Tag Archives: Boxing
It's A Hard World: Backfire (1950)
"You're amusing, Mr. Connolly… and hard.
It's a hard world."
So like Dial 1119 (1950), this film came on the Film Noir Classic Collection, Volume 5. Out of all the films on this set this seems to be the one everyone dislikes the most.
To be honest, I just don't get it.
I didn't think it was as horrible as everyone else said. In fact I thought it was pretty good and I enjoyed it.
One of the reasons why many people don't like this is because it is a bit unusual. This postwar film was written to show the hardships about G.I.s coming back into civilian life, trying to find work, etc; kind of like The Best Years of Our Lives. However the project was pushed back two years, being premiered in 1950; where that type of story wasn't as popular. Too much and too little time had past.
The film is also set at Christmas, being a Christmas Noir film like Lady in the Lake, and not something a lot of people enjoyed. It is supposed to be a juxtaposition between the "happiest time of the year" fused with the dark underbelly; and while you think that would be a winner, not a lot of people like it.
Also at this time, studio's owned actors and actress. This meant that as an employee they couldn't just make whatever film they wanted to, it was the decision of the head of the studio; however on the flip side they always got paid whether they were in a film or not. These actors were Edmond O'Brien, Virginia Mayo, Dane Clark, Viveca Lindfors and Richard Rober.
So let's talk a look shall we?
So the film starts out with WWII veteran, Bob Corey (Gordon MacRae) recuperating in a hospital in the LA area. They never say exactly what happened but he has been undergoing several operations and had some severe psychological trauma.
Aw, man.
He and his friend Steve Connolly (Edmond O' Brien) met in the war and planned on going to California, buying a ranch, and living their days there. That was before Bob had his accident. Steve comes to visit him at the hospital, suggesting they use their money to buy a gas station while they are waiting for Bob to recover, as who knows how long it will take.
Bob says no, and Steve says fine he will try to find some other work. He tells Bob he'll be back in a few days. But that is the last Bob hears of him.
Bob has been worried about Steve, and his nurse and girlfriend, Julie Bensen (Virginia Mayo) tries to get him not to worry, but he just can't stop.
He has ten days left, and after he receives his clean bill of health he will be out searching for him.
That night he is asleep when he is visited by an Austrian beauty, Lysa (Viveca Lindfors). She tells him she is a friend of Steve's and that he is in horrible pain. Should she end it or have him keep fighting. Bob says to wait, he will be out in ten days and can help then. The next morning, Bob can't tell if it was real, or all a dream?
On New Year's Eve, Bob is finally released. He says good-bye to Julie as he is out to search for Steve. He hasn't gone far when he is stopped by Captain Garcia. It turns out that Steve is wanted as he is a suspect in a murder.
Steve? A murderer?
It turns out that before the war Steve was involved in all kinds of underhanded things and has quite the reputation. Sully Blayne, racketeer, was murdered, shot to death.
They think Steve is guilty, but Bob is certain that Steve wouldn't do such a thing.
Now the film is told in the present time, with a series of flashbacks. We see Sully being killed, but the angle and lighting make it impossible for us to see who the killer is.
Victim #1
Could it be Steve?
Bob is intent on finding out what happened.
On the case
He moves into the room Steve was staying and interviews the cleaning lady. She has a flashback about how Sully would comes to see Steve many times. She gives him a card that Steve dropped. It is for a mortician.
Bob heads out to the funeral home and it turns out to be Ben Arno, his old military buddy. Bob is a little weird out about the "dead" thing, but when Ben couldn't open a nightclub, too much red tape and the bank's didn't feel he was a safe investment, he decided to take another route. After all:
And taxes
We flashback to when Arno bumped into Steve. He went to a boxing match and found Steve there getting pummeled.
After the show he goes to speak to him, and finds out that Steve is getting paid good money to lose the match every day. Arno gives him is card and tries to get him to work for him, but Steve is also creeped out and says no. And that is the last Arno saw of him.
Bob goes back to the hotel and takes care of Steve's charges that he "ran out on". One was a phone call, and he takes the number. When he calls he reaches a women at the end and pretends to be Steve and finds out about Steve's girlfriend Lyssa Radoff. He gets her address and heads to the house.
When he gets there he finds a note about the key, discovers its hiding place and waits. Lyssa doesn't come, but her roommate, Bonnie, does. Bonnie tells them how Steve and Lisa first met.
Lyssa is Lou Walsh's woman, even though she doesn't love him.
Part of her duties are singing in his club. Steve left boxing to work for Lou Walsh and as his gofer, he has to fetch Lyssa to take her to his private residence. Unlike Walsh's other men, Steve is always polite and treats all the women (call girls) right. Lyssa begins to fall in love with Steve, and he with her.
Bonnie starts to question Bob, and when she leaves to make coffee, Bob runs out. Shortly after Bonnie is shot, murdered by the unseen Walsh.
Captain Garcia brings Bob and Julie in, claiming that they are messing up the investigation. He blames Bob for Bonnie's death, telling him he should have called and given him the phone number instead of leading the killer right to her.
Before Garcia could continue his wringing out, they receive a call about Walsh's wounded butler, Quong. Quong claims that he has information on Steve's whereabouts, and everyone runs out to see him. Quong is suffering from a bullet wound, but starts to give his testimony in another flashback.
Quong didn't buttle for Walsh, but his girl Lyssa, in the extravagant home that Walsh bought her. To keep her safe and from any other men, Walsh instituted Steve as Lyssa's bodyguard. But this caused the two's love to grow and grow.
Especially when you fall for a mobster's girl.
After Sully was killed, Walsh told them both to remain in Lyssa's house as they would be safe there. That night Lyssa and Steve declared their love, planning on running away together. Steve leaves to go tell Walsh and he owes him for all the help he has given him. However, unbeknownst to them, Walsh heard everything and released the parking brake, so that it rolls down and crushes Steve.
AAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Walsh calls a doctor to come visit and care for Steve.
Quong was shot by Walsh, as he knew too much. The police try to get an address out of him, but it is too late. He's dead.
Afterwards Bob and Julie are talking about what they found out when Bob wonders why Walsh would call a doctor when he wanted Steve dead. Julie points out that he did it for Lyssa, who thought it was an accident and not attempted murder. Julie then gets an idea and calls Mrs. Blayne, Sully's wife, to see what doctor came to check on him. She tells Julie that it is Dr. Herbert Anstead.
Julie goes off in her nurse's uniform and breaks into the office by telling the janitor that she is one of Anstead's nurses. While there Anstead returns and Julie has to hide from him. Anstead is about to destroy Steve's file, when he is interrupted by the janitor asking when he and the nurse are leaving.
Anstead tries to find the nurse, while Julie attempts to smuggle out the file. Unfortunately she is caught by Andstead. Julie yells at Anstead telling him he will become an accessory to murder and Anstead shocked at this, locks Julie in the closet and calls Bob to let him know where Steve is. But Anstead is interrupted by Walsh, and killed.
Man bodies are dropping everywhere. In the words of Angels with Filthy Souls:
Don't gimme that! You've been killin' everybody! Sully, Bonnie, Quong, etc.
Bob rushes over to the address. Meanwhile Julie is let out by the janitor and calls the police, relaying the murder and the address.
When Bob reaches the house he finds Walsh and it is none other than his old pal……………………….
Get it together!
So obs
It is Ben Arno.
Ben couldn't have the nightclub as Ben, so instead he led this double life of Lou Walsh. Steve was boxing because he owed Sully money, Ben paid him off and gave him a job for him.
Bob is trying to find Steve, but Ben doesn't believe him. He thinks that he is in love with Lyssa and trying to get her.
Ben is obsessed with Lyssa and can be the only one who has her. He did everything he could to make her happy; clothes, jewelry, house, etc. But Lyssa doesn't love him.
On the night he injured Steve, he called the doctor to save him for Lyssa, as Lyssa thought it was an accident. However, when she found out there was nothing wrong with the brakes on her car she wanted to leave. But Arno didn't want her to go and strangles her.
How quickly love turns to hate.
They say "love" can quickly turn to obsession, and when one is obsessed they will do all they can to have that person. Even kill them.
Bob asks why he didn't just kill Steve as that is the one he doesn't like, but Arno couldn't have him be a martyr and he needed someone to talk to about Lyssa. Everyone else was dead. Steve doesn't know that he killed her, he thinks she just ran off on them.
While they are talking, Steve has very slowly walked down the stairs as his body is covered in braces. Arno is about to shoot Bob, and Steve jumps on him, saving him just in time.
Arno gets up and Bob tells him the police are almost there, and we can currently hear the sirens. Arno tries to make a break for it, but is killed. Pretty high body count…
In the next scene we see that Steve is alive and has recovered. He is leaving the same hospital that Bob was at. Bob and Julie pick him up and take him to their new ranch, Happy Ranch.
I liked it. I wasn't quite sure who Walsh was but I never thought it would be the mortician. That was a good twist.
I liked how the theme of "backfire" played well into the character of Steve. He was always trying ti do something good and it backfired. I liked the actors, and I didn't mind the flashbacks. I thought it was very well done.
Plus I thought the filming was done very well. We have some great angles when hiding the identity of the killer, the shadows on the wall instead of the characters, the scene when Julie is looking for case, etc.
It was some good watching.
To start Horrorfest V from the beginning, go to Who You Gonna Call?: Ghostbusters (1984)
For the previous post, go to Heroes are Not Born, They're Created: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)
For more on the Film Noir Classic Collection Volume 5, The Mad Killer: Dial 1119 (1950)
For more film-noir, go to I Do Think You Are Confused Mrs. Bowman: Dangerous Crossing (1953)
For more films told in flashbacks, go to What Have We Done to Each Other?: Gone Girl (2014)
For more Jean Froissant, go to Dreaming of the Sandman
Posted in Horrorfest V
Tagged Angels with Filthy Souls, Backfire (1950), Ben Arno, Bob Corey, Bonnie, Boxing, Captain Garcia, Christmas, Christmas Noir, Curse, Dane Clark, Death, Dial 1119, Edmund O'Brien, Film Noir Classic Collection Volume 5, Film-Noir, Flashbacks, Gordon MacRae, Happy Ranch, Jean Froissart, Julie Bensen, Lady in the Lake, Lou Walsh, Lyssa Radoff, Mortician, Murder, New Year's Eve, Postwar, psychological trauma, Richard Rober, Shot, Steve Connolly, Sully Blayne, The Best Years of Our Lives, Virginia Mayo, Viveca Lindfors, WWII
Here we are, another song on the "Getting Over a Heartbreak" series:
27) Be Good to Yourself by Journey
This song came out in 1986, and quickly climbed the charts as number 10 on Billboard's Hot 100.
Be Good to Yourself was a mantra that lead singer Steve Perry would say over and over. Jonathan Cain, the keyboardist, wrote it down and it later was turned into a song. At the time period, Perry was dealing with home issues and a dying mother. It took them five months to write the complete thing.
The song was written by Perry, Cain, and Neal Schon. This actually saw the leaving of bassiest, Ross Valory and drummer, Steve Smith; replaced by Larrie Londin and Randy Jackson.
I included it in this songlist, as after a breakup, it is always important to remember to be good to yourself. Not only as in taking care of yourself as in making sure that you don't go off the deep end in letting yourself go. You should also make sure that you are going out, living your life, etc.
Runnin' out of self-control
Gettin' close to an overload
Up against a no win situation
Shoulder to shoulder, push and shove
I'm hangin' up my boxin' gloves
I'm ready for a long vacation
Be good to yourself when, nobody else will
Oh be good to yourself
You're walkin' a high wire, caught in a cross fire
When you can't give no more
They want it all but you gotta say no
I'm turnin' off the noise that makes me crazy
Lookin' back with no regrets
To forgive is to forget
I want a little piece of mind to turn to
To start the series from the beginning, go to If It Means A Lot to You
To go to the previous post, go to Whip It
For more on Journey, go to Don't Stop Believin'
For more on '80s songs go to Here I Go Again
For more of my fav songs, go to Highway Star
For more on "Getting Over a Broken Heart", go to The Lining is Silver
For more on Steve Perry and Jonathan Cain, go to I'll Be Alright Without You
For more on The Notebook, go to I Love You Anyway
For more of my fav quotes, go to The America I Love
Tagged '80s Music, Accept What You Can't Change, Acceptance, All About the '80s, All Kinds of Crazy, Bass Guitarist, Be Good To Yourself, Billboard Hot 100, Boxing, Boxing Gloves, Breakup, Breathe, Can't Change Someone, Candlelight, Candlelit, Carry On, Courageous, Crazy, Crazy People, Cross Fire, Deep End, Different, Don't Go Off the Deep End, Don't Worry, Drummer, Dying Dying Mother, Fall in Love, First Breakup, Forget, Forgive, Forgive and Forget, Getting Over a Broken Heart, Go Crazy, Going Crazy, Going Out, Heartbreak, High Wire, Home Issues, Jonathan Cain, Journey, Keyboardist, Larrie Londin, Laughs, Lead Singer, Life Will Change, Live Life, Live Your Life, Look On the Bright Side, Mantra, Neal Schon, No Point, No Regrets, No Win Situation, Not Being Second, On Vacation, Over and Over, Overload, Pain of Breakup, Passion, People Exist, Push, Quiet Conversations, Randy Jackson, Romance, Ross Valory, Self-Control, Shove, Simple, Something Different, Something Else, Song, Steve Perry, Steve Smith, The Notebook, Thing Happen, Time, Time Period, Unexpected Things Were Going to Happen, Vacation