The Big Sky

As a fan of westerns, I'm always somewhat taken aback when someone tells me they don't like the genre. Everyone has their preferences. I can understand and appreciate that.  Like any successful genre though, I think you have to give it a chance. Do some exploring, see what's good, what's considered a cult classic, what's bad and what you should avoid. There are little groups of niches within the western of course, one that any movie fan should be able to appreciate, the expansion to the west in the United States, like 1952's The Big Sky.

The 19th Century was an incredibly busy one for the ever-growing United States as hundreds of thousands of people moved west trying to build new lives. American expansion isn't an easily handled topic for a movie with all its epic qualities and large scale and scope, but when handled right, it can be a beautiful story in the end. 'Sky' isn't your typical western, focusing on some of the first explorers into uncharted land more than gunfighters and shootouts. That's a good thing though, a big, expansive western about a chapter in American history so often overlooked. Our history has to start and continue, and this is as good a place as any to jump off from.

It's 1832, and Jim Deakins (Kirk Douglas) is traveling to Louisville when he meets another young traveler, Boone Caudill (Dewey Martin). With so much open land to the west of St. Louis just waiting to be explored, Jim and Boone head west looking to join up with Boone's uncle, Zeb Calloway (Arthur Hunnicutt), a trapper and frontiersman, one of the few men to explore deep into the west and the unknown. They find him in a jail cell and sign on for an expedition up the unexplored Missouri River. Along for the trip is Teal Eye (Elizabeth Threatt), a Blackfoot princess who will be used as a negotiating ploy in the trading process for beaver pelts. Trading seems a long way off though as Jim, Boone, Zeb and the crew of the keelboat must fight off Indian attacks, murdering white men, and nature's ever present danger.

Exploring the untapped American west and all its beauty is one of the most simple, direct and straightforward story ideas ever. There is something beautiful in the simplicity; a land untouched by technology or business.  Director Howard Hawks filmed this movie on location in Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and the end result is stunning. Seeing the valleys, the mountains, the rivers, you understand why people would risk it all in the 1830s to uproot their families and move them west. That's the most appropriate word I can think of; stunning. It is a gorgeous movie to watch, even if I wondered what the movie would have looked like in color and a widescreen presentation (2 years too early) instead of the black and white standard presentation. Minor potatoes really, color or not, the Tetons are breathtaking.

Depending on the role and the movie he was in, Arthur Hunnicutt could be so downright homey and folksy, so home-spun and backwoods he drove me up a wall.  There is such a thing as being too folksy if you ask me.  He no doubt had talent though, and this is one of his most understated roles. Yes, there are bits of folksy attitude, but in the right doses it works. His Zeb serves as Sky's narrator, explaining what's going on to our crew of adventurers. The narration has some humor to it and never tries to be anything too over the top. It's just the trials and tribulations of traveling as Zeb sees it, and that's all.  He received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination, losing to Anthony Quinn in Viva Zapata!, and it's one he deserved. Hunnicutt and his veteran presence -- as an actor and as his part requires -- gives the movie that steady feeling of knowing where it needs to go.

In a variation on the buddy picture, Douglas and Martin are cast together nicely as Jim and Boone, two friends always competing, always getting into scrapes, and always coming out on the other side the better for it.  These aren't characters who develop and change much, just two young men looking for adventure, and that's okay because that's all the story needs. They look to be having a lot of fun, and that's all that matters. Threatt never starred in another movie, strange considering how good she is here, making an easily stereotypical part into something better. Some of the keelboat's crew include Jourdonnais (Steven Geray) or 'Frenchy' to his men, the captain and owner of the boat, Romaine (Buddy Baer), a Goliath of a man, and Henri Letondal as La Badie, the cook. The very white Hank Worden plays Poordevil, a groan-inducing, stereotypical portrayal of an Indian who's touched in the head, while Jim Davis is Streak, a conniving bandit working against the expedition.  

With a story that covers several months on the trail/river, 'Sky' leans more toward an episodic plot than one continuous storyline.  This is both good and bad.  The more interesting parts flow at a quick pace, but the slower ones drag it down. I don't dislike the movie, but at 138 minutes it feels a tad long in places, especially toward the end.  Lost footage has been reinserted into the movie as well so that could have something to do with it. None of this is enough to not recommend this movie though. Dimitri Tiomkin's score is a nice touch, as big and wide as the story it accompanies, and the movie itself is a beauty. It doesn't receive the recognition it deserves so see if you can track a copy down or at least look out for it at TCM.

The Big Sky <---trailer (1952): ***/****

Men of the Fighting Lady

Before his death in 1997, author James Michener's name was synonymous with epics in novel form.  Centennial, Texas, Alaska, Hawaii, Chesapeake, The Journey, all huge novels that fans have come to love. But before he turned to those epics, he wrote several smaller books set in the Korean War which haven't received the publicity of his other works but are nonetheless worthwhile. Similar to Michener's Bridges at Toko-Ri (and the film version), 1954's Men of the Fighting Lady is based off his novel The Forgotten Heroes of Korea.

This is an oddity when it comes to war movies for a lot of reasons.  For one, it is based during the Korean War, but other than a few shots taken at the Commies, this movie could as easily have been based in WWII.  Second, there's something missing, or maybe there's too much?  At just 79 minutes, this is one of the shortest war movies I can think of, right up there with the heavily hacked and edited Red Badge of Courage.  Reading about a true incident a key scene is based on, did director Andrew Marton fill out a story around that single incident? Or to the opposite, did he have a longer movie that was cut down to this running time? I'm looking for some sort of answer and can't find a thing. Maybe it's just an oddity among war flicks?

On board the U.S.S. Oriskany, author James Michener (Louis Calhern) comes to visit his old friend, Commander Dowling (Walter Pigeon), the medical officer on board, in hopes of landing a story. Dowling has one for him, a story concerning the fighter pilots in the still-new jets on board being used against the North Koreans and Chinese in the fighting on land. Michener sits back and listens to the story of the fighter squadron and its pilots, what drives them to do what they do, constantly putting themselves in needlessly dangerous situations when the job doesn't always call for it. Why do they do it? Do they get some sick, perverse enjoyment out of it?  Or are they just doing their duty as expected?  Looking for answers from his old friend, Michener is surprised by what he finds.

Now in 2011, a movie about fighter pilots and their newly developed jet planes seems old hat. Who hasn't seen Top Gun? And in a lot of cases, who hasn't seen Top Gun 20 or 30 times? Guilty.  But in 1954, this newly developed plane had to be impressive to audiences.  Even compared to the fighter planes from WWII, these new designs were remarkable.  Much of the story focuses on these pilots and their life aboard ship waiting for their missions.  Marton uses a ton of stock footage (bordering on too much) of these planes on those missions.  At first, it's cool. It's different, original, and the footage is impressive.  You can always have too much of a good thing though because soon enough, the footage of raids and air strikes gets tedious.

Clocking in at well under 90 minutes, the ensemble cast here in 'Fighting Lady' features some solid names, but unfortunately their efforts aren't always as developed as I'd like. There are a handful of really interesting characters but thanks to the limitations on time, some get the short end of the stick.  The squadron includes Frank Lovejoy as Lt. Commander Paul Grayson, the squadron leader who pushes his men to the limit, but he's always at the forefront of the charge, Keenan Wynn as Lt. Commander Ted Dodson, a veteran flier who begins to question Grayson's tactics, Van Johnson as Lt. Howie Thayer, the amiable pilot trapped in the middle of two warring factions in the squadron, and Dewey Martin as Ensign Schechter, the young pilot who begins to side with Dodson. Lovejoy's commander is especially pushed to the background in the last 45 minutes, odd considering how key his character was to the first half of the movie.

Two extended sequences bring this movie up from same old same old to a near-classic.  The first is based on a real-life incident that Michener wrote about. Returning from a patrol, Martin's Schechter and his plane are struck, the shrapnel blinding the pilot in the process.  Trying to guide the wounded pilot back to the carrier hundreds of miles out, Johnson's Thayer leaves formation and flies with Schechter, giving him step-by-step commands so that he can make it back. Van Johnson is one of my favorite actors, but this may be his most impressive part, and Martin is no slouch either.  Johnson's dialogue is natural and nervous, pulling anything from his sleeve that may help.  The tension builds and builds until its almost unbearable. By the time they reach the carrier, I was willing Martin and his crippled plane to land safely. This extended sequence goes on for most of a half hour, but it never lacks for energy, tension or entertainment. You can watch the whole thing HERE and continue into Parts 7 and 8.

The second sequence isn't based as much on playing to that weird adrenaline rush you get from terrifying situations. It's based in that most basic idea of being separated from your loved ones during holidays.  Soldiers, sailors, Marines, pilots, they all experience it.  It's Christmas in this story, and the Navy has arranged for many of the families of the crew to tape quick messages to their husbands, brothers, sons and boyfriends. The timing of course couldn't be worse. A pilot was killed in action just a day before so when his family's message is played for the crew, a silence hangs over the crowd. There's a moment where you realize what you're watching where it all hits home. This family has no idea their Dad and husband is dead. In terms of pure emotion, this scene hit me like a bag of rocks.

There's two ways to fix this movie (in my weird head anyways). I say this having liked it and planning to give it a positive review. It plays in two ways, an extended TV episode or a badly shortened feature length. In a shorter version, I think it could work nicely the same way a longer, more developed movie would.  More character development would be at the top of the list of possible improvements.  But as is, I really liked the movie, as much for the drama as the cast. Flawed but above average.

Men of the Fighting Lady <---trailer (1954): ***/**** 

Knock on Any Door

With as many movies as are readily available for viewing, you can't help but take certain movies, stars, and directors for granted at times. There are the instantly recognizable names (typically for good reasons), and recognizable names for all the bad reasons. But there's all sorts of names that are just there, quality movies that don't always get the press or publicity that others do. One of those names is director Nicholas Ray, a solid director who never reached iconic status. His movies are almost always solid with a few near-classics in his repertoire. Making his debut in 1949, Ray started with a courtroom drama, Knock on Any Door.

The natural drama and tension that comes as a result of a courtroom setting is basically a perfect place to base a movie in. If a director can't produce drama, tension and a bundle of nerves, maybe movies aren't for them. The back and forth of a lawyer questioning a witness, the science of getting a jury on your side, the desperate play which in a lot of ways can be a life and death situation, it is all screaming 'DRAMA!' For Ray's debut, the courtroom scenes are the best thing going for the movie. Unfortunately, it takes too long to get to those courtroom scenes, wasting time in some very 1950s melodrama that could have been ripped from a badly written soap opera. Making it worse, the ending gets a little preachy, trying to deliver a message that feels contrived and forced. Other than that, the movie is a solid debut.

A lawyer working for a firm that sees him as a future name partner, Andrew Morton (Humphrey Bogart) is faced with a difficult decision. A young man, Nick Romano (John Derek), who Andrew has defended before -- several times actually -- is again in trouble, but this time for a much more serious charge. Romano (dubbed 'Pretty Boy' by the newspapers) is on trial for robbing a bar and then murdering a police officer who tried to stop the robbery. Romano's record is checkered with past run-ins with the law so Morton has his work cut out for him. The case seems like a slam dunk against Romano, but Morton feels an obligation to defend him. His only tactic may be condemning society for turning Romano into the small-time thug that put him in this situation. But even making it a character issue, will that be enough?

 As a fan of both Bogart and Ray, I was excited to stumble across this one on TCM's schedule a few weeks ago. A courtroom drama with Bogie as a defense lawyer sounded like a slam dunk. And to be fair, the courtroom angle of the movie is the best thing going for Ray's debut. The negative comes from how long it takes to get to the actual trial. Most of an hour is spent in flashback-mode, giving plenty of background about Derek's Nick Romano. He grows up in Skid Row, turning to a life of crime to get by mostly because he doesn't want to work. He falls in love and marries good girl, Emma (Allene Roberts), only to push her away with his actions. My impression was that these scenes were meant to humanize Romano, even make us sympathize with him, but it fails. This is a despicable character in my mind. He has all the chances in the world to better himself and turns his back on every single one of them. The scenes are dull, repetitive and as mentioned before, melodramatic. It kills any momentum heading into the actual trial.

Then there's the courtroom. Playing a defense lawyer has to be the modern equivalent of playing a Shakespearean main character. These are parts tailor-made for above average actors (and actresses to be fair) to just go to town, throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. These are flashy parts. Think of Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird, James Stewart in Anatomy of a Murder, Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men, Maximillian Schell in Judgment at Nuremberg. These are parts that allow actors to stretch out, get settled and show off their skills. Bogart is one of the all-time greats so seeing him work the jury, the witnesses, the district attorney, even the judge is a thing of beauty. The back and forth as Bogie tries to get a not guilty verdict. Then there's the whole interest of if Romano is guilty. Ray keeps you guessing until the very end as to his innocence or guilt. The reveal is a little hammy, a little overdone, but it still works. It's just too bad that so much time was spent getting there.

Playing the noble defense lawyer, defending the downtrodden and beaten down, Bogart does not disappoint. He so often played the tough lead, the thug, the hired gun, the escaped convict, that it was great to see him playing a more polished, upper class role. The background on Bogie's Morton is that he's like Romano, the young man he is defending. He comes from Skid Row and rose above it, working his tail off to amount to something in life. He feels some obligation to Romano because he sees some of himself in him, a potential, a chance to make a good life for himself. As unlikable as Derek's Romano is, Bogart's Morton cancels it out. You like Morton, respect his ability in the courtroom to do what he needs to do. Bogart and Derek dominate the movie, not leaving much for the supporting cast. George Macready is the apparently slow-witted district attorney gunning for Romano, saving the big guns for late, Candy Toxton is Andrew's wife who has maybe 4 lines in the whole movie, Barry Kelley as Judge Drake, and Dewey Martin and Davis Roberts as two witnesses in Morton's case.

If there's one thing I don't like in my movies, it is a message that is delivered in such a heavy-handed fashion that it loses any meaning.  Not subtle or sly in its delivery, we're talking beat you over the head until it is battered into your brain. That's what Ray throws at you in the courtroom finale. Bogie gets his shot to blow away the audience and doesn't disappoint, delivering his angry monologue with fervor and passion. He condemns anyone and everyone, the individual, the family, the system, the government for creating a society where Skid Rows exist and young men have to turn to a life of crime to get by. He blames so many people and their lack of interest, initiative in making the world a better place, turning a blind eye to the plight of society that I completely tuned the message out. A message is one thing, but screaming that message at the viewer is the complete opposite end of the spectrum (and not in a good way). The final two shots of the movie help the movie end on a moving note, but that heavy-handed attempt just rubbed me the wrong way.The movie is a mixed bag, the courtroom scenes and Bogart making it worthwhile (barely).

Knock on Any Door <---TCM clips (1949): ** 1/2 /****