Fear In the Night (1947)

Plot: A midnight burglary ... shadowy screams ... a weird octagonal room ... two people murdered. Vince Grayson (DeForest Kelley) sits up in bed after a horrible nightmare - or was it? When he discovers that his wrist is injured and he has a strange key in his pocket, he's afraid it was much more than a dream - that it really happened somehow while he was asleep. But instead of trying to help, his detective brother-in-law (Paul Kelly) believes it was cold-blooded murder, and he vows to bring Vince to justice. How can Vince persuade Cliff that he wasn't controlling his actions? And how will he ever find out what was controlling him?

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High Points:
- Fast-paced action and creepy special effects
- Unusual plot twists that keep you on the edge of your seat
- Dark film noir feel without the immoral overtones that often accompany the genre
- Emotional, desperate performance by a very young DeForest Kelley
- Another smoothly creepy bad guy

Could Be Better:
- The movie begins immediately in the middle of the action, so you don't get to know the main character until later in the movie. Because of this, it takes a while to warm up to him.
-  This is a very low-budget film, so it is short and the quality is not the greatest. The acting is good, as most of the actors had experience as supporting cast members of other films, but the sets and music are fairly cheap.

Possible Concerns:
- Vince Grayson, in his desperation, attempts to commit suicide twice. It is not inappropriately portrayed or overly graphic, but some might take issue with including this in a movie.
- It is revealed later in the movie that the two murder victims were involved in an adulterous relationship. Again, the references are innocuous, and neither essential to the plot nor emphasized.

Vicki's Vote: 3/5

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Fear in the Night is a low-budget film noir that plays out like a story in a magazine - low on characterization and description, but high on action and thrills. Vince Grayson is a quiet young banker who lives a nice life, puttering along in a nice job, a nice relationship with his sweet girlfriend Betty, and a nice friendship with his sister and brother-in-law. His world is quiet and predictable. But one morning, he sits up in bed terrified after a bizarre nightmare - that he murdered a man and a woman who were robbing a safe in an eerie, mirrored octagonal room.

What a dream! Or was it? Vince discovers wounds on his neck and wrist in exactly the places that the shadowy thieves grappled with him, and in his pocket are an unfamiliar button and a strange old key - items that were not there the night before. Vince is overcome with horror. Could he have murdered people in his sleep? And without waking up?

Sick with fear and revulsion, Vince skips work and goes to see his brother-in-law Cliff, a detective with the local police force. Cliff dismisses the story as just a realistic dream caused by Vince's overworked nerves, even after a spill of blood-red nail polish causes Vince to panic and faint.

The next morning, Vince feels no better - if anything, he is even more certain that he must find the answer to his mystery. He scours newspapers for a week, searching for any reference to a murder or to a mirrored octagonal room. But it is by sheer chance that he, his sister Lill, Cliff, and Betty find themselves on the road to the murder house - and though the territory looks completely unfamiliar to him, he is subconsciously able to direct Cliff straight to the house and know exactly where to find the key.

Then they find the octagonal room with bloodstains on the wall, and a police colleague of Cliff's comes by the house and begins to give details on the murder. Cliff begins to believe Vince's story - to a point. He informs Vince that in 24 hours, he will be arrested for murder. Vince is desperate. How can he convince Cliff that he wasn't controlling his own actions? Will he be able to solve the mystery before he's sent to jail for life - or worse?

I sought out this movie because I wanted to see DeForest Kelley's film debut, and I was delighted to find that his acting was the same when he was twenty as it was when he was fifty. His pleasant Southern drawl and exaggerated facial expressions made the movie very enjoyable.

Undeniably, however, this is an odd film. It is by far the lowest-budget film I have watched for a long time. The music is cheesily haunting, a constant moan in the background of every scene; the idea of what made Vince Grayson murder someone in his sleep is so original that it's almost tacky (and Cliff seems to figure it out in a flash of inspiration rather than a logical process that you can actually follow); and the constant despair and hopelessness in Vince's eyes make you wish there were something you could do to help him out of this mess he's in. The first scene hurls you into the action with bewildering speed, and the rest of the movie is a nail-biting ride of clenching your chair while you wonder what's going to happen to this poor guy next.

Despite its flaws, however, this is a clean movie that would be completely suitable for older kids and young teens old enough to handle strong despair and attempted suicide. I would suggest that it is especially appropriate for guys, as there is lots of action but little characterization and almost no romance. As a rather rare film, it's also a good addition to the repertoire of the devoted classic movie fan. And if you are familiar with DeForest Kelley from Star Trek, Bonanza, or Gunsmoke, you will enjoy the chance to see him as a (very) young rising actor.

If you have an hour to spend and would like to watch something a little different, I would recommend this movie without hesitation. You'll be surprised to find out what took over Vince Grayson's mind!

 For More Information:

Plot Synopsis With Spoilers

Plot Synopsis Without Spoilers

Full Movie on YouTube

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Tribute to the Greats: Buster Keaton

Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was one of the greatest stars of American silent movies. He was brought up in vaudeville with his parents and siblings, who perfected an act known as "The Three Keatons: The Roughest Act That Was Ever in the History of the Stage" - young Buster was regularly tossed, thrown, dropped, chucked into the audience, and told to come crashing down stairs as though he were going to be killed. The only requirement was that he not get killed. Buster soon learned to execute fantastic stunts while (mostly) avoiding serious injury; and when his father's alcoholism forced him to leave the act in his early twenties, he found an instant niche performing his hilariously funny but demanding and dangerous stunts in film.

 

Buster began working in short, 30- to 40-minute comedy films, partnered with Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, an established comedy star at the time. Their partnership was brilliant. Sometimes Arbuckle was the helpless victim of Buster's dizzy schemes; sometimes Arbuckle would rescue Buster from one calamity or another; often, Arbuckle was the slow-witted friend of the happy-go-lucky Buster. And sometimes, they were just equal partners in silliness.

Eventually, Buster began to star in his own films, and eventually to direct them. He wrote, acted in, and directed 20 films between 1917 and 1923 alone, including classic films such as Neighbors, Hard Luck, and The High Sign.

Buster's acting trademark, besides his porkpie hat, was his characters' ability to endure everything the movies threw at him - adventure, danger, romance, and comedy - without smiling. He had learned during his vaudeville days that the audiences found it funnier when outrageous things happened to him, but he didn't laugh. He became known as "The Great Stone Face" for his deadpan expression and apparent lack of emotion; but with the advent of film, audiences could enjoy his gift for expressing subtle emotions through his enormous eyes.

In 1926, Buster co-directed and starred in The General. This silent adventure-romance movie about a steam locomotive engineer in the Civil War was a flop at the time, and in fact contributed to Buster's then-failing career; but is now regarded by many film critics as one of the greatest movies ever made.

During the late 1920's and into the 1930's and 40's, however, Buster's career began to decline. Although he was excited about the advent of "talkies" and eager to try out his talents in sound films, he also had to sell out to another company - he could no longer direct his own films. His personal life was suffering as well, from alcoholism and his failed marriage. As a result, he was cast in goofy, slow-witted roles that sharply contrasted with his persona of the lovable schemer of the 1920's. An example is this 1930's film about Prohibition, What! No Beer?, in which he was cast alongside another popular comedian, Jimmy Durante.

Buster went through a black period in his life in the late 1930's. Things began to turn around when he married Eleanor Norris in 1940. Eleanor was 23 years younger than Buster, but she helped him break free of alcoholism and begin rebuilding his career, little by little; and by the late 40's, he had begun appearing once again in movies, including cameo roles in well-loved movies such as In the Good Old Summertime (1949).

As a matter of fact, Buster's talent for directing comedy was so revered that director Robert Leonard requested that Buster direct one of the funniest scenes in In the Good Old Summertime. The scene that Buster produced unmistakeably reflects his style from his 1920's comic shorts.

Buster turned his attention to television in the 1950's and 60's, with his own weekly TV show, regular cameos on other shows, and occasional film appearances. He became something of a living legend to American viewers and was once again well-known and loved.

Buster Keaton died of lung cancer in 1966. His legacy, however, continues to live on. His use of props and sets pioneered the way for later innovations in stunt acting, and his skillful combination of comedy, love, loneliness, attitude, and optimism drew audiences to the theater in a critical time of cinema's early development. Even today, his movies draw thousands of views on YouTube, and he was recently featured in a Turner Classic Movies tribute week showcasing some of his best-loved films. He was truly one of the most important actor/directors in motion picture history.

 

Dates and information cited from Wikipedia.

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Saboteur (1942)

Plot: Barry Cain (Robert Cummings), an easygoing young worker at an aircraft factory, is catapulted into the heart of a horrible crime when he accidentally bumps into a man at work - and minutes later, the factory erupts in flames. The authorities believe he's the saboteur. But Barry knows the man he bumped into was the real saboteur; and he begins a frantic chase across the country to find him, dodging the police on one hand and the real saboteurs on the other. Along the way he meets beautiful Pat Martin (Priscilla Lane), who at first tries to turn him in, but becomes his trusted partner in the search. Then they're caught by the ruthless saboteurs. Will they live to warn the police that the country's security is in terrible danger?

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High Points:
- Nail-biting suspense with deliciously unbelievable twists of fate
- Frantic, exhilarating pace - much like a Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew novel
- Endearingly naive characters who combine youthful enthusiasm and patriotic determination
- Sweet, fresh romance
- Smoothly creepy bad guys

Could Be Better:
- Nothing! This movie is a gem!

Possible Concerns:
- Barry and Pat travel together across the country; nothing indecent is done or even implied, but they are alone together for many days and nights.
- At one place in the movie, a woman thinks Barry and Pat are a couple who has been out doing immoral things at night; she is quickly chastised by another character and it is made clear that there is no inappropriate activity, but this did make me uncomfortable the first time I saw it.

Vicki's Vote: 6/5

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Review: Of all of my favorite early Hitchcock movies, Saboteur is one of the best. One improbable twist of fate follows another at a frantic pace that leaves you hanging onto the edge of your seat for dear life, carried along by the intelligent and golden-hearted Barry Cain and Pat Martin as they try to outrun the oily, terrifying American villains. You will hold your breath right up to the silent and shocking final scene. To use a colloquial phrase, this is a Hardy Boys mystery on steroids.

The movie begins with a typical day in an ordinary (although already somewhat dark and creepy) aircraft factory in pre-WWII California. Barry Cain and his buddy are heading for lunch, and in the shuffle they accidentally bump into another worker, who drops his mail on the ground. Barry picks up the letters and glances at them before the man snatches his mail and stalks off with a snarl. The incident seems pointless - except that minutes later, the entire factory erupts into uncontrolled flames. The man with the mail shoves two "fire extinguishers" into Barry and his friend's hands, and they run off to fight the fire - but Barry watches in horror as his friend is engulfed by uncontrollable flames.

When the horror is over and Barry has done everything he could, he makes one more stop on his way home to comfort his friend's grieving mother. While he's there, the police come to the door. Barry Cain is wanted for sabotage: those fire extinguishers were filled with gasoline.

Barry flees, and the chase begins: a chase that covers thousands of miles and relies on the goodness of ordinary Americans, their patriotism and pure values. Along the way he wins the heart of Pat Martin, the beautiful fashion model who also happens to have a brilliant mind and a love for her country. It is a chase in pursuit of a very different kind of American - the American saboteur. What kind of man would try to destroy his own country? The naive American boy and girl soon find out; and it is a race against time as they try to track down the killers before they strike again - and evade the death that is following them across every mile.

I love this movie. The framework of the movie, a group of American saboteurs working undercover in the days just before WWII, is completely believable and historically likely; but it's so much more than believable. It's like a vivid dream. The possible becomes impossible - out in the open at a wealthy ball, Barry and Pat are surrounded by armed saboteurs hidden behind curtains and above stairwells; murder is committed in a theater of people watching a comedy; a handwritten cry for help is discovered just at the right time by just the right people. And the impossible becomes possible - two young people stand face to face with the deadly group of wealthy, oily saboteurs and cry out that love will win over hatred, every time.

This is also a movie that you can watch with middle schoolers and young teens (barring just the one line of dialogue that I mentioned in the first section). It is fast-paced and clean, a story of two typical young people faced with extraordinary situations. It's a thrilling celebration of patriotism and a cautionary tale of vigilance. Robert Cummings and Priscilla Lane do a wonderful job of reflecting youthful, wide-eyed optimism and sweet romance. In fact, I might even say that I recommended this movie for middle schoolers and young teens. I guarantee - you will be in suspense from the chilling beginning all the way to the shocking end!

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