Comments on: The View in the Rear View Mirror II

By: Lugi

Lugi — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 23:35:22 +0000

Does anyone know what kind of car it is that Ameche drives in Midnight? It has such a memorable look to it with the headlights in the center of the body behind the grill.

By: jb

jb — Thu, 07 May 2009 22:53:05 +0000

great stories – i loved the cabbie in dark passage and the character Paul Lukas played – and Ameche’s comic Tibor Czerny is a blast. Another good “cabbie” type was nick and nora’s chauffeur in several of their films – “Hal”. Hal was always there to watch out for Nick and nora – making sure they didn’t get into too much trouble.

By: andrew

andrew — Mon, 04 May 2009 14:43:16 +0000

Well, Moira,
You’ve knocked this one out of the park and done a grand job of profiling some wonderful character actors (and leads) who played these working class heroes. In that vein, I’d like to ask when you think that the shift in attitudes toward working people in the movies began? Was it in the ’60s, when a chump just trying to make a living started to be treated as a fool or a corrupt influence more regularly? Did the Roosevelt era see more sympathetic portrayals of working people–or was that a cliche too? I tend to think that the versions of working stiffs in the Depression and during the Second World War helped people to feel as though we “were all in this together”, uniting classes rather than underlining the differences.
Thanks for writing this series & I hope more character actor profiles are written by all the Morlocks in the future.
Andrew

By: ann

ann — Sun, 03 May 2009 20:44:46 +0000

did not expect you to respond, thanks
I usually lurk in the shadows
;)
I don’t know if you have seen it (and anyone else who reads this) but another good Payne movie is Remember the Day with Claudette Colbert, a must see for Payne fans. He shows his dramatic, romantic and comedic sides (plus a little singing)
This was the type of movie that 20th Century Fox should have put him in not all the fluff. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy him in the fluff and really enjoy his singing but I think 20thCF missed the boat.
I also got an old magazine interview with him where he said that Remember the Day and Tin Pan Alley were his favorite movies. That interview was done before Miracle on 34th Street was completed.

By: moirafinnie

moirafinnie — Sun, 03 May 2009 16:31:16 +0000

Cool Bev asked: "How about Don Ameche as Tibor Czerny, Paris cab driver and sometime baron impersonator in “Midnight”? Although most of the movie takes place in drawing rooms, he does organize all the cab drivers in Paris to search for Claudette Colbert." That's one of the journeys I'm saving up for a future romantic trip through the cinematic taxis Medusa mentioned that she loved "Betty Garrett’s enthusiastic and frankly horny lady taxi driver in On The Town, as she tries to entice sailor Frank Sinatra back to her apartment." You and me both, Medusa! Betty's antsy little cabbie and the whole phenomenon of female cabbies (which really came along in the '40s thanks to that liberating WWII) is one other aspect of the romance of hack driving that I'll be sure to cover in a future post. Hey, La Peregrina, I'm glad to hear that the cliche-driven, know-it-all cabbie is alive and well in American movies, even if played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who seems to be going the Kindergarten Cop route since his bad guy peak in The Scorpion King. Oh, Patricia, Good luck trying to track down Deadline at Dawn. It is a rarity, though TCM usually shows it about once a year. It is definitely worth watching around midnight, btw. I like the sound of a Jack Lambert Appreciation Society. Would you like to be the first prez? Perhaps the same people who cherish appearances by the likes of Jack Elam, Charles McGraw, Neville Brand, and Dewey Martin might find this fraternity-sorority appealing as well? Hi Ann, I began to be a John Payne fan a few years ago after seeing his jarringly sincere performance in Sentimental Journey (1946) and after catching him in dramas such as The Saxon Charm (1948), The Crooked Way (1949), Kansas City Confidential (1952), Slightly Scarlet (1956) and 99 River Street, I decided the guy was a much better actor than those kajillion identical Fox musicals would indicate, (though I love some of them too--especially the loopier ones, such as The Dolly Sisters (1945).) Btw, in real life I've known a couple of cabbies who were nice guys and gals, but they were people who found something to enjoy about those 12 hour shifts behind the wheel, sitting in traffic and dealing with the public. Many others--in and out of NYC--do not seem particularly happy in their work, do they? Ah, well, I suspect that most are just trying to make-do in their line of work while pursuing an outside, impractical passion. I think we all know how that feels some time in our lives. Hi R.Emmet Sweeney, You know, the only Evelyn Keyes movie I really used to like her in was Mrs. Mike (1949), though I did find her slightly jaundiced autobiography, "Scarlett O'Hara's Younger Sister: My Lively Life in and Out of Hollywood" an amusing read. After seeing her in 99 River Street, Johnny O'Clock (1947) The Killer That Stalked New York (1950), and her role as a wisecracking genie in the hilariously absurd A Thousand and One Nights (1945), in the last few years, she's growing on me. I know that I have to see her in The Prowler (1951) from what I hear and read. Great! Once again--too many movies, and not enough time to see them all! Thanks to each of you for taking the time to comment.

By: ann

ann — Sun, 03 May 2009 06:22:13 +0000

I have never seen 99 River Street but it is one of the movies on my list to find and see. Different stories that I have read about it, now including this one, make it sound quite interesting.
As a recent John Payne fan it was great to read someone else think he has not gotten his due. Except for Miracle on 34th Street he has basically been forgotten and shouldn’t be.
I would love it if TCM would play this movie.
As a former New Yorker I must have missed the time of helpful cabbies or just lived in the wrong place.

By: Patricia

Patricia — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:29:09 +0000

Now you’ve done it! I must see “Deadline at Dawn”.

Sign me up for membership in the Jack Lambert Appreciation Society. He brings a special villainy to favourites from “Dick Tracy’s Dilemma” to “Bend of the River”.

By: la peregrina

la peregrina — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:43:29 +0000

A very enjoyable and informative two-part series. I saw Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in Race To Witch Mountain last month. Happy to report that the opinionated, problem solving cab driver is alive and well in the movies. :)

By: R. Emmet Sweeney

R. Emmet Sweeney — Fri, 01 May 2009 14:04:45 +0000

I’m so glad you mentioned “99 River St.”, which is a personal favorite. Evelyn Keyes’ monologue that reveals her duplicity is an incredible feat – and all in one take!

By: Medusa

Medusa — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 22:15:10 +0000

I love Betty Garrett’s enthusiastic and frankly horny lady taxi driver in On The Town, as she tries to entice sailor Frank Sinatra back to her apartment.

Obviously the unique intimacy of the taxi driver mystique is alive and well, considering several of the taxicab confessions-type series on cable!

What a great topic and wonderful post, Moira! Loved both parts!