Classic movie site with rare images, original ads, and behind-the-scenes photos, with informative and insightful commentary. We like to have fun with movies!
Archive and Links
grbrpix@aol.com
Search Index Here




Sunday, February 13, 2011




My Strange Love For Hal Wallis Noir --- Part One









This and later in the week's Part Two are Greenbriar's contribution to Ferdy On Films and The Self-Styled Siren's For The Love of Film (Noir), a fund-raising Blogathon whose mission is to rescue Try and Get Me, aka The Sound Of Fury, a dark gem too long out of circulation. Visit these sites for more info and links to many other writing participants (and go HERE to make donations).
The only time I held an Academy Award was when Hal Wallis handed me one of his. That's a story for later. I'd first better qualify Wallis as a ... maybe the ... producer who best refined Hollywood noir, putting a gloss finish on prototypes others tried, but hadn't got so polished as this most studio-committed of picture makers. It's easy to visualize Wallis' name coming just before Dean, Jerry, and Elvis on credits. True enough ... he made too many of those for his own reputation's good. Others took bows for so much else he did, Jack Warner most notoriously when he pushed past Wallis to collect Casablanca's Best Picture statue that by rights should have been the producer's (read WB memos and know Wallis was most responsible for that pic's vaunted status). JL's prerogative was said to be reason for HW leaving Warners in 1944. Latter would call it a lowest point in his long producing life. Moving to Paramount would allow Wallis to do things precisely his way. Very consciously, I made a series of melodramatic films with strong characters and situations ... I dealt again and again with the psychology of murderers, he said, laying out recipe for everyone's film noirs to come. I showed, and encouraged my writers to show, how frustration, poverty, and desperate need for money could drive people to psychotic extremes. This was hindsight expressed in his 1980 memoir, Starmaker, wherein film noir as descriptive term goes unspoken, though Wallis from beginning with Paramount saw shifts in post-war audience taste and used his independent projects to build foundation for what remains most popular of vintage film categories.





Wallis brought big studio sensibility to gritty topics others took to street location or shot on reduced budget. Not for him was harsh way of noirs done in a rush. His were planned to last frames and boasted elegance we don't associate with hard-boiled lives in the raw, and yet ... insurgency's afoot in The Strange Love Of Martha Iver's springboard of children sharing secret of a murder one committed and how said compact must be guarded even as it necessitates further mayhem once they become adults. I thought Ivers' a bold concept upon first viewing at age fifteen, and would inquire as to any other noir spun off a beginning like this. Martha Ivers would be followed by those again and agains Wallis referenced --- murderers under hot studio lamps, chess-moved within proscribed limit of sound stage and backlot pavement, as individual a cycle of "melodramatic films" as a single artist ever managed in Hollywood's corporate/compromising environment. Producer Wallis had a directing equivalent in Alfred Hitchcock, at least for the while HW pursued his lives of crime (profits off Martin and Lewis and moves for prestige would distract him later). We'd know and appreciate Wallis better if his noir cycle were under single ownership's canvass. As it (unfortunately) is, some are controlled by Paramount while others house at Universal. The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers loped into Public Domain decades ago, while I Walk Alone, The Accused, The File On Thelma Jordan, Desert Fury, and So Evil, My Love remain resolutely unavailable on disc in the US.























Hal Wallis jumped to Paramount for total autonomy he never had at Warners. The break was clean for WB settling with a lump sum ($750,000) profit participation HW had in pictures lately produced there, including Yankee Doodle Dandy, Casablanca, and Saratoga Trunk. Hit-making reputation garnered from these assured an eventual taker among companies vying for his shingle, the Paramount deal announced May 24, 1944 after Wallis flirtations with MGM and J. Arthur Rank, among others. No one outside DeMille enjoyed a Para berth so plush. There would be a separate corporation under Wallis (and lawyer/partner Joseph Hazen's) control. Projects were his to dictate, two to four a year, no studio interference clearly understood from signing. Paramount provided studio facilities and stood cost of distribution, while directors, writers, and players were Wallis' plate to fill. Toward that expense, he acquired a revolving fund of $2.5 million from the First National Bank of Boston, this alone tabbing HW as soundest risk among filmland lone wolves. A producer's fee came in addition to Paramount perks and there'd be equal sharing of profit from whatever pics Wallis delivered. Here was close as you could get to having an independent company without leaving protective studio walls.























The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers would cast-combine Wallis newcomers with fan-familiar sure things. Barbara Stanwyck being free-lance enabled a one-pic-a-year deal Wallis ironically shared with Warners. This actress would exemplify HW's noirish brand both in and out of modern dress (their memorable dark western being The Furies). Van Heflin as tough guy male lead was a loan from Metro, Martha Ivers first for the Academy winner following war service. I used to wonder why Wallis didn't use Alan Ladd for what seemed a natural fit, this before learning HW pulled own hiring talent weight and would have been obliged to borrow (and pay) for Ladd like anyone else dealing the star with Paramount. Fresh Ivers faces were Lizabeth Scott and Kirk Douglas. Both became stars for which Wallis could take lion's part of credit, his iron control a thing over which they'd bristle (Douglas, in fact, left for opportunity elsewhere). Martha Ivers' making reads like archetypal account of hands-on producer at odds with individual creators, each after product off convention's path, but not too far. Wallis splurged for best available behind-camera talent not bound to studio contracts --- writer Robert Rossen with uncredited Robert Riskin, director Lewis Milestone --- none here at career summit and mindful enough of that not to balk when Wallis vetoed creative moves. Like with Selznick, anything Hal Wallis produced bore boldest his signature, that of collaborators, however capable, writ in dimmer ink.

Part Two of Martha Ivers is HERE.

6 Comments:

Blogger Dugan said...

Hal Wallis is the producer who demonstrates what a joke the director as auteur theory is. I don't think "Martha Ivers" has the best noir story in the world. the childhood murder thing seemed a little rocky as a device to hang a story on. However the film is very watchable and extremely entertaining.

2:29 PM  
Blogger Mike Cline said...

Your BRIDES OF DRACULA banner is very fitting.

My "bride" and I watched it last night.

Co-feature was MARA MARU.

2:40 PM  
Blogger John McElwee said...

Wow! --- What a neat combo!

3:40 PM  
Blogger The Siren said...

John, how you endear yourself to me (as if you needed to more!) with this post on Martha Ivers, which is one of my favorite noirs, with one of my favorite actresses. I mean, check out my banner! One small favor: given your large knowledgable readership, could you update to include the donation link? It would be a mitzvah. Here is the code:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=LAWFPAB4XLHAW

Best regards to you & Greenbriar, as always!

9:05 AM  
Blogger John McElwee said...

Thanks Farran --- Have added the donations link and am much enjoying all the activity at your site today --- many fine links there already and here's hoping your Blogathon is a rousing success!

11:06 AM  
Anonymous Tinky said...

This is my first visit to your site. I really enjoyed your perspective, your breezy writing style, and that LAYOUT! Many thanks for a great post in the blogathon. Amazingly, I've never seen Martha Ivers; I'll obviously have to rectify that.

5:40 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home

grbrpix@aol.com
  • December 2005
  • January 2006
  • February 2006
  • March 2006
  • April 2006
  • May 2006
  • June 2006
  • July 2006
  • August 2006
  • September 2006
  • October 2006
  • November 2006
  • December 2006
  • January 2007
  • February 2007
  • March 2007
  • April 2007
  • May 2007
  • June 2007
  • July 2007
  • August 2007
  • September 2007
  • October 2007
  • November 2007
  • December 2007
  • January 2008
  • February 2008
  • March 2008
  • April 2008
  • May 2008
  • June 2008
  • July 2008
  • August 2008
  • September 2008
  • October 2008
  • November 2008
  • December 2008
  • January 2009
  • February 2009
  • March 2009
  • April 2009
  • May 2009
  • June 2009
  • July 2009
  • August 2009
  • September 2009
  • October 2009
  • November 2009
  • December 2009
  • January 2010
  • February 2010
  • March 2010
  • April 2010
  • May 2010
  • June 2010
  • July 2010
  • August 2010
  • September 2010
  • October 2010
  • November 2010
  • December 2010
  • January 2011
  • February 2011
  • March 2011
  • April 2011
  • May 2011
  • June 2011
  • July 2011
  • August 2011
  • September 2011
  • October 2011
  • November 2011
  • December 2011
  • January 2012
  • February 2012
  • March 2012
  • April 2012
  • May 2012
  • June 2012
  • July 2012
  • August 2012
  • September 2012
  • October 2012
  • November 2012
  • December 2012
  • January 2013
  • February 2013
  • March 2013
  • April 2013
  • May 2013
  • June 2013
  • July 2013
  • August 2013
  • September 2013
  • October 2013
  • November 2013
  • December 2013
  • January 2014
  • February 2014
  • March 2014
  • April 2014
  • May 2014
  • June 2014
  • July 2014
  • August 2014
  • September 2014
  • October 2014
  • November 2014
  • December 2014
  • January 2015
  • February 2015
  • March 2015
  • April 2015
  • May 2015
  • June 2015
  • July 2015
  • August 2015
  • September 2015
  • October 2015
  • November 2015
  • December 2015
  • January 2016
  • February 2016
  • March 2016
  • April 2016
  • May 2016
  • June 2016
  • July 2016
  • August 2016
  • September 2016
  • October 2016
  • November 2016
  • December 2016
  • January 2017
  • February 2017
  • March 2017
  • April 2017
  • May 2017
  • June 2017
  • July 2017
  • August 2017
  • September 2017
  • October 2017
  • November 2017
  • December 2017
  • January 2018
  • February 2018
  • March 2018
  • April 2018
  • May 2018
  • June 2018
  • July 2018
  • August 2018
  • September 2018
  • October 2018
  • November 2018
  • December 2018
  • January 2019
  • February 2019
  • March 2019
  • April 2019
  • May 2019
  • June 2019
  • July 2019
  • August 2019
  • September 2019
  • October 2019
  • November 2019
  • December 2019
  • January 2020
  • February 2020
  • March 2020
  • April 2020
  • May 2020
  • June 2020
  • July 2020
  • August 2020
  • September 2020
  • October 2020
  • November 2020
  • December 2020
  • January 2021
  • February 2021
  • March 2021
  • April 2021
  • May 2021
  • June 2021
  • July 2021
  • August 2021
  • September 2021
  • October 2021
  • November 2021
  • December 2021
  • January 2022
  • February 2022
  • March 2022
  • April 2022
  • May 2022
  • June 2022
  • July 2022
  • August 2022
  • September 2022
  • October 2022
  • November 2022
  • December 2022
  • January 2023
  • February 2023
  • March 2023
  • April 2023
  • May 2023
  • June 2023
  • July 2023
  • August 2023
  • September 2023
  • October 2023
  • November 2023
  • December 2023
  • January 2024
  • February 2024
  • March 2024