Frank Sinatra as Tony Rome Times Two!

One wonders if Frank Sinatra regretted turning down the lead role in Harper (1966), one of the '60s best detective films. That might explain his decision to star in Tony Rome, another private eye picture, the following year. Although based on a novel by Marvin Albert, Tony Rome comes across as a Harper rip-off with the locale shifted from the West Coast to Miami.

Tony Rome is a former cop who likes gambling, women, and living on a boat. In need of cash, Tony accepts a job from his former partner to return an heiress, who has passed out in a cheap hotel, to her father. The young woman (Sue Lyon) and her wealthy patriarch (Simon Oakland) each hire Tony for different reasons: She wants Rome to recover a missing diamond pin that she was wearing; her father wants the private eye to find out why his daughter has been acting strangely. 

By the time Tony figures what's going on, he's been beaten up multiple times, accused of murder, and nearly killed himself. On the plus side, he has also met a beautiful, very rich divorcee (Jill St. John)!

Gena Rowlands.

Tony Rome is a lightweight mystery with a convoluted plot that doesn't bear close scrutiny. What the screenplay lacks in depth, it makes up for in snappy dialogue ("Miami Beach--twenty miles of sand looking for a city"). An added bonus is the on-location shooting which gives Tony Rome a different look and feel from the multitude of private eye pictures set in and around L.A. 

On the negative side, Tony Rome is sexist and includes at least one racist remark. It's one thing to have a male character leer at a scantily-dressed lady; it's another thing when the camera lingers--close up--on a woman's derriere. Then, there is the 52-year-old Sinatra who has to fight off beautiful women half his age. (Of course, Frank did date the much younger Jill St. John in real life....).

Jill St. John.

Sinatra brings an affable weariness to his performance as the titular detective. The role certainly doesn't require him to bring his "A" game (as he did on other 1960s films like The Manchurian Candidate and Von Ryan's Express). He and leading lady Jill St. John have a nice chemistry (no surprise there...see above); it's too bad that her character has little to do with the plot. 

Gena Rowlands stands out among the supporting cast, but she's barely in the movie. In fact, none of the female characters get much screen time and that includes Sue Lyon and an unbilled Deanna Lund  (according to Tom Lisanti's Fantasy Femmes of Sixties Cinema, the future Land of the Giants TV star was embarrassed with her performance and asked to have her name removed from the credits.)

Despite just middling box office success, Frank Sinatra returned as Tony Rome in the following year's Lady in Cement. The only other holdover from the first film was Richard Conte as Tony's police detective chum and sometime nemesis. 

The story gets underway quickly when Tony discovers the title corpse while scuba diving for sunken treasure. While the police try to identify the victim, an imposing thug named Gronsky (Dan Blocker) hires Tony to search for a missing go-go dancer named Sandra Lomax. Could she be the lady wearing cement shoes?

Dan Blocker.

While Tony Rome rates a notch about average, Lady in Cement is a perfunctory private eye picture. In the 1940s, it would have been considered a "B" film. Dan Blocker rises above his material, turning Gronsky into a likable--but still threatening--criminal. Along with Jill St. John, he appeared with Sinatra earlier in Come Blow Your Horn. It's a shame that Blocker, who found television fame on Bonanza, didn't have a a bigger movie career. He died in 1972 at age 43 due to complications following gall bladder surgery.

Raquel Welch and her tall hair.

Raquel Welch doesn't fare as well as Sinatra's leading lady. She plays a character very similar to the one portrayed by Jill St. John in Tony Rome. However, whereas St. John excelled at playing sexy, flirty socialites, Welch struggles to find a groove. Some of her scenes are downright awkward. She was much more effective in later films such as Hannie Caulder (1971) and Kansas City Bomber (1972).

Lady in Cement flopped at the box office and plans for a third Tony Rome film--to be titled My Kind of Love--were scuttled. If you plan to watch either film,  I do need to warn you about the music scores: Tony Rome kicks off with an atrocious theme song suny by Nancy Sinatra whereas Lady in Cement boasts one of the 1960s worst soundtracks courtesy of Hugo Montenegro.

A Study in Terror and The Detective

A Study in Terror (1965).  Murder By Decree (1979) may be the best known pairing of Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper--but it wasn't the first. That distinction belongs to the mostly forgotten A Study in Terror. Produced with the cooperation of the Arthur Conan Doyle estate, A Study in Terror boasts an original screenplay that finds Holmes investigating a series of brutal murders in London's Whitehall area. His interest is peaked when he receives a case of surgical instruments that is missing the scalpel, the type of instrument that Scotland Yard believes was used in the murders. Holmes quickly discovers that the case belonged to Michael Osborne, the older son of Lord Carfax. Osborne vanished two years earlier, but could he have resurfaced as Jack the Ripper? Made on a modest budget, A Study in Terror recreates Victorian London convincingly and features a splendid performance by John Neville as the Baker Street detective. In fact, I'd rate Neville's portrayal as the fourth best, topped only by Jeremy Brett, Basil Rathbone, and Peter Cushing. Donald Huston makes an acceptable Dr. Watson, though he gushes over Holmes's deductions a bit too much. While the plot holds interest and moves swiftly, the fiery climax rushes to a conventional conclusion. Mostly disappointingly, the killer's motivation feels like an afterthought. Still, the primary reason to watch A Study in Terror is to see John Neville's Holmes. Fans of 1950s teen horror films might recognize one of the producers. Yes, that's the Herman Cohen, who made unforgettable drive-in classics such as I Was a Teenage Werewolf and I Was a Teenage Frankenstein. 

The Detective (1968).  Joe Leland (Frank Sinatra) is a no-nonsense NYC police detective who stands up defiantly to meddling politicians, cop corruption, and his superiors. His investigations into the brutal murder of a gay socialite and the mysterious suicide of an accountant take their toll on Joe--professionally and personally. His marriage is crumbling, in part because his wife Karen (Lee Remick) copes with her emotional insecurities by sleeping with other men. Used to bottling up his own emotions, the middle-aged Joe can't connect fully with Karen except on a physical level. Made in the turbulent late 1960s, The Detective is an ambitious, but shaky attempt to merge a Chandleresque crime drama with a character study. The former works better than the latter, with the flashbacks detailing Joe and Karen's relationship interspersed with Joe's investigations. It's a clunky structure that distracts the viewer from the best part of the movie. It also hampers Lee Remick's performance by relegating most of her scenes to poorly-written vignettes with Sinatra. The screenplay saddles some fine supporting actors with stereotyped characters: Ralph Meeker as a cop on the take, Robert Duvall as a bigoted detective, and Al Freeman, Jr. as a young Black officer who suddenly transforms from a naïve newcomer to a ruthless, overly ambitious detective. As a mystery, The Detective works well, though it's certainly not a surprise when Leland learns his two cases are connected. The NYC locations and Jack Klugman, in a small but pivotal part, are nice bonuses. Ultimately, The Detective doesn't compare favorably with Sinatra's best 1960s films (The Manchurian Candidate, Von Ryan's Express), but it is a worth a watch. You can view it for free on Hoopla if your local public library subscribes to that streaming service.

Las Vegas and Its Casinos Don’t Stand a Chance Against “Ocean’s 11”

World War II veterans, members of the 82nd Airborne, are being rounded together for “a, uh... reunion” -- as Roger (Henry Silva) so succinctly puts it to electrician and recently released convict, Tony (Richard Conte). Soon, Danny Ocean (Frank Sinatra) has collected ten of his men, also including Sam (Dean Martin), Josh (Sammy Davis, Jr.), Jimmy (Peter Lawford), Mushy (Joey Bishop), Vince (Buddy Lester), Curly (Richard Benedict), Peter (Norman Fell) and Jackson (Clem Harvey). Ocean finally explains that the “project” is a rather ambitious heist -- to knock off five Vegas casinos on New Year’s Eve, and each man walking away with one million dollars to fill his pockets.

Lewis Milestone’s Ocean’s 11 (1960) features all five members of the so-called “Rat Pack” -- Sinatra, Martin, Davis, Jr., Lawford and Bishop. The film also stars Angie Dickinson as the estranged Mrs. Ocean, Cesar Romero as the shady fiancé of Jimmy’s mother (Ilka Chase), and Russian actor Akim Tamiroff as Spyros Acebos, who helps Danny organize the caper. There are also a few cameos: George Raft as a casino owner, Shirley Maclaine as a woman who’s had a few too many (and is easily distracted by Martin’s character), and a hysterical Red Skelton as himself, who makes a scene when the casino refuses to take his check (since he has clearly hit his limit).

Ocean’s 11 is not memorable solely for the cast. It also emphasizes lively characters and an exceptional plot. Ostensibly dropped in the midst of a story already begun, the audience is immediately presented with a multitude of individuals, generally discussing a scheme of some sort (referred to as an operation, a picnic, etc.). Some of the men are looking for others, almost like a chase, which is fitting for viewers who may feel as if they’re trying to keep up with the little details they’ve been provided. The film is nearly halfway complete when Danny reveals what the men will be doing.

Many of Ocean’s eleven are highlighted, individualizing certain characters so that the gang doesn’t blur together as interchangeable thieves. Tony has lost touch with his wife and young son since he served time. He needs the money so that he can settle and hopefully reconnect with his son in military school; at the same time, Tony sees a doctor and receives distressing news. Similarly, Vince wants to get his wife out of a burlesque club, and Jimmy wishes to be independent of his wealthy mother. Their trade may be larceny, but these men are not ruled by greed. They face the same troubles and concerns as many other people. Danny loves his wife, Beatrice, but must acknowledge that they can no longer be together. Josh was forced to give up his dreams of playing baseball due to an injury sustained during the war. Strong, likable characters make the team construct all the more sound, and because they fought together as a team in World War II, it’s easy to overlook the fact that, in the very basic sense, they’re stealing money.

The performances from the entire cast are delightful. As much fun as it is to watch the men being recruited, it’s even more gratifying to watch the caper go down. The inevitable obstacles heighten the suspense, with Danny’s ex-girlfriend, Adele (Patrice Wymore), and Jimmy’s stepfather-to-be creating waves. Actor Silva was more popularly known for playing villains (e.g., John Frankenheimer’s 1962 The Manchurian Candidate -- with his Ocean’s 11 co-star, Sinatra -- and Steven Seagal’s debut, 1988’s Above the Law), and he is surprisingly charming as Roger. Romero might be best remembered as The Joker in the 1960s Batman TV series. Fell was known to television audiences as Mr. Roper in the successful series, Three’s Company (for which he won a Golden Globe in 1979), as well as its spin-off, The Ropers. He was also nominated for an Emmy for the 1976 mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man.

Milestone had twice won an Academy Award for Best Director, for 1927’s Two Arabian Knights (the very first year for the Academy Awards, the only time that the Best Director category was split into “comedy” and “drama” -- Milestone’s was the latter) and All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). He was also nominated for The Front Page (1931), and his 1939 Of Mice and Men was nominated for Best Picture. Actor Tamiroff was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and won a Golden Globe (at the Globes’ inaugural ceremony) for the 1943 film, For Whom the Bell Tolls. The same year as her cameo in this film, Maclaine starred in Billy Wilder’s The Apartment, for which the actress was nominated for an Academy Award and awarded a Golden Globe (and also won, for good measure, a BAFTA for Best Foreign Actress).

In 2001, Steven Soderbergh directed a stellar remake with a star-studded cast, including George Clooney as Danny Ocean, as well as Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, and Don Cheadle. Though not as dramatically engaging as the original, it was an amusing and highly enjoyable affair, performing well at the box office. Two stars of the original, Silva and Dickinson, appear in cameos. Two rather bland and lamely titled (although successful) sequels invariably followed, Ocean’s Twelve (2004) and Ocean’s Thirteen (2007).

Marking its 50 year anniversary, Ocean’s 11 makes its Blu-ray debut today. The features, although all carryovers from the previous DVD release, are a treat: an audio commentary with Frank Sinatra, Jr. and Angie Dickinson, “Las Vegas Then and Now” map casino vignettes (focusing on each of the targeted casinos -- the Desert Inn, the Flamingo, the Riviera, the Sahara and the Sands), an excerpt from The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson with Sinatra as guest host and Dickinson as star (and with a spoiler alert, as they discuss the film’s ending), and trailers. There’s also an Easter egg; just look for the extra pair of dice. The hi-def transfer is beautiful, with rich, bold colors and an immaculate soundtrack. For more information on this release, see the Warner Bros. Blu-ray site.

Warner Bros. provided a copy of this Blu-ray to Classic Film & TV Cafe. Photo stills courtesy of Warner Bros.

Suddenly (1954)

Suddenly (1954). Director: Lewis Allen with a screenplay written by Richard Sale. Cast: Frank Sinatra, Sterling Hayden, James Gleason and Nancy Gates.

Tod Shaw, the sheriff of a town called Suddenly, is dating Ellen Benson, a widow whose husband was killed in the War. Ellen and her young son Pidge live with her father-in-law, Pop Benson, a retired Secret Service agent. Ellen is an overprotective mother and will not allow her son to see war movies or play with toy guns. Ellen cannot believe it when she sees that Tod has bought her son a toy cap pistol. This puts a strain on their relationship.

Soon after, Tod is made aware that a train carrying the President will be arriving at the town's railroad station later in the day. They travel by car to a ranch for a fishing vacation. Tod meets with the secret service, led by agent Dan Carney. Carney and his men secure all the buildings around the station, including the Benson house. Carney is surprised to learn that his former boss Pop lives in the house. Soon, John Baron, Benny Conklin and Bart Wheeler, hired killers posing as FBI agents, arrive and ask to inspect the house. Pop asks Baron why his men are there. Baron orders that no one is to leave the house. He tells Pop about the president's arrival and he has information about a potential threat to the president.

When Tod brings Carney to the house to see Pop, Baron shoots and kills Carney and Conklin shoots Tod in the arm. Baron then threatens to harm the little boy unless they follow his instructions. Will the Sheriff, Pop and Ellen be able to stop Baron from going though with his plans?

Even though it was a very different role for Sinatra performing as a vicious killer, I thought Sinatra was very believable playing his part. Nancy Gates, also gives an emotionally believable performance. James Gleason was perfect as a Gruff Old Man. Suddenly was surprisingly tough film for the era which the film was made.

Click to view the film SUDDENLY in full.

Underrated Performer of the Month: Versatile Kay Thompson

Kay Thompson, born in St. Louis early in the 20th Century (in 1903, 1905 or 1908, take your pick), might best be described as a phenomenon.

On film she is known for her role as chic, ebullient Maggie Prescott in Funny Face (1957), but Thompson was a woman of many, many talents. She is probably remembered most today for the best-selling 'Eloise' books she began writing in the mid-'50s about a precocious little girl who lived at New York's Plaza Hotel.

Thompson was born Katherine Fink, the daughter of a St. Louis jeweler...more to the point, she was always musical. After college she began singing and by the time she was in her mid-20s she was working in radio as a singer and choral director. She toured with Fred Waring as a singer and arranger, and her group, The Kay Thompson Swing Choir, appeared in Manhattan Merry-Go-Round (1937).

Through two songwriter friends, Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin, Thompson became a vocal arranger at MGM in the early '40s. Her projects included Week-End at the Waldorf (1945), Ziegfeld Follies (1946), The Harvey Girls (1946) and Good News (1947). She had a small part in another of her assignments, The Kid From Brooklyn (1946). Thompson was also vocal coach to the stars: Sinatra, Garland (who named her Liza's godmother), Lena Horne (who termed her "the best vocal coach in the world"), Ann Sothern, June Allyson and others. Watch and listen to these performers before and after Thompson worked with them and you'll see and hear a difference. Critic Rex Reed has commented, "Kay did things with June Allyson, who didn't have much range, to make her sound great in Good News."

In 1948, when her MGM contract was up, Thompson left the studio and formed a sophisticated smash-hit nightclub act, Kay Thompson and the Williams Brothers (Andy was one of the brothers).

Singer Julie Wilson recalled Kay's show, "Her act at the Persian Room was electric. Kay and the Williams Brothers moved so well, with one terrific pose after another. It was an absolute knockout. Kay's energy took your breath away. She wore those wonderful white pantsuits, which no one wore at the time. The show was very stark and modern, and the rhythm never stopped." A critic from Variety reported, "Her act is paced like a North Atlantic gale," and concluded, "Miss Thompson is more than an act. She's an experience."

Andy Williams remembered, "It's hard to imagine there wasn't an act like us before, because there have been so many since. Up to that time everyone just sang around a microphone, and when the song was over, the singers would raise their arms...[Kay] wrote wonderful songs, she could arrange, she could play the piano beautifully, she could stage numbers. And she could sing! She taught me more about singing and show business than anyone else in the world."

Her show-stopping turn in Funny Face was Kay Thompson's only major film role. Her next and final outing was a small (but memorable) part in Otto Preminger's Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (1970) starring goddaughter Liza Minnelli. During her final years, Thompson lived in Liza's Upper East Side penthouse; she passed away there in 1998.

In 2003 Disney produced two movies for TV based on the first two Eloise books, "Eloise at the Plaza" and "Eloise at Christmastime" featuring Julie Andrews as Nanny (the first Eloise book was originally adapted for TV in 1956). In 2006 an animated TV series based on the book's characters debuted on Starz! Kids & Family with Lynn Redgrave as Nanny. A film production of Eloise in Paris starring Uma Thurman and Pierce Brosnan was slated to go into production this year but was suspended due to a contract dispute.

"Liza's at the Palace" was a limited engagement at New York's Palace Theater that ran from December 3, 2008 - January 4, 2009. Included in the concert was a recreation of Kay Thompson's nightclub act. The NY Times critic wrote, "From the moment Ms. Minnelli joins forces with a male singing and dancing quartet to resurrect part of a famous nightclub act Thompson created in the late '40s and early '50s with the Williams Brothers, the Palace Theater blasts off into orbit." The show was a popular and critical success that won several awards including a Tony for Best Special Theatrical Event.

The influence of multi-talented Kay Thompson continues; in December 2009, New York's Plaza Hotel opened an "Eloise Shop" and has plans for an Eloise-themed suite designed by Betsey Johnson.

Von Ryan's Express: The Other Great POW Escape Film of the 1960s

For 45 years now, The Great Escape has cast a long shadow over Von Ryan’s Express—so it’s about time someone shed some light on the lesser-known latter film. Released in 1965, just two years after The Great Escape, Von Ryan’s Express also tells the tale of a daring escape from a prisoner-of-war (POW) camp during World War II. While both films split their running times between scenes inside the camp and outside the fence (once the prisoners break out), the similarity ends there. For me, the most gripping scenes of The Great Escape involve the building of the tunnel. Conversely, Von Ryan’s Express takes off when the escaped prisoners hijack a German train.

The film opens in Italy in 1943 when an Italian unit captures downed American pilot Colonel Joseph L. Ryan (Frank Sinatra). When he arrives at the POW camp, Ryan finds a stubborn group of mostly British soldiers led by Major Fincham (Trevor Howard). The camp’s Italian commandant has mistreated the prisoners as punishment for their repeated escape attempts. As a result, the prisoners’ former commanding officer has died in a sweat box, malaria and scurvy are rampant, and food rations have been cut in half.

Although Ryan confesses he is a “ninety-day wonder” (commissioned as an officer after three months of training), he becomes the prisoners’ leader due to rank. After cautiously evaluating the situation, he cuts a deal with the Italians: the prisoners will cease all attempts to escape and, in return, all food, medicine, and clothes will be distributed to the men. Ryan’s actions don’t endear him to his new British subordinates, but he earns a measure of respect when he stands up to the Italian commandant after later being double-crossed.

The friction between Ryan and Fincham becomes a recurring element in the film. It comes to a head early when the prisoners awaken to find their Italian captors have abandoned the camp due to the impending approach of Allied forces. Still, buried deep behind enemy lines, the 400 prisoners must decide whether to stay at the camp (hoping Allies reach them before the Nazis) or try to reach safety on their own. The decisive Ryan chooses a course of action and the soldiers follow—thus setting into motion a nail-biting sequence of events that culminates in a stolen train speeding through Italy.

While Von Ryan’s Express nicely balances suspense, intense action sequences, and occasional humor, what elevates it above other World War II thrillers is the presence of a flawed hero. Ryan, for all of his good decisions, makes some awful ones, too—resulting in the deaths of some of his men. He makes the kinds of mistakes that the experienced Fincham would not. By the same token, though, Fincham lacks Ryan’s daring and innovation—traits that play a large part in the success of the prisoners’ escape.

Frank Sinatra and Trevor Howard play off each other effectively. I think this is one of Sinatra’s best performances, along with The Manchurian Candidate and Suddenly. Sinatra displays the necessary bravado when Ryan makes a command decision, but he also subtly conveys the uncertainty that Ryan hides from Fincham and the others. Howard has a more straightforward role as the cynical, skeptical Fincham, but he brings conviction and believability to the part. Among the supporting cast, Edward Mulhare stands out as the chaplain, whose fluency in German leads to his impersonation of a German officer at a train station (maybe my favorite scene).

Lensed on location in Europe, Von Ryan’s Express makes excellent use of its budget, even to the point of recreating the POW camp. Versatile director Mark Robson, who helmed films ranging from Peyton Place to Phffft, paces the film perfectly and his experience as an editor (mostly for Val Lewton) is evident during the breathless climax. Jerry Goldsmith provides an outstanding music score that’s understated during the tense sequences and then rousing as it ends the film with a memorable march theme.

It’s interesting to note that Frank Sinatra insisted on changing the film’s original ending. I won’t spoil the climax, but believe that he made the right decision. It’s just one more reason to check out the marvelous Von Ryan’s Express. While it will never match the fame of The Great Escape and its iconic Steve McQueen motorcycle chase, Von Ryan’s Express deserves to rank alongside it as the best World War II action film of the 1960s.