Tyrone Power heads the cast in “Witness for the Prosecution”

Witness for the Prosecution (1957) is an American mystery thriller directed by Billy Wilder and starring Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, and Charles Laughton. The supporting cast includes Elsa Lanchester, John Williams, Henry Daniell, Ian Wolfe, Torin Thatcher, Norma Varen, Uno O’Connor, and Ruta Lee.

Sir Wilfrid Robarts (Laughton), a senior barrister, who is recovering from a heart attack, agrees to defend Leonard Vole against the objections of his nurse Miss Pimsoll (Lanchester). Vole has been accused of murdering Emily French, a wealthy widow with no family who had left him the bulk of her estate.

Robarts interviews Vole’s wife Christine (Dietrich) who provides her husband with an alibi. Robarts finds Christine’s testimony off somehow and is suspicious of her motives.

Will Robarts be able to defend Vole against the charge of murder or will circumstances beyond his control change everything?

Henry Daniell, Tyrone Power, and Charles Laughton

Billy Wilder (1906 - 2002) was an Austrian-born American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He won six Academy Awards for his writing and direction and was nominated twenty-one times over a career that spanned five decades. Wilder started his career as a writer, penning the screenplays for Ninotchka (1939), Ball of Fire (1942), Double Indemnity (1945), The Lost Weekend (1946), Sunset Boulevard (1951)  Boulevard (1951), Sabrina (1955), Some Like it Hot (1960), and The Apartment (1961). As a director, he won Academy Awards for directing The Lost Weekend (1946) and The Apartment (1961). Wilder directed fourteen different actors in Oscar-nominated roles. He is considered one of the most versatile directors from Hollywood’s Classical period.

Tyrone Power (1914 – 1958) was a major movie star as well as a star on stage and radio. He was one of the biggest box office draws of the 1930s and 1940s. Power was under exclusive contract to 20th Century-Fox where his image and film choices were carefully selected by studio head Zanuck. After the war, Power wanted to stretch his acting past romantic comedies and swashbuckler roles. Nightmare Alley was Power’s personal favorite of all his films. Some of Power's films include Marie Antoinette (1938), The Rains Came (1939), Jesse James (1939), The Mark of Zorro (1940), and  Blood and Sand (1941). Later in his career, he starred in Captain from Castile (1947), The Black Rose (1950), and Witness for the Prosecution (1957). Power’s favorite of all his films that he starred in was Nightmare Alley (1947) even though it was a commercial and a critical failure when first released. Its status as a classic film noir has been recently reevaluated.

Charles Laughton (1899 – 1962) had a long career on the stage and in Hollywood. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Henry VIII in The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) and was nominated for two other Best Actor Oscars for his performances in Mutiny on the Bounty (1933) and Witness for the Prosecution (1957). His performance in The Suspect is considered one of Laughton’s most natural screen performances, which is credited to director Siodmak, a close personal friend of the actor.

Marlene Dietrich (1901 – 1992) was a German and American actress. Dietrich got her start in silent films in her native Germany. She was directed by Josef von Sternberg in The Blue Angel (1930) which made Dietrich an international star. Its success also earned her a contract with Paramount Pictures in Hollywood. Dietrich had her biggest successes during the 1930s in films like Morocco (1930), Shanghai Express (1932), Blonde Venus (1932), The Scarlet Empress (1934), The Devil is a Woman (1935), and Destry Rides Again (1939). After World War II, Dietrich starred in A Foreign Affair (1948), Stage Fright (1950), and Judgment at Nuremberg (1960). 

Witness for the Prosecution trivia

• Marlene Dietrich was convinced she would receive an Academy Award nomination and was crushed when she did not.
• Agatha Christie was pleased with the film version of her novel.
• This was Tyrone Power’s last completed film. He died of a heart attack on the set of Solomon and Sheba in 1959.
• William Holden was the director’s first choice to play Vole but he was unavailable. Other actors considered include Gene Kelly, Kirk Douglas, Glenn Ford, Jack Lemmon, and Roger Moore.
• Actresses considered for the role of Christine include Ava Gardner and Rita Hayworth.

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

To join the discussion on May 29, 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

1. What did you think of the film's casting?
2. Some critics thought Tyrone Power looked too old to play Vole. Do you agree?
3. The cast is impressive. Did any one cast member stand out to you?
4. Was the ending a surprise to you?
5. How does this film stack up to other Billy Wilder films?

Tyrone Power is "Johnny Apollo"

Johnny Apollo (1940) is an American film noir crime drama directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Tyrone Power and Dorothy Lamour. The supporting cast includes Edward Arnold, Lloyd Nolan, Charlie Grapewin, and Lionel Atwill. The screenplay was written by Philip Dunne and Rowland Brown. The cinematography was by Arthur Miller.

When Bob Cain Jr.’s father is thrown in jail for embezzlement, he finds it impossible to get a job and keep it, once they realize “Pop” Cain (Arnold) is his father. Taking the name Johnny Apollo, Bob Jr. ends up working for gangsters and falling for Lucky (Lamour), a night club singer.

Johnny tries to get his father out of prison but things don’t go as planned. Will this be the end of Johnny and his father? Or will there be a way for both father and son to reconcile and get back to the straight and narrow path?

Henry Hathaway (1898 – 1985) was an American film director and producer. Hathaway started working in silent films in 1925 as an assistant to established directors like Victor Fleming and Josef von Sternberg. His first solo directorial effort was Heritage of the Desert (1932) starring Randolph Scott. Hathaway, along with Scott, would be known for western movies. Besides Scott, Hathaway directed Gary Cooper in several films, including The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935) which earned him his only Best Director Academy Award nomination. In 1940, Hathaway began working at Fox where he directed Tyrone Power in Johnny Apollo and Brigham Young (both 1940), Gene Tierney in China Girl (1942), Don Ameche and Dana Andrews in Wing and a Prayer (1944), and Call Northside 777 (1948) starring James Stewart and Richard Conte. After leaving Fox, he was one of three directors who worked on the western epic How the West Was Won (1962). He directed Steve McQueen in Nevada Smith (1966), directed John Wayne in True Grit (1968) which won Wayne his one and only Best Actor Academy Award.

Tyrone Power (1914 – 1958) was a major movie star as well as a star on stage and radio. He was one of the biggest box office draws of the 1930s and 1940s. Power was under exclusive contract to 20th Century-Fox where his image and film choices were carefully selected by studio head Zanuck. After the war, Power wanted to stretch his acting past romantic comedies and swashbuckler roles. Nightmare Alley was Power’s personal favorite of all his films. Some of Power's films include Marie Antoinette (1938), The Rains Came (1939), Jesse James (1939), The Mark of Zorro (1940), and  Blood and Sand (1941). Later in his career, he starred in Captain from Castile (1947), The Black Rose (1950), and Witness for the Prosecution (1957). Power’s favorite of all his films that he starred in was Nightmare Alley (1947) even though it was a commercial and a critical failure when first released. Its status as a classic film noir has been recently reevaluated.

Dorothy Lamour (1914 – 1996) was an American actress and singer. She is probably best known for her work in the Road movies co-starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. Lamour had major film successes on her own in films like The Hurricane (1937) directed by John Ford, Chad Hanna (1941) directed by Henry Kind and co-starring Henry Fonda and Linda Darnell. Her film career waned during the 1950s so Lamour embarked on a successful career in nightclubs and as a stage and television actress. 

Johnny Apollo trivia

• Linda Darnell was set to co-star with Power; Alice Faye was also considered. Dorothy Lamour was borrowed from Paramount in a swap with Don Ameche,
• The film had a preview for 34 college newspaper editors in Ossining, NY; some of the exterior prison scens were filmed at Sing Sing Penetentiary.

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

To Join the discussion on March 27, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, You'll receive an invitation and link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. Does this film fit the film noir genre? If not, how would you categorize it?
2. Dorothy Lamour received good reviews for her performance as Lucky. What did you think of here performance?
3. What about Tyrone Power? Did you think he made a good Johnny Apollo? Was he believeable as a good kid gone wrong?
4. Did you think Power and Lamour had on-screen chemistry?
5. Was the end of the film satisfying?

Tyrone Power and Susan Hayward star in "Rawhide"

Rawhide (1951) is an American western film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Tyrone Power and Susan Hayward. The supporting cast members include Hugh Marlowe, Dean Jagger, Edgar Buchanan, Jack Elam, and George Tobias.

Tom Owens (Power) is the sophisticated heir to the J. C. Owens of the Overland Mail Company. His father sends him west to the remote relay station Rawhide Pass to learn about the business from Sam Todd (Buchanan). Tom can’t wait to get back to civilization in one week’s time.

A young woman named Vinnie Holt (Hayward) arrives at the station with her young niece Callie. Callie is the daughter of Vinnie’s deceased sister. Vinnie was traveling east to take Callie to her paternal grandparents. Before Vinnie can catch the next train, The U.S. Calvary arrives to inform the stagecoach passing through Rawhide that four convicts escaped from Huntsville prison. With this news, the Calvary refuses to let Vinnie and Callie ride the stagecoach—it’s against the law to allow children to travel in a dangerous situation.

Tyrone Power and Hugh Marlowe

Now Vinnie and Callie are stuck at the Rawhide Pass with the escaped outlaws heading their way. When Rafe Zimmerman (Marlowe) arrives at the pass with his three fellow outlaws, no one is safe.

Henry Hathaway (1898 – 1985) was an American film director and producer. Hathaway started working in silent films in 1925 as an assistant to established directors like Victor Fleming and Josef von Sternberg. His first solo directorial effort was Heritage of the Desert (1932) starring Randolph Scott. Hathaway, along with Scott, would be known for western movies. Besides Scott, Hathaway directed Gary Cooper in several films, including The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935) which earned him his only Best Director Academy Award nomination. In 1940, Hathaway began working at Fox where he directed Tyrone Power in Johnny Apollo and Brigham Young (both 1940), Gene Tierney in China Girl (1942), Don Ameche and Dana Andrews in Wing and a Prayer (1944), and Call Northside 777 (1948) starring James Stewart and Richard Conte. After leaving Fox, he was one of three directors who worked on the western epic How the West Was Won (1962). He directed Steve McQueen in Nevada Smith (1966), directed John Wayne in True Grit (1968) which won Wayne his one and only Best Actor Academy Award.

Tyrone Power (1914 – 1958) was a major movie star as well as a star on stage and radio. He was one of the biggest box office draws of the 1930s and 1940s. Power was under exclusive contract to 20th Century-Fox where his image and film choices were carefully selected by studio head Zanuck. After the war, Power wanted to stretch his acting past romantic comedies and swashbuckler roles. Nightmare Alley was Power’s personal favorite of all his films. Some of Power's films include Marie Antoinette (1938), The Rains Came (1939), Jesse James (1939), The Mark of Zorro (1940), and  Blood and Sand (1941). Later in his career, he starred in Captain from Castile (1947), The Black Rose (1950), and Witness for the Prosecution (1957). Power’s favorite of all his films that he starred in was Nightmare Alley (1947) even though it was a commercial and a critical failure when first released. Its status as a classic film noir has been recently reevaluated.

Tyrone Power and Susan Hayward

Susan Hayward (1917 – 1975) was an Academy Award-winning actress for her role as Barbara Graham in I Want to Live! (1958). Hayward worked as a fashion model but traveled to Hollywood in 1937 to try out for the role of Scarlett O’Hara. She didn’t win that coveted role, but she secured a film contract. Hayward’s career took off in the late 1940s when she was nominated for Best Actress for Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman (1947). She received four more Best Actress nominations for My Foolish Heart (1949), With a Song in My Heart (1952), I’ll Cry Tomorrow (1955), and I Want to Live. Later in her career, Hayward replaced Judy Garland as Helen Lawson in Valley of the Dolls (1967).

Rawhide trivia

• This was Susan Hayward's first film for Fox after Walter Wanger sold her contract to the studio.
• Tyrone Power was 20 years older than his character.
• The film score was originally written for Brigham Young (1940) starring Power and Dean Jagger. It was also used for Yellow Sky (1948).
• Quentin Tarantino said this film was the inspiration for The Hateful Eight (2015).

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

To join the discussion on January 2, 2023, at 6:30 p.m.Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a link to the discussion on Zoom. 

Discussion questions

1. Does this film remind you of any other westerns you've seen?
2. Did you think Tyrone Power was too old for the role of Tom Owens?
3. Were Power and Hayward a good "team?"
4. What about the supporting cast? Did anyone stand out to you?
5. Did anything about this film surprise you?

“Nightmare Alley”—a pet project becomes a film noir classic

Nightmare Alley (1947) is a film noir directed by Edmund Goulding, produced by George Jessel and starring Tyrone Power, Joan Blondell, Coleen Gray, and Helen Walker.

The plot surrounds Stanton “Stan” Carlisle, a low-level carny who aspires to greater things. He manages to get by with his good looks, charm, and quick wit. On the surface, it appears that he cares about people, but he’s just using them on his way to the top. The film narrative is a dark one, one that 20th Century-Fox studio head Darryl F. Zanuck didn’t want to make.

Power was to 20th Century-Fox what Clark Gable was to M-G-M; he was the studio’s top box office draw. Power enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1942. He was released from active duty in 1946. Zanuck was anxious to get Power back on the screen. Power wanted to make Nightmare Alley, but Zanuck thought it was inappropriate for the handsome leading man. Power struck a deal: he would star in the more commercial The Razor’s Edge if he could also star in Nightmare Alley.

Zanuck relented, but his heart wasn’t in it and when the film was released and wasn’t an instant hit, he discontinued promotion and pulled the film from distribution.

Edmund Goulding (1891 – 1955) was a screenwriter and director. His directing career started during the silent era, but he moved easily to talkies directing some of the best-remembered films from Hollywood’s Golden Age including Grand Hotel (1932), Dark Victory (1939), The Old Maid (1939), and The Razor’s Edge (1946).

George “Georgie” Jessell (1898 – 1981) was an actor, singer, songwriter, vaudeville star, and film producer. If you’re a Baby Boomer, you may know him as the “Toastmaster General of the United States,” due to his numerous gigs as master of ceremonies at political and entertainment events. Jessel originated the role of The Jazz Singer on the stage.

Tyrone Power (1914 – 1958) was a major movie star as well as a star on stage and radio. He was one of the biggest box office draws of the 1930s and 1940s. Power was under exclusive contract to 20th Century-Fox where his image and film choices were carefully selected by studio head Zanuck. After the war, Power wanted to stretch his acting past romantic comedies and swashbuckler roles. Nightmare Alley was Power’s personal favorite of all his films.

Joan Blondell (1906 – 1979) was an American actress who was a top movie star during the 1930s and early 1940s. Later in her career, she became a popular character actress. Some of Blondell’s early films include The Public Enemy (1931), Gold Diggers of 1933, Dames (1934), and Stand-In (1937).

Colleen Gray (1922 – 2015) was an American actress who was under contract to 20th Century-Fox in the 1940s. She was in another famous film noir, Kiss of Death (1947) with Victor Mature and Richard Widmark. She also had a role in Red River (1948) with John Wayne. In the 1950s she started working in television, guest-starring in many popular shows of that period.

Helen Walker (1920 – 1968) was a film actress during the 1940s and 1950s. After a quick start in Hollywood, working with stars like Alan Ladd and Fred MacMurray, a car accident resulting in the death of hitchhiker, stunted her career.

Below is a link to the film on YouTube. Be sure to follow this link because it’s the best print out there. There are many versions of Nightmare Alley on YouTube that are inferior and of poor quality. You want to view the best possible version of this film.



Join us for a discussion on May 26 at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Zoom meeting links below.

Stephen Reginald is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Discussion of "Nightmare Alley"
Time: May 26, 2020, 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/77499958394?pwd=MWo0ODc5YXM2L2ozYmQ3M05TY0NFZz09

Meeting ID: 774 9995 8394
Password: 4R5L4v

Questions for discussion:
1. What did you think of Tyrone Power’s relationships with women in the film?
2. Did you have any sympathy for “Stan,” Power’s character?
3. What did you think of the women in Stan’s life?
4. Were all the women victims of Stan’s schemes?
5. What did you think of the ending? Was it realistic? Did it surprise you?

“Tyrone Power: Man, Myth & Movie Idol” Centennial Celebration

The Hollywood Museum in the Historic Max Factor Building Celebrates  “Tyrone Power: Man, Myth & Movie Idol” Centennial Celebration 

The Nation’s Largest Exhibit Of Authentic Memorabilia Honors His Life

Hollywood, CA, November 5, 2014 - The Hollywood Museum debuts “Tyrone Power: Man, Myth & Movie Idol,” celebrating Tyrone Power, sexy stage and screen idol of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s, and his centennial birthday year with an intimate retrospective curated in collaboration with his son, Tyrone Power, Jr. This special exhibition will take an ‘inside’ look at the life, passions and career of the handsome star of more than 50 films, best known for his swashbuckler roles, romantic leads and striking good looks. The exhibit is on display November 14 through January 11, 2015, at The Hollywood Museum in the Historic Max Factor Building located at 1660 N. Highland Ave. at Hollywood Blvd.

Tyrone Power in Jesse James

Power was one of the top male sex symbols of Hollywood’s golden era, from 1936 to 1958. He became an overnight sensation at just 22 years old and made more than 50 films during his career. Six months after his breakout role in Lloyd’s of London (1936), his hand and footprints were memorialized in cement at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Power was nicknamed “King of the Movies” by his fans and was also recognized as “King of the Fox Lot” (20th Century Fox Studios).

“We are delighted to spotlight one of Hollywood’s greatest legends and heartthrobs whose star talents transcended motion pictures, radio, live theater and television,” said Donelle Dadigan, Founder and President of The Hollywood Museum.

The “Tyrone Power: Man, Myth & Movie Idol” exhibition explores Power’s personal life including many illustrious romances, three marriages and three children. The comprehensive collection includes never before displayed items gathered from family, friends, private collectors and The Hollywood Museum archives.

Highlights of the Exhibition includes: 

•Costumes worn by Power include the iconic matador “suit of lights” from Blood and Sand (1941); embroidered pants from The Mark of Zorro (1940); black tailcoat with silver buttons from Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake (1942); black hat with red feathers from Captain from Castile (1947); navy suit from The Luck of the Irish (1948) and much more.

•Costumes worn by Power’s co-stars include a black gown worn by Maureen O’Hara in The Long Gray Line (1955), a pink brocade gown worn by Wanda Hendrix in Prince of Foxes (1949), a crème silk with fur trim jacket and gown worn by Gene Tierney in That Wonderful Urge (1948), a red sequin costume worn by Coleen Gray in Nightmare Alley (1947), a chartreuse ball gown from Marie Antoinette (1938) starring Norma Shearer; a vest worn by Don Ameche in In Old Chicago (1937) among many others.

•Behind the Scenes in Hollywood include Power’s silk brocade dressing gown; personal mementos and photos provide a private look at Power’s many romances, three marriages, cars, friends and family.

•Hollywood History - Power kept a copy of scripts from all of his movies. The exhibit includes scripts from The Razor’s Edge (1946), Blood and Sand (1941) and three 1937 films: Thin Ice, Love Is News and In Old Chicago. This collection also includes lobby cards, posters, press kits, press books and sheet music from songs in his many films.


Collectors includeTyrone Power, Jr., Taryn Power, Romina Power, Maria Ciaccia, Debbie Beno, Cindra Reaume Webber and The Hollywood Museum Archives.

For Exhibit Photos: Click here

About Tyrone Power:
Power appeared in a wide variety of film genres, from musicals to comedies, from westerns and swashbucklers, to dramas, showing a remarkable acting range. Before he made it in Hollywood, Power began his career on Broadway, mentored by stage actress Katharine Cornell. Scouts spotted him in a play and he was signed by 20th Century-Fox, becoming their top leading man for many years. He worked with most of the famous actors and directors of his time, including directors such as King Vidor, and actors Humphrey Bogart, Raymond Massey, Jeanne Crain, Alice Faye, Al Jolson, Cesar Romero, George Sanders, Loretta Young and Lana Turner, with whom he had a well-publicized romance in 1946. He also had liaisons with Judy Garland and Mai Zetterling.

Gene Tierney with Power in Son of Fury:
The Story of Benjamin Blake

Power took time out of his career to serve his country as a U.S. Marine Corps pilot in World War II, flying wounded soldiers out of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. His father, actor Tyrone Power, Sr., died in the arms of his son while on a film set. Power Jr.’s own life was cut short at the age of 44 when he had a heart attack on the movie set of Solomon and Sheba (1959). Actor Yul Brynner replaced him in the film. During his career, Power turned down a number of powerful roles including Burt Lancaster’s role in From Here to Eternity (1953) and Richard Burton’s lead role in The Robe (1953).

About The Hollywood Museum In The Historic Max Factor Building:
The Hollywood Museum in the Historic Max Factor Building houses over 10,000 real showbiz treasures and the most extensive collection of Hollywood costumes, star cars, props, posters, photographs and memorabilia in the world showcasing more than 100 years of Hollywood history. Discover the glamour of old Hollywood from Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks to Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio and Elvis Presley. Experience the excitement of today’s Hollywood stars from Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, to Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Lo, Miley Cyrus, George Clooney among many others. The Hollywood Museum is also home to Max Factor's world-famous makeup rooms where Marilyn Monroe became a blonde and Lucille Ball first donned her signature red hair. Exhibitions spotlight Marilyn Monroe: The Exhibit, Hannibal Lecter’s jail cell movie set from The Silence of the Lambs The historic photo gallery and the official walk of fame exhibit. The Hollywood Museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.

Location: 1660 N. Highland Ave. (at Hollywood Blvd). Hollywood, CA 90028
Hours: Wednesday - Sunday, 10am - 5pm
Tickets: General admissions $15, $12 for students and seniors; and $5 for children five and under.
Museum information: (323) 464-7776 | The Hollywood Museum
Follow the museum on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Classic Movie Man's Guilty Pleasure: "Elephant Walk"

Part of the fun of loving movies is loving the ones that don’t quite hit the mark and are sometimes so bad they’re good. One of my guilty movie pleasures is 1954’s Elephant Walk. A big-budget spectacle from Paramount Studios, it’s a mixed bag of movie cliches with several allusions to better films.


From London Bookshop to Ceylon Tea Plantation
The plot surrounds a tea planter, John Wiley from Ceylon (Sri Lanka), who comes to England at the end of World War II to find a bride to take back with him. The tea planter is the serious and sober Peter Finch. His young bride is the breathtakingly beautiful and young Elizabeth Taylor (she was 23 when the film was released). From the film narrative, we find that this was some kind of a whirlwind romance, with Ruth, a bookstore clerk (Taylor’s character), hardly knowing anything about her new husband or his family (like Liz Taylor's real life).

Mandalay in South Asia

South Asian Mandalay
As you probably already guessed, Ruth is at first swept off her feet by John. When she arrives at Elephant Walk, the family mansion, a kind of South Asian Mandalay, its beauty and opulence awe Ruth. She learns that her new home was deliberately built on the path the elephants used to get to their water source by John’s father, alternately known as the “Old Master” and “the Guv’nor.” Apparently, the Old Master, even though long passed away, seems to be the force behind Elephant Walk. Two minutes cannot go by without someone talking about the Guv’nor. You know almost immediately that the elephants will be causing trouble, and boy, do they ever.

Appuhamy: Mrs. Danvers with a mustache

“Didn't I See You in Rebecca?”
When Ruth arrives at Elephant Walk, an army of servants headed by Appuhamy, the estate’s majordomo, greet her. Sinister and reserved, Appuhamy is a male version of Judith Anderson’s character in Rebecca. The welcome home scene is similar to the Hitchcock classic. Even though he is a servant, Appuhamy looks at Ruth with suspicion and disdain. If we jump ahead two years, Mercedes McCambridge’s Luz Benedict is a female Appuhamy, giving Taylor’s character, Leslie, the same kind of treatment in Giant (a much better film for sure).

Bicycle polo at Elephant Walk

Bicycle Polo, Anyone?
At a party to meet John’s friends and associates, Ruth is introduced to Dick Carver (Dana Andrews), the plantation boss. Carver is instantly attracted to Ruth, and who wouldn’t be? Taylor’s character is sewn into some pretty remarkable Edith Head creations, showing that 23-year-old body off to its best advantage. When Taylor realizes that she’s the only white woman within miles of Elephant Walk, she begins to wonder if she made a mistake by marrying John. When John and his friends stay up all hours of the night drinking and playing bicycle polo inside the house, Ruth is distraught. As the film progresses, she feels more and more isolated. And then there’s the secret room that only Appuhamy has the key to. It’s the key to the Old Master’s room, a virtual shrine to the dead man, just like the first Mrs. DeWinter’s room in Rebecca. And just like Rebecca, the Old Master’s presence permeates the film. Jeepers, his crypt is in the backyard, just outside Ruth’s bedroom window!

Paris or Bust
While John is confined to bed with a leg fracture from his bicycle polo exploits, Ruth spends time with Dick. As the only one at Elephant Walk who doesn’t worship the Old Master, he becomes Ruth’s confidant. Dick makes a pass at Ruth, but she tries to resist his advances. As time goes by, Ruth plans to leave Elephant Walk and go to Paris with Dick, something Dick was planning to do before Ruth arrived.

Elizabeth Taylor (Ruth) and Dana Andrews (Dick) in a publicity still for the film

But then, a cholera epidemic breaks out, and Ruth decides she cannot leave her husband, even though we’re not exactly sure what she sees in the bore. Dick, as played by Andrews, is a much warmer and sympathetic character; it isn’t hard to understand why she (or any other woman under the same circumstances) might want to run off with him. Dick’s character is dressed elegantly in white and khaki suits, often wearing a lightweight fedora. He looks like the tropical version of detective Mark McPherson from Laura, a role Andrews played ten years earlier.

That Pesky Epidemic
Oh, yes, the cholera epidemic. Servants all of a sudden start passing out, falling down, and the whole area is put under quarantine. This keeps Ruth from running off with Dick to Paris (rats!). After about two seconds, Ruth throws herself into helping the natives fight the epidemic. Looking like Myrna Loy in The Rains Came, she spends her days cutting pieces of cloth, filling jugs with water, disinfecting things, and constantly wiping the sweat off her brow while Appuhamy, her new best friend, tells her to rest. Just when you think things can’t get any worse, the elephants come back, reclaiming their pathway while the estate is left unguarded.

Tyrone Power and Myrna Loy in The Rains Came (1939)

Elephants Rule!
The elephants stampede, Elephant Walk, demolishing the wall that surrounds it. They enter the house, upending the furniture, and knocking over burning candles and chandeliers. And they maul Appuhamy, Ruth's new BFF, right in front of her eyes (she closes them, of course) while she screams in terror. As the elephants destroy the house, it catches fire. Ruth tries to outrun the elephants and escape, but finds herself trapped. Her husband, back from burying the dead cholera victims, rescues Ruth from the fire and the elephants, but Elephant Walk is no more. As the mansion burns to the ground, Ruth recommits herself to John, just like, oh, yeah, Rebecca (and Jane Eyre too)! Dick, coming back for Ruth, sees her on a hill with her husband. Realizing that he and Ruth have no future together, Dick decides to go to Paris by himself since Ruth was the only reason he stayed at Elephant Walk for as long as he did. The End.

The Classic Movie Man's Verdict
Even with all the cliches and sometimes hackneyed dialogue, I still find this film incredibly compelling. Maybe it’s the cast, although my favorite New York Times critic, Bosley Crowther, had these kind words for the three stars: “Miss Taylor's performance of the young wife is petulant and smug. Mr. Andrews is pompous as the manager. And Mr. Finch, as the husband, is just plain bad.” Oh, my. On the plus side, the movie looks good. The on-location cinematography isn’t too bad. The score by Franz Waxman is lush and beautiful. Taylor’s Edith Head costumes are stunning and show the actress off to her best advantage. On the negative side, the process photography looks cheap. There’s a scene where Ruth and Dick are riding horses. The horses are at a slow trot, but the background is practically racing by. Perhaps, audiences in 1954 were more forgiving than we are today, but it looks really fake. The direction by William Dieterle can be described as plodding at best; nothing seems to flow very smoothly. But fortunately, those stampeding elephants save the day by adding some much-needed action and excitement.

I mentioned Rebecca earlier in this piece, and I think it tries to borrow some of the tension and suspense that the movie engendered, but with limited success. The comparisons, some already noted are too obvious: Appuhamy as a male Mrs. Danvers, the room that is a shrine, and the climactic fire that destroys the mansion and the memory of the Old Master. But that’s what films do, borrow from each other. Some do so successfully, some not so. Elephant Walk falls into the not-so category. Still, as mentioned before, it’s somehow compelling. It’s one of my classic movie guilty pleasures. And that’s okay. In spite of it all, enough people went to see Elephant Walk in 1954 to make it a box office hit.

What are your movie guilty pleasures? I’d love to hear from you.

Loretta or Cary: Who Is more Beautiful?

Loretta Young: a photographer's dream

The Faces of Beauty
Both Loretta Young and Cary Grant were known as much for their classic movie star looks as their acting abilities. Young, a star since the days of silent films, is considered one of the screen’s great beauties. Her big expressive eyes and lovely cheekbones made her a photographer’s dream. Grant’s was the face that the top female stars of the 1930s wanted next to theirs on the big screen.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...
When Young and Grant costarred together in The Bishop’s Wife (1947), audiences were faced with two of the most beautiful and most photographed faces in the movies. With those two great faces on the screen side by side, the question comes up; who is the most beautiful of all?

Publicity photograph of Cary Grant

Dressed to Impress
In the film, Grant plays a very dashing angel named Dudley. Dressed by five-time Oscar-winner Irene Sharaff, Grant looked as if he just walked off the set of Hitchcock’s Notorious (1946). He’s as dapper as, well, Cary Grant. Young on the other hand, plays Julia Brougham, the wife of a Bishop (David Niven). Throughout the movie, Young is dressed modestly, but beautifully. Likewise, her hairstyle is pulled back, simply styled, but framing that beautiful, luminous face.

Vanity, Vanity
Like the public that adored them, Young and Grant were aware of their respective good looks and did all they could to present themselves on screen in the best way possible. The story goes that when director Henry Koster blocked out a two-shot between Young and Grant, both protested that the blocking did not exploit the best sides of their faces. To appease the two stars, Koster had them look out a window in the same direction. This shot satisfied Young and Grant because their best sides (the left sides of their faces) were photographed.

I'm not Paying for Half a Face

 Tyrone Power and Young

When producer Samuel Goldwyn saw the dailies (film shot that day), he was critical of Koster’s decision to shoot the scene in such a manner. When Koster asked Young and Grant to explain why the shot was set up and filmed this way, Goldywn let go with one of his famous “Goldwynisms.” He said to both stars “Look, if I'm only getting half a face, you're only getting half a salary!” Young and Grant, both being freelance movie stars and not contracted to a major movie studio were also conscious of workplace politics.

After that confrontation with the boss, the subject of what side of their faces looked better on film never came up again.