The great R&B music maven has passed on. Johnny Otis was a colossal influence on American music from the 40’s till now. He discovered many great talents and influenced, inspired many others. Like James The Godfather Of Soul” Brown who got his seminal funk guitar player, Jimmy Nolan, from Johnny’s band. Frank Zappa recalled going to Johnny’s Rock n’Roll shows at El Monte’s Legion Stadium. I always thought Zappa’s signature mustache was a nod to Johnny’s facial fuzz.
Johnny with Don and Dewey, that’s Don SugarCane Harris on the left
When FZ was makingPeaches in Regalia he asked Johnny to get him Sugar Cane Harris to play on the album. Johnny did, although FZ had to pay SugarCane’s bail, and Johnny’s son Shuggie played on it as well. Zappa returned the favor by getting Johnny a contract with Kent records for his great Cold Shot album.
Johnny with his son , incipient guitar genius Shuggie
Johnny was a white kid who grew up in a black neighborhood and basically lived as a black man. Black people assumed he was black, even my mailman, an ex-jazz drummer, told me that when he was a kid The Johnnie Otis TV show was the first time he saw black musicians on TV. Johnnie had a hit with Harlem Nocturne with his big band, then Willie and The Hand Jive with his Rock/ R&B outfit, and he would have been rich if he had gotten his fair share of Hound Dog, the original version of which he produced for Big Mama Thornton, but Leiber and Stoller ripped him off on a technicality. Farewell Great Johnny O, we all here on Earth will miss you but we’re all better off for your having been here.
Here’s a crazy film I happened upon last night. Joseph Losey’s The Big Night. A Coming Of Age Noir Urban Fairy Tale. John Drew Barrymore , son of the great Barrymore and father of Drew, stars and gives a great performance. He is pretty mesmerizing to watch, a fact not only due to his great talent but also to his mental instability. When a crazy person has talent they are fascinating to watch, Brando is another crazy genius that comes to mind.
Atmospheric Imagery thanks to veteran cinematographer Hal Mohr
This is a strange noir story of a boy’s 17th birthday and the night that he becomes a man.
Barrymore witnesses his father getting a savage beating from a crippled newspaper man, it sends him out into the night, the big city, thirsting for revenge.
John Drew Barrymore aka Barrymore Jr.
He goes to all the noir city hotspots, first a prizefight, his prey is a sports writer, thus serving up another staple of the noir canon, the figure of the newspaperman and the paper itself, their role in the Big City. While at the fight Barrymoore makes the acquaintance of a drunken PHD, a Doctor of Philosophy that aids him in his quest for “Al Judge” the evil columnist that caned his prostrate father. A spectator at the fight hands a bottle of liqour to the drunken doctor and I recognized this large individual as Robert Aldritch, who had worked as an assistant director with Joseph Losey on M and The Prowler. The pair of new friends follow Al St. Judge to a bar, lose him and wind up at another noir touchstone, The Nightclub! Complete with Jazz band and black vocalist. Here Losey masterfully limns a disfunctional relationship between the doctor and his mistress in a few deft strokes that tell you so much about them.
The second Mrs. Charles Foster Kane, Opera Singer Susan Alexander
The women is non other than Dorothy Comingore, Susan Alexander of Citizen Kane. She dances with Barrymore, a harbinger of her sister’s kissing him later in the film, his sexual initiation is with two women old enough to be his mother. An artifact of Losey’s relationship with his own mother, described in a biography as a “sexual predator”. Outside the restaurant Barrymore bumps into the Jazz singer telling her “she’s the best singer in the world” and ” really beautiful even if she is a…” (nigger).
Beautiful Jazz Singer! Mauri Lynn
The look on her face triggers instant regret in Barrymore, he didn’t mean to insult her, he just revealed his own upbringing and cultural limitations. A great shot follows of his anguished face in the rear window of a taxi that pulls away and disappears into the Stygian Night Of the City. A wonderful scene between Barymore and the sister of Comingore occurs at the apartment, again a motherly /sexual love thing happens. After a nighttime visit to the graveyard shift of the newspaper, Barymore finally tracks St. Judge down and has it out with the evil cripple. St. Judge reveals some startling information about the foibles of Barrymore’s father viv a vis his recently deceased sister, so unsettling the teenager that he puts down the gun and tries to leave but the rotten reporter reveals the depth of his depravity and turns the gun on our young hero, a struggle ensues , a shot is fired, the handicapped columnist hits the deck. John Drew returns to the apartment of lonely older women where the sister comforts him but his new “friend” the doctor throws him out threatening to kill him if he gets him involved in the case. Losey’s bleak view of humanity on display. Young John winds up back at home the cops show up and he pulls agun, threatening to kill himself, OK, nowadays the cops would open fire on the poor sap but back then they waited for him to work it out with his old man, the father reveals the boy’s real mother isn’t dead, she just met a new guy and split. “Don’t you hate her?” the teen asks. “No, I love her. ” The dad replies. The end! And it’s available for streaming on Netflix!
As promised here are some interesting film noir finds on Netflix. Union Station, a kidnapping story starring William Holden and Nancy Olson. This was made immediately after Sunset Blvd. and both of these actors appear in that film as well. I guess they got along. Station is directed by Rudolph Mate’. He directed the original D.O.A.and was a cameraman on such classics as Carl Dreyers Passion Of Joan D’Arc. This film is definitely worth checking out, it’s even got Barry Fitzgerald reprising his quaint Irish detective role from Naked City. And it’s shot at the beautiful Los Angeles Union Station.
Cry Danger, you get Dick Powell, Rhonda Fleming and a host of great noir character actors, shot in some amazing 50’s L.A. locations, including a trailer park within view of City Hall! Pretty cool. Robert Parrish’s directorial debut. Shot by the always good Joe Biroc, he was Aldritch’s cameraman for a lot of films.
5 Steps to Danger OK, this is by no stretch of the imagination a great movie, maybe not even a good movie. Made fast and cheap, the things it has going for it are as follows: Sterling Hayden, Ruth Roman, driving around the desert in a 50’s Packard convertible! That is cool as hell. If you like these actors, check it out.
The Killer Is Loose, an interesting film by Budd Boetticher , Wendell Corey plays a sort of nerd serial killer, maybe the first one in Cinema. Joseph Cotten is the cop that put him away, killing Corey’s wife in the process so now “Foggy” wants revenge. A weird flick but worth checking out.
This is an outrage! The star of the great Franklin Pangborn, a pioneer in gay cinema has been destroyed. There should be a protest to get it restored to it’s original lustre. It’s at the NE corner of Sunset and Vine.
Here are two noirish films I found on Netflix streaming. Both worth watching. Caught is a sort of poor man’s Citizen Kane, being a thinly disguised story of a very rich man, in this case Howard Hughes. Robert Ryan portrays him excellently and I’m sure he had opportunity to observe Hughes during his time at RKO. But the star of the film is the lovely and talented Barbara Bel Geddes. She plays a carhop with designs on being a model and winds up married to an insane millionaire. James Mason appears as a sympathetic doctor and love interest. The ending has to be seen to be believed, if I told you what happens you wouldn’t believe it. It could never happen today.
This film was directed by an emigre from France, fleeing Nazi persecution, Max Ophuls. I hear tell that Robert Aldritch directed some additional scenes for this film but I don’t know which ones. I’ll look into it. Martin Scorsese restored this film at UCLA archives a few years before he made his Hughes film, The Aviator. Unlike Hearst I don’t think Hughes tried to destroy anyone’s career over this film, maybe he was too far gone in his mental illness to notice.
The next attraction on our double bill is House Of Strangers, a study of an upwardly mobile Italian family in old New York. This clan is ruled with an iron fist by it’s patriarch, portrayed by the great Edward G. Robinson. He turns in a wonderful, if somewhat stereotyped performance. His rise to riches as a banker (shades of A.P. Gianini) destroys his family pitting brother against brother in a quest for power. The main sibling is played by Richard Conte, the only brother the father doesn’t denigrate. Conte plays a lawyer with a habit of ending his pronouncements “Period”. Like “I’m going to the theater with you. Period!” No arguments. It’s a funny bit. The thing I really like about this film is the honest portrayal of the characters, the father is a tyrant, he calls one son “Dumbhead”, he treats his oldest son like a slave, making him wash is back in the tub while he sings opera. But in spite of his evil side, you can’t help but like Eddie G. , you know he’s bad but he’s sort of charismatic, charming. He’s always telling his sons that he built everything for them and they will get it all when he dies. A very accurate portrait of just such a person.
The brilliant director Joseph Mankewiscz limns his character with an unerring eye. Lest I forget Susan Hayward appears as a rich chick out for kicks and goes slumming with Conte. I am not a big fan of her work but I must say here she turns in a very good job. I like her in this movie. Flashback structure, Gothic old house, speakeasies, lots of shadows, Noir without a detective, family noir. Check it out.
And you can see it on Netflix! A documentary about the legendary Maxwell Street in Chicago, a Sunday carnival, flea market fish fry, outdoor dancehall, preacher zone, crazy place that’s long gone. You can see the amazing, reclusive Robert Nighthawk performing on the street, although I was bummed that they cut away from him whenever he played a solo, it’s too bad because he had one of the most unique electric slide guitar styles of all time. I didn’t know the editor personally, the late Howard Alk, but I worked on the Isle of Wight documentary with his collaborator Murray Lerner. They did Festival together and I believe Alk edited Reynaldo and Clara, Bob Dylan’s foray into directing. Anyway check it out, See the man with a chicken on his head, the 2 fingered guitar player, Robert Nighthawk, and many other vanished attractions!
I just watched Dark City, a film noir I’ve never seen, it was on Netflix streaming! An interesting film, released by Paramount, starring a very young Charlton Heston and Lizabeth Scott. Directed by yet another protege of Max Rhinehart, William Dieterle.
He was famous for wearing white gloves while directing, he made the monumental Hunchback Of Notre Dame starring Charles Laughton,the great Devil And Daniel Webster and Portrait Of Jennie, the film that David O. Selznick drove him insane over. But nevertheless Dieterle was a Cinematic Poet 1st class. I discovered several more interesting noirs that I will list soon, including an HD version of Stanley Kubrick’s early outing Killer’s Kiss, check out the opening scene shot in the demolished/rebuilt Penn Station in Manhattan.
Anyway more Noir gold to be revealed soon, stay tuned.
Another Netflix streaming find! Emir Kustarica’s first film Do You Remember Dolly Bell?, a magical start to a great series of films by this unique director. Coming across like a mashup of Fellini. Godard, and early Milos Foreman, but already revealing the personal touches that make Kustarica so great. His obsession with hypnotism, and hypnotizing animals in particular. The super cool Italian rock and roll music, the 1959 film screened at the Social Center, Europe By Night. This film features a striptease by a performer named Dolly Bell, and a local girl, is named after her by her pimp. The way of life under Communism, the idealistic father who calls meetings at the dinner table and has the youngest son take minutes. The rock band, started by the Party members for the good of the community. A wonderful film, unfortunately the copy on Netflix looks like a bad VHS but still it’s better than nothing. Check it out, a good time is guaranteed for all.
Another Netflix streaming find, Boccaccio’70, a 60’s Italian omnibus film featuring 4 stories from 4 Italian directors, Vittorio De Sica, Federico Fellini, Luchino Viscounti, and Mario Monicelli. This is a beautiful film, made by great film Artists and Artisans, shot in and around Rome in 1961. so everything looks super cool. Technicolor images that burst off the screen, incredible music by 3 Titans of Italian film music, Piero Piccone, Armando Trovaioli, and Nino Rota. Starring among others Anita Ekberg in Fellini’s Attack Of The 50 Foot Woman spinoff
and Sophis Loren at possibly her most beautiful! Maybe the sexiest woman of all time! You have to see her in this film. I saw this film many years ago at the Bleecker Street Theater, and now thanks to Netflix and my home theater I see it again projected on a large screen, I am speechless at how great it is to be able to watch films projected at home. In this case I never thought I’d see this film projected ever again. It’s not like revival houses are running it every year. But it is worth seeing. And I get to practice my Italian, a double bonus. Check it out 4 stories of Love, Eros, from 4 maestros, created in Roma at the peak of the Italian Film Renascence. Stupendo!
A while back I posted a trailer for this film Determinism, Now the filmmaker Sanlit Majumdar has written in to inform me that he posted his film on Youtube. And he’s in negotiation to make another film. Good Luck amigo.
Here’s a fascinating comparison of two takes from Keaton’s Opus Steamboat Bill Jr,. You can see how well rehearsed the actors were. All those years learning elaborate physical routines on Vaudeville circuits paid off. Check out the salesman that pops in from time to time. Kino is releasing Blurays from new HD transfers of Keaton’s films, I ordered the shorts collection and as soon as I get it I will post about it.
Well I went to Disney Hall to see the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari accompanied by Clark Wilson on the mighty Disney Hall Organ. What a disappointment! Some moron left the lights on in the concert hall, this is a movie, they are supposed to be screened in the dark, if you don’t understand that fundamental rule of showmanship DO NOT screen films in your facility. Also although Mr. Wilson is a very good performer, the music was WAY TOO LOW! By that I mean it wasn’t Loud Enough! Here is an instrument the size of a giant Sequoia and played at less than the volume of a single trumpet. What a waste! I wanted to hear and feel the thundering bass of that magnificent instrument, some clown homogenized the hell out of what should have been an enjoyable evening. Also the tickets were WAY TOO EXPENSIVE! On top of which they charged an $8.50 fee per ticket for ordering online, then $9 to park. The audience was 99% white, Occupy Wall Street should occupy this concert Hall. Frank Gehery, this was a travesty of what your amazing space and instrument should be used for. One last note, Mr. Wilson gave a speech before the screening on the history of live music accompanying silent films and how some of the more famous organists wound up in Hollywood composing music for studio pictures. He mentioned Carl Stalling, who worked at Warner Bros. writing music for their cartoons. But Carl Stalling did not write Powerhouse as Mr. Wilson stated, it was written by Raymond Scott, composer and synthesizer inventor.
