The Strip

The murder/suspense plot is little more than a convenient set of bookends to showcase the post-adolescent Mickey Rooney, Sally Forest and a gathering of jazz greats (Louis Armstrong, Jack Teagarden, Earl Hines, Vic Damone) in the setting of a Sunset Strip nightspot. James Craig isn't bad as the mustachioed "heavy" doting on his office foliage (after Dewey's defeat in '48, mustaches became quite unAmerican). This movie is neither fish nor fowl nor good red herring, and only marginally "noir" by virtue of date, setting and plotline, but it's watchable -- the music and dance numbers are pretty good. Like a couple of other films ("The Man I Love;" "Love Me or Leave Me") it gives evidence that a new genre might have been in formation: the musical noir.

These types off film were being hammered out weekly in the 1950's. Superficially, there is little to distinguish this from the rest. However as it progresses, there is much to admire and enjoy. I love the format of an a hour and a quarter running time. Long enough to tell a simple tale, but without any time for padding, every frame counts.

Mickey Rooney is a fine character actor. One of the minor amusements here is watching a diminutive Rooney playing the lead, being dwarfed by everyone apart from his leading lady, Sally Forrest, who is probably the only actor on screen smaller than him! The premise of the loser/little guy who stands up for himself works well with several acutely observed scenes. The tragic denouement is a genuine surprise and is well told with clever editing keeping the tale skimming along at a brisk pace.

The musical,and song and dance interludes provide pleasing pauses in the action resulting in a film that ultimately delivers because it works so conspicuously within it's boundaries, rather than trying to push them.

At first, The Strip seems like an ordinary mid-fifties mystery, and while technically it is, there are a few elements in it that make it stand out from the rest of the pack. The song "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" was introduced in this movie, and you'll get to hear it sung three times. First, William Demarest and Mickey Rooney sing it at the piano, then Kay Brown uses it as an audition piece, and finally Louis Armstrong performs it at a nightclub. If you like that song, you'll be pretty happy.

Next up is Mickey Rooney, who not only gives a good acting performance, but also gets to show off his impressive drum skills. If you missed Strike Up the Band, you'll get to see him drumming himself into even more of a frenzy in this one. Mickey stars as a guy who gets pushed around and falls into a bad situation because he's chasing the wrong girl. He falls for Sally Forrest, an aspiring entertainer, but as she strings Mickey along, she also makes eyes at his boss, the powerful and dangerous James Craig. Sally gets a couple of killer dance numbers to show off her talent, appeal, and figure. If you like Lee Remick, you'll think Sally is a doll. It's no wonder she gets both Mickey and James crazy about her! Poor Mickey, Sally prefers James because she thinks he'll help her break into show business. When she breaks a date with Mickey for James, Mickey wears a wonderful expression on his face as he says, "I don't like that." You can see the defeat in his eyes, as if he already knows it's a lost cause. He's trying to come across as authoritative and possessive in a macho way, but he knows it's only coming across as pathetic and out-of-control. It's a nondescript line and a very brief scene, but he makes it memorable.

You might think this is just a thin plot stringing together a bunch of song and dance numbers, but give it a chance. If you've never seen Mickey Rooney as an adult, you'll be very pleasantly surprised at what he can do when he doesn't have manic energy. Next up, rent Killer McCoy to see him pull out all the stops! And if you watch this movie and root for James Craig to get the girl, rent Lost Angel to see him in a really cute role.

If you like jazz, you'll like this one : there's a good part of this movie which takes place in Los Angeles' night-clubs with guest star Louis Armstrong. The story may look classical for a film noir, but the way it shows the story of a drummer penetrating in the underground world is surprising : watch it especially for the drum solos. Enjoyable !

Korea vet and aspiring drummer Mickey Rooney ('Quicksand') gets driven off the road by suave racketeer James Craig ('While The City Sleeps'). To compensate, Craig gives Rooney a job in his bookmaker's room. When the police bust in to the business, Rooney manages to escape and hitches a ride with Sally Forrest ('Mystery Street'), who works at a nightclub owned by William Demarest ('Night Has A Thousand Eyes'). Rooney pays the nightclub a visit and before he knows it, he's switched jobs from the bookie room to the drum kit and has fallen hard for Forrest. Forrest wants a movie career however, so Rooney introduces her to Craig, who has some contacts. But Craig isn't interested in helping Forrest, he just sees another pretty girl to add to his list of conquests. When Rooney confronts Craig about this things quickly fall apart, leading to Craig getting killed, and Forrest nearly dead, and Rooney as the prime suspect...

Told in flashback, the movie starts with the discovery of Forrest barely alive on her apartment floor, and during the investigation, the discovery of Craig's body and a gun. Rooney is brought in for interrogation, and he tells his side of the story in flashback. It all sounds like pure noir, until you see the movie, which is also in many ways a musical. Artists and musicians like Louis Armstrong, Vic Damone and Jack Teagarden are given plenty of time to play their music and sing their songs, as a large part of the movie plays out in nightclubs. In fact, one of the songs (sung by hatcheck girl Kay Brown) got the movie an Oscar nomination. Thankfully, unlike some noirs where musical interludes slow down the story, it works rather well here. And seeing Rooney and Forrest showing off their drumming and dancing skills respectively was way more fun than I expected, impressive stuff.

But a noir it still is, trust me. People use people and through the flashback structure, there is always tension under the surface as (part of) the outcome is already known to the viewer. And it has a bleak, downbeat, even ironic, ending that firmly establishes this as a noir. Performances are great across the board, helped by the well- written characters and dialogue. The main negative is that the directing by Laszlo Kardos ('The Tijuana Story') and cinematography by Robert Surtees ('Act Of Violence') is good but not very noir or imaginative. Still, that's only a minor quibble, this movie impressed me with its successful blending of noir and musical, the performances and the story. Recommended! 8/10