Dead Ringer

DEAD RINGER stretches credibility, but is an enjoyable little thriller. The story opens in 1964 Los Angeles where financially struggling Edith (DAVIS) goes to the funeral of wealthy twin Margaret's husband, Frank DeLorca. The two sisters have not seen each other for 20 years because Edith had originally been dating Frank, and Margaret stole him away from her claiming pregnancy. Margaret invites Edith back to her home after the funeral and once there, insults her by offering her cast off clothing. A quarrel ensues where Edith accuses Margaret of never having loved Frank and therefore denying both Frank and Edith of true happiness. In a huff Edith leaves in Margaret's chauffer driven Cadillac. While talking to the chauffer during the ride home, Edith learns that the pregnancy ploy that Margaret had used years before was a lie. When Edith arrives at her small bar in a seedy part of town, she is confronted by her rental property agent, who informs her that since she is 3 months behind in rent, he wants her gone. The one bright spot in Edith's life is the friendship that she has with Sergeant Hobbson (KARL MALDEN). In fact he remembers her birthday and gives her a watch, but Edith is so consumed with her problems that she is almost oblivious to his being there. In her apartment above the bar, now angry at her sister and somewhat irrational, Edith devises a plan to have Margaret visit, at which time she will murder her and take on her identity. Edith phones Margaret and orders her to come to her bar with the ruse that she "knows everything". Margaret goes, believing that Edith has some other knowledge. In an interestingly filmed manner, Edith manages to shoot her sister, change clothes, and make it look as though "Edie" has committed suicide. She now leaves in "Margaret's" chauffered car and steps into a grand life. Only now, she'll have to contend with pulling it off. Physical resemblance aside, Edith must now adopt "Margaret's" lifestyle. She must also convince everyone in "Margaret's" orbit from household servants to friends to Tony Collins (PETER LAWFORD), Margaret's lover, that she is Margaret. Worse, Sergeant Hobbson starts snooping around and unearths alot of things. Things that were not intended to come to light...... Former DAVIS co-star PAUL HENRIED stays within the guidelines with his job as the film's director. He should not have used daughter MONIKA HENRIED as Margaret's maid. Her delivery is flat, and apparently in her early twenties looks more like a young woman of means than a personal maid. JEAN HAGEN is light and airy as shallow friend Dede Marshall, ESTELLE WINWOOD is very good as annoying relative Dona Anna. PETER LAWFORD is also very good as the suave and slimy aging stud muffin Tony Collins. KARL MALDEN is tender in his early scenes, then all business in his latter ones. BETTE DAVIS is excellent playing 2 very different sisters. Her mannerisms and delivery are clearly separate depending on which role she is in. She's down to earth and practical as the down on her luck Edith. As the frivilous Margaret, DAVIS is coy and somewhat flighty, dismissing away what displeases her with a wave of her hand. This is a signature performance of DAVIS, and she runs with it, pulling out all the stops along the way !!!

...even when some of those small things are not so small. 20 years ago Edith Phillips was going to marry wealthy Frank DeLorca. The wealth didn't really matter to Edith, but it mattered to her twin sister Margaret. It mattered so much that she slept with Frank and then announced she was pregnant, so Frank married Margaret out of obligation. There is still a shred of production code left, so I am explaining more than the film does. Edith has never forgiven Margaret for taking Frank away from her, but I'd say Frank does share some blame too since he must have slept with her.

So in modern day, which is where the film actually starts, Frank has died and Edith goes to Frank's funeral. This is where she finds out by the offhand remark of the DeLorca chauffeur that there never was a child. Margaret lied to both Frank and Edith to get the life of ease she wanted. In Edith's personal life she is about to lose the bar she runs because of back rent. She does good business but she is too generous for her own good. But that generosity does not extend to Margaret. Margaret, not knowing that Edith suspects the fake pregnancy business, goes to visit her in her apartment. After making double doggone sure that there never was a baby by getting Margaret to confess, Edith kills Margaret, changes outfits with her, dumps a suicide note in Margaret's lap that is supposedly written by Edith, and goes to take up Margaret's life as a DeLorca where she left off.

The thing is, what she really wanted that Margaret had - Frank - is dead, and the rest of it is rather empty without him. Plus there are any number of things to trip her up, starting with the fact that she knows none of the servants, does not know her way around the DeLorca mansion, and does not know Margaret's routine or friends. On top of this Margaret had a boyfriend on the side who is not exactly a catch - an obvious fortune hunter played by a rather fat and flabby Peter Lawford. And he is blackmailing "Margaret" and for good reason. Complications, some very ironic, ensue.

Davis still has it as she convincingly plays the working class Edith, the pampered Margaret, and Edith masquerading as Margaret quite convincingly. Karl Malden is quite touching as Edith's cop boyfriend. He has two possible endings to Edith's story, neither which is flattering, and he doesn't know which to believe. The jazz band playing over Edith's killing of her sister and covering it up adds to the tension of the scene.

I'd recommend this one.

Bette Davis essayed twin sisters twice. The first was A STOLEN LIFE, one of her last good Warner Brother films in the late 1940s, wherein the good sister watches helplessly while her bad sister steals Glenn Ford from her, but she gets a second chance at Glenn when the bad sister is killed in an accident and the good one can take over her life (hence the title).

Then there was this film made nearly two decades later. Despite some far out plot twists, most people think that DEAD RINGER is the better film.

By 1964 Davis had discovered (like her rival Joan Crawford) that their career could survive playing in "grande guinol" films. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? and HUSH, HUSH SWEET CHARLOTTE, were followed by DEAD RINGER, THE NANNY, and THE ANNIVERSARY (my personal favorite - and actually the least bloody of these films). DEAD RINGER and THE NANNY tie for being the most sympathetic roles for Bette in these films.

In DEAD RINGER, Edith Philips is the twin sister of wealthy widow Margaret De Lorca. Edith owns a run - down bar, and it is going into bankruptcy, and she is facing eviction. Her closest friend (closer if she would watch his signals) is Police Sgt. Jim Hobbson (Karl Malden). But she is consumed with anger and jealousy at her sister because Margaret married the man who Edith should have married. So Margaret's current security is due to her stealing Edith's boyfriend (similar to the plot in A STOLEN LIFE). So she invites Margaret to her home, and shows Margaret a letter that she has written. It is Edith's suicide note, and as Margaret reads it she realizes that she is about to become Edith permanently.

Edith has planned this a bit, but she does not plan for two problems. Sgt. Hobbson is in a bad state because he loved Edith, and he keeps visiting her identical twin "Margaret". This is upsetting to Edith, who did not plan to hurt her boy-friend. Secondly she discovers Margaret had her secrets too. The late Mr. De Lorca may have died in too timely a fashion (wink, wink), and Margaret had a boy - friend too who helped her, a playboy named Tony Collins. Tony is curious about "Margaret's" lack of interest (or even awareness) of him, until he begins to put two and two together, Then he becomes very demanding to his supposed lover.

The climax of the film is quite twisty, if predictable after awhile. But the final moment between Davis and Malden is sadly touching in it's way. The film may also have the best dramatic performance by Lawford as a villain in his film career (finally he cuts loose and shows what he could do). Not one of Davis's greatest films, but an interesting one, and worth viewing.

Many of the films of the 60s were boring as hell. It took a star like Bette Davis to bring the necessary fire to this double role as twins in "Dead Ringer." In other hands, this might have been unworthy, but with Davis' magical screen presence, you can't take your eyes off her (both of her!) Even in small scenes, she's real and radiant (when Jim gives her the watch for her birthday). Andre Previn's score is superb. I loved the music after Edith storms out of Margaret's bedroom in the beginning of the film when she sees the portrait of her sister's dead husband and HER former lover, followed by that tender moment with the butler.

With the performances that got Oscar nominations during the '60s, some were pretty dull. Compared to them, Bette deserved a nod for best actress. Davis was wonderful in this. Her years of acting experience before the cameras was on full display in every scene...she was the consummate professional.

Did you notice Perry Blackwell at the organ? She also appeared in the Doris Day/Rock Hudson hit,"Pillow Talk" as the nightclub singer a few years prior. The drummer in this was married to Nancy Wilson!

This movie could easily have become a sad and pathetic parody of the final stages of a great actor's career. Instead it marks another pinnacle in the history of one of Hollywood's greatest players, Bette Davis. There are not enough superlatives to describe her performance. Not only does Davis carry the movie, she is the movie. Her performance transcends the material. This movie is an example of where the actor succeeds in elevating the script. The story is cleverly written and beautifully photographed in a black and white context that sets the mood for the movie. But it is Bette Davis's performance as a twin which makes this movie not only watchable but fun to watch. Like Bette Davis herself, this movie has aged well. Davis has since departed us but her legacy lives on in her many wonderful movies, including this one.