Out of the Fog (1941)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Anatole Litvak

Writers:

Irwin Shaw (play)
Robert Rossen (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

14 June 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir

Plot:

Fishermen Jonah Goodwin and Olaf Johnson are confronted by gangster Harold Goff who tries to extort "boat protection" money out of the two men...

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Boat | Fisherman | Brooklyn New York | Detective

Cast

John Garfield	...	Harold Goff
Ida Lupino	...	Stella Goodwin
Thomas Mitchell	...	Jonah Goodwin
Eddie Albert	...	George Watkins
George Tobias	...	Igor Propotkin
John Qualen	...	Olaf Johnson
Aline MacMahon	...	Florence Goodwin
Jerome Cowan	...	Assistant D.A.
Odette Myrtil	...	Caroline Pomponette
Leo Gorcey	...	Eddie
Robert Homans	...	Officer Magruder
Bernard Gorcey	...	Sam Pepper
Paul Harvey	...	Judge Moriarty

Also Known As:

The Gentle People (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #7091)

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Humphrey Bogart was originally chosen to play Harold Goff. However, Ida Lupino had just finished shooting They Drive by Night (1940) and High Sierra (1941) with Bogart, and they had not gotten along. Lupino protested, and because she'd had a bigger name than Bogart at the time, she got her way, forcing an angry Bogart to shoot off a telegram to Jack L. Warner asking, "When did Ida Lupino start casting films at your studio?"

Movie Connections:

Featured in The John Garfield Story (2003) (TV)

Another rough and tough one from Warners

John Garfield is a sadistic, heartless thug in "Out of the Fog," starring Ida Lupino, Thomas Mitchell, John Qualen, and Eddie Albert. Garfield's life centers around intimidating scared, weak people into coughing up "protection" money so that he won't set their boats or businesses on fire or beat them to a pulp. Ida Lupino plays Stella, a young woman who's bored with her boyfriend (Eddie Albert) and sick of her life, and when she meets Garfield, she sees a chance for excitement. Little does she know that he's shaking down her father (Mitchell) and his partner in a fishing boat (Qualen).

This drama was interesting, had a rich atmosphere and a good cast. That, however, doesn't mean I enjoyed it. Garfield was so mean he was disgusting, John Qualen was so lily-livered I wanted to slap him, and all I could do was pity poor Thomas Mitchell. How Lupino could have had anything to do with Garfield after she found out he was demanding money from her father is beyond me.

The point of the film, brought home by Eddie Albert and Mitchell, is that Stella is just an ordinary girl and she shouldn't want or reach for anything special. Well, maybe she shouldn't have wanted or reached for any special via John Garfield, but how's that for a nice sexist 1940s message. However, the ending (not liked by at least one of the posters commenting here) does indicate that Stella will be able to achieve a balance in her life, so in that way, it was very satisfying.

The best characters were played by Mitchell and Qualen who, not surprisingly, give the best performances. They had a lot more to work with, Mitchell especially, and he gave it everything he had. Garfield's role was one-dimensional, and we learn nothing about how he came to be such a rat, so all you can do is hate him. Lupino's role is strictly ingénue - she found a better niche later on.

Interesting movie that, whether you like it or not, will hold your interest.