TCM Pick O’ The Day: Monday, February 16th
by John Nolte
9am PST - Boomerang (1947) – A prosecutor fights to prove the defendant in a scandalous murder case is innocent. Cast: Dana Andrews, Jane Wyatt, Lee J. Cobb, Cara Williams Dir: Elia Kazan BW-88 mins, TV-PG
Here’s a treat for you. Elia Kazan directs this tough, little tightly-paced (88 mins!) hickory knot of a docu-drama starring The Mighty Dana Andrews and just as Mighty Arthur Kennedy. No time is wasted in getting to it. The story opens in broad daylight on a busy street and before you can say, “What a lovely little town,” a Priest has his brains blown out and the manhunt is on. Kennedy, at his sneering, contemptuous best, confesses and is prosecuted by State’s Attorney Henry Harvey (Andrews), but something’s amiss and soon, all instincts for what’s good for him to the contrary, Harvey finds himself in the awkward position of having to prove the man’s innocence.
Purely by coincidence, just last night over dinner, I was discussing this with a friend of mine who had just seen it for the first time. While I love it, he only liked it, but when I mentioned it was better than all but a handful of films released over the last five years that gave us both pause. What a sad truth that a 60 year old courtroom drama most people have never even heard of is vastly superior to 90% of the swill thrown at us today.
Those of you who don’t have the Fox Movie Channel should pay special attention. Because today’s pick is a 20th Century-Fox production, TCM doesn’t play it all that often.
Dana Andrews is a very, very special actor. Just a few months a go I wrote a short tribute to him. He deserves to stand with the giants of his generation, but for whatever reason is overlooked. To program his name into your DVR is to discover an actor who brought an emotional depth to stillness unlike than any other. His work in “Laura” or ”Where the Sidewalk Ends” should be included in any respectable list of top screen performances.
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5 Comments
State’s Attorney Henry Harvey = Homer Stille Cummings
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer_Cummings
Good news–11 a.m. CST gives me two hours between The West Wing and this movie to get something done! This one sounds excellent. Thanks!
This one does sound good — and, you're right, I had never heard of it. And this is the kind of movie that is worth it to watch and actually pay attention, not just have the television on. Thanks!
Dana Andrews was one of the finest actors ever. Wrenching emotion in "The Oxbow Incident", cool confusion in "Laura", masculine vulnerability in "The Best Years of Our Lives", he shined in some of the best movies of the '40's, best of all-time. Whenever some dope asserts that Marlon Brando invented "modern" film acting, I reply: Dana Andrews. I also love his radio work, starring as Matt Svedic in "I was a Communist for the FBI".
Thanks for the recommendation, Mr. Nolte. Just saw it a couple of hours ago, and found it riveting.
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