The House Across the Bay

The House Across the Bay (1940)

By 1940 the gangster film, and the related prison film, have been pretty well explored, and here the clichés are on display. It's all done well, with good acting, but there is a sense of dull familiarity to it. I can only imagine, as WWI is breaking out in Europe, how much this movie might have looked worn and dull. In fact, it lost a lot of money for Warner Bros. and didn't do leading man George Raft any favors professionally.

Just as Humphrey Bogart was coming into his great fame in the early 1940s, Raft was falling from a routine stardom in the 1930s into a kind of lesser echo career of Bogart's for the 1940s. Because Raft never was and never will be Bogart, there's something missing to this gangster drama that is partly due to Raft's lack of screen presence.

This isn't actually a Warner Bros. production even though Raft was on contract to them. This is produced by independent producer Walter Wanger (who had just done "Stagecoach" in 1939 and was about to produce "The Long Voyage Home"). And in a way this film marks the end of Raft's fame as a leading leading man. The other leads include Joan Bennett, not a great crime female but a good actress and she holds her own. A third lead is the ever-likable and easy going Lloyd Nolan, who plays friend and lawyer to Raft and to Bennett once Raft gets in trouble.

The only copy I know of for this movie is a weak one (on Netflix) probably made for television release, and the filming and mood of the movie are really excellent. You just can't quite appreciate it here, and unfortunately, this mood is partly what makes the movie click. There are some great archetypes to check off, including good old Alcatraz, though some of the setwork for these scenes is cheap looking. "The food in Leavenworth is much better," says one wife on the boat back to San Francisco.

This is an unexpected turning point of the movie, and weirdly enough, it's the real substance of it. Because, in fact, the house across the bay is the place on Telegraph Hill that Bennett has rented to look out over the bay to the prison. A second kind of plot grows up exactly halfway through as Bennett waits out Raft's prison term. Walter Pidgeon joins Bennett and also Gladys George (another inmate wife) in what is a more mainstream kind of drama and I liked this part of the film a lot. It's fun and has lots of minor little twists and a bit of a love story.

Expect nothing deep or superb here. A little bit of the WWII aspects are probably patched on last minute (some chitchat about gun mounts), but it does give this part of the movie some edge over the George Raft part. In the air sequence you'll see one of the first aerial views of the Golden Gate Bridge in Hollywood (the bridge was finished in 1937).

The final scenes of the movie are dramatic and not a bit believable, but it's just part of the drama and go for it. A whole mixture of things go slightly wrong throughout, keeping this from being the big drama it was trying to be. But there are lots of good aspects, too, especially for lovers of this era. Just hope they come up with a better transfer by the time you see it.

The flick's a Bennett showcase. The other top-cast members (Raft, Pidgeon, Nolan) sort of drop in and out as needed, while Bennett's struggling single woman carries the storyline. Despite Raft's presence as an underworld entrepreneur, the plot has more to do with Bennett's romantic mishaps than with the sinister Raft. So what suspense there is has mostly to do with which suitor she'll end up with rather than Raft's underworld intrigue. Nonetheless, note that clever plot twist where, for his own protection, Bennett gets Raft sent to the slammer for what she thinks is only a year, only to watch it backfire in more ways than one. It's also an ironical move that sets up the rather surprising climax.

Anyway, kudos to wonderful A-list actress Bennett who's both gorgeous and convincing in what's a fairly demanding role. Her steely reserve alternates convincingly with the more tender moments. Also, a big nod to the always understated Lloyd Nolan as the sly lawyer man, along with Raft who manages to unbend more than usual, his occasional hard-eyed stare still managing to send me under the bed. To me, the movie's high point, however, are the scenes between the sassy Gladys George and Bennett who still manages to hold her own against tough gal competition. Between them, there's a lot of memorable chemistry and snappy dialogue.

All in all, it's more a movie of outstanding cast-members than gripping plot. Nonetheless, the 90-minutes will keep the viewer eye tuned in.

A businessman's wife, without his knowledge, helps send him to prison to prevent him from being murdered by rivals. The plan backfires when he is sentenced to a ten year stretch.

Solid performance by George Raft as the husband and a typical tough girl performance by Joan Bennett as his wife. Some scenes were directed by Alfred Hitchcock but sadly the script, whilst containing some good dialogue, prevents this from being so much better.

Beautiful lounge singer Joan Bennett (as Brenda "Lucky" Bentley) marries racketeer businessman George Raft (as Steve Larwitt). The two are blissfully in love, but his criminal past spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E. Thinking prison will protect Mr. Raft from rival gangsters, Ms. Bennett helps the F.B.I. put him behind bars. But, she tearfully regrets it when Raft is sentenced to ten years at Alcatraz. The frame-up is engineered by Raft's sneaky aide Lloyd Nolan (as Slant Kolma), who wants Bennett for himself. She rejects Mr. Nolan and rents "The House Across the Bay" from Alcatraz, to be close to Raft. Enter Walter Pidgeon (as Tim Nolan).

Producer Walter Wanger does a wonderful job showcasing bride Bennett in this crime thriller. Bennett is stunningly presented, and acts well, too. Others in the cast are also very strong, but it would have been nice to tie Mr. Pidgeon's aviation character in with Raft's somehow - perhaps as a wronged business partner or old acquaintance. Boozy blonde Gladys George (as Mary) lends notable support. Director Archie Mayo and photographer Merritt Gerstad do an excellent job - the three prison meeting scenes are marvelously staged - with help from assistant directors Charles Kerr and Alfred Hitchcock.

******* The House Across the Bay (3/1/40) Archie Mayo ~ Joan Bennett, George Raft, Lloyd Nolan, Gladys George

Steve (raft) is a gangsta, who runs a speakeasy. But when he gets sent off to alcatraz, brenda (joan bennett) is determined to stick by him. Until she starts spending time with businessman tim nolan. So steve busts out. But where will they go? They have no money, no plan. No spoilers here. Lots of action in the first half. Big buildup, then an abrupt ending. All of sudden. It's watchable. Entertainment... from the film production code age. Lots of footage of san francisco, the bridges, alcatraz. Smaller roles for lloyd nolan, walter pidgeon, june knight. Directed by archie mayo. He had done petrified forest. Bennett would later marry producer walter wanger.