What Was the Last Movie You Watched?

OldFeller said:
View attachment 500901

(1958) 6.8/10 IMDB Rating
Ingrid Bergman
Cary Grant

Formula Doris Day type of movie.

It's said that Cary Grant refused to do the picture with anyone but Ingrid Bergman.

I had never seen it before so it was fun.
Click to expand...
You're on a roll, Old Feller! I watched this last night (YouTube) and thoroughly enjoyed it. Like you, I hadn't previously seen it.
Thanks!
 
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Suspense (1946)

This is an unusual pot boiler of a noir for several reasons. The female lead, Belita --in real life a former Olympian ice skater-- stars in her first of two noir films featuring her stylish skating routines. The other was The Hunted (1948). Belita was riding the popularity of Sonja Henie from her box office hits in the 1930s.

The film was distributed by Monogram Pictures, a “poverty row” studio that eventually folded into Allied Artists Picture Corporation. Monogram’s vast majority of movies were “B” films, intended mostly for second billing on double feature presentations (common until the 1960s). But in this case the studio dipped its toe into “A” territory, with much larger financing, famous stars, and a better screenplay.

Director Frank Tuttle (The Glass Key, This Gun for Hire) made only one more picture before skedaddling over to Europe, having been outed by HUAC as a communist. He returned to Hollywood to resume his career in 1951. Likewise, supporting actress Bonita Granville made only a few more pictures before marrying wealthy oilman Jack Wrather. Granville and Wrather became big name entertainment producers.

Barry Sullivan stars as a grifter who lucks into work for, and eventually control over, a popular ice show theater. Despite the ice star’s marriage to the show’s producer (Albert Dekker), Sullivan soon becomes attracted to her, and she eventually falls for him as well. A theater associate, played by the great Eugene Pallette in his final film role, gets wise to their attraction, and tries to warn off Sullivan. Along the way, Sullivan’s former girlfriend from New York --alluringly played by Granville-- shows up, wanting to rekindle her and Sullivan’s romance, but Sullivan continually rudely rebuffs her.

Soon Dekker discovers the romance going on behind his back. He takes matters into his own hands, and with parallel complicity by Granville, the tawdry tale twists into a typical noir maze, culminating in some inevitable deaths.

The picture’s theme is a familiar one, reminiscent of popular noirs such as Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice. It’s not quite to their levels, but is certainly worth watching for Belita’s attractive skating routines, some rare footage of the popular Cuban singer Miguelito Valdes, and a good example of a poverty row studio rearing its head to the million dollar class.

Free on YouTube

Doc’s rating: 6/10
 
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