Wall of Noise

Ty Hardin stars as a horse trainer in "Wall of Noise" and I'm not sure if it's his fault or the director's, but his performance was strictly one-note. In other words, instead of acting like a real life person, he was more a cartoonish character...always and inexplicably angry. It's not very good and of all the things in this movie, that performance stands out the most.

The story is about Joel (Hardin), a trainer who has an excellent eye for horses. However, he's also poor and beholden to rich folks, such as the crude and spiteful Matt Rubio (Ralph Meeker). Despite, or perhaps because of this, Joel soon begins an affair with Matt's wife, Laura (Suzanne Pleshette). But no matter how much he cares for her, Joel is mostly concerned with two things in his life...horses and being a total grouch.

As I said above, Hardin's performance was a serious detriminent to an otherwise average film. He just seemed angry for no reason throughout the movie...and it really made for a second-rate film because of it.

Warner Bros. had a stable of fine contract talent in the l960's such as Troy Donahue, Diane McBain, Peter Brown, Connie Stevens, and cast them in movies as well as popular WB series. In addition to the stars above Warners had Ty Hardin and Dorothy Provine under contract as both were very successful and popular in their Bronco and Roaring 20's TV shows.

Wall of Noise is a neat race track drama also starring Mrs. Troy Donahue at the time, Ms. Suzanne Pleshette and a fine performance by Ralph Meeker. The photography is via ace cinematographer Lucien Ballard. Quite a coup for a man of Ballard's stature to film a small film starring Warner contract stars. Recommend this movie to see fine young talent at work such as Provine, Meeker, Pleshette and Hardin. I wish Jack Warner had cast the zingy Dorothy Provine in more WB films. Dorothy Provine had Star charisma

Daniel Michael Stein's novel--about racetrack characters betting with their money as well as with their lives--becomes typical Warner Bros. stew capably filled with their contract talent. Glowering Ty Hardin, built like a brick and possessing maybe two different expressions, plays a well-respected horse-trainer at Hollywood Park who, with the help of a wealthy horse-owner's neglected wife, becomes an owner himself; his new racehorse entry, however, is an untamed wild-card, a fast but stubborn animal who can possibly get Hardin into the Winners' Circle, but at what price? Ralph Meeker oozes stubborn villainy as the man Ty would love to beat, Suzanne Pleshette is Meeker's spouse (with heavy lids and heavy sighs), while Dorothy Provine is Hardin's ex-girl, a fashion model who lays her virtue on the gambling table. The leads all do fine work, but two supporting players steal their thunder: Simon Oakland as Provine's blow hard boss (they have an electrifying scene together near the climax) and Jimmy Murphy as Hardin's former friend but choice jockey. Excellent cinematography from Lucien Ballard (one of the best in the movie business at this time) and a fine score by William Lava make up for lapses in the script; there's some clumsy story exposition at the beginning, and even clumsier character exposition coming in too late at the close. Still, the plot is mounted very well, and though the mechanisms at work definitely skirt '60s-era television melodrama, the formula remains a lot of fun for fans of this genre. **1/2 from ****

Apt title for a screenplay that talks much and says little.

Ty Hardin stars in Wall Of Noise a story about a thoroughbred racehorse trainer anxious to succeed and do a bit of social climbing. He's working the west coast circuit and most of the film is shot in Hollywood Park which is now history.

The social climbing consists of him falling for the wife of Ralph Meeker who has hired him to be trainer of a stable of racehorses he's starting. Meeker is a rather crude Harry Brock type married to former old money heiress Suzanne Pleshette and she's bored with his boorishness. She's got an itch and Hardin is around to scratch said itch.

Through a bit of Pleshette's scheming Hardin goes on the hook for the cost of a promising racehorse who's quite a bit rank. Meaning he has to win a big stakes race or else. There's also a good girl, not too good mind you, but Dorothy Provine has it big time for Hardin.

I always like racetrack stories like this or humorous ones like the Marx Brothers in A Day At The Races. This one is most serious with some fine characters. Acting honors go to Suzanne Pleshette as a woman trapped in a most loveless marriage who finds herself coming up way short on her machinations.

If you want a good cinematic day at the races, bet on Wall Of Noise.