Kirk Douglas is a Man Without a Star

Kirk Douglas as Dempsey.

Borden Chase penned some of the most important Westerns in film history, to include: Howard Hawks' Red River plus the Anthony Mann-James Stewart collaborations Winchester '73, Bend of the River, and The Far Country. He co-wrote the screenplay for Man Without a Star (1955), an engrossing Western that may not rank with the aforementioned films, but still remains a compelling "adult Western."

Kirk Douglas plays Dempsey Rae, a cowhand that keeps drifting further north as large ranches with their fences begin to dominate the Western landscapes. While stowing away on a train, he meets a young greenhorn (William Campbell), whom he later dubs the Texas Kid. After Dempsey rescues Texas from a probable hanging, the young man clings to the veteran cowboy. Dempsey eventually takes Texas under his wing and gets both of them a job at the Triangle Ranch.

Jeanne Crain as the new owner.

They settle in nicely until two events trigger a series of conflicts. First, one of the smaller ranchers decides to use barbed wire to preserve fresh grass for his herd. The mention of "barbed wire" gets Dempsey fired up (we learn why later) and he decides it's time to move on. His plans change, though, when he meets the Triangle's new owner: the beautiful Reed Bowman (Jeanne Crain).

Although Man Without a Star was based on a 1952 novel by Dee Linford, it shares many similarities with Borden Chase's other Westerns. As in The Far Country, there are two strong female characters: Crain as the ambitious rancher and Claire Trevor as a brothel madam. However, the film's central relationship is between two men: Dempsey and Texas. That's a recurring element in all of the previously-mentioned Borden Chase Westerns (e.g., John Wayne and Montgomery Clift in Red River, James Stewart and Arthur Kennedy in Bend of the River, James Stewart and Walter Brennan in The Far Country, etc.).

Richard Boone, as a baddie, with Crain.

Indeed, one of the challenges in Man Without a Star is its brief 89 minute length leaves little time to explore relationships and themes. For example, once Reed Bowman shows up, the Texas Kid vanishes into the background for a large chunk of the film. Similarly, Reed is nowhere to be found in the film's closing scenes. Thematically, Chase and his fellow writers use the barbed wire fences as an analogy for the impending civilization of the West (much as Sergio Leone would later use trains in Once Upon a Time in the West). However, again, there is insufficient running time to explore this theme in any depth.

Claire Trevor and Kirk Douglas.

Screen veteran King Vidor directs with a sure hand and adds some nice humorous touches. My favorite is when Dempsey and the Triangle's foreman (Jay C. Flippen) are engaging in a pleasant breakfast conversation as Texas fights another ranch hand outside the bunkhouse. The camera never leaves the breakfast table as we hear the punches and grunts from the fisticuffs. Another funny scene is when Dempsey asks to see the new bathroom installed in the ranch house...imagine that...a bathroom in the house!

Man Without a Star was remade just 13 years later as A Man Called Gannon with Tony Franciosa in the Kirk Douglas role and Michael Sarrazin as his protege. It's a respectable Western, but lacks the verve and cast that makes Man Without a Star required viewing despite its limitations. It also doesn't have a catchy title song sung by Frankie Laine!

Dana Andrews vs. Hot Rods to Hell

A dear friend was recently involved in a car accident en route to the airport for a vacation. Fortunately, no one suffered serious injuries--but a sore back, a banged-up knee, and a two-week vacation delay is no fun. So, he turned to a comfort movie later that day...selecting Hot Rods to Hell.

Gloria and the guys out for some kicks on the highway.

Ironically, this 1967 cult classic starts with a car accident when family man Tom Phillips' car is hit by a drunken driver on Christmas Eve. Tom (Dana Andrews) sustains a severe back injury that ends his career as a regional salesman. His brother Bill convinces Tom to give up his Boston home and buy a hotel in a small California town. Tom resists initially, but eventually makes the big decision with the support of his wife (Jeanne Crain) and young son--but not his teenage daughter Tina.

Laurie Mock as Tina.

As they cruise along a desert highway toward their new home, the family runs afoul of a trio of thrill-seeking teens in souped-up cars. The youths harass the Phillips family--almost running them off the road--until Tom seeks sanctuary in a well-populated picnic area. While waiting there, Tina meets one of the trouble-makers, a handsome lad named Duke. That night, she sneaks out of her room at the hotel to look for Duke in a nearby rock 'n' roll joint. She finds him and the sparks fly, but Duke wants more than just a flirtatious dance....

It's easy to dismiss Hot Rods to Hell as a campy melodrama with outdated dialogue. Two of the most overwrought scenes feature Tina, writhing in bed as she thinks of Duke and later frantically clutching her father in the car as Duke and a pal play "chicken" with the Phillips family.

Mimsy Farmer as Gloria.

Yet, she is no match for Gloria--the wildest of the juvenile delinquents, who is aptly described as "way out." That she is, but she's really no different from Marlon Brando's restless biker in The Wild One (1953). Gloria is desperate to do something, noting that: "Everybody's out for kicks. What else is there?" She even makes suggestive promises to slimy hotel owner Lank Dailey, hoping that he will take her to L.A. or Vegas.

In a historical context, Hot Rods to Hell serves as an intriguing transition from the Beach Party films of the early 1960s to the violent biker pictures heralded by the previous year's The Wild Angels (1966). It's almost as if the alienated youth characters from the 1950s had regressed from Brando's gang leader to parodies like Eric Von Zipper and then moved forward again with Duke and Gloria and eventually the Hells' Angels.

Jeanne Crain as Tina's mother.

Originally titled 52 Miles to Terror, Hot Rods to Hell was intended as a made-for-TV movie for ABC, but it was deemed too intense and released theatrically. Ironically, it made its television debut a few years later and was shown not only uncut--but with ten additional minutes.

It's an entertaining time-capsule film with a rock score performed by Mickey Rooney, Jr. and his Combo. My only major complaints are that the ending comes across as a cop-out and that Gloria, the film's most vibrant character, disappears well before the climax.

Mimsy Farmer, who played Gloria, and Gene Kirwood, who was Duke's pal Ernie, enjoyed intriguing careers after Hot Rods to Hell. Mimsy Farmer married an Italian screenwriter and forged a solid career in European cinema. Her most famous role may be as the female lead in Dario Argento's 1971 thriller Four Flies on Grey Velvet. As for Gene Kirkwood, he became a producer on films such as Rocky, The Idolmaker, and New York, New York. That's just proof that alienated youths can grow into responsible adults.

"People Will Talk"...about Cary Grant

People Will Talk (1951) is rarely included in the discussions about Cary Grant's best films. That's puzzling given its pedigree and entertainment value. Perhaps, it's because Grant's career was in a minor lull in the early 1950s with films like Crisis (1950) and Room for One More (1952). It certainly doesn't help that People Will Talk is shown on television less frequently than other Cary Grant pictures. Whatever the reasons for its near anonymity, People Will Talk deserves its day in the spotlight.

Grant plays noble physician Dr. Noah Praetorius, who runs a clinic for women and teaches at a university. Praetorius' patient-first philosophy ("Patients are sick people--not inmates") earns him a reputation for being unconventional. It also makes him hugely popular among his patients and students as well as financially successful. That leads to some professional jealously, principally on the part of rival professor Rodney Elwell (Hume Cronyn). Of course, Praetorius doesn't hold Elwell in high regard either, describing him as the "only person I know who can say 'malignant' like other people say bingo."

Grant and Jeanne Crain.

While Elwell delves into his colleague's murky past to look for a flaw, Praetorius beomes involved in the case of an unmarried pregnant woman named Deborah Higgins (Jeanne Crain). Concerned with her emotional state, Praetorius first lies to her about her pregnancy. Later, he visits her at her uncle's home and proposes marriage. I did say he was an unconventional doctor, didn't I?

In the hands of a less gifted actor, Praetorius could have come off as an oddball. Cary Grant, though, imbues the physician with nobility, charm, and compassion. He also always seems in control, as if Praetorius  knows what is coming next  and is already prepared for it (at one point, Deborah even calls him a "pompous know-it-all"). At times, Grant's performance reminded me of Dudley the angel from the earlier The Bishop's Wife.

Finlay Currie as Shunderson.

The standout among the supporting cast is Finlay Currie as Shunderson, Praetorius' imposing and often-silent chauffeur and companion. Praetorius introduces Shunderson simply as his friend, not an employee. The mysterious Shunderson lurks in the background throughout the film, his personality revealed gradually as we see his admiration for Praetorius, his concern for Deborah, and his kindness toward an unhappy collie. Although Scottish actor Finlay Currie was 53 before he made his first film in 1931, he had a long screen career that extended into the late 1960s. He is best remembered as the convict Magwitch in David Lean's Great Expectations (1946), as Peter in Quo Vadis (1951), and, of course, as Shunderson.

Hume Cronym as Elwell.

People Will Talk was writer-director Joseph L. Mankiewicz's immediate follow-up to All About Eve. Mankiewicz based his screenplay on a 1932 stage play by German playwright Curt Goetz. Interestingly, some critics view People Will Talk as an attack against the Communist "witch hunters" of the McCarthyism era. The timing certainly seems right and Elwell's obsession to dig up dirt on Praetorius could be described as a witch hunt. However, the subplot involving a jealous rival can be traced back to Goetz's original play. I think Mankiewicz's goal was to make a statement about the importance of compassion and human dignity in medicine. After all, in his opening prologue, he states: "This film is dedicated to one who has inspired man's unending battle against Death, and without whom that battle is never won....the patient."

Prior to starting the film, Mankiewicz encountered difficulties with the Production Code, which refused to approve the script because of its frank discussion about abortion and unwed pregnancy (as well as an incident in Shunderson's past). Mankiewicz eventually gained approval in 1951 after minor rewrites (e.g., Praetorius and Deborah discuss abortion, but the word "abortion" is never used).

If you have never seen People Will Talk, I strongly recommend seeking it out. It's an interesting, entertaining drama that deserves serious consideration when discussing its star's best movies.