"THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE" (1975) Review

 

"THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE" (1975) Review

Following the release of the 1967 movie, "BONNIE AND CLYDE", Hollywood release a spurt of biopics - for the theaters and television - about Midwestern and Southern-born gangsters (mainly bank robbers and kidnappers) during the Depression-era. Mind you, Hollywood had waited a few years before releasing or airing these films in earnest. One of these productions happened to be the 1975 television movie, "THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE".

The 1975 film, directed by Dan Curtis (producer and director of the 1983 miniseries, "THE WINDS OF WAR"), "THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE" is a spin-off of the 1974 television movie, "MELVIN PURVIS: G-MAN". The latter was a fictionalized account of F.B.I. Special Agent Melvin Purvis's hunt for gangster/kidnapper Machine Gun Kelly. In "THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE", Purvis hunts down Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd, Adam Richetti and Frank "Jelly" Nash; following their robbery of an Oklahoma bank. This hunt eventually leads to a famous shootout involving local gangsters, lawmen and the F.B.I. at the Kansas City Union Station in June 1933, which is set a year earlier than the 1974 production.

The movie begins with Floyd and Richetti helping Nash escape from a prison chain gang. Following Nash's escape, the trio robs a bank in Enid, Oklahoma; where they encounter fellow Depression-era gangsters. A who's-who's list of these gangsters - including John Dillinger, Homer Van Meter and Lester "Baby Face" Nelson - converge at the Floyd homestead to discuss the money laundering of their heists. Purvis' efforts to capture all or most of them at Floyd's home is ruined by an ambitious state trooper with an itchy trigger finger. Purvis' pursuit and the trio's efforts to evade him and get their money laundered eventually put them in the crosshairs of the Kansas City crime and political scenes of local gangster/club owner Verne Miller, organized crime figure John Lazia and local city commissioner Herbert Tucker McElwaine; along with the infamous shootout at Kansas City's Union Station.

Many were right to regard "THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE" as a spin-off of 1974's "MELVIN PURVIS: G-MAN". Granted, both telecasts featured Dale Robertson as the famous F.B.I. special agent. Also, both productions are set during the Depression era of the early-to-mid 1930s and featured actors Harris Yulin and John Karlen. However, Yulin and Karlen ended up portraying different characters in "THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE" from the ones they had portrayed in "MELVIN PURVIS: G-MAN". So . . . the 1975 movie was definitely not a prequel. Like "THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE" and many other historical dramas, this 1975 docudrama is a mixture of fact and fiction. The narrative used Dale Robertson's voiceover to give historical gravitas to the production, especially in the movie's introductions to the infamous criminals that appear. But yes, "THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE" is just as much fiction as fact. One, Melvin Purvis never played a direct role in the Kansas City shootout. Historians are not certain if Kansas City gangster John Lazia had played a role in what happened at Union Station. Some believe he may have informed Pretty Boy Floyd and Adam Richetti about the plot to rescue Nash from the F.B.I. But the movie would have you believe he had personally recruited Verne Miller to appear at Union Station with a handful of gunmen . . . to kill Nash, instead of rescuing him. As for Nash, he had escaped from prison earlier than 1933. Honestly, there are many aspects of the film's narrative I would regard with a wary eye. And that includes most of the characters wearing long or heavy coats, despite the movie's setting of April-June 1933. Did these inaccuracies limit my enjoyment of the movie? Well . . .

Who am I kidding? Inaccurate or not, I cannot deny that "THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE" was an entertaining television production. One, the televised movie featured some interesting action sequences. For me, the best included the shootout at Floyd's farm early in the story, the actual massacre at the Kansas City Union Station and what I regard as the pièce de résistance, Floyd and Richetti's confrontation against Miller, with Purvis and the F.B.I. arriving at the last minute. Two, I have to give kudos to television movie's production values. With the contribution of Paul Lohmann's cinematography, Charles Pierce's set decorations, the Art Department coordinated by William M. Bell and John S. Perry's costume supervision; Dan Curtis managed to recreate the Midwest and Southwest of the early 1930s. Granted, I found the hairstyles worn by some of actresses in this production seemed to be lacking. A few hairstyles looked as if they came straight from the mid-1970s and others, including the one worn by actress Lynn Loring, looked as if they were trying to reflect the early 1930s and failing. There were moments when I actually felt I had traveled back some 90 years in time. As for Curtis, I thought he managed to keep the movie's pacing on track with his energetic pacing. Ironically, his direction seemed a far cry from the slightly ponderous style of the 1983 miniseries, "THE WINDS OF WAR".

I think the best virtue for "THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE" proved to be its cast. The real Melvin Purvis had been a 29-to-30-year-old South Carolinian during the spring and summer of 1933. Dale Robertson, who had hailed from Oklahoma, was at least 51-to-52 years old, when he shot this movie. Honestly, he should have been the last actor on Earth to portray the Special F.B.I. agent. However, this was his second time at bat as Purvis and as before, he did a stupendous job as the Federal lawman, carrying the movie and allowing his presence to be felt without any real effort. Another first-rate performance came from Bo Hopkins, whose portrayal of Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd seemed to be as laconic and skillful as Robertson's. And like the older actor, he managed to effectively allow his presence to be felt. "THE KANSAS CITY MASSACCRE" also featured excellent performances from Matt Clark, who struck me as perfect, as the volatile gangster Verne Miller; and the always excellent Robert Walden, who seemed spot-on as the romantic Adam Richetti. Other first-rate performances came from Mills Watson as the ambitious, yet pragmatic Frank "Jelly" Nash; Scott Brady, who oozed with slimy charm as the corrupt Commissioner Herbert McElwaine; Sally Kirkland as Floyd's long-suffering ex-wife Wilma Floyd; Harris Yulin (a veteran of "MELVIN PURVIS, G-MAN") as the venal gangster John Lazia; John Karlen (another veteran from the 1974 TV-movie) as Purvis's right-hand man, the stalwart Sam Cowley; and Philip Burns as the ambitious and trigger-happy state policeman, Captain Jackson. I especially want to compliment Lynn Loring's performance as Vi Morland. I thought she did a first-rate job conveying the complex and flaky nature of the Kansas City nightclub singer, who seemed to be conflicted between her memories of her past romance with Richetti and her volatile relationship with the unreliable Miller.

Look, "THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE" is not perfect. The movie seemed a bit too in love with the "Pretty Boy" Floyd character, which explained why it never revealed his fate. Yes, it had its share of historical inaccuries, including questionable hairstyles. Lead actor Dale Robertson was at least 20 years too old to be portraying F.B.I. Agent Melvin Purvis. And the influx of Depression-era gangsters in the film's first 30 minutes had struck me as unnecessary. But I cannot deny that despite its lack of historical accuracies, "THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE" told a first-rate and exciting story, thanks to screenwriters William F. Nolan and Ric Hardman. It also benefited from strong production values, energetic direction from Dan Curtis and some excellent performances from a first-rate cast led by Robertson. It may not be perfect, but I thought it was pretty damn good and entertaining.

"THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE" (1975) Photo Gallery

 

Below are images from "THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE", the 1975 prequel to the 1974 television movie, "MELVIN PURVIS, G-MEN".  Directed by Dan Curtis, the television movie starred Dale Robertson as F.B.I. Special Agent Melvin Purvis:

"THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE" (1975) Photo Gallery

"MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS" (2010) Review

 

"MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS" (2010) Review

After being on the air for nearly two decades, "Agatha Christie’s POIROT" decided to air its own version of the mystery writer’s 1934 novel, "Murder on the Orient Express". Although there have been two other well known adaptations of the novel – the famous 1974 movie that starred Albert Finney and the 2001 teleplay that starred Alfred Molina. But this latest version starred David Suchet (considered by many to be the ultimate Hercule Poirot) in the starring role.

Directed by Philip Martin and written by Stewart Harcourt, "MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS" opened with Hercule berating a British Army officer, who has been revealed to be a liar in regard to a case. Upon completion of said case, Poirto travels over to Istanbul, the first step of his journey back to England. There, Poirot witnesses the stoning of a Turkish woman for adultery with a Colonel Arbuthnot and a Miss Mary Debenham. Thanks to an old acquaintance named Monsieur Bouc, a director of the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits (which owned the Orient Express lines), the detective manages to book passage aboard the famed continental train, the Orient Express. Among the passengers are Colonel Arbuthnot, Miss Debenham and a sinister American businessman named Samuel Rachett. The latter tries to hire Poirot’s services to protect him from unseen enemies; but the detective refuses due to a dislike toward the American. After the Orient Express becomes caught in a snowdrift in the middle of Yugoslavia, Rachett is found murdered in his compartment – stabbed to death twelve times. As it turned out, Poirot discovered that Rachett was a criminal named Casetti, who was guilty of kidnapping and murdering one Daisy Armstrong, the five year-old daughter of a wealthy Anglo-American couple. To protect the passengers from the Yugoslavia police, Monsieur Bouc hires Poirot to investigate the American’s murder.

Considering this film turned out to be the third, well-known adaptation of Christie’s novel, there were bound to be comparisons with the previous films – especially the famous 1974 version. All three movies featured changes from the novel. In this adaptation, screenwriter Stewart Harcourt decided to allow Poirot to witness the stoning of an adulterous Turkish woman. The characters of Doctor Constantine (a Greek doctor who volunteered to assist Poirot) and an American private detective named Cyrus Hardman were combined into a new character – an American obstetrician named . . . what else, Doctor Constantine. Rachett aka Casetti became a man who desired forgiveness for his kidnapping and murder of young Daisy. The brains behind Rachett’s murder turned out to be a different character. The Greta Ohlsson character was younger in this film. The movie featured a threat against Poirot’s life, after his resolution to the case. And the Orient Express remained snowbound a lot longer than in the novel and previous movies.

But the biggest change in "MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS" featured the addition of religion as a theme. In fact, the subject permeated throughout the entire movie. Television viewers saw scenes of both Poirot and surprisingly, Rachett, in the act of prayer. The movie also featured a discussion between Poirot and Miss Ohlsson on the differences between their dominations – Catholic and Protestant – and how they dealt with vengeance, justice, and forgiveness. Like many other Christie fans, I suspect that this addition of a religious theme was an attempt by Harcourt to allow Poirot to struggle with his conscience over his willingness to support Monsieur Bouc’s decision regarding the case’s solution.

There were some aspects of "MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS" that I found appealing. Due to the production’s budget, this adaptation spared the audience some of the over-the-top costume designs from the 1974 movie. The movie also featured first-rate performances from Denis Menochet (the best performance in the movie), who portrayed the car attendant, Pierre Michel; Brian J. Smith as Rachett’s private secretary, Hector McQueen; Barbara Hershey as the verbose tourist Mrs. Caroline Hubbard; Hugh Bonneville as Rachett’s valet, Edward Masterman; and Eileen Atkins as the imperious Princess Dragonmiroff. Despite portraying the only character not featured in the story, Samuel West gave an impressive, yet subtle performance as Dr. Constantine, whose occasional outrageous suggestions on the murderer’s identity seemed annoying to Poirot. I also have to give kudos to Harcourt for making an attempt to allow Poirot experience some kind of emotional conflict over the fate of Rachett’s killer(s). The novel never broached this topic. And in the 1974 film, Poirot twice expressed brief doubt and regret over the matter.

Despite some of the movie’s virtues, I found "MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS" rather disappointing. One of the biggest disappointments proved to be David Suchet’s performance. I have admired his portrayal of the Belgian detective for over a decade. But this movie did not feature one of Suchet’s better performances. In this movie, his Poirot struck me as harsh, judgmental and one-dimensional in his thinking. The movie also featured Poirot in full rant – against a British Army officer at the beginning of the story; and against the suspects, following the revelation scene. In fact, this last scene struck me as an exercise in hammy acting that made Albert Finney’s slightly mannered 1974 performance looked absolutely restrained.

Unfortunately, most of the cast did not fare any better. Joseph Mawle, who portrayed the Italian-American car salesman, Antonio Foscarelli, gave a poor attempt at an American accent. His British accent kept getting into the way. As for David Morrissey’s portrayal of Colonel Abuthnot, I could only shake my head in disbelief at such over-the-top acting – especially in the scene following Poirot’s revelation of the case. And I never understood the necessity of making the Mary Debenham character so anxious. Jessica Chastain’s performance did not exactly impress me and I found myself longing for the cool and sardonic woman from the novel and the 1974 version. I really did not care for Serge Hazanavicius’ portrayal of Monsieur Bouc, the train’s official. I found his performance to be ridiculously over-the-top and annoying. One could say the same about Toby Jones’ portrayal of Samuel Rachett aka Casetti. Poor Mr. Jones. I have been a big fan of his for the past five years or so, but he was the wrong man for this particular role. What made this movie truly unbearable was the last fifteen to twenty minutes, which became an exercise in overwrought acting by most of the cast. Including Suchet.

There were other aspects of this production that also bothered me. I never understood the necessity to change the instigator of the murder plot against Rachett. It made more sense to me to adhere to Christie’s original plot in that regard. And I found the use of religion not only unnecessary, but also detrimental to the story. I have nothing against characters with religious beliefs. But I found the scenes featuring both Poirot and Rachett praying in their compartments excessive. The religious topic transformed Poirot into a grim and humorless man. Even worse, I found myself wondering if Suchet's Poirot was suffering from some form of Post Traumatic Shock during the first fifteen to twenty minutes of the film. He seemed to moving in a state of silent shock, while others - especially Monsieur Bouc - talked around him. As for Rachett . . . I can only assume that the sight of him praying inside his compartment was supposed to be an indicator of his remorse over his crimes against Daisy Armstrong. Or did fear, instigated by a series of threatening letters, drove him to prayer? If so, the scene clumsily contradicted his other actions aboard the train – snarling at his employees and Pierre Michel, and propositioning Mary Debenham. The topic of religion also produced a tiresome scene filled with overwrought acting by Marie-Josée Croze, in which her character – Greta Ohlsson – lectured Poirot about the differences between Catholics and Protestants in regard to justice, revenge, forgiveness and remorse.

I found the stoning scene in Istanbul completely unnecessary and rather distasteful. I found it distasteful, because the scene changed Poirot’s character and allowed him to harbor a laissez faire attitude over the incident. Poirot also used the stoning scene to indulge in an excessive lecture to Mary Debenham about justice. He was right about the stoning being a part of a custom that no foreign visitor had a right to interfere. But his entire attitude about the matter did not seem like the Hercule Poirot I had become familiar with from Christie’s books, the movies and the "POIROT" series. Worse, the incident provided a contradicting viewpoint on vigilantism and justice. Think about it. Poirot said nothing against the stoning, which was an act of vigilantism, because not only did he view it as a foreign custom, but also as an act of justice against someone who had sinned. Yet, at the same time, he expressed outrage and disgust over Rachett’s murder – also an act of vigilantism. The entire topic reeked of hypocrisy and bad writing.

"MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS" possessed some virtues that its filmmakers could boast about. Performances from Brian J. Smith, Eileen Atkins, Hugh Bonneville, Barbara Hershey and especially Denis Menochet were first-rate. There were no over-the-top costumes that left me shaking my head. And thankfully, the Hector McQueen character strongly resembled the literary version. On the other hand, the movie seemed riddled with unnecessary changes that either lacked common sense or damaged the story. Its additions of the religion topic and stoning incident simply made matters worse in regard to story and characterization. And a good deal of hammy acting abounded in the movie and made me wince with discomfort, especially from David Suchet. In conclusion, this "MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS" turned out to be a disappointing affair for me.

Gooey Butter Cake

 

Below is an article about a dessert known as Gooey Butter Cake:



GOOEY BUTTER CAKE

The city of St. Louis, Missouri is known for the creation of several popular dishes and desserts. One of the latter is a dessert that was created nearly a century ago called the Gooey Butter Cake.

Gooey Butter Cake is a flat and dense cake made from wheat cake flour, butter, sugar and eggs. Upon completion, the dessert is usually dusted with powdered sugar. The cake usually stand at nearly an inch tall. And while sweet and rich, it also stood somewhat firm, and is able to be cut into pieces similarly to a brownie. Gooey butter cake is generally served as a type of coffee cake and not as a formal dessert cake. There are two distinct versions of the gooey butter - a traditional cake usually created by bakers and a version made from cream cheese and yellow cake mix. As far as I know, there are two origin versions of the Gooey Butter Cake.

In one version, a German-American baker in the St. Louis area named John Hoffman owned the bakery where the cake was originally created by accident. The story is there were two types of butter "smears" used in his bakery - a gooey butter and a deep butter. The gooey butter was used as an adhesive for pastries like Danish rolls and Stollens. The deep butter was used for deep butter coffee cakes. Hoffman had hired a new baker, who was supposed to make deep butter cakes. But the new baker got the butter smears mixed up. Hoffman did not catch the mistake until after the cakes came out of the proof box. Rather than throw them away, Hoffman went ahead and baked them. Hoffman had no choice. The baking mistake had occurred during the Great Depression, when baking ingredients supplies were low. The new cake sold so well that Hoffman kept baking and selling them and soon, so did the other bakers in the St. Louis area.

The second version of the Gooey Butter Cake's creation also occurred during the 1930s in St. Louis. Another St. Louis baker named Fred Heimburger remembers that someone - he never named Hoffman - had accidentally created the Gooey Butter Cake during the Depression. According to Heimburger, the cake became a popular hit and local acquired taste. After serving in the Korean War, Heimburger worked as a baker at the old Doerring Bakery, where he learned his trade and learned how to make the Gooey Butter Cake. He liked the cake so much that he tried to promote it by presenting samples of the cake to bakers outside of St. Louis, when he traveled. These bakers liked the dessert, but they could not get their customers to purchase it, regarding it as looking like too much like a mistake, and "a flat gooey mess". And so it remained as a regional favorite for many decades. Heimburger opened his own bakery in 1954 and his interpretation of the cake, along with the bakery, became a local institution.

There are other stories surrounding the cake's creation, but none have been historically verified. The St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission includes a recipe for the cake on its website, calling it "one of St. Louis' popular, quirky foods". The Commission's recipe for the cake includes yellow cake batter and cream cheese, unlike the original recipe. Gooey butter cake is also commonly known outside of the St. Louis area as "Ooey Gooey Butter Cake," due to its popularization by TV celebrity and cooking show host, Paula Deen.

Below is a recipe for the classic Gooey Butter Cake from the Taste Better From Scratch website:


Gooey Butter Cake

Ingredients:

Crust
1 3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 Tablespoons + 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/3 cup warm milk
6 Tablespoons butter - room temperature
1 large egg
pinch of salt
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Topping
3 Tablespoons light corn syrup
2 Tablespoons water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
12 Tablespoons butter
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour


Preparation

Crust
*In a small bowl combine yeast, 1/4 tsp sugar and warm milk. Set aside for 5 minutes.
*In a stand mixer cream together the butter and 3 Tbsp of sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
*Add the yeast mixture, egg, salt and flour and mix on low until combined.
*Increase speed and mix/knead for about 7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and has pulled away from the sides of the bowl.
*Press the dough into an ungreased 9x13'' baking dish. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 2 hours.

Topping
*Whisk together light corn syrup, water and vanilla until combined.
*In a separate bowl cream together the butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
*Add egg, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add a little of the flour, alternating with adding the corn syrup mixture, until both are combined.
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
*Drop large spoonfuls of topping all over the risen dough. Use a spatula to gently smooth it into an even layer.
*Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top has set and is golden brown. The center should still seem soft when it comes out of the oven. Allow to cool on a wire cooling rack to room temperature.
*Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar. This cake is best enjoyed the day it is made.

Favorite Television Productions Set in the 1920s

Below is a list of my favorite television productions (so far) that are set in the 1920s:



FAVORITE TELEVISION PRODUCTIONS SET IN THE 1920s



1. "Boardwalk Empire" (2010-2014) - Terence Winter created this award winning crime drama about Atlantic City, New Jersey during the Prohibition era. Inspired by Nelson Johnson's 2002 book, "Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times and Corruption of Atlantic City", the series starred Steve Buscemi.





2. "Agatha Christie's Poirot: Five Little Pigs" (2003) - In this beautifully poignant tale, Hercule Poirot investigates a fourteen year-old murder of a philandering artist, for which his client's mother was erroneously convicted and hanged. David Suchet starred as Hercule Poirot.





3. "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries" (2012-2015) - Essie Davis starred in this television adaptation of Kerry Greenwood's historical mystery novels about a glamorous socialite who solves mysteries in 1920s Melbourne. The series was created by Deb Cox and Fiona Eagger.





4. "Rebecca" (1997) - Emilia Clarke, Charles Dance and Diana Rigg starred in this television adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's 1938 novel about a young bride haunted by the presence of her new husband's first wife. Jim O'Brien directed.






5. "Peaky Blinders" (2013-2019) - Steven Knight created this television drama about a Birmingham crime family in post World War I England. Cillian Murphy, Helen McCrory and Paul Anderson starred.





6. "The Day the Bubble Burst" (1982) - Joseph Hardy directed this fictionalized account of the events and forces that led to the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The television movie's cast included Richard Crenna, Robert Vaughn, Robert Hays and Donna Pescow.





7. "The Great Gatsby" (2000) - Robert Markowitz directed this television adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel about the Jazz Age. Toby Stephens, Paul Rudd and Mira Sorvino starred.





8. "The Forsyte Saga: To Let" (2003) - Damian Lewis, Gina McKee and Rupert Graves starred in this adaptation of John Galsworthy's 1921 novel, "To Let", an entry in his The Forsyte Chronicles.





9. "The House of Eliott" (1991-1994) - Jean Marsh and Eileen Atkins created this television series about two sisters who create this dressmaking business in 1920s London. Stella Gonet and Louise Lombard starred.

"THE GLASS KEY" (1935) Review

"THE GLASS KEY" (1935) Review

Years ago, I watched the 1942 adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's 1930-31 novel called "The Glass Key". At the time, I had no idea that there had been a previous adaptation. Then I stumbled across one - produced and released by the same movie studio, Paramount Pictures, back in 1935.

"THE GLASS KEY" told the story of Ed Beaumont, a gambler and the brainy aide of a crooked political boss named Paul Madvig. The latter plans to support the political campaign of the corrupt Senator John T. Henry and marry the latter's daughter Janet. Unfortunately, the senator's son, Taylor Henry, is a gambling addict who is in debt to a gangster named Shad O'Rory, a gangster whose club Paul intends to put out of business. Also, Taylor has been romancing Paul's younger sister, Opal Madvig, much to the political boss' dismay. When Ed finds Taylor's dead body not far from Paul's home, everyone begins to suspect him of murder. Ed begins an investigation to discover Taylor's true killer, much to the displeasure of not only O'Rory, but also the Henry family and Paul.

I have read a few reviews of "THE GLASS KEY". Most of the reviews seemed to be of the opinion that it is more of a film noir than the 1942 version. To be honest, I did not make a big deal of trying to determine how much of a noir movie it was. I was too busy trying to maintain my interest in the story. What can I say? The plot seemed pretty damn good. And screenwriters Kathryn Scola and Kubec Glascom, along with dialogue scribe Harry Ruskin did a very solid job of adapting Hammett's novel. Sure, they made a few nips and tucks in the narrative. But overall, I had no real problems with the story.

The performances in "THE GLASS KEY" struck me as pretty solid. I thought the most memorable performances came from Edward Arnold as political boss Paul Madvig, Claire Dodd as Janet Henry, Guinn Williams as the O'Rory thug Jeff, and Ray Milland as the privileged and weak senator's son, Paul Henry. All gave very interesting performances. Rosalind Keith, Charles Richman and Robert Glecker also gave solid performances as Opal Madvig, Senator Henry and Shad O'Rory. One would notice that I have not said anything about lead actor George Raft. Before one assumes that I have a low opinion of his performance . . . I do not. I thought he did a pretty solid job, even if there were moments he came off as slightly wooden. He certainly did a pretty good job in carrying the film.

So, if I had no problems with the movie's narrative and the acting . . . why did I find it so difficult to maintain my interesting in the film? I have to lay most of the blame on director Frank Tuttle. I found his direction of the film rather dull and lifeless. Boring. It is a miracle that the cast managed to rise above his insipid direction. In fact, I find it a crime that a director could make a movie with a first-rate narrative and an eighty minute running time so dull and slow. Even the famous scene in which Ed Beaumont suffered a beating at the hands of Jeff the Thug came off as slightly dull.

Another problem I had with "THE GLASS KEY" proved to be its production values. Just because a movie has been labeled as a film noir does not mean I had to spend most of the film trying to make out the shapes and figures on the screen. There were plenty of moments when I could barely make out the images on the screen, due to Henry Sharp's photography. I found it incredibly dark at times. Sharp's dim photography was not helped by Hans Dreier and A. Earl Hedrick's art direction for this film. I was less than impressed by the film's production designs and art direction. The entire film looked as if it had been produced as an off-Broadway stage play. I have seen Warner Brothers B-movies released three or four years earlier that looked more prestigious. When one combines dark photography with less-than-mediocre production designs, well . . . it does not look good for a movie based upon a first-rate novel by Dashiell Hammett.

"THE GLASS KEY" had plenty of virtues to offer - solid and excellent acting from a cast led by George Raft, and first-rate adaptation of Hammett's novel. It seems a pity that those virtues seemed wasted by the movie's mediocre production values, a slow pacing and limpid direction by Frank Tuttle. Oh well. It has been years since I saw the 1942 version of Hammett's story. It would be interesting to see how it fares in compare to this film.

Favorite Television Productions Set in the 1930s

Below is a list of my favorite television productions (so far) that are set in the 1930s:



FAVORITE TELEVISION PRODUCTIONS SET IN THE 1930s



1. "Agatha Christie's Poirot" (1989-2013) - David Suchet starred as Agatha Chrsitie's most famous sleuth, Hercule Poirot, in this long-running series that adapted her Poirot novels and short stories.





2. "Moviola: The Scarlett O'Hara War" (1980) - Tony Curtis starred as David O. Selznick in the second episode of the miniseries, "Moviola". The television movie featured Selznick's search for the right actress to portray the leading character in his movie adaptation of "Gone With the Wind".





3. "Edward & Mrs. Simpson" (1978) - Edward Fox and Cynthia Harris starred the 1978 adaptation of the events leading to the 1936 abdication of King Edward VIII of Great Britain. The seven-part miniseries was based upon Frances Donaldson's 1974 biography.





4. "Mildred Pierce" - Todd Haynes directed and co-wrote this television adaptation of James M. Cain's 1940 novel about a middle-class divorcee, who struggles to maintain her family's position during the Great Depression and earn her narcissist older daughter's respect. Emmy winners Kate Winslet, Guy Pearce and Emmy nominee Evan Rachel Wood starred.





5. "Upstairs, Downstairs" (2010-2012) - Heidi Thomas created this continuation of the 1971-1975 series about the Hollands and their servants, the new inhabitants at old Bellamy residence at 105 Eaton Place. Jean Marsh, Keely Hawes, Ed Stoppard and Claire Foy starred.






6. "And Then There Were None" (2015) - Sarah Phelps produced and wrote this television adaptation of Agatha Christie's 1939 novel. Craig Viveiros directed.





7. "The Last Tycoon" (2016-2017) - Billy Ray created this television adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's unfinished novel about a Hollywood producer during the mid-1930s. Matt Bomer starred.





8. "Indian Summers" (2015-2016) - Paul Rutman created this series about the British community's summer residence at Simla during the British Raj of the 1930s. The series starred Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Nikesh Patel, Jemima West and Julie Walters.





9. "Damnation" (2017-2018) Tony Tost created this series about the labor conflicts in the Midwest, during the Great Depression. Killian Scott and Logan Marshall-Green starred.





10. "The Lot" (1999-2001) - This series centered around a fictional movie studio called Sylver Screen Pictures during the late 1930s. The series was created by Rick Mitz.