The Tarnished Angels
Directed by Douglas Sirk
Written by George Zuckerman from the novel “Pylon” by William Faulkner
1957/US
Universal International Pictures
IMDb pageFirst viewing/Criterion Channel
Ted Baker: On the level, what’d you do last night?
Burke Devlin: Nothing much:just sat up half the night discussing literature and life with a beautiful, half naked blonde.
Ted Baker: You better change bootleggers.
I was excited to see this because it features the same stars and director as were in “Written on the Wind” (1956), which I love. I was not as crazy about this one.
The year is 1932. “The Flying Shumanns” travels the air show circuit. Roger Shumann (Robert Stack) is an alcoholic WWI flying ace. He treats his family badly. Wife Laverne (Dorothy Malone) is a daredevil parachutess. Filling out the company is son Jack and mechanic Jiggs (Jack Carson). The family has very little money.
Reporter Burke Devlin (Rock Hudson) runs into them, lets them share his modest apartment, and decides to write a story about what ever happened to Roger Shumann. In the process of his investigation he comes to despise Roger and become drawn to his wife.
This is OK. I missed the technicolor and the over-the-top trashiness of Dorothy Malone’s character from Written on the Wind.
