Les Péchés de Jézabel

I was just a little kid when Frankie Laine's hit record of Jezebel came out paying tribute in song to the evil Phoenician Queen of Israel. It may very well have inspire Lippert Pictures to think like DeMille and make what passed for a biblical epic at that small studio with a cast of dozens.

In fact DeMille veteran Paulette Goddard plays the title role in Sins Of Jezebel. Paulette who ran afoul of C.B. DeMille during the filming of her third and last DeMille epic Unconquered probably missed the lead in Samson And Delilah because of it.

Samson And Delilah had the usual big budget and effects that a major studio can bring to bear. Sins Of Jezebel has none of that kind of opulence, but in Paulette Goddard's performance I think you can see what she might have brought to the part of Delilah another biblical bad girl.

The film is narrated by John Hoyt who plays a modern day rabbi and the prophet Elijah. Had this been a major studio production we would have seen Elijah via Paramount's special effects swept up in the fiery chariot as the Bible says he was. All that happens here is he goes off in the sunset after handing off the prophet's job to Elisha.

The luckless and feckless Ahab is played by Eduard Franz. He's just a fool for lust who passes off that he's marrying the slinky and sexy Jezebel because of reasons of state. Like anyone really believes him. But when she starts bringing in priests of her God Baal and sets up temples to same, it all unravels for Franz and Goddard.

One thing C.B. DeMille would not have done is cast Joe Besser in any kind of role in one of his epics. Besser is one of those guys who should stay in what he does best. I half expected some of his shtick from burlesque in the film. He plays Yonkel the chariot repair guy.

Given the microscopic budgets of Lippert Pictures as compared to Paramount, Sins Of Jezebel passes for an epic in that studio. Maybe the only one they ever did. But how Paulette must have missed Paramount and C.B. DeMille.