High Tide

"High Tide," from 1947, begins off a highway from Malibu to Los Angeles, where an overturned car and its occupants, Tim Slade, newspaper man turned private investigator, and Hugh Fresney, managing editor of the Los Angeles Currier, are trapped. Both are seriously injured and are unable to move. As they wait for the tide to come in and drown them both, Fresney recounts that his boss, Clint VAughn has been killed, presumably by gangsters in the pay of Nick Dyke, who Fresney has fought against through his newspaper columns. Slade had been hired to avenge Fresney if Dyke's gang killed him in retaliation, Slade, one-time sweetheart of Vaughn's alcoholic wife Julie Vaughn, believed she still loved him, but he had fallen for Dana Jons, Vaughn's beautiful secretary. Police Detective O'Haffey investigated Vaughn's death and unearthed several suspects, including Slade, Julie, Dykes and Dana, but Slade was not satisfied and looked elsewhere. Got all that? Another obscure but decent film noir from the 40's.

Lee Tracy and Don Castle are trapped, dying in a crashed car at the beach. Flashback. Castle has just been hired as a PI by Tracy, playing a newspaper editor, to figure out who's been threatening him. Trouble is, Tracy's boss doesn't like Castle, because Castle and Julie Bishop, the boss' wife, had been a hot item, and she still wants him. So when the boss is shot and Tracy is wounded, things get even more confused....

The trouble with HIGH TIDE is this: there's a good story in there, and all the actors are good and make their lines sound real. The problem is those lines are trite. It looks as if some one saw one of the defining 'tec film noirs, like MURDER MY SWEET and said "Write in a scene where he gets worked over, and then shows up at the girl's house and cracks wise," so the writer does, and "Make the older woman jealous of the younger one." Unfortunately, by the time all these scenes had been written in, there was no way to write in the bits to connect them and make sense of them and keep things moving along at a tight 72 minutes. The result is a very watchable flick, with great moments, that doesn't, alas, bear much thought

There honestly is not a whole lot more I can add that the other positive reviewers didn't already say. I do disagree with the ones who said that the movie 'didn't hold together' or that there were plot holes. Not at all... Being an avid fan of Noir films I would say that this one for one of the lesser movies actually comes across as done much better than many of the 'Poverty Row' lower budget Noir films of the time.

The one thing that struck me as very good was the way the director seemed to elicit excellent performances from all involved. I really liked the subtle nuances in personality and style that, to me anyway, seemed a lot better than the way that many of the more 'Cardboard Cutout' Noir characters were cranked out at the time. I really liked the way the main reporter, and the cop, and even the secretary were portrayed. They didn't just seem like stereotypes, but actually 'Came Alive' in their roles which added a real richness to the story.

Take the bad guy, Dike... You only see him really in one brief scene, but I love the way he came across. Not as the usual tough talking 'Heavy', but actually very smoothly with a smile and genuine humour that I thought gave his character, although very brief, a nice genuine and classy touch that you normally didn't see in the run of the mill Noir villains. Also, and this one is SUPER subtle... The driver of the taxi when Slade is being followed, had this almost otherworldly, odd calmness and matter of fact manner when told there was a 'Fiver in it' if he could ditch the other taxi. Extremely brief and subtle, but in my lowly and wretched opinion it's these little and not so little character touches that to me really add up to a very engaging and compelling film.

This is just another good example of how VERY important the director of a movie is in being able to draw out subtle nuances and performances from the actors that can really add a lot of flavour to a film.

Flicker Alley and The Film Noir Foundation's latest release focuses on two forgotten films from Monogram Pictures that were shot back to back in 1947. They feature the same director (John Bernhard), the same producer (Jack Wrather), the same cameraman (Henry Sharp) and the same leading man (Don Castle). Both clock in at 71 minutes and are Film Noir stripped down to its bare essentials. The two films were intended to be companion pieces and make an excellent double feature which is the best way to see them. The movies are THE GUILTY and HIGH TIDE and they should be viewed in that order. Also contributing to their ressurection are the UCLA Film & Television Archive and the British Film Institute.

THE GUILTY is truly an example of minimalist filmmaking. It was shot on just three sets with a minimum of exteriors. There are 3 principal characters along with just a couple of supporting roles. The movie was shot in less than 2 weeks on a budget of $150,000 and looks it but that is a plus not a minus. The source material is a short story by Noir specialist Cornell Woolrich. It concerns two army buddies who share a dingy apartment. They both love the same woman who has a twin sister. When the twin is murdered, one of the roommates (who also is the film's narrator) tries to figure it out. He does but with a neat little twist at the end. Former juvenile actress Bonita Granville plays the twins.

HIGH TIDE had a higher budget which allowed for more sets and more exteriors although many are rear projections. The movie is a showcase for Lee Tracy who portrays his archetypal newspaper character from the 1930s except he's now older and more hard edged. An unscrupulous editor takes out a life insurance policy and names a former reporter turned private investigator (Castle) as the beneficiary. After attempts on the editor's life are made, the P. I. tries to track down those responsible. Complicating matters are an old flame and a criminal kingpin. The film opens and closes with Tracy and Castle trapped in a wrecked car on the beach while the high tide is rolling in. Most of the movie is a flashback explaining how they got there.

Future Disneyland hotel owner and 1950s TV magnate Jack Wrather, who produced THE LONE RANGER, SGT PRESTON OF THE YUKON, and LASSIE, financed both of these movies. THE GUILTY was meant to showcase his future wife Bonita Granville and his fellow Texan, Don Castle. Castle is very good as the lead in both films but is overshadowed by Tracy in HIGH TIDE as Tracy has the juicier part and better dialogue. Both pictures were adapted by screenwriter Robert Presnell Sr. Sincere thanks to the British Film Institute as they provided the prints used for these restorations. In fact both movies open with the British Board Of Censors' approval certificates...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.

"High Tide" is a totally obscure but wonderful B-movie film noir from the Monogram mill. It opens with a car careening off a desolate seaside cliff -- its two occupants (Lee Tracy and Don Castle) injured and trapped in the wreckage. As the turbulent tide quickly threatens to engulf them, the events leading up to their predicament are recounted -- a twisty tale of a cynical, crusading newspaper editor (Tracy, naturally) taking on the mob while the high-living owner frets. The latter has even more problems when Tracy hires his jaded wife's ex-lover (Castle) as a private investigator.

Solidly directed by John Reinhardt (who also triumphed with another seedy, minimally-budgeted Monogram noir called "The Guilty"), the dialog is snappy but eloquent, there are plenty of venetian-blind shadows, silhouetted figures and moody low-key lighting, and the plot is nicely unraveled. Only the annoying library-style music lets the side down (lending it that inevitable "B" quality, of course). Tracy was playing out the string on poverty row at the time, but his wry staccato readings and weary-but-steadfast demeanor are a perfect fit here.