Johnny Eager (1941)

Johnny Eager
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy
Written by James Edward Grant and John Lee Mahin
1941/USA
Loew’s/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
First viewing/Warner Archive DVD

John ‘Johnny’ Eager: Oh, now don’t turn ordinary on me. I get tired of ordinary dames. And I don’t want to get tired of you.

Something about the title of this early film noir told me I might love this movie.  I was so right.

Spoiler alert:  The plot is full of great twists and turns and it will not be possible to do any kind of synopsis without revealing at least some of them.  If you think you might see this and such things matter to you, I would recommend going in cold as I did.

We meet our (anti-) hero Johnny Eager (Robert Taylor) as he is getting out of a cab he is driving and reporting to his parole officer.  During his amiable chat with the officer, two sociology students show up and sit in.  The parole officer describes Johnny as the ideal ex-con.  Later, one of the students comments about how handsome he is and the other, Lisbeth (Lana Turner) says that he looks as if he might beat a woman if she crossed him. This actually seems to be a selling point for poor Lisbeth.

After meeting with his parole officer, Johnny heads directly to the vaguely shady dog-racing track he wants to open and changes into a $500 suit.  It soon becomes evident that Johnny runs an illegal gambling racket on top of that and is not averse to ruthlessly neutralizing anyone who crosses him. One night he is visiting a gambling club to give some associates a talking to and runs into Lisbeth, who has been left holding the bag for a date who owes the owner plenty.  At once, he knows he must have her.  He offers to take her home and after some steamy talk in the car finds himself facing her stepfather Special Prosecutor John Benson Farrell (Edward Arnold), his arch nemesis.

Clever Johnny figures out a way to put Lisbeth, who adores him, and Farrell in his pocket for good.  Unfortunately, the method he selects drives Lisbeth straight into a nervous breakdown, sickens his only friend, alcoholic cynic Jeff Hartnett (Van Heflin), and seals his own doom.

Where to start?  Robert Taylor finally proved that he could be much more than just a pretty face.  He is great both as the star parolee and has the hard and heartless Johnny.  Lana Turner spells “dangerous” from the first moment she is on the screen and also gradually reveals hidden depths.  And Van Heflin, early in his career, delivered a touching performance as a man stuck by loyalty in a situation he cannot stomach and drinking through his pain.  The script is fantastic.  Just as you think you know where the story is going it takes you somewhere else entirely.  Highly recommended.

This viewing convinced me I am overdue for Noir Month II, which I intend to begin on July 1.

Van Heflin won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Johnny Eager.

Re-release trailer