I don't know quite what I expected, seeing Dan Duryea and Audrey Totter in the cast, maybe a re-working of "Scarlet Street" but I was wrong, very wrong!! Warning bells did go off when I saw the MGM logo and heard the rather dinky music which had my husband questioning "Is this a musical"??
The Dibson family reminded me of the sort people that Judge Hardy metered out strong justice to at the Carvervill Court House. That is what the movie reminded me of - when Andy and Polly Benedict are going off to the school dance, the Dibsons, from the other side of the tracks are out taking servicemen for a ride.
Audrey Totter puts the most into her role, she tries to give it all the meat and venom she can and she succeeds by being the most memorable character in the movie. She plays Jessie Belle, married to "Lefty" (an actor called Tom Trout who didn't go anywhere) who is due out of prison that day. She has been the chief breadwinner of the family - Ma (Selena Royle) spends her time worrying about her sons, Posey (Duryea, in a very subdued performance) doesn't do anything but live off whatever people bring home but Rosey, the youngest daughter, is learning fast - she is making a lucrative living pinching watches that Ma takes down to a very weird pawn broker (Hume Cronyn, who at 34 was made up to look 64!!!)
Jessie Belle is getting by pretty nicely flirting with servicemen, who then discover their wallets are missing. It's not only Jessie, the whole town's female population seem to be in on the racket, so much so that the Navy is thinking of moving it's base!! Representing the law is good old Edward Arnold as Lt. Lorrgan who devises a fool proof plan for catching these light fingered Lolitas. A group of navy men (I'm convinced Sterling Hayden is one of them) are handed wallets with money dabbed with luminous paint. Meanwhile "Lefty" is out and he is not content with the family's "small town" activities. He has his eye on the takings from "Barney's Club" so just after Jessie deposits her incriminating wallet with "Lefty" he gets Posey to act as getaway driver while he robs the unsuspecting Barney who then pulls his own gun. Posey, who seems to be the most law abiding member of the family drives home where they are all greeted by Lorrgan for a "Crime Doesn't Pay" showdown.
Audrey Totter made her film debut in this movie and you could instantly tell she was going to go places. Her intense and "noirish" personality lifted her out of this pretty so-so "the Hardy Family's Black Sheep Relatives" kind of movie!!
The Dibson family reminded me of the sort people that Judge Hardy metered out strong justice to at the Carvervill Court House. That is what the movie reminded me of - when Andy and Polly Benedict are going off to the school dance, the Dibsons, from the other side of the tracks are out taking servicemen for a ride.
Audrey Totter puts the most into her role, she tries to give it all the meat and venom she can and she succeeds by being the most memorable character in the movie. She plays Jessie Belle, married to "Lefty" (an actor called Tom Trout who didn't go anywhere) who is due out of prison that day. She has been the chief breadwinner of the family - Ma (Selena Royle) spends her time worrying about her sons, Posey (Duryea, in a very subdued performance) doesn't do anything but live off whatever people bring home but Rosey, the youngest daughter, is learning fast - she is making a lucrative living pinching watches that Ma takes down to a very weird pawn broker (Hume Cronyn, who at 34 was made up to look 64!!!)
Jessie Belle is getting by pretty nicely flirting with servicemen, who then discover their wallets are missing. It's not only Jessie, the whole town's female population seem to be in on the racket, so much so that the Navy is thinking of moving it's base!! Representing the law is good old Edward Arnold as Lt. Lorrgan who devises a fool proof plan for catching these light fingered Lolitas. A group of navy men (I'm convinced Sterling Hayden is one of them) are handed wallets with money dabbed with luminous paint. Meanwhile "Lefty" is out and he is not content with the family's "small town" activities. He has his eye on the takings from "Barney's Club" so just after Jessie deposits her incriminating wallet with "Lefty" he gets Posey to act as getaway driver while he robs the unsuspecting Barney who then pulls his own gun. Posey, who seems to be the most law abiding member of the family drives home where they are all greeted by Lorrgan for a "Crime Doesn't Pay" showdown.
Audrey Totter made her film debut in this movie and you could instantly tell she was going to go places. Her intense and "noirish" personality lifted her out of this pretty so-so "the Hardy Family's Black Sheep Relatives" kind of movie!!