Duck Creek, Connecticut is a sleepy town full of friendly people. Cindy Kimball (Jane Powell) is one of the town’s most beloved residents — the daughter of the town judge and a soloist in the church choir. One Sunday evening, the Kimball family is enjoying a meal after church when they’re interrupted by a policeman looking for the judge. Big city fella Rick Belrow Livingston … Continue reading Small Town Girl (1953)
Bill Denny’s (Farley Granger) life isn’t as wonderful as it could be. He’s been happily married for two years, but he’s living with his grumpy, critical mother-in-law (Margalo Gillmore) while trying to jump-start his career as an accountant. Bill and his wife, Kate (Shelley Winters), love each other… but they’ve encountered their share of troubles since they wed. In celebration of his second wedding anniversary, … Continue reading Mill Creek Musings: Behave Yourself! (1951)
Gail (Ann Blyth) is a pretty young girl who will soon be turning 18. She lives in a nice house with both of her suburban-perfect parents and two younger sisters. Things aren’t completely rosy in the home, though. Gail’s younger sister Joan (Joan Evans) has a bit of a crush of Gail’s boyfriend Chuck (Farley Granger), and there is a rivalry going on between the … Continue reading Our Very Own (1950)
The favorite film: Strangers on a Train, a 1951 crime thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock for Warner Bros. The synopsis: Famed tennis player Guy Haines is on a train when he meets apparent super-fan Bruno Anthony. Odd conversation ensues, and Bruno can’t seem to quit bringing up all of the gossip that’s been surrounding Guy and his love life in the society pages. Bruno proposes … Continue reading Favorite things about… Strangers on a Train
Side Street (1950): 2.8/5 Side Street is another Granger/O’Donnell match-up. And it’s another dramatic one, though not nearly as dramatic as They Live By Night. The two star as Joe and Ellen Norson, a struggling couple who are expecting their first child. Not knowing where to turn in order to support his newly growing family financially, Joe becomes involved in crime and lets himself get … Continue reading Side Street (1950)
They Live By Night (1949): 4/5 They Live By Night is the phenomenal directorial debut of Nicholas Ray, the man who brought us Knock On Any Door (1949), In A Lonely Place (1950), Johnny Guitar (1954) and Rebel Without a Cause (1955). The film opens in a very unique way, reminiscent of a film trailer rather than opening credits. The two leads are shown and … Continue reading They Live By Night (1949)
Edge of Doom (1950): 3/5 Edge of Doom is a flashback noir in which Father Roth (Dana Andrews) uses an anecdote of his past experience as a pastor in order to convince his young fellow pastor from leaving. They’re pastors in a poverty-stricken neighborhood, and the younger pastor wants to be moved because he finds the hardened people there difficult to deal with. The tale … Continue reading Edge of Doom (1950)
