This post is part of the Sleuthathon, hosted by Fritzi Kramer of Movies, Silently, from March 16th through March 17th, 2014. Don your deerstalkers and have a great time!
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| Ironically, this is NOT a scene from The Lost Weekend! |
Paramount’s 1948 thriller
The Big Clock (TBC), based on
poet/novelist Kenneth Fearing’s 1946 suspense novel, is not only a riveting
hunted-man story with a fresh twist, but also a cautionary tale about what can
happen if you let your job dictate your life:
- You’ll miss
your own honeymoon, as well as every family vacation.
- Your marriage
will suffer as your loving, understanding wife and child start to lose faith in
you, along with your endless excuses, as your family life erodes.
- What am I
saying? Family life? What family life? Kiss it goodbye!
- Worst of all,
when your obsessive, uber-controlling Boss From Hell kills someone in a
fit of rage, you just might find yourself suspected of the crime!
Happily, in real life, TBC was a family affair, with director John
Farrow (Five Came Back; His Kind of Woman)
working with his real-life wife Maureen O’Sullivan (The Thin Man; Tarzan the Ape Man and its many sequels). Last but far
from least, Farrow cast the real-life husband-and-wife team of Charles Laughton
and Elsa Lanchester, who also teamed up for
Witness for the Prosecution, the latter earning Oscar nominations for
both Charles and Elsa! It’s even a reunion of sorts for star Ray
Milland and composer Victor Young, who brought us the 1944 chiller The
Uninvited, also starring Milland; who could forget the beautiful “Stella
by Starlight,” as well as the delightful Road to Morocco?
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Poor George! Maybe
he can give his pursuers
the slip by pretending to be a light
display! |
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Stop the presses!
Overworked George Stroud
tells boss where to get off: Wheeling, West Virginia! |
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Noel Neill of The Adventures of Superman wishes
she could fly up, up, and away from fresh elevator operators! |
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| Janoth Publication's big clock: The Hands of Fate! |
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"Georgette, it's not what you think!
We're singing along with Pauline to "Do-Re-Me!" |
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Set in NYC (in 1948,that was present-day),
TBC introduces us to George Stroud (Milland), letting us in on our
anxious hero’s innermost thoughts as he hides in the giant clock in the Janoth
Publications lobby at night. George works for a huge Time-Warner/Henry
Luce-style publishing company. Director of Photography John F.Seitz (Double Indemnity; The Lost Weekend) works
superbly in the film’s “docu-noir” style, with Edith Head’s costume design
always a pleasure to see. In flashbacks, we see that despite being married for
seven years, George and his lovely and charming wife Georgette (O’Sullivan) have
never had a honeymoon. We also learn that the head man at Janoth Publications,
Earl Janoth (Laughton), hired George after he cracked a major murder
case on his old newspaper in Wheeling, WV, and control-freak Janoth hasn’t given
George a day off since, always snatching the Stroud family’s vacations from
under them at the very last minute. Adorably enough, George and Georgette have
a young son, George Jr. With the prestige and great salary Crimeways
affords him, George has always been reluctant to say “No” to Janoth,
especially since Janoth does NOT take “No!” for an answer. However, our
hero is getting fed up, big-time! So is Georgette, who sadly notes, “Sometimes
I think you married that magazine instead of me…Little George hardly knows
you...We’re like two strangers sharing an apartment.” George and Georgette do
their best to get as much family time as possible under the circumstances;
perhaps that’s why the Stroud family’s names are all in various versions of the
name “George”— papa George, mama Georgette, and son George Jr., sometimes even
just calling each other “George” just for the heck of it. At least it helps the
family to keep track of each other! You have to wonder how George and Georgette
even got time to start a family!
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| Louise Paterson tries to get her painting back, only to find she's in a bidding war! |
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Meet Pauline York, Janoth's mistress, an aspiring singer.
Is she tired of singing for her supper, or does she have a veiled agenda? |
Time really is money in Earl Janoth’s tight, suffocating world; for instance,
this phone conversation between Janoth’s right-hand man Steve Hagen (George
Macready from
Gilda; Paths of Glory; My Name is Julia Ross):
“On the fourth floor, in the broom closet, a bulb
has been burning for several days. Find the man responsible, dock his pay.”
I know we’re all trying to conserve energy (even back in the 1940s), but Janoth
doesn’t have to be a tyrant about it! In this sharp, twisty manhunt thriller,
the renowned mystery writer Jonathan Latimer
(The Glass Key; They Won’t Believe Me; TV’s
Perry Mason) had
ably adapted Fearing’s novel for the silver screen, with its blend of suspense,
urban cynicism, and smart, snappy dialogue virtually intact. I also find it
intriguing that everything at Janoth Publications seems to be carved in stone,
all cold and unyielding. George does make big money at Janoth Publications,and
it’s always cool to work in the big city, but I’ve also known people like
George, who have grueling hours and no time to themselves, to the detriment of
their family lives, with some co-workers even getting divorces from the pressure.
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| Check out the Crimeways Clue Chart! That'll fix those no-goodniks! |
I happen to
love both the novel and the Paramount movie version of The Big Clock.
The book is more gritty and complex, but there’s also plenty of wry humor in
it, too. For example, in Kenneth Fearing’s novel, the Strouds actually have a
little daughter, Georgia. My husband Vinnie and I always get a kick out of the
scenes with the Stroud family at breakfast; they always crack us up, because
they remind us of our own goofy yet loving family life (not to put the whammy on
it! We’re great believers in not taking our happiness for granted). For
instance, here’s the Stroud family at breakfast in the novel, starting with papa
George:
“Orange juice,” I said,
drinking mine. “These oranges just told me they came from Florida.
My daughter gave me a glance of startled faith. “I didn’t hear anything,” she
said.”
“You didn’t? One of them said they all came from a big ranch near
Jacksonville….”
Here’s
my own favorite Georgia Breakfast Bit Breakfast scene from the novel, where
George regales us with The Adventures of Cynthia! She’s…
“…about five, I think. Or maybe it was seven… (she) also had a habit of
kicking her feet against the table whenever she ate. Day after day, week in
and week out, year after year, she kicked it and kicked it. Then one fine day
the table said, ‘I’m getting pretty tired of this, and with that it pulled back
its leg, and whango, it booted Cynthia clear out of the window. Was she
surprised.”
This one was a complete success. Georgia’s feet pounded in double-time, and she
upset what was left of her milk…”
Some of the
film’s grittier elements were softened a bit in the 1948 film version, probably
for the Breen Office’s sake. For instance, Janoth and Pauline’s fight in the film results
from infidelity between Janoth and his mistress and possible aspiring
blackmailer Pauline York (played by radio actor-turned-film star Rita Johnson
from Here Comes Mr. Jordan; Sleep, My Love; Billy Wilder’s The
Major and the Minor. The film is as gripping as the book, sometimes more so. In Fearing’s novel, our
hero George Stroud talks about the “big clock” which inevitably runs our lives
no matter what:
“Sometimes the hands of the clock actually raced, and at other times they
hardly moved at all. But that made no difference to the big clock…all other
watches have to be set by the big one, which is even more powerful than the
calendar, and to which one automatically adjusts his entire life…”
Keeping in
mind that film is, of course, a visual medium, the “big clock” metaphor becomes
a literal big clock — a huge clock/globe that can tell you the time anywhere in
the world — and lots of little clocks sprinkled all over the headquarters of
Janoth Publications, a Henry Luce/Time-Warner style magazine empire whose
periodicals include ace editor George’s magazine Crimeways , as well as
Airways; Newsways; Sportways; Styleways; etc. in the
1948 film version. Janoth and Pauline’s fight in
the film was the result of infidelity, but in the novel, their affair ends in
murder when each accuses the other of being a closeted gay (keep in mind this
was 1946).
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"Georgette, darling, I was desolate! Thank goodness
this was the film version so I couldn't get into worse trouble!" |
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George and Georgette better enjoy his firing while they can,
before George has to clear himself, by George! |
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Henchman Bill doesn't talk much, but I bet he's thinking:
"Life is too short to massage this jerk! I'm joining the Army"! |
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| What's this? A sundial, used for a shady purpose! |
It’s not all family fun and games when Earl Janoth’s mistress, Pauline York (Rita
Johnson
of The Major and the Minor; Sleep, My Love; Susan Slept Here)
overhears George justifiably bellyaching to Janoth’s right hand man, Steve Hagen
(George Macready from
Gilda; Paths of Glory; My Name is Julia Ross) about
his treatment at Janoth’s hands. At the Van Barth bar, Pauline tries to involve
George in a blackmail scheme targeting Janoth, but George isn’t interested,
though he
does finally stand up to Janoth, getting himself fired and
blackballed, and drowns his sorrows at the bar with Pauline, only to realize too
late that he missed his train, with his disappointed family already heading to
West Virginia without him. It’s
The Lost Weekend
time as the tipsy George and Pauline go on a bar crawl all over the East Side of
Manhattan, hunting for green clocks to spite Janoth on behalf of a colleague who
was fired for wanting to use red ink. Sheesh, Ray Milland’s characters really
need to knock off the booze! Didn’t Ray Milland learn anything from
The Lost
Weekend? George and Pauline drop by Burt’s
Place (Frank Orth from
; Lady in the Lake; Wonder Man,
and of course,
The Lost Weekend), where you can find anything
from a bubble to a sundial, in keeping with the time theme. The tipsy George
and Pauline keep the sundial as a souvenir. George is also lucky enough to get
a painting by George’s favorite artist, Louise Patterson (Lanchester) . Of
course, she’d probably appreciate it more if George hadn’t taken it from her in
an impromptu auction, as she huffs, “It’s a pity the wrong people have money!”
In Fearing’s
novel, Janoth’s mistress is Pauline Delos. Janoth and
Pauline have a far more heated quarrel in this version, starting with sex
between George and Pauline, which they’d apparently been doing for some time!
For people who are always swamped, they always seem to find time to be frisky!
Anyway, one night, after a visit to Pauline’s pad, Janoth spots George in the
shadows; fortunately, he couldn’t actually see George clearly. This time,
Janoth and Pauline have a far more heated argument in the novel as they each
draw first blood. Compare and contrast each version:
The Movie Version:
Janoth: “At least this time he wears a clean shirt.”
Pauline: “Are you bringing that up again? Throwing that cab
driver in my face? You never forget him, do you?”
Janoth: “No. Do you?”
Pauline: “No, you cheap imitation Napolean!
Janoth: “And you don’t forget the bellboy or the lifeguard last
summer, or the tout at Saratoga, and who knows how many others? You don’t
forget any of them, including the one to come.”
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George leads the Crimeways manhunt for "Jefferson Randolph," with ace investigator Bert Finch!
He saved us all from The Thing from Another World, for goodness' sake! |
Pauline: “Do you think you could
make any woman happy? Have you lived this long without knowing that everybody
laughs at ya behind your back? You’d be You’d be pathetic if you weren’t so
disgusting!” (Ouch!)
The Novel’s Version
(Prepare for swear words and adult situations!)
“At least this time, it’s a man.”
“Are you bringing that thing up again? Throwing
Alice in my face?...You talk. You, of all people….What about you and Steve
Hagen?...Do you think I’m blind? Did I ever see you two together when you
weren’t camping?...As if you weren’t married to that guy, all your life…Go on,
you son of a bitch, try to act surprised.”
Well, Pauline is surprised, all right—dead surprised when Janoth loses it,
killing Pauline in a fit of rage! Whango—was Pauline ever surprised!
Which just goes to show that booze, adultery, and vicious insults are no way to
go through life, kids! In the film version, George and Pauline’s relationship
in the film ends as fast as it starts, with him waking up fully-clothed on her
couch after their pub crawl. Seeing Janoth’s car on the street, Pauline hustles
the dazed George out the door. Alas, Janoth is outside waiting for his turn with
the sly blonde. Though he doesn’t see George’s face as he slips out of sight,
Janoth still suspects the worst. He lets Pauline have it, bludgeoning her with
the heavy sundial, killing her instantly. The tight close-ups on the quarreling
lovers’ angry faces, especially Janoth’s; nobody’s jowls quiver like Charles
Laughton’s! In any case, these scene adds enough intensity to make up for the
bowdlerized argument before the murder.
The desperate but wily Janoth gets a brainwave: he’ll have Steve rig the clues
to misdirect suspicion, and he’ll recruit the crack staff of
Crimeways to track down the
culprit, catching a killer and boosting magazine sales at the same time—and who
better to lead the manhunt than our own George Stroud! George can’t turn Janoth
down this time; by leading the investigation, he can help to save himself do
with some clever misdirection, buying time for our hero to find the real killer
as the tension mounts ; George is actually doing double duty as both cat
and
mouse! If George doesn’t deserve a huge bonus if he escapes this nightmare, I
don’t know who does! Fans of TV’s Harry Morgan of M*A*S*H fame will get a
swell change of pace as a superbly sinister henchman!
On a bittersweet note, Rita Johnson didn’t quite live happily ever after. In a
twist of fate, Rita was seriously injured at a beauty parlor when a 40-pound
hood which apparently frequently fell to the floor frequently. Nowadays, she’d
lawyer up and sue those dopes! There were also rumors that Rita’s then-beau,
Broderick Crawford (who went on to win an Oscar for
All The King’s Men)
had roughed her up, but there was no proof. Rita managed to get supporting
roles, but she was never really the same, and she died at the age of 52.To
borrow a line from
North by Northwest,
it’s so horribly sad, how is it I feel like laughing?
https://lareviewofbooks.org/essay/the-booby-trapped-life-of-rita-johnson
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| R.I.P. to Pauline York, would-be blackmailer. The cleaning lady isn't gonna like this! |
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Louise Patterson: "I think I've captured this mood rather successfully, don't you?
(Actual dialogue from the film as George is aided and abbetted by Louise!) |
Check out
The Los Angeles Review of Books for more on “The Booby-Trapped
Life of Rita Johnson” by Matt Weinstock (August 13, 2013).”
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Leave it to a radio actor to help George save his bacon!
(Lloyd Corrigan is one of Team Bartilucci's favorite character actors!) |
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Baby, you're the greatest! Wheeling, West Virginia,
we're going home, for keeps! |
Milland’s
superb performance balances suavity, sympathy, and desperation. He and
O’Sullivan ring true as a loving couple whose relationship is being sorely
tested. Laughton is marvelously odious and sadistic with a pathetic
undercurrent. Macready makes a stylishly devious right-hand man. The supporting
cast includes a silent, sinister young Harry Morgan as a masseur-cum-henchman.
I was delighted to see one of our favorite character actors, Douglas Spencer of
Double Indemnity and The Thing from Another World as
Crimeways
reporter Bert Finch (not to be confused with Burt from Burt’s Place,
played by Frank Orth); and the ever-jolly Lloyd Corrigan (the Boston Blackie
films; It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World; The Manchurian Candidate)
played Burt’s pal, a radio actor of a thousand guises, including the faux
suspect known only as “Jefferson Randolph.” TBC has been reworked
twice, as 1987’s No Way Out
and 2003’s Out of Time.
They’re both fun movies, but TBC is still my favorite version
of the story.
