No Place to Land

It's been a while since I've seen this film but I believe that you have to judge it for what it is (or was). First, it is very 1950's. Low budget 'B' movie probably shot and filmed in a matter of days and on a shoe sting budget, in an era when the big studios cranked these things off the assembly line. But what I remember most about the movie is how seductive was Mari Blanchard. You have to see the opening scene of her dancing and flirting around a little diner to music on a juke box. Albeit her character was cheap and bawdy, something comes across on the celluloid that moved me, and I think that had it not been for her untimely death, her career may have really opened up. The movie itself is a love triangle trapped in a stupid little plot, but amidst the backdrop and supposed romance of the crop dusters of the day, which were common in the 1950's, when America was a little more rural and agricultural, and with all the fly-boys returning from WWII and pursuing said nomadic lifestyle. Also, possibly one of the first films to deal with a female stalking a male, maybe not quite in the vain of Fatal Attraction but at least helping blaze the trail a bit. The movie could be described as terrible, but it's so bad that it almost compels you to watch it, like some Ed Wood films were famous for.

The tragedy of the beautiful Gail Russell is only compounded when one sees this celluloid disaster, because the only thing that makes it almost tolerable is the natural, easy, relaxed and totally believable Gail Russell. In this pic, her next to last one, she indicates that she had continued to mature as a skilled actress -- she is even able to utter these incredible moments of dialog with a lovely voice and convincing demeanor. Too bad that her superb work in 'The Tattered Dress' didn't get her an Oscar nomination as a Supporting character. If that film had been a little better and a little better received then Ms. Russell might have had a shot at a formidable and hopefully self-assured return. This enormously awful film about crop dusters is really about the ridiculous character portrayed by a swaggering, hip-swinging, silent movie vamping of Mari Blanchard, who was a pale imitation of Mamie Van Doren who was a pale imitation of Jayne Mansfield who was a pale imitation of MM. Veterans Jackie Coogan and John Ireland cannot do much with the asinine plot, although Coogan has a moment or two of something akin to professionalism. Robert Middleton is amazingly bad in his villainous role. The screenplay is one long horror, and the direction, to be kind, is so inept that the film would have been turned down by the Creeping Crud Film Festival!! But,despite Blanchard's incompetence and the lousy work of all the others, there is still the radiance of Gail Russell, turning in a performance where none would have seemed possible.

Noticeably lacking in things like a cohesive plot and logic this cheap programmer with an apparent budget of about fifty bucks is representative of what used to fill the bottom half of a double bill.

For such a short feature with the rather innocuous theme of a crop dusting business this has a remarkably high body count, some of those incidents happening without a sensible reason.

As for the performances, John Ireland is okay if unmemorable in the lead while Mari Blanchard is properly brazen as a tramp with a serious case of hot pants. Jackie Coogan, who gives the film's best performance and also has the part with the most depth-which isn't much but comparatively speaking there is at least some reasoning behind what he does.

The only other performer of note is Gail Russell nearing the end of her career. Once considered to have the potential to be a big star her insecurity led to an enormous drinking problem which wrecked her career. Her appearance is shocking-her beauty ruined by booze, she was only 34 when this was made and looks a rough 50. Ironically her one big speech is about how her character's husband has ruined his life though his addiction to alcohol, it's terribly sad if you know her back story. She would only make one film after this and literally drink herself to death within three years.

Not an awful film but not a very good one either. If you like 50's melodramas or any of the stars it's worth catching once but that will be enough.

Other than the wiggly presence of sexy Mari Blanchard in one her typical bad girl roles, this Republic programmer is distinguished by the inventive camera work of Jack Nickholas, Jr, who began his career as a camera operator on some of the best MGM musicals. For a low budgeter this film has any number of unusual crane shots and interesting camera compositions, the sort usually not found in such grind them out factory made fare. Some talented actors are totally wasted here, among them Gail Russell in one of her last roles. The great stuntman Whitey Hughes can be seen opening a door, and may have staged the flight action. An absurd plot, of course, but no worse that many.

This film originally titled NO PLACE TO LAND opened on a double bill with an Ed Wood film. I cannot decide which was more ridiculous. This Republic "B" stars John Ireland, Gail Russell, Mari Blanchard and Jackie Coogan. I am sure none of the above would want it on his or her resume. Ireland walks through the film knowing what he got himself mixed up in. Mari Blanchard is totally ludicrous as the femme fatale wiggling her rear end for 77 minutes. The only person in the film who tries to say the lines with a straight face is the lovely Gail Russell. This was her next to last film before she died tragically from alcohol abuse. Sad to see her go out this way but she at least doesn't embarrass herself like the others do. Her beauty lives on in our memories from films like THE UNINVITED, ANGEL AND THE BADMAN and MOONRISE.