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?

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.

Screening of "Where the Sidewalk Ends" at Daystar Center November 18

“Noirvember” Series: Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
Where: Daystar Center, 1550 S. State Street
When: November 18, 2017
Time: 6:45 p.m.
Hosted by Stephen Reginald

Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) reunites the star’s of Laura (1944), Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney in another classic film noir directed by Otto Preminger. The plot concerns a rogue cop, Mark Dixon (Andrews) who goes a little too far when pursuing some crooks and hoodlums. When he accidentally kills one of the suspects involved with gangster Steve Scalise (Gary Merrill), Dixon’s life begins to spiral out of control. Things become even more complicated when Dixon begins to fall in love with Morgan Taylor-Paine (Tierney) the widow of the suspect he killed. Will Dixon be able to solve the case without implicating himself? The film boast a superior supporting cast including, Karl Malden, Ruth Donnelly, and Craig Stevens.

Backstory: Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney made five movies together: Tobacco Road, Belle Starr (both 1941), Laura (1944), The Iron Curtain (1948), and Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950). Where the Sidewalk Ends was the last film that Otto Preminger made under his contract with Twentieth Century-Fox.

Have some Joe and Enjoy the Show!

You can bring food and beverages into the auditorium; we even have small tables set up next to some of the seats. 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.

Dana Andrews Blogathon coming July 28, 2012!

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 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.