Melodrama from 1946 now - we watch them so you don’t have to! George Raft stars with his name above the title in this love triangle that descends into film noir after half an hour.
Things open in breezy fashion as Ava Gardner gets off at the ‘whistle stop’ station. The idea is that their town of Ashbury is so small that trains only stop when requested to do so. It’s so small that the speed limit signs are back to back, it’s small I tells ya.
Anyway, Gardner plays Mary, the local hottie who left the town for Chicago two years ago. Now she’s back and all the horny local dudes are glad to hear it. She arrives in a mink coat at the home she owns, and rents out to Molly and Molly’s son Kenny. Kenny is played by weasel faced George Raft who has top billing and therefore the pick of all the ladies. Mary swans in with her massive suitcase, which is clearly empty as she tosses it in a corner, and confides in Molly that she has no money and plans to sell the house. She’s obviously worn out her welcome in the Windy City, but kept the coat and silver cigarette case, thanks very much. The big slut.
Kenny is a bit of a waster as his Mom’s promise to Mary that he’s working on a ‘big deal’ cuts to him playing poker - she’s a card that one! Kenny listens out for the Chicago train and gets in a low rent grapple with a chap who questions Mary’s character. He soon gets wind of his squeeze’s return and plants a big smacker on her in a scene that would probably get him a suite in Weinstein Towers these days.
A happy ending isn’t guaranteed however, as local rich dude Lou also has a dog in the fight for Mary’s affections, and he’s got the dough. A big bunch of flowers turns her head and soon she’s walking out with Lou - the big slut. Short of money and keen for some revenge Kenny gets involved in a scheme to rob Lou’s town fair of the $15k takings - with that kind of cash Mary might give him a second chance. But what about lovely Fran? She has a less tight dress and frumpy hair, but she seems a better bet than slutty Mary.
The planned heist goes badly when Mary and Lou smell a rat and the only outcome is traumatic dance floor injury to Fran who might not pull through, but is happy that Kenny came to visit her once. You could do better love. Mary talks Kenny out of the raid and takes his gun off him and throws it on the back seat of her car - remember that for later!
With his wasteful life now apparent to him, Kenny gets a real job with Lou and soon he and Mary are reconciled and off to his sister’s wedding. Lou offers to be friends and asks Kenny up to his office for a handshake, but all Kenny finds is a dead body and his gun from the previous paragraph. He and Lou’s bouncer do a runner but Kenny gets plugged in the arm and suspects that he’s in a frame for the murder - duh!
Will he clear his name and get the girl?
This was a decent but limited offering which was more entertaining as a historical oddity than as a drama. George Raft certainly has screen presence but I couldn’t buy him as a ladies’ man. It was funny when in a flashback someone called him ‘Sonny’ - he was 45 at the time. Ava Gardner was good as the slutty Mary and showed a bit of leg and cleavage in her silk dressing gown. Her character was horrible however and I’ve no idea why Kenny saw her as the preferred option to the homely Fran. Actually, I do - but what a terrible message!
The love triangle was good fun too but you never doubted who had the top billing. The thin moustached Lou never had a chance despite Raft being pretty reprehensible - planting smackers all over and grabbing any passing waitress he could. The beast.
The story fizzed along with flashbacks adding small nuggets to the back story. The climax did seem somewhat rushed with a murder, phone call confession and then death sorting out all the loose plot threads, so that an undeserved happy ending could be had.
If you watched this with 2020 sensibilities you’d be outraged but it was good and innocent fun. Apart from the murders, stealing and whorishness.
Best Bit : Bar Room Punch Up ‘W’ Rating : 18/23
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