The Flanagan Boy

I see many compared this to the Postman Always Rings Twice. I just found it a typical beautiful wife encouraging a young lover to kill her husband. You can compare it to lots of films.

Bad Blonde stars the real thing, Barbara Payton, as the young woman who is married to Giuseppe (Frederick Valt), a fight promoter and businessman.

When she meets his latest find (Tony Wright) there is an instant attraction, disguised as hostility. It then goes the ordinary route. Wright doesn't put up much resistance.

Barbara Payton had one look - bored out of her mind - throughout the film. She was extremely beautiful and desirable - desirable enough for Tom Neal to beat Franchot Tone into a coma.

Payton's best film was at the start of her career, and it was downhill from there.

She wound up an alcoholic prostitute. When offered rehab, she said, "I'd rather drink or die." At age 39, she managed to do both.

In 1950, American producer Robert Lippert formed a business alliance with Hammer studios. Under the agreement, Lippert would provide American acting talent - frequently shop-worn stars or just supporting actors who fancied a profitable trip out of the country - while Hammer would supply the rest of the cast and the production facilities. Together they would split the profits. Famous for his concern with the bottom line, Lippert produced over 140 films between 1946 and 1955, characteristically genre pieces such as I Shot Jesse James or Rocketship XM. For the British deal, most of the films were noir-ish thrillers - and include this title.

Directed by American B-meister Reginald La Borg, The Flanagan Boy is a hugely enjoyable tale of a young boxer whose career is destroyed by the blonde of the US title, the aptly cast Barbara Peyton. Peyton, whose short career was marred by disastrous excesses and liaisons in her private life, is marvellous as the scheming fatale Lorna Vechi, whose marriage to a doting boxing manager is a sham, and whose sexual predations draw in most men around her. Surprisingly explicit in showing female desire (at one point Lorna licks her lips in close up as she eyes the torso of the well formed fighter, standing all self- conscious and sweaty after a bout), as others have noticed this is a film that recalls the similar shenanigans of The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946). Sid James makes an appearance as the original manager of the doomed boxer, and it's a film that still bears up well.

After a thunderous triangle affair that shaken Hollywood between Franchot Tone, Barbara Payton and the former boxer Tom Neal, it ruins her career for good, all majors studios shut down their doors for her, in declining process he accepts an offer of Robert Lippert that through a joint-venture with Hammer studios on England make a movie there, The Flanagan Boy later re-named on America as Bad Blonde, once more dealing with boxer fighter, if is on purpose means that the producers want capitalize on Barbara Payton background.

At carnival a former boxer's agent Sharkey (Sidney James) has a small busines there, where he challenges someone on the audience for a couple rounds against a retired boxer, when sudden appears the young Johnny Flanagan (Tony Wright) whom knock down his opponent, there he meets his old pal the trainer Charlie (John Slater) both and Johnny must looking for a famous promoter for Johnny, whereof Sharkey aware that Giuseppe Vecchi is on London, the old promoter coming from New York bring a new wife a former dancer Lorna (Barbara Payton) meanwhile the upcoming agreement between Vecchi and Sharkey over a possible partnership, something arises on Johnny over so gorgeous blonde, a sort of secret feeling.

Meanwhile the training at Vecchi's mansion, Johnny and Lorna meet privily at barn, Lorna envisages on Johnny her freedom from the loathsome fat Vecchi, exposing to him that is pregnancy, it somehow disturbs the young Johnny, as display in the fight when he had the opponent at your hands on first round, lost the match when Lorna arrives there, hereinafter Lorna push him to get rid of Vecchi or she own will poisoned his husband, the naïve guy blind by jealous settle a plan to murder him.

Many of reviewers posted here that the picture reminds The Postman Always Rings Twice, well it has some resemblance quite sure, not exactly the same plot whatsoever, due here the main reason is boxer fighter struggles against his own yarning, in other hand a scheming girl deceiving a silly guy enchanted by the sexy bombshell, one's latest movie from Barbara who entered in a self-destruction process that ends up in prostitution at Sunset Boulevard at Los Angeles to afford her drugs addiction and alcoholism as well, her nasty sexual behavior screw up a supposed successful career, I have a great interest on Barbara Payton's life due she had a tremendous potential, a case should be studied!

Thanks for reading.

Resume:

First watch: 2023 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.

AKA..."The Flanagan Boy"

That Was the Original British Title, from the Famous "Hammer Studios" that Copied America's Film-Noirs in the Early 50's,

Before the "Lighting in a Bottle" was Captured by Copying America's "Universal Studios" Horror Icons (Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy, The Wolf Man, The Phantom of the Opera, etc.).

Hammer Imprinted its Own Gravitas by Brilliantly Overlaying the "Monsters" in Luscious Rich Color, Detailed Beautiful Sets, and to Top it Off...Low-Cut Displays of the Female Form, Modernized Bloody Violence, and to Top-Off the Top-Off,

Brought Forth 2 Dynamic Actors, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee who Became Icons of Horror with Long and Distinguished Careers.

But "Bad Blonde" was Made Before All That, when "Hammer" was a Low-Budget Studio Doing Solid, Entertaining, B-Movie Genre Entertainment on a Shoestring, Noirs and Adventure Movies Mostly.

In this One, a Real-Life "Bad Girl", Barbara Payton, Supersedes Everything and Everyone in this British Copy-Cat Plot,

by Bringing to the Character and Screen the "Real Deal", for She in Real-Life was Living the Caricature that was so Much in Demand in the Hard-Boiled World of Pulp Fiction and the Big Screen.

Looking "Hard as Nails" that Barely Hid Her Behind the "Performance" of a Lustful, Alluring, Magnetic, Femme Fatale that was "Rotten to the Core". She Didn't "Nail It"...She Was It.

Hammer Made this with Prolific B-Master, Director Le Borg who Sensibilities were Aligned with the Budget and Style of Genre

and Delivered Along with the Cinematographer, some Angels and Sets that were "Artistically" Above Average and Worthy of the B-Movie Sensationalism that its Fans Loved, Admired, and Supported.

Tony Wright, in His 1st Movie is a Bit Stiff...

after Ogling Payton Licking Her Lips and Sliding Her Stockings, who Wouldn't Be? He Never Recovers.

But the Biggest Gripe has to be Frederic Valk as the Rich Husband and Boxing Promoter is So Gregarious and Over the Top,

Loudly Expressing His Every Thought, Shouting Louder and Louder Like Everyone in the Room is Near-Deaf.

It is Hard to Stomach and may Drive Sensitive Types Away Faster than You Can Say..."Maybe bumping him off isn't such a bad thing". But Seriously!

Other than that bit of Sarcastic Criticism, Hammer's British Take on Film-Noir is Stylish, Competent and Obviously Very British.

It Would be Less than 5 Years Later when "Hammer Studios" Hits Artistic and Commercial Success that Lasted Almost 20 Years.

Still Remember Fondly Today for its Contribution of Excellent Cinema Done with a Panache that Many Imitated but Never Came Close to Duplicating the Aforementioned "Lightning in a Bottle".

If it's a Hammer Film...It's...Worth a Watch.

Bad blonde, but called the flanagan boy in england. The trivia section calls this the british version of postman rings twice. In this one, a boxer making a comeback makes a play for lorna, his manager's wife. And that can't end well. Lots of ups and downs for johnny, depending on how lorna treats him that week. Now, lorna wants johnny to bump off hubby, but will he go along with that? Big decisions to be made. It's okay. Some fun twists and turns. The background music is all very typical, off the shelf dramatic, suspense type music. Directed by reginald le borg. I had seen a couple of his other films, and wasn't too impressed with either of them. This one has a bigger budget than those! It's predictable, but not so bad. Boxer films were big in the 50s.