Daily Archives: April 24, 2016

Crime in the Streets
Directed by Don Siegel
Written by Reginald Rose
1956/USA
Allied Artists Pictures/Lindbrook Productions
First viewing/My DVD collection

Mrs. Dane: I’m your mother… MOTHER! God help me when I say it! The word feels dirty in my mouth! ‘Don’t touch me, mother?’ Well, you listen to me! I touched you once! I gave birth to you. I touched you all over! You’re part of my body, and every time I think of it, I wanna wash! You’re garbage, Frankie Dane! I give you up! I give you up!

Here is an interesting, if cliched, juvenile delinquent film noir.

Eighteen-year old Frankie Dane (John Cassavettes) lives in a tiny, shabby apartment with his single mother and younger brother, who is maybe ten or twelve.  Mom is a waitress who constantly complains about how tired she is and is obviously unable to control her son.  Frankie is angst-ridden and sullen but is a natural leader.  He spends every possible moment out on the streets organizing rumbles with rival gangs and harassing passersby. Local social worker Ben Wagner (James Whitmore) works hard trying to bring the boys around but so far has failed miserably.

After the most recent rumble an interfering neighbor turns in one of the boys for having a zip gun.  Frankie vows revenge.  When he confronts the neighbor, the neighbor shoves him.  Frankie cannot stand to be touched and now starts plotting murder.  Most of the boys refuse to get involved but he can count on psychopath Lou Macklin (Mark Rydell) and fifteen-year-old Angelo (Sal Mineo) who idolizes him.

Can Ben get through to Frankie before a tragedy occurs?  And what about Frankie’s nosy little brother?

This is very stagy but the acting is powerful.  The dialogue is the weak link.  There is the psychobabble typical of the 50’s, in this case laying the blame for rampant criminality on sibling rivalry and weak or too strict parents, and a lot of it is just too pat.  Cassavettes is strong but is and looks ten years too old for his part.  His v-neck sweater makes him look more like a college student than a street tough.  Still I enjoyed the film for what it was.

Trailer

Somebody Up There Likes Me
Directed by Robert Wise
Written by Ernest Lehman from an autobiography by Rocky Graziano with Rowland Barber
1956/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
First viewing/Netflix rental

Rocky Graziano: Don’t worry ’bout a thing

This was Paul Newman’s first hit.  He will light up the next several decades.

This is the story of middleweight champion Rocky Graziano (Newman).  His birth name was Rocco Barbella.  The Barbellas are poor.  Pa Barbella is an alchoholic ex-fighter who uses “play” fights as an excuse to knock his son around.  Ma Barbella (Eileen Heckart) is a doting mother.  As Rocky grows up, he becomes a severe trial to her.

As soon as he is able, Rocky hits the mean streets and hooks up with a rough gang that specializes in petty theft.  Several stints in reform school do nothing to tame the volatile Rocky.  On one of his rare trips back home, the police collar him and take him down to “volunteer” for the army.  Rocky escapes after knocking out his commanding officer.  While on the lam, he earns money by appearing in prize fights.  Manager Irving Cohen (Elliott Sloane) recognizes his talent and wants to train him.  Before this can happen, Rocky is picked up, court-martialed, and sentenced to a year in Leavenworth.

Rocky’s stint in prison proves to be the turning point in his life.  His performance in a brawl gets him invited to join the prison’s boxing club and he is trained and worked hard.  He emerges from prison to begin the long road to the championship.  Keeping him on the straight and narrow is his romance with Norma (Pier Angeli).  At the worst possible time, however, the popular fighter’s past comes back to haunt him.  With Sal Mineo and Steve McQueen (in his film debut) as gang members.

James Dean was signed to play Rocky but was killed before production could start. Newman is surely 100% more suited to this open and uncomplicated character. Wise,who had already directed a fine boxing film, The Set-Up, keeps things moving at a brisk pace.  The fight scenes look great.  The story is warm and human and I was absorbed throughout.  Recommended.

The DVD I watched included a very good commentary by several participants and a film historian.  Most prominent are the voices of Robert Wise and Richard Schickel but Paul Newman, Robert Loggia, and Martin Scorcese all put in appearances.

Somebody Up There Likes Me won Academy Awards in the categories of Best Cinematography, Black-and-White and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White.  It was nominated for Best Film Editing.

Trailer