PAYMENT ON DEMAND (1951)

 

When discussing a major movie star like Bette Davis, no title in her filmography can be called minor or insignificant. Laborious, plodding, and tedious, perhaps, but not insignificant. PAYMENT ON DEMAND is significant because it was the first film Miss Davis made after leaving Warner Brothers, ending an eighteen-year tenure at that studio. Her career had been spectacular, earning her two Academy Awards for Best Actress and five more nominations. She had several years of apprenticeship in B movies and a famous court battle with the studio along the way, but through hard work and determination, not to mention an amazing talent, she had become probably the most distinguished actress in Hollywood. From the late 1930s and into the mid-1940s, she had one successful film after another. In the late 1940s, however, she began to struggle. When studio head Jack Warner assigned her to BEYOND THE FOREST in 1949, a film she desperately did not want to do, she asked for her release when the film was finished.

For her first film as an independent actress, Davis returned to RKO Radio Pictures, the studio where she had made OF HUMAN BONDAGE in 1934, in a role that showed the world what a powerful talent she was. As the cold, manipulative Cockney waitress Mildred Rogers, she brought forth an intensity that shocked audiences and won her critical accolades. Her new RKO assignment would be quite different.

Davis plays Joyce Ramsey, a San Francisco socialite who is married to a successful attorney, David Ramsey (Barry Sullivan). They have two grown daughters. Joyce became a dedicated social climber when she married David, who was then struggling to get his law practice started in partnership with his friend, Bob Townsend (Kent Taylor). When a businessman comes to the law office requesting Bob to handle the patent for his new product, Joyce, who is working as the secretary, convinces the man to hire David instead, lying about his experience with patents. When David and Bob learn of her deception, Bob leaves the firm and the two friends are estranged. 

Joyce's social ambitions and control over her husband's life and career cause a strain in their marriage. When their children are grown, he asks for a divorce and moves out of their house. Joyce hires a detective and learns that David has a mistress, Eileen Benson (Frances Dee). Joyce asks for David's entire fortune as a divorce settlement, threatening to sue him and cause a scandal over his infidelity.

When she goes on a long vacation, Joyce comes to understand what her life would be like as a wealthy divorcee. She begins seeing a charming, attractive man (John Sutton), only to find out he's married and looking for a mistress who has money. She also visits a fellow social climber, now divorced and living a miserable life as an alcoholic and getting her kicks from a young gigolo. When Joyce and David are reunited at the wedding of one of their daughters, she regrets the mistakes she made, and David asks her for a reconciliation. While Joyce wants nothing more than to be with her husband that night, she asks him to wait a few days to make sure he really wants to come back to her. David walks away with a happy smile on his face, indicating that he already knows what his decision is going to be.

This is pure soap opera from start to finish, although that isn't problematic. Soap operas can be loads of fun, if done correctly, but that isn't the case here. The story is told in a series of flashbacks as Joyce looks back over the beginning of her marriage, the birth of her children, and the conflicts with David that led to their unhappiness. Though the movie is only 90 minutes long, it seems much longer. There is absolutely no romantic or sexual chemistry whatsoever between Davis and Sullivan. Watching these two people interact makes one wonder what possibly caused them to get married in the first place and, in later years, how they can stand to be in the same room with each other. Barry Sullivan tries to bring some life and believability to his character, but it's an uphill battle, as the role is poorly written and doesn't give him much to work with. As for Davis, by this point in her career, she had settled into an almost regal acting persona where all of her characters seemed to be the same. They may have had different names and been involved in different plots, but all of them were played in the same imperious manner and delivering their dialogue in the same clipped speaking voice that had become the actress's trademark sound. Now, for those of us who love Bette Davis, it's enjoyable to watch her in this persona. So, I'm not complaining.

The most amazing thing about PAYMENT ON DEMAND, which originally had the title THE STORY OF A DIVORCE, is what came after. Before the film was finished, Miss Davis was contacted by Daryl Zanuck, the head of 20th Century-Fox, who was in a panic. Claudette Colbert was contracted to star in the new film ALL ABOUT EVE but had broken her back. Zanuck needed a replacement right away. When Davis read the script, she was thrilled and signed on immediately. Maybe it was the incredible script, or the marvelous character of Margo Channing, or the brilliant direction of Joseph Mankiewicz, but the Bette Davis who starred in ALL ABOUT EVE had dropped the regal persona and regained all of her power and former intensity. OK, maybe Margo did have her regal moments, but they worked perfectly in the context of the character. Davis gave one of her most legendary and courageous performances. RKO withheld the release of PAYMENT ON DEMAND until February 1951, leading everyone to believe it was made after EVE.

Some interesting young performers show up in PAYMENT ON DEMAND. Peggie Castle and Betty Lynn play the two daughters, and Richard Andrson appears briefly. Natalie Schafer, always a welcome and charming presence, appears as a society lady. One of the biggest treats is actor John Sutton, a gentleman whose dignified demeanor and distinctive voice add quality to any role he plays. Speaking of quality, Otto Kruger is featured in a small role. There is also a brief appearance by a tiny little girl named B.D. Sherry, playing the part of one of Davis's daughters as a child. You might call this typecasting, as little Miss Sherry is the actress's real-life daughter. The child didn't go on to have an acting career, but she did become a writer of sorts. But that's a blog post for another time.

NIAGARA (1953)

 

NIAGARA stands out from the many Films Noir of the era. First and foremost, it was made primarily to promote Marilyn Monroe, the fastest rising star at Twentieth Century-Fox. Miss Monroe had been serving a long apprenticeship in Hollywood since the late 1940's, finally beginning to gain notice in supporting roles in Fox films such as ALL ABOUT EVE and THE ASPHALT JUNGLE, both in 1950. When NIAGARA was released in January of 1953, she had reached top stardom and followed with HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE and GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES in the same year.

The film also is one of the few Noirs to be shot in color instead of Black & White. Director Henry Hathaway and cinematographer Joe McDonald were able to inject many Noirish moments into the film, with the contrast of light and shadows, while still showcasing the impressive grandeur of Niagara Falls. The location footage of the Falls is so breathtaking that it almost works as a travelogue for this very popular honeymoon destination. One of the best aspects of the film is that it exists as a loving time capsule of a Niagara Falls area that no doubt has gone through many drastic changes.

The story has two married couples' lives intersecting while they're staying at a tourist cabin resort. Polly and Ray Cutler (Jean Peters and Casey Adams) are on a belated honeymoon, having been married for about a year. Rose and George Loomis (Monroe and Joseph Cotten) have also been married for a while. George has been suffering from mental problems following his service in WW2, and has just been released from a veteran's hospital. He is deeply jealous of his attractive young wife and suspects she might be cheating with another man. His suspicions turn out to be true. 

Rose has indeed been seeing another man, Ted Patrick (Richard Allan). The two plan to kill George and make it look like an accident or possible suicide. Rose is duplicitous not only with her husband, but with the Cutlers and everyone else. She taunts her husband, trying to upset him in order to make everyone believe he's unstable and dangerous. Rose and Ted move forward with their plan, but fate intervenes and our femme fatale soon becomes a victim.

The film opens with an extended look at the Falls and then shows a troubled George Loomis walking alone in the early morning, the watery mist soaking through his clothes. Then we are introduced to Rose as she lies awake in her bed in the cabin. Miss Monroe, actress and star, is fully made up, with bright red lipstick and every blonde hair in place. Naturally, every woman looks like this when she wakes up in the morning! When Rose hears George coming back into the cabin, she feigns sleep, giving him a contemptuous look. It must be said that this is the one and only time that Monroe was given the chance to play an evil character, and she makes the most of it. The studio made sure that the majority of her roles during her career were comedic, the only other exceptions being DON'T BOTHER TO KNOCK (1952) and her last film, THE MISFITS (1961). She was able to show some depth of character in THE ASPHALT JUNGLE and Fritz Lang's CLASH BY NIGHT (1952), but nothing was ever seen of her like in NIAGARA. The studio's narrow attitude towards their luminous star is a great loss to the cinema. Monroe had tremendous potential as a dramatic actress.

The most fascinating aspect of Rose is that she manages to gain the sympathy of the viewer, in spite of her murderous intentions. Rose/Marilyn is such an overwhelming image of female sexuality and desire that it almost seems right that she should find the sexual satisfaction that is her due. And if she can't find that satisfaction with her damaged husband, then why not with a young, virile lover? As the plot begins to twist and cast Rose as a victim, she becomes even more sympathetic, leading the viewer into that Noirish perversity where the lines between good and evil become confused.

While it's true that other people exist in this story, such as the aforementioned Cutlers, all getting involved and reciting appropriate dialogue at appropriate times, no one and nothing else seem terribly necessary when the film presents us with Miss Monroe in a slinky pink dress. When this monumental moment occurs, we are transported to another dimension, a dimension where dialogue, plot points, and even acting simply don't matter. Monroe in that pink dress is an Event, one that needs no other context or explanation. There is a legend concerning actress Monroe, one that was repeated by several of her colleagues, that she only came to life and became truly beautiful when she went in front of the camera. There is a brief moment in NIAGARA, during the pink dress segment, when the light flashes across her face, as seen in the photograph above. As the light caresses her face, Marilyn's lips are parted, almost as if she were receiving that life-giving light as a sacrament, a gift of love. It happens so fast, you almost miss it. But it's one of her most memorable images.

And NIAGARA is one of her most memorable and important films. There is much to see in this movie, including an exciting climax featuring energetic performances by Joseph Cotten and Jean Peters. But even though Miss Peters is also a leading lady with perhaps more screen time than Marilyn, this is Marilyn's show all the way, as Twentieth Century-Fox intended. The theatrical trailer says it all: 

Niagara and Marilyn Monroe...the two most electrifying sights in the world.

Niagara (1953) Trailer #1

THE INVITE (2026)

 

After reading a very positive review of this film, I found myself compelled to shake off the cobwebs and once again venture out to my local multiplex to lay down some cash for the struggling film industry. This was my first trip to a theater since seeing BACKROOMS a few months ago. BACKROOMS is an incredible film, one which I definitely want to see again before it leaves the theater. But if I were to attempt to write about it, I'm afraid my brain would explode. I'll leave that existential masterpiece to the folks who understand existentialism and have less fragile brains.

THE INVITE is classified as a comedy, and the review I read compared it to WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? (1966). I agree with both descriptions, and I think that George and Martha would definitely get more than a few laughs out of this new film. Of course, they also might be slightly jealous over the uncensored language they weren't allowed to use in the ancient world of 1966.

The storyline is rather uncomplicated. An unhappy married couple, Joe and Angela (Seth Rogen and Olivia Wilde), invite their upstairs neighbors, Hawk and Pina (Edward Norton and Penelope Cruz) to their apartment for dinner. We get a few details about the lives of our host couple in the first part of the movie: Joe used to be a musician in a band that had one hit and then broke up. He now teaches music at a school in San Francisco. He and Angela inherited their apartment from Joe's family, and the couple have a twelve-year-old daughter. Joe has back trouble and feels he has failed in life. Angela doesn't work and is obsessive about decorating and spending too much money. Their marriage is a mess. They bicker. Incessantly.

Details regarding the lives of Hawk and Pina don't come forth until later in the movie. At first, we only learn that they are relatively new neighbors, Joe finds them irritating, and he and Angela are forced to listen to their loud, aggressive sex life at three in the morning, because their bedrooms are right on top of each other. Joe wants to bring the subject up and ask them to tone it down a little, but Angela is actually intrigued by what appears to be Pina's obvious enjoyment of her nocturnal activities.

What ensues after Hawk and Pina arrive is much too good to give away with spoilers. I would hate to cheat anyone of the exchanges of dialogue, the awkwardness between these two very different married couples, or the surprises that come forth as they begin to relax (sort of) and get to know each other. I will say, however, that any similarity to VIRGINIA WOOLF soon goes right out the window. This isn't about a psychologically damaged older couple spending a torturous night with a doomed younger couple, with a devastating secret revealed at the end. In this film, we have a couple coming to the end of a marriage and encountering another couple with an entirely different approach to relationships and sex. The script is a hot mix of satire and painful truth, much of it spoken fast and furiously by these four talented actors. And the ending? Forget it; I ain't talking.

Olivia Wilde directed the film, and the excellent screenplay was written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones. All things considered, this was another positive movie-going experience. I think I'm getting spoiled. Very highly recommended!