In a Lonely Place (1950) at 75

"I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks while she loved me." (Dixon Steele, In a Lonely Place)

In 1950 two films took somewhat scathing looks at Hollywood. The better known of the two movies was Sunset Boulevard (1950), which is still well-known even to the average person. While In a Lonely Place (1950) might not be as famous as Sunset Boulevard (1950), the film is also a somewhat critical examination of the film industry as it was at the time. And like, Sunset Boulevard (19500, it is also a classic film noir.

In a Lonely Place (1950) centres on screenwriter Dixon Steele (Humphrey Bogart), who hasn't had a hit since before World War II. He drinks a bit too much and he has a violent temper. Having been hired to adapt the novel Althea Bruce as a film, Dixon Steele takes hat check girl Mildred Atkinson (Martha Stewart) to his apartment so she can tell him the plot of the novel so he doesn't actually have to read it. Unfortunately, Mildred is murdered after having left Dix's apartment, and Dix is a suspect. It is at the police station that Dix meets his neighbour, Laurel Gray (Gloria Grahame), with whom he begins  relationship. 

It was in 1948 that Humphrey Bogart formed his own production company, Santana Productions. For Santanta's very first film, Knock on Any Door (1949), Humphrey Bogart hired director Nicholas Ray, fresh from his success with They Live By Night (1948). Humphrey Bogart and Nicholas Ray's next collaboration would be very loosely based the 1947novel In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes. The novel differed a good deal from the film. While Dixon Steele served in World War II in both the novel and the film, in the novel he is not a screenwriter and, what is more, he is an outright serial killer who has been strangling women around Los Angeles. 

Edmund North, who had written such films as Dishonored Lady (1947) and Flamingo Road (1949), was hired to adapt the novel In a Lonely Place as a film. While Edmond North made some changes, his initial script stayed closer to the novel than the movie would ultimately be. Andrew Solt developed the screenplay based on Edmund North's previous adaptation into the film we now know. In turn, director Nicholas Ray rewrote Andrew Solt's work. In fact, Nicholas Ray reworked the original ending of the movie, in which Dixon Steele strangles Laurel Gray to death. Nicholas Ray couldn't bear to end the movie in such a way, and so he dismissed everyone from the set except Humphrey Bogart, Art Smith (who played Dixon Steele's agent Mel Lippman), and Gloria Grahame, and they extemporized the ending as we now know it. Ultimately,what had been an ex-airman turned killer in the novel In a Lonely Place became a Hollywood screenwriter with a violent temper in the movie In a Lonely Place (1950).  It is a bit of an in-joke in In the Lonely Place (1950) that the fictional screenplay Dixon Steele wrote for the fictional novel Althea Bruce departs from the book in much the way the movie In a Lonely Place (1950) departs from the novel. 

If it had been up to Humphrey Bogart and screenwriter Edmund North, In a Lonely Place (1950) might have had a slightly different cast. They wanted to cast Laurel Bacall, then married to Humphrey Bogart, as Laurel Gray. As it turned out, Jack Warner, Bogey's former boss, refused to loan her out for the film. The role of Laurel Gray then went to Gloria Grahame, who was married to director Nicholas Ray at the time. Gloria Grahame and Nicholas Ray's marriage was coming apart even as they were making In a Lonely Place (1950) and they actually separated during the production of the film. Gloria Grahame and Nicholas Ray eventually divorced in 1952. 

As to the remainder of the cast, Art Smith, who played Dixon Steele's agent Mel Lippman, had appeared in such films as Brute Force (1947), T-Men (1947), and Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948). Frank Lovejoy, who played Dixon Steele's friend and police detective Brub Nicolai, was best known for his work in radio when he made In a Lonely Place (1950). He had worked on such radio shows as Gay Nineties Revue, Gang Busters, and This is Your FBI. Jeff Donnell (birth name Jean Marie Donnell) played Brub's wife Sylvia and had appeared in movies from My Sister Eileen (1942) to Roughshod (1949). 

For the most part, In a Lonely Place (1950) was filmed on sound stages at Columbia/Sunset Gower Studios. Paul's Restaurant was not an actual location, but a set inspired by the real-life Beverly Hills restaurant Romanoff's. Similarly, the Beverly Patio Apartments of the film were based on Villa Primavera in West Hollywood, where director Nicholas Ray had lived at one time. While most of the scenes at the Beverly Patio Apartments were filmed on a sound stage, the exterior of Villa Primavera actually does appear in some scenes in the movie. Other real-life locations in the film include Beverly Hills City Hall and Will Rogers State Beach. 

In a Lonely Place (1950) premiered in New York City on May 17, 1950. Afterwards, it gradually opened throughout the United States over the next few months. For instance, it opened in New Jersey, Indiana, and elsewhere in June 1950 and in Missouri, Illinois, and elsewhere in July 1950.  It would be in August that In a Lonely Place (1950) would open in the city in which it was set, Los Angeles. Interestingly enough, some theatres other than those owned by Paramount and RKO decided to show In a Lonely Place (1950) together with another movie critical of Hollywood, Sunset Boulevard (1950), as a double feature. An example of this was the Lux Theatre in Oakland, California.

For the most part, In a Lonely Place (1950) received positive reviews. Jerry Cahill, writing in the Martinez News-Gazette from Martinez, California, wrote of the film, "The picture's over-all effect suffers a bit from the episodic nature of the script, and a moderately paced second half while the romance unfolds, but it winds up 100 per cent a Bogart vehicle, and that is the requirement. The Variety staff wrote, "ector Nicholas Ray maintains nice suspense. Bogart is excellent. Gloria Grahame, as his romance, also rates kudos." Even Bosley Crowther of The New York Times liked In a Lonely Place (1950), writing, "Humphrey Bogart is in top form in his latest independently made production, In a Lonely Place, and the picture itself is a superior cut of melodrama." 

While In a Lonely Place (1950) received mostly good notices from critics, it did not perform particularly well at the box office. It only made  $1.4 million. For the year 1950, this placed it at no. 85 of the 100 top grossing films of 1950 according to the Wednesday, January 3, 1951, issue of Variety. It seems possible that part of the blame for the film's poor performance at the box office may have been its promotional campaign. The film was promoted more or less as a mainstream suspense film, with such slogans as "The Bogart suspense film with the surprise finish," "Suspense! Intrigue! Suspicion!," and "Suspense...mounting to an exciting surprise finish!" While In a Lonely Place (1950) is most certainly what would come to be known as "film noir" and can certainly be counted in the crime, thriller, and suspense genres, the film is so much more than that. Indeed, audiences may have gone into theatres expecting a straightforward suspense film only to be confronted with a study of a complex character (Dixon Steele) and a critique of the film industry.

Indeed, in some ways In a Lonely Place (1950) is even more critical of the film industry than its contemporary Sunset Boulevard (1950). In In a Lonely Place (1950), a writer (or an actor or director) is truly only as good as his last picture. Early in the film director Lloyd Barnes (Morris Anktrum) makes not of the fact that Dix has not had a hit since before World War II, to which Dix replies that Barnes hasn't had a flop in twenty years "...because you've made and remade the same picture for the last twenty years. You know what you are? You're a popcorn salesman." Lloyd then informs Dix that he is pretty much a popcorn salesman as well. Alcoholic actor Charlie Waterman (Robert Warwick) is an even worse position than Dixon Steele is. At one time an idol of the silent matinee, Charlie now finds it hard to get jobs. While Dix still respects him, no one else does. It is clear that a producer/director nicknamed "Junior" (Lewis Howard) only has his position because he is the son-in-law of a studio executive. While there is some concern that Dix's adaptation of the novel Althea Bruce may depart too much for the source material for producer Brody's liking, it turns out the producer loves Dix's screenplay anyway. The general impression of Hollywood in In a Lonely Place (1950) is that it is a place where the emphasis is placed on making money, not making art.

Of course, even if Hollywood in In a Lonely Place (1950) wasn't a lonely place, chances are good that Dixon Steele might still have problems. Dix has a volatile temper, and he assaults more than one person throughout the film. Despite the fact that its most famous line (""I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks while she loved me.") is one of the most romantic lines in movie history, I suspect most people would be hesitant to describe Dix and Laurel's relationship as a romance. While Dix and Laurel appear to love each other (at the very least, they are very attracted to each other), Dix is often downright abusive to Laurel. Although the movie never explicitly states that Dix has a mental disorder, it seems obvious that he probably does. Dixon Steele's behaviour could fit either borderline personality disorder or bipolar II disorder. 

While In a Lonely Place (1950) did not perform particularly well at the box office, it has since grown in reputation to become considered one of the greatest film noirs of all time. It certainly has had an impact on pop culture. The Smithereens' song "In a Lonely Place" from their 1986 album Especially for You was inspired by the movie and even paraphrases its most famous line with its chorus, ", "I was born the day I met you, lived a while when you loved me, died a little when we broke apart." Electronic music duo Goldfrapp's song "Laurel," from their 2013 album Tales of Us, was inspired by Laurel Gray from In a Lonely Place (1950). In the Frasier episode, "Slow Tango in South Seattle,"  the opening lines of author Thomas Jay Fallow's book is a parody of the most famous lines from In a Lonely Place (1950), "I budded when you kissed me. I withered when you left me. I bloomed a few months while you loved me." The film has been referenced in movies from Barton Fink (1991) to L.A. Confidential (1997) to Mulholland Dr. (2001). 

In a Lonely Place (1950) was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2007. It has also appeared on several lists of the greatest films of all time, including Time Magazine's  "Best Movies of All Time" and Slant Magazine's "100 Best Film Noirs," A very good argument can be made that it features one of Humphrey Bogart's best performances and one of Gloria Grahame's best performances. A critique of Hollywood as it was in 1950, a relationship drama between two damaged people, a crime film, In a Lonely Place (1950) is all of this and more.

A Pictorial Tribute to Rock Hudson on His Centennial

It was 100 years ago today that Rock Hudson was born Roy Harold Scherer Jr. in Winnetka, Illinois. Rock Hudson would go onto become one of the top leading men of the Fifties and Sixties. From 1957 to 1964, he ranked each year in th Quigley poll of the top ten money making stars. While no longer the major star he was in the Fifties and Sixties, in the Seventies, Rock Hudson found success on television on the TV series MacMillan & Wife, as well as TV movies and mini-series. Sadly, Rock Hudson contracted the HIV virus and died on October 2, 1985, at the age of 59. He was the first major American celebrity to die from an AIDS-related disease. 

In tribute to Rock Hudson, here are some photos from throughout his career.

Rock Hudson made his film debut in uncredited part in the movie Fighter Squadron in 1948. Here he is with Walter Reed in a still from the movie.

Rock Hudson's first starring role was as legendary Old West outlaw John Wesley Hardin in The Lawless Breed in 1953. Here he is with Julie Adams.

It would be with Douglas Sirk's remake of the 1935 melodrama Magnificent Seven (1954) that Rock Hudson would achieve stardom. Rock Hudson had worked with Douglas Sirk before and would work with him in further melodramas, such as All That Heaven Allows (1955), which also reunited him with his Magnificent Seven co-star Jane Wyman.

Giant (1956) would be the highest grossing film of Rock Hudson's career, grossing  $454 million when adjusted for inflation. The film was still being shown on network television and it may have well have been where I first saw Mr. Hudson (the other possibility was his TV show MacMillan & Wife, which I will get to shortly).

As much money as Giant (1956), many people may best know Rock Hudson for Pillow Talk (1959), the first of three sex comedies he made with Doris Day. The other two, Love Come Back (1961) and Send Me No Flowers (1964) also proved very successful, and established Rock Hudson as an actor firmly identified with the sex comedy genre. The two stars certainly got along, and Rock Hudson and Doris Day remained friends until he died.

Pillow Talk (1959) established Rock Hudson as a star of romantic comedies. One of favourites is Come September (1961) with Gina Lollobrigida. 

Rock Hudson appeared in more than melodramas and sex comedies. Seconds (1966) was a science fiction psychological horror movie directed by John Frankenheimer. 

Rock Hudson also appeared in an espionage thriller. Ice Station Zebra (1968) remains one of his most popular films among men of a certain age.

Rock Hudson's movie carer having declined, in the Seventies he turned to television. McMillan & Wife debuted in 1971 as part of the wheel show NBC Mystery Movie. It starred Rock Hudson as Police Commissioner Stuart "Mac" McMillan and Susan Saint James as his wife Sally. It proved to be one of the most popular parts of the NBC Mystery Movie. Susan Saint James left in 1976 due to a contract dispute, and the series continued as simply McMillan, but it wasn't the same.

Following the cancellation of McMillan, Rock Hudson appeared in TV movies and miniseries such as The Martian Chronicles. It was in 1982 that he starred in another series, albeit one that was short-lived The Devlin Connection starred Rock Hudson as Brian Devlin, a former military intelligence officer and private eye who finds himself assisting his long lost son, private eye Nick Corsello (Jack Scalia). It only lasted 13 episodes.

Rock Hudson's last role was on the night-time soap opera Dynasty, where he played Daniel Reece, a wealthy horse breeder and a love interest for Krystle (Linda Evans). He appeared in nine episodes before having to drop out due to his declining health.

The Rez: A Nineties Canadian Drama TV Series

Darrell Dennis, Ryan Rajendra Black, and Jennifer Podemski

It has only been the past few years, with the debuts of such shows as Rutherford Falls, Reservation Dogs, and Dark Winds that there have shows centered on Native Americans in any number on American television, and even then Native Americans are still underrepresented. Canadian television has been a bit better with regards to its Indigenous population, although even then First Nations peoples have been underrepresented on Canadian television. That having been said, while American television featured no shows centred on Native Americans, a short-lived show called The Rez, set in an  in an Ojibwe community, aired on CBC Television.

The Rez centred on a group of teenagers living on an Ojibwe reservation in Ottawa. Ryan Rajendra Black starred as Silas Crow, who wants to be a writer. His best friend was Frank Fencepost (Darrell Dennis), who spends most of  his time playing table hockey at the bar and chasing women. Silas's girlfriend  Sadie Maracle (Jennifer Podemski) was something of an Indigenous activist. Frank had an on again/off again relationship with Lucy Pegahmagabow (Tamara Podemski), who wanted to sing on Broadway. 

The origins of The Rez go back to the short story collection Dance Outside Me by  W. P. Kinsella, which was published in 1977. The short stories were narrated by eighteen year-old Silas Ermineskin and are set on a Cree reservation in Alberta. Dance Outside Me was adapted as the 1995 movie of the same name, starring Ryan Black as Silas Crow, Adam Beach as Frank Fencepost, and Jennifer Podemski as Sadie Maracle. The movie saw a a major change from the short stories in the anthology. While the short stories are set in Alberta, the movie is set in Northern Ontario. Dance with Me (1995) premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on September 9, 1994. It was released in Canada and the United States on March 10, 1995. Legendary director Norman Jewison was an executive producer on the film.

The Rez was essentially a spinoff from Dance Outside Me. It retained Ryan Rajedra Black as Silas Crow and Jennifer Podemski as Sadie Maracle, but Darrell Dennis took over the role of Frank Fencepost. As to Adam Beach, he was cast in the recurring role of the chief's son, Charlie. It debuted in 1996 and had a first season of six episodes. The Rez returned for a second season in 1997 of 13 episodes. The Rez ended its run after two seasons and 19 episodes. I was unable to find out if CBC cancelled the show or its producers simply decided to bring it to an end.

Regardless, while The Rez did not run long, some of its cast would go onto other things. Adam Beach went onto play Jim Chee in The Navajo Mysteries, a three-episode series based on Tony Hillerman's novels that aired on PBS's show Mystery, as well as Law & Order: SVU. Kari Matchett would go onto be part of the cast of A&E's Nero Wolfe, and appear on the shows Leverage, Covert Affairs, and The Good Doctor. The show also featured already established actors Gary Farmer and Elaine Miles.

In 1997, Jennifer Podemski was nominated for the Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role. The following year,  Ryan Rajendra Black was nominated for the Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role, while guest star Patricia Collins was nominated for Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series.

While the complete series of The Rez was released on DVD in 2009, the show is widely available. It is not on any streaming services. Even on YouTube, there are no complete episodes, only a few collections of clips from the show. This is regrettable, as The Rez is one of the earliest shows to deal with Indigenous characters in Canada, and it aired at a time when shows centred on Indigenous characters were unknown in the United States as well. 

Powwow Highway (1989)

Even with such TV shows as Reservation Dogs and Dark Winds and movies such as Prey (2022) and Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), Native Americans are severely underrepresented. As hard as it is to believe, the situation was even worse in the Eighties. During that decade, for the most part the only time a Native American character might appear on the big screen or the television screen might be a Western. This was why the independent feature Powwow Highway (1989) was so remarkable at the time of its release. Not only did have it a primarily Native American cast, but it was set in the present day.

In Powwow Highway (1989), Buddy Red Bow (A Martinez), a member of the Northern Cheyenne of Lane Deer, Montana, must make it to Santa Fe, New Mexico, as his sister, Bonnie Red Bow (Joanelle Romero), has been framed for drug trafficking. To get there, he enlists the aid of an acquaintance, Philbert Bono (Gary Farmer), who has just acquired a beat-up 1964 Buick Wildcat, which he refers as his "pony" and has named "Protector." Together the two take a circuitous trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico to free Red Bow's sister. The two travelling companions could not be more different. Buddy Red Bow is practical, if quick-tempered, and does not think the old stories can answer today's problems. Philbert Bono not only has faith in the old stories, but has sacred visions and aspires to find his medicine.

Powwow Highway (1989) was based on the 1979, self-published novel of the same name by David Seals. Actor Carl Kraines, who would serve as an associate producer on the film, read the novel and brought it to the attention of screenwriters Janet Heaney and Jean Stawarz. According to a Variety article from May 29, 1989, David Seals sold the screen rights to the novel in 1985  for $10,000. Once they had completed the screenplay, Janet Heaney and Jean Starwartz approached, Jonathan Wacks, who had produced the cult classic Repo Man (1984). Powwow Highway (1989) would mark Jonathan Wacks's feature film directorial debut. Ultimately, the film would be produced by HandMade Films, a company founded by former Beatle George Harrison and his business partner Denis O'Brien. At this point, HandMade Films had already produced such films as Life of Brian (1979), Time Bandits (1981), and Runaway Train (1985).

Powwow Highway (1989) was made on a budget of only $3 million. An August 12, 1987 article in Variety, shooting was underway in Sheridan, Wyoming. Powwow Highway (1989) was shot at the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana, the Nambe Reservation in New Mexico, and Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in North Dakota, as well as other locations in New Mexico, Wyoming, and Montana. The filmmakers spent 10 days shooting at the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Lame Deer, Montana where members of the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Council even served as extras. The famous Jimtown Bar was used as a location in the film. 

Powwow Highway (1989) premiered at the Montreal World Film Festival on August 26, 1988. The movie did well on the film festival circuit. It won the awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor at the 1988 (for Gary Farmer) American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco. At the 1989 Sundance Film Festival, Jonathan Wacks took the Filmmakers Trophy for Powwow Highway (1989). Powwow Highway (1989) was released in the United States on February 24, 1989. 

For the most part, Powwow Highway (1989) received positive reviews from critics. Roger Ebert gave the movie three stars and commented, "The plot is not the point. What Powwow Highway does best is to create two unforgettable characters and give them some time together."Sheila Benson of The Los Angeles Times also gave Powwow Highway (1989) marks, calling it, "..a little zinger of a comedy with a rare backbone of intelligence." Like many other critics, Janet Maslin of The New York Times praised Gary Farmer's performance. Powwow Highway (1989) was nominated for the awards for Best First Feature, Best Cinematography, and Best Supporting Male (for Gary Farmer) at the Independent Spirit Awards.

For the most part, Powwow Highway (1989) was positively received by Native Americans upon its release. Not only did Powwow Highway (1989) avoid common stereotypes, but it also addressed issues of concern to Native Americans, including poverty, unemployment, and the eagerness of white corporate interests to exploit natural resources on reservations. At the same time, the film places importance on the past and tradition.

Aside from being one of the earliest movies to centre on Native Americans in the present day and one of the earliest to achieve some modicum of mainstream success, Powwow Highway (1989) would prove to be a launching pad for various indigenous actors. Both Wes Studi and Graham Greene appear in supporting roles. The film's leads  also went onto successful career. A Martinez would be part of the main cast of L.A. Law and had recurring roles on the shows Profiler, General Hospital, One Life to Live, and Longmire. Gary Farmer appeared in the Native American cult classic Smoke Signals (1998) and appeared on the show Reservation Dogs. 

Powwow Highway (1989) was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress last year, 2024. It was a honour that the film well-deserved. Powwow Highway (1989) would pave the way for other Native American films released in the Nineties and Naughts, including Smoke Signals (1998), ;Naturally Native (1998), Skins (2002), and others. The impact of Powwow Highway (1989) can still be felt to this day in such TV shows as Rutherford Falls, Reservation Dogs, and Dark Winds. While it might not be a perfect film, it is one that certainly had an impact. 

The Narrow Margin (1952)

During the classic film noir era passenger trains were still a popular form of mass transportation. For that reason, trains often figure not only in the plot of film noirs, but many movies in other genres from the 1940s to 1950s. Among the film noirs in which a train plays prominent role is The Narrow Margin (1952), directed by Richard Fleischer and starring Charles McGraw and Marie Windsor. 

In The Narrow Margin (1952), Detective Sergeant Walter Brown (Charles McGraw) and Detective Sergeant Gus Forbes (Don Beddoe) are assigned to protect Mrs. Frankie Neall (Mrs. Marie Windsor), a mobster's widow who is testifying before a grand jury against the mob. Quite naturally, the mob wants to stop them as they are travelling on a train from Los Angeles to Chicago 

The Narrow Margin (1952) was based on an unpublished story titled "Target" by Mark Goldsmith and Jack Leonard. RKO bought the rights to the story and production began on the film under that title. The Narrow Margin (1952) was produced as a B-movie, with a budget of $230,000. It was shot in only 13 days. Given most of the movie is set aboard a train, the majority of The Narrow Margin (1952) was shot on sets at RKO, with exteriors shot at Union Station in Los Angeles and Santa Fe Railroad Depot in San Bernadino, California. Stock footage was also used in a good deal of the movie (the backgrounds seen through the train's windows). The film used extensive use of hand-held cameras, which was somewhat revolutionary at the time.

Director Richard Fleischer has said that RKO owner Howard Hughes was so enamoured with The Narrow Margin (1952), that he considered reshooting the film with  with Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell so that it could be released as an A picture. For whatever reason, this never happened. , William Cameron Menzies did shoot additional scenes to add to the movie's length. For reasons that are none too clear today, The Narrow Margin (1952) was delayed for two years before it was released. 

The Narrow Margin (1952) received largely positive reviews. Howard Thompson of The New York Times wrote in his review, "Using a small cast of comparative unknowns, headed by Charles McGraw, Marie Windsor and Jacqueline White, this inexpensive Stanley Rubin production for R. K. O. is almost a model of electric tension that, at least technically, nudges some of the screen's thriller milestones." The Narrow Margin (1952) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Motion Picture Story. The movie has maintained its reputation ever since. It boasts a 100% rating at Rotten Tomatoes, and it is still highly regarded by film historians.

The Narrow Margin (1952) would be a turning point in director Richard Fleischer's career. Prior to The Narrow Margin (1952), he had worked on B-movies, all the while wanting to move to directing A-pictures. When Howard Hughes was unhappy with John Farrow's handling of the A-picture His Kind of Woman (1952), Howard Hughes hired Richard Fleischer to re-write and re-shoot portions of the movie. It was because he was happy with Richard Flesicher's work on His Kind of Woman (1952) that Howard Hughes loaned him to Stanley Kramer to direct The Happy Time (1952). Stanley Kramer would go onto direct such films as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), The Vikings (1958), and Fantastic Voyage (1966). 

The Narrow Margin was remade in 1990 as Narrow Margin, starring Gene Hackman and Anne Archer. Narrow Margin (1990) received mixed reviews upon its release. Since then reviews have grown a bit more positive, although it has never matched the reputation of the original.

Although The Narrow Margin (1950) may not be as well-known as Double Indemnity (1944) or The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), it is certainly one of the quintessential noirs. The train setting with its narrow corridors gives the film a sense of claustrophobia that director Richard Fleischer and cinematographer George E. Diskant both exploited. The characters (cop Brown and gangster's widow Frankie Neall) don't particularly like each other and their dialogue can be particularly "hard-boiled." It is certainly one of the best noirs set on a train and one of the best noirs ever made.

Godspeed Sally Kirkland

Sally Kirkland, who appeared in such movies as The Way We Were (1973), Private Benjamin (1980), and Anna (1987), died on November 11, 2025, at the age of 84. She had been suffering from dementia and had entered hospice care only two days earlier.

Sally Kirkland was born in New York City on October 31, 1941. Her mother was a fashion editor at Vogue and Life. Her father came from a wealthy family. Sally Kirkland studied at the Actors Studio with Lee Strasberg and Uta Hagen. She later studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. 

She made her movie debut in a bit part in Crack in the Mirror in 1960. On Broadway, she was an understudy in the productions Step on a Crack and Bicycle Ride to Nevada. In the Sixties, she appeared in Andy Warhol's The 13 Most Beautiful Woman (1964). She also appeared in the movies Hey, Let's Twist! (1961), Prison (1965), Blue (1968), Coming Apart (1969), Futz (1969), and Brand X (1970). She made her television debut in an episode of New York Television Theatre in 1965.

In the Seventies, Sally Kirkland appeared in the movies Jump (1971), Going Home (1971), Blume in Love (1973), The Young Nurses (1973), The Way We Were (1973), Cinderella Liberty (1973), The Sting (1973), Blazing Saddles (1974), Big Bad Mama (1974), Candy Stripe Nurses (1974), The Noah (1975), Bite the Bullet (1975), Crazy Mama (1975), Breakheart Pass (1975), Tracks (1976), Pipe Dreams (1976), A Star is Born (1976), Hometown U.S.A. (1979), La ilegal (1979), and Private Benjamin (1980).  On television she guest-starred on the shows Hawaii Five-O, Police Story, Toma, Bronk, Petrocelli, Baretta, The Rookies, Three's Company, Kojak, Starsky and Hutch, The Incredible Hulk, Visions, Supertrain, Charlie's Angels, and Lou Grant. She appeared in the mini-series Captain and the Kings.

In the Eighties, she guest starred on the shows Charlie's Angels, Lou Grant, General Hospital, Insight, Falcon Crest,Trying Times, and Heat Wave. She appeared in the movies The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981), Human Highway (1982), Double Exposure (1982), Flush (1982), Love Letters (1983), Fatal Games (1983), Anna (1987), Talking Walls (1987), White Hot (1988), High Stakes (1989), Cold Fleet (1989), Paint It Black (1989), Best of the Best (1989), Two Evil Eyes (1990), Revenge (1990), and Bullseye! (1990). 

In the Nineties, Sally Kirkland starred on the syndicated soap opera Valley of the Dolls. She had a recurring roles on Felicity and on the soap opera Days of Our Lives. She appeared in the TV movie Brave New World. She guest starred on the shows The Ray Bradbury Theatre; Roseanne; Raven; Jack's Place; Picture Windows; Murder, She Wrote; High Tide; Goode Behavior; The Nanny; Women: Stories of Passion; The Hunger; Chicken Soup for the Soul; and Wasteland. She appeared in the movies JFK(1991), In the Heat of Passion (1992), The Player (1992), Forever (1992), Hit the Dutchmen (1992), Primary Motive (1992), Double Threat (1992), Stringer (1992), Eye of the Stranger (1993), Gunmen (1993), Paper Hearts(1993), Guns and Lipstick (1995), Amnesia (1996), Excess Baggage (1997), The Westing Game (1997), Little Ghost (1997), Paranoia (1997), Wilbur Falls (1998), The Island (1998), EdTV (1999), and Starry Night (1999).

In the Naughts, she had a recurring role on The Agency. She guest starred on the TV shows Strong Medicine (2001), Resurrection Blvd. (2001), Wanted (2005), Head Case (2008), and Criminal Minds (2010). She appeared in the movies Circuit (2001), Out of the Black (2001), A Month of Sundays (2001), Wish You Were Dead (2001), The Rose Technique (2002), Thank You, Good Night (2002), Bruce Almighty (2003), Mango Kiss (2004), Bloodlines (2004), Neo Ned (2005), Adam & Steve (2005), What's Up, Scarlet? (2005),Chandler Hall (2005), Off the Black (2006), Hollywood Dreams (2006), A-List (2006), Fingerprints (2006),Mothers and Daughters (2006), Factory Girl(2006), Richard III (2007), Resurrection Mary (2007), Big Stan (2007), Spiritual Warriors (2007), Mollie and Friends (2008), Bald (2009), Remembering Nigel (2009), House Under Siege (2010), and Lights Out (2010). 

In the Teens, Sally Kirkland appeared in the movies Urgency (2011), The Last Gamble (2011), A Bag of Hammers (2011), The Wayshower (2011), The Wish Makers of Hollywood (2011), Division III: Football's Finest (2011), Jack the Reaper (2011), Archaeology of a Woman (2011), Broken Roads (2012), Awakened (2013), The Visitor from Planet Omicron (2013), Ron and Laura Take Back America (2014), The Bride fro Vegas (2014),. Suburban Vegas (2014), Buddy Hutchins (2015), The Code of Cain (2015), Courting Des Moines (2016), Trash Fire (2016), Buddy Solitaire (2016), Nerdland (2016), The Most Hated Woman in America (2017), Price for Freedom (2017), Gnaw (2017), Get Married or Die (2018), Making a Killing (2018), The Second Coming of Christ (2018), Los Angeles Overnight (2018), Wally Got Wasted (2018), Sarah Q (2018), Cuck (2019), Paint It Red (2019), Acceleration (2019), Invincible (2020), Magic Max (2020), Canaan Land (2020), and Hope for the Holidays (2020). She guest starred on Paul Cruz: Latin Actor (A Mockuseries), Actor Anonymous, Bennington Gothique, Theatre Fantastique, 40's and Falling, Good Samaritans, and Conversations in L.A.

In the 2020s, she guest starred on the show Nobody Wrote It Down: Tales of the Black Pioneers. She appeared in the movie The Final Code (2021), The Magic (2021), The Legend of Resurrection Mary (2021), The Walk (2022), Bobcat Moretti (2022), Murder, Anyone? (2023), 80s for Brady (2022), All of It Happened on Thursday (2023), Altered Perceptions (2023), The Haunting of Hell Hole Mine (2023), When It Rings (2023), Woods Witch (2023), Holiday Boyfriend (2024), Skeletons in the Closet \(2024), Aftermath (2024), and Sallywood (2024). 

Sally Kirkland was an enormously talented actress. She was incredible as the title character in Anna (1987), an actress who had been famous in Czechoslovakia at one time. The role earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. While Miss Kirkland played other lead roles, it was perhaps her character roles for which she was best known. In The Way We Were, she played Pony, the Communist friend of Kate Morosky (Barbara Streisand). In The Sting, she played Cyrstal, a former gangster's moll turned legitimate. In EDtv she played the doting mother of the Ed of the title (Matthew McConaughey). Her television appearances could be no less impressive. On Hawaii Five-O, she played one half of a vacationing couple who find a bag of stolen money (Sally Kirkland's character had serious doubts about keeping the money). On Roseanne, she played Barbara Healy, the abusive, alcoholic mother of Becky's boyfriend. Throughout her career, Sally Kirkland played roles ranging from photographers to a martial arts coach to a college professor. And she did all of them well. 

Godspeed Toymaker Burt Meyer

Burt Meyer, the inventor responsible in part for such toys as Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots and Lite-Brite, died on October 30, 2025, at the age of 99.

Burt Meyer was born in Hinsdale, Illinois. He spent many of his early years in Massachusetts. During World War II, he served in the Navy as an aircraft mechanic. After his service he studied art at West Georgia College on the G.I. Bill and then the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology. For a time, he taught at the Atlanta Art Institute, but he decided that teaching was not for him. 

It was in the late Fifties that he went to work for Marvin Glass & Associates, a toy design and engineering firm in Chicago. The firm made toys for such companies as Ideal, Marx, Mattel, and Hasbro. Mr. Machine, conceived by Marvin Glass himself, was one of the first toys on which Burt Meyer worked. He was later part of the team that worked on Mouse Trap, one of the first mass-produced three-dimensional board games. It was in 1963, after the death of boxer Davey Moore in the ring, that Marvin Glass cancelled a boxing toy upon which the firm had been working. Burt Meyer felt that the toy was too good of an opportunity to pass up, and suggested that they make the boxers robots whose heads would pop off rather than humans who fell down. The result was Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots.

It was Burt Meyer, Dalia Verbickas, and Joseph M. Burck who invented Lite-Brite, a toy introduced in 1967. The toy proved to be a success for Hasbro. Burt Meyer became a partner at Marvin Glass & Associates. He retired when he was 99.

Many of the toys upon which Burt Meyer worked proved to have staying power. Their appeal often cut across several generations, and in some cases the toys outlived the companies who originally manufactured them. Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, Lite Brite, and Mouse Trap are all still being sold. Burt Meyer and his fellow employees at Marvin Glass & Associates certainly had a talent for making toys.