Undertow

Scott Brady, who became a character actor in his later years, was a young hunk in "Undertow" from 1949, directed by William Castle and featuring John Russell, Peggy Dow, Dorothy Hart, and Bruce Bennett. Brady was Lawrence Tierney's brother and sounded just like him.

Brady plays a former mob member Tony Reagan, who, after time in the Army, falls in love with a mountain lodge and decides to buy it. In Reno, he runs into an old friend (Russell) - both the men have rings they want to present to their girlfriends. The club Russell runs is owned by Big Jim. Tony is in love with Big Jim's daughter (Dorothy Hart) and is on his way home to Chicago. Big Jim doesn't like him, but Tony is determined to win him over.

It doesn't work out as he'd hoped. Tony is framed for Big Jim's murder and winds up at the apartment of a woman (Peggy Dow) he met on the plane. She was initially attracted to him, believes his story, and wants to help him.

This film is interesting for several reasons. The first is the fantastic atmosphere of Reno and Chicago, the old cars, the stores, the pay phones - very evocative of the '40s.

The second reason is that Rock Hudson, under the name Roc Hudson, plays a detective. Blink and you'll miss him. Robert Easton is also in the film. It was his and Peggy Dow's film debuts.

The third reason is the appearance of black characters, both of whom have decent roles, and black people who appear as extras.

The fourth reason is the appearance of Bruce Bennett as a detective friend of Tony's. Bennett was an unusual man - under the name of Herman Bix, he was a star shot-putter in the Olympics. He then went to work in films (Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Mildred Pierce, etc.) and lived to be 100.

As for the film, it didn't hold together for me. I figured it out almost immediately, but that's because I've seen so many of these films. The end just fell apart.

Having returned to Chicago, Tony Reagan (Scott Brady) is accused of murdering a wealthy, powerful man who happens to be his fiance's uncle. Injured and with the police hot on his trail, Reagan has few places to turn. He eventually seeks the assistance of a woman he hardly knows. He met her the previous day on the flight to Chicago. With her help, Reagan's out to clear his name.

Undertow is a neat little film noir that, until last night, I had never heard of. I was shocked at how much I enjoyed it. The story has a lot of suspense that builds throughout. There may have been a few predictable bits in the plot (like the murderer's ID) and some big coincidences (like a friendly cop who agrees to help), but the journey is so much fun it hardly mattered. Director William Castle (yes, that William Castle) proves that he could do more than churn out sensational schlock. His pacing in Undertow is about perfect. The film also looks phenomenal. Cinematographer Irving Glassberg lensed a movie that looks far better than it has a right to. But, then again, I seem to say that about a lot of the Universal B picture output from the 40s. Finally, I enjoyed the exterior 40s-era footage. Whether it was the airport, the plane, or downtown Chicago, it was awesome stuff.

I have no complaints as far as the acting goes. Generally, I'm not much of a fan of Scott Brady. There's just something about him that puts me off. Here, however, I thought his performance was more than adequate. As for co-star Peggy Dow - what a revelation! Considering this was her first film role, she was amazing. Dow plays the sweet, innocent, cute, trusting, fresh-faced, all-American girl about as well as anyone I've ever seen. Looking over her filmography, I'm saddened to see she only made nine films. I'm going to make it my mission to see as many of these as I can. The rest of the supporting cast - John Russell, Dorothy Hart, Bruce Bennett - are equally strong. Finally, the film features a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment from a fresh-faced Roc (with no k) Hudson.

Overall, a nice little film that I'm happy to have stumbled upon. Undertow gives me hope as I continue my journey through some of these smaller, lesser known film noirs.

7/10.

Tony (Scott Brady) is the perfect patsy. He's an ex-con and the Chicago police are more than willing to believe the worst of him. So, when some unknown people kidnap him, shoot him and set him up for his future father-in-law's murder, the case seems pretty air-tight. However, like so many noir films, he investigates the case himself and aims to prove his innocence. Along the way, he gets the help from a nice lady and even from a cop.

"Undertow" is an excellent and enjoyable film. While Peggy Dow's character makes no sense (why would anyone help a wanted man when they barely know them?!), the overall story is quite well made and keeps your attention. It has some excellent twists and the acting is quite good despite the actors mostly being second-tier. It sure helped having the excellent director William Castle in charge, as he had a habit of making the most of lower budgets.

The plot is actually impressingly ingenious, as it is impossible to guess what it is all about, and like the poor framed victim and failed wooer you feel inclined to just give it all up, but there are two dames involved in this, one in the thick of it and one by accident. Eventually the one with the many children carries home the prize.

The music adds to the increasing quality of this very suggestive noir, and several composers appear to have been at it, among others Frank Skinner and Miklos Rosza. William Castle directed many films, mostly B, the "Whistler" series and the "Crime Doctor" series among others, but this should be one of the best ones. For once the brevity of the film is an asset, because it increases the density and the brilliant conciseness of the account. The plot is brilliantly contrived, like a perfect jig-saw puzzle, which is impossible to identify before it is finished, as the clue to the mystery arrives better late than never. The actors make good performances, Scott Brady on the rack at the mercy of Dorothy Hart, while Peggy Dow is a relief. You get misgivings from the beginning as it is in the racket of gambling, starting off at Reno and continuing in Chicago with hoodlums and everything, and all your worst suspicions gradually come true. But it is an efficient thriller and well worth watching, for all its extreme unpleasantness of worries and suspense.

"Undertow" is a simplistic example of a good 'B' picture, your basic Film Noir 101 movie. There are no surprises, lots of coincidences and plot contrivances, and the endgame is telegraphed about midway through. Screenwriters could have written this one in their sleep, which may account for the flawed, unsatisfying nature of Undertow.

The cast is attractive; several familiar 'B' actors put this picture over with performances that infuse it with much-needed energy. I thought Scott Brady, John Russell, Bruce Bennett and Peggy Dow were just fine, production values were good, but the movie lacks suspense and tension. Every time a crucial scene would come up you just knew the outcome.

Nevertheless, 'Undertow" succeeds in its own unsophisticated way, and for 40's theater audiences it would have been a good time killer while waiting for the main feature to come on.