Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence

It was bad enough the young actor in his first feature film to have a case of the jitters when he initially reported to the studio's morning shoot. But then he had to face an abusive director hurling insults at him. Such demeaning put-downs nearly unnerved Glenn Ford, 23, in his major film role debut in November 1939's "Heaven With A Barbed Wire Fence." Ford became one of cinema's biggest box office draws of the 1940s and 1950s. He had previously appeared in only a 1937 short credited under his real name, Gwyllyn Ford, when he appeared at the 20th Century Fox studio that morning. Ricardo Cortez, an actor-turned-director, sauntered in front of the movie's actors and film crew and said, "I want you all to know they stuck me with this guy in the lead," according to Ford's son Peter in his father's biography. Cortez continued, "I didn't want him. I wanted a real actor for the thing and not some unknown amateur. I'm disgusted, but there's nothing I can do, so I ask you for your patience as we put up with him."

Cortez, going through his own personal problems, continued riding Ford throughout the shoot, telling him he had a stupid expression, exclaiming "What did I do to deserve a no-talent like you on this film." Glenn later told his son, "Every time I looked up, I saw pity in the eyes of the other people on set." He recalled cameraman Eddie Cronjager whispering to him, "Don't let the jerk get you down." Years later when Ford bumped into Cortez in a Los Angeles restaurant, the now-wildly popular actor nearly punched him in the face, but his better judgement told him to walk away.

Glenn Ford specialized in playing ordinary men caught in unusual circumstances. The Quebec, Canadian moved with his family to Southern California when he was six years old. He was active in his high school drama class and appeared in several stage plays after graduating. Appearing in the 1937 short 'Night in Manhattan,' Ford was signed to a Hollywood studio contract, and he changed his first name in honor of his father's hometown of Glenford, Alberta.

Another young actor making his film debut in "Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence" was Richard Conte, listed as Nicholas Conte in the credits. The Jersey City, New Jersey native dabbled in a series of jobs after graduating high school before he was discovered on the stage at a Connecticut resort by Elia Kazan and John Garfield. Conte, 29, was assigned to his first movie after impressing studio executives on his screen test for 1939's "Golden Boy," a role that went to William Holden. He somehow escaped the wrath of director Cortez, playing a wandering hobo who meets at a truck stop Joe (Ford) and Anita (Jean Rogers), an illegal Spanish immigrant in the states. In the Dalton Trumbo co-written script, Joe worked six years to buy a 20-acre farm in Arizona and was hitchhiking across the United States from New York City to settle there. The three decide to ride the rails, encountering a number of adventures, including an attempted rape of Anita by Hunk (Ward Bond). The three arrive at his farm, only to discover a barren stretch of desert land. Jean Rogers was one of a number of low-budgeted film actresses who appeared in Grade B movies. Her major claim to fame was playing Dale Arden in the Flash Gordon serials.

Film reviewer Jessica Pickens praised "Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence," writing the movie "packs a punch. It's funny, endearing and at other parts tragic. You'll find yourself cheering for the group of travelers, hoping that they find their 'heaven' in the end." For Glenn Ford, despite the torture working for an abusive director, it proved to be a promising beginning to a long career of film acting.

In film school, when the 'chewing up the scenery' class comes up, this B movie is the feature presentation!

Four likeable, yet different characters traverse the country from East to West. They are all fairly aimless, but the general goal is to find the unseen treasure that Glenn Ford has sold his soul for... a ranch in Arizona.

Despite the terrible conditions, this somehow manages to maintain a high level of comedy and the travelers rarely complain. In fact, it's a lot of fun (mainly) and a rewarding way to spend time.

"Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence" is a film written by Dalton Trumbo and directed by, of all people, by Ricardo Cortez! It also happens to be the first starring film for Glenn Ford...who had only been in a short, "Night in Manhattan". Despite receiving fourth billing, clearly Ford is the star of the film and every scene features him. I think such low billing was because he was a complete unknown...but it is the starring role he received.

I noticed that one reviewer seemed to think that the far leftist, Trumbo, had created some sort of communist story here. However, I think quite the opposite...that the film COULD have had much more of a left slant but the writer avoided making much of a political statement with this film. So, instead of being any sort of propaganda, it's just a slight yet entertaining yarn. The story is set during the Great Depression and yet few 1930s films really talked about this one. It's about poor folks and hobos but as I said above, the story didn't seem to have much of an agenda. They were poor but the film didn't seem to push for any action or change.

Joe (Ford) has a dream of owning his own ranch and growing things and raising stock. So, for some time he's been saving his money and recently purchased a small parcel of land in Arizona. He calls it his 'ranch' but at 20 acres, it's not exactly the Ponderosa! He's also not seen the land and trusts that it's everything they advertised. But he has a problem...he's ready to head west to his new property but he hasn't any spare money. So he begins walking, hitchhiking and riding the rails in order to get there....and along the way he encounters some new friends...as well as a lady friend. What is next? See the film.

This story is very slight and not a lot of huge twists...but it's consistently well acted and enjoyable. My only complaint is a minor one. Jean Rogers plays a woman who is supposed to be an illegal alien from war-torn Spain. But her accent doesn't sound Spanish (more Swedish) and she doesn't seem at all a good choice for this part because of this.

Glenn Ford made his feature film debut, fourth billed, but in the lead in Heaven With A Barbed Wire Fence. Another one making his debut and fifth billed is Richard Conte under his real first name of Nicholas. Both were under Jean Rogers, Raymond Walburn, and Marjorie Rambeau.

It's a B picture programmer from 20th Century Fox so no great care was taken with this. It's a simple story of a young man who quite the New York City rat race, who has spent his savings on 20 acres of Arizona real estate sight unseen and has decided to be a farmer there, because it means he's his own boss. Most of the film is Ford getting to Arizona to claim his dream and what happens along the way.

Among other things he meets Jean Rogers who is in the country illegally as a Spanish refugee from their civil war. I'm still trying to figure out how illegal she could be if in fact she does have an American mother. Ford also meets Richard Conte who I have no doubt 20th Century Fox saw as their answer to John Garfield. These three make an interesting trio of vagabonds even after they're joined by Raymond Walburn as a hobo professor. In fact Walburn was a paleontology teacher at one time and in his performance he leaves you tantalizing hints about his background before he took to the road. Walburn steals the film in every scene he's in and that's not unusual.

Ford had only made one short subject before being cast in Heaven With A Barbed Wire Fence. Peter Ford's biography of his dad says that director Ricardo Cortez treated him like garbage on the set increasing his insecurities. Ford had nothing but contempt for him and vowed he'd never treat a fellow performer as Cortez treated him if and when he reached stardom. Oddly enough Ford who essayed many roles playing shy and diffident young men probably had his very nervousness working for him. Right after this when Fox didn't sign him after this film, he got his long term contract with Columbia Pictures.

Another winning part here is that of Marjorie Rambeau as a dance hall owner who renews an acquaintance with Walburn who isn't quite sure when and how he met her the first time. They played great off each other.

Heaven With A Barbed Wire Fence is a B film and sloppily put together, but the cast is fine and Glenn Ford's future was assured.

As entertainment value this is no great shakes. A store clerk, Joe (Glenn Ford) has worked six years in New York to save up enough money to purchase a 20 acre ranch in Arizona, and now that he has purchased it he's quit his job and on his way there. But apparently, he didn't think ahead enough to save up for a train ticket there. But if he had a tidy comfortable trip across country in a train we would have no movie. Thus he ends up hitch-hiking and freight-hopping, with all of the dangers and complications that arise from such activities at the very tail end of the Great Depression. Along the way he meets up with an illegal alien from Spain (Jean Rogers) and a hobo, Tony (Richard Conte).

This was Richard Conte's and Glenn Ford's feature film debut, and they are fifth and fourth billed respectively behind Jean Rodgers, Raymond Walburn , and Marjorie Rambeau even though Glenn Ford is the real center of attention. It's strange to see Glenn Ford speaking like a gangster - I think they were going for a Humphrey Bogart or James Cagney style performance here - a city slicker out of his element. Richard Conte seems to be Fox's answer to John Garfield with his "dust be my destiny" attitude, even though John Garfield just showed up on screen the year before. This was directed by actor Ricardo Cortez in the few years that he tried his hand at directing, and written for the screen and from and original story by famed screenwriter Dalton Trumbo early on in his writing career. Spartacus it is not.

The road portion of the film takes up almost all of its short running time, with Ford arriving at his ranch only at the end. So if you are thinking this is a western from the title, you would be wrong. It's probably worth it just to see Ford and Conte so early in their careers.