register for this film class, click here.

FILMS SCREENED AND DISCUSSED:

Laura (Otto Preminger, 1944)

Fallen Angel (Otto Preminger, 1945)

A Walk in The Sun (Lewis Milestone, 1945)

Canyon Passage (Jacques Tourneur, 1946)

Boomerang! (Elia Kazan, 1947)

Daisy Kenyon (Otto Preminger, 1947)

Dana Andrews Blogathon coming July 28, 2012!

Feel free to copy and post image
 to your own blog

Film Noir Favorite
Get ready for the Dana Andrews blogathon! Andrews, the subject of a new biography coming out in September 2012, was a major movie star during Hollywood’s Golden Age. A favorite of film noir fans, Andrews made his mark playing seriously conflicted heroes in films like Laura, Fallen Angel, and Where The Sidewalk Ends. He also excelled as a romantic leading man in films like My Foolish Heart and Night Song. He even starred in a musical (State Fair), but let someone else dub his singing, even though he was a trained opera singer (did you know that?), fearing he would be typecast.

The Rules of the Blogathon
Here are the rules (you knew there’d be rules): Pick a Dana Andrews movie that you’d like to blog about or pick an aspect or quality about the actor and blog your heart out. Since there can be many takes on the same film, duplicate posts will be allowed, but feel free to ask what’s been taken (so far The Best Years of Our Lives, Boomerang!, Fallen Angel, The North Star, Swamp Water, Where the Sidewalk Ends, and Daisy Kenyon are definites). In the body of your blog post, please mention the blogathon with a link to my site. E-mail me at sreggie@sbcglobal.net to let me know which movie you want to do. When corresponding, please include “blogathon” in the subject line of your e-mail.

Lights, Camera, Action!
When your post is complete, send me the link by end of day July 25, 2012 (Central Time, US). Links to posts will go live on July 28, 2012. I will compile the links and post to my Classic Movie Man blog. The combined posts will include the titles of your blog posts with their respective links to your blog.

Any questions, please contact me.


Blogathon logo created by and courtesy of Paula Guthat.

Dana Andrews biography due September 2012

The Enigma of Dana Andrews
The first definitive biography of Dana Andrews is set for publication in September. Hollywood Enigma: Dana Andrews was written by Carl Rollyson who has biographies of Marilyn Monroe and poet Sylvia Plath (February 2013), among others, to his credit.

Understated and Underrated
Like many of Andrews’s fans know, the actor was terribly underrated even when he was at his peak in the late 1940s to early 1950s. For this new biography, Rollyson had access to journals, home movies, the Andrews family, and studio records.

Noir Legend
According to the author a study of film noir would not be complete without a review of Andrews’s work. The films Laura, Fallen Angel, and Where the Sidewalk Ends immediately come to mind when one considers some of Andrews’s best noir films.

The Man Under the Fedora 
As well as Andrews wore a fedora, he was incredibly versatile and could hold his own when cast alongside other major stars like Joan Crawford and Henry Fonda in Daisy Kenyon. It’s this critic’s opinion that Andrews gives the best performance in that film. Under Otto Preminger’s tight direction, Andrews’s Dan O’Mara is a multidimensional character who is neither hero nor villain.

Dana Andrews Blogathon Coming Soon
In July I’ll be hosting a Dana Andrews blogathon. More information about that event will be forthcoming. In the meantime, you may preorder Hollywood Enigma: Dana Andrews from Amazon.com.