| Gene Tierney's "Laura" and her men: Vincent Price, Clifton Webb, & Dana Andrews. |
What
is left to say about 1944’s Laura,
one of the most celebrated film noirs? So much has been written, that I can
only comment that Laura is one of my
all-time favorite films, regardless of genre.
When
I was younger, I found dark, nightmarish film noirs fascinating and very adult.
As I’ve grown older, this genre usually grates on my nerves, especially those
with stories that hinge on incredible coincidences or characters who seem to be
telepathic. For instance, my eyes roll routinely if I catch The Postman Always Rings Twice, where
Leon Ames’ D.A. is on to John Garfield and Lana Turner’s illicit lovers from
the start—before they even consider wrong-doing! The same goes for Double Indemnity, when scheming couple Fred
MacMurray and Barbara Stanywck can’t catch a break with Fred’s insurance
company boss Edward G. Robinson around.
| Dana Andrews as the detective who seems to be love with a portrait of a dead woman. |
For
me, what makes Laura such a great film
noir is not about the plotting and double-crossing, it’s about the mood and
characters. Frankly, I never thought there was much mystery regarding Laura’s killer. While every character in
the film is crazy about lovely Laura, you wonder what she sees in them—they’re
mostly a pit of vipers.
| 'Laura' and the men in her life: the columnist, the playboy, and the detective! |
The
much-imitated story revolves around Laura Hunt and her social circle after it
is thought she has been shot to death, right in her beautiful face. No-nonsense
detective Mark McPherson is on the case and while sifting through the evidence
and Laura’s life, becomes infatuated with her. There’s also a stunning portrait
of Laura over her fireplace to inspire him. Mooning over the dead beauty while
sorting through the case, he falls asleep at her apartment, only to be awakened
by Laura, who isn’t dead after all. The murdered woman turns out to be a
co-worker, with everyone a suspect—even Laura herself. The fun isn’t in the
mystery, but the motives of each character, and the detective sizing them all
up, to determine whodunit.
| Clifton Webb in the role that made him a star, as the aptly named Waldo Lydecker. |
Clifton
Webb is routinely cited as stealing Laura.
A former Broadway performer, Clifton created a classic character as catty
columnist Waldo Lydecker, who’s obsessed with Laura. While Webb’s way with
cutting comedic lines gets most of the praise, he also gives a great dramatic
performance as the older man drawn to an ideal young woman, who knows that he
can’t truly have. With Laura, the
acidic, flamboyant Webb became an unlikely but big movie star, moving on to
dramas like The Razor's Edge as well
as the classic Mr. Belvedere comedies and the family favorite, Cheaper by the Dozen.
| One of the great beauties of '40s films, Gene Tierney in literally her signature role as 'Laura.' |
Gene
Tierney is usually touted for her great beauty, and rightly so. During her
heyday, critics weren’t often kind, and a few felt that Tierney wasn’t all that
Laura was touted to be, by the other characters. Gene wasn't as dynamic of an actress,
as say, Vivien Leigh. Yet, Tierney radiated class and intelligence, something
that studios went to great pains to give the illusion of in many of their
actresses. However, like Leigh, Gene’s picture perfect, placid beauty had an
undercurrent of emotional tension, which gave an extra dimension to her
performances. Both actresses had turbulent personal lives and struggled with emotional
illness, and worked hard to keep an even keel. I think Gene’s background and
persona made her perfect as Laura Hunt. Consider that Hedy Lamarr was an early
choice for Laura, and it’s easy to see how well Gene Tierney works in the role.
| Vincent Price as the weak charmer, Shelby, the type of role that made him a character star instead of a matinee idol. |
Vincent
Price became typecast after co-starring as Gene's smarmy, slightly campy
second-string love interest in both Laura
and the next year in Leave Her to Heaven.
Yet, Price plays the type so well! Vincent is sly and self-deprecating as boy
toy Shelby Carpenter. And Judith Anderson is both sympathetic and sinister as
Ann Treadwell, Laura’s aunt and rival for Price’s Shelby.
| Dana Andrews is effortlessly natural as the street-smart detective Mark McPherson. |
However,
the unsung hero of Laura is Dana
Andrews as detective Mark McPherson. Andrew’s gumshoe is street smart and tough,
but with a tender side, which causes him to fall for Laura's bewitching
portrait. Dana Andrews is a bit like Humphrey Bogart, but without the more
obvious mannerisms. Andrews is the perfect every man in which audiences can view
lovely Laura and her circle of friends. Amidst the movie’s intrigue and baroque
characters, Andrews is the movie's rock.
Movie
composer David Raskin wrote Laura’s
theme, a recurring refrain throughout the film, and became justifiably famous.
Later, lyrics later added by the great Johnny Mercer, and became even more
popular.
| Azadia Newman, wife of the original director of 'Laura,' was a portrait painter. This was her take on Joan Crawford; her portrait of Gene Tierney as Laura was not used! |
This
film is so smooth and near flawless, that it’s hard to fathom that Laura had such a fraught production.
Fox’s head honcho Darryl F. Zanuck first refused to let Otto Preminger direct, but
only produce. Rouben Mamoulian was brought in, but nobody was happy with his
vision of Laura. So Rouben was given
the boot, along with his painter wife Azadia Newman’s portrait of Laura. Even
with Preminger now on board, Zanuck, a notoriously “hands on” mogul in more
ways than one, called for a change in Laura’s
ending. That is, until he showed it to columnist pal Walter Winchell, who
basically commented, “Great picture, except for the ending!” I’m giving you the
Reader’s Digest version, as my Mom
likes to say, because the behind the scenes drama is a movie in itself.
| Dana Wynter as Laura in '55's 'Portrait of Murder.' |
This
sublime slice of cinema was hilariously remade as a TV movie in the 1955. Robert
Stack, with his glowering eyes and otherwise stony face, plays Dana Andrews’
detective role. The future Untouchables
star only demonstrates how subtle Andrews was, compared to Stack, who always
sounds like a morose radio announcer. Since this was 20th Century Fox’s
foray into television, who else but Fox contract player George Sanders would do
as Waldo Lydecker, right? Sadly, Sanders is on acid-tongued autopilot here and
the cartoonish script has his Lydecker getting decked by the detective. Dana Wynter,
a pale substitute for Tierney as Laura, comes across like a prim secretary. And
since this is ‘50s TV, there’s even a wise cracking kid, who was Laura’s
smitten neighbor, and says things like, “Gee, why would anyone want to kill a
swell girl like Laura?”
| Robert Stack and George Sanders reprised their roles a dozen years later in yet another TV remake with Lee Radziwill as 'Laura.' |
Even
stranger was another TV remake over a dozen years later, in ‘68. Aging Robert Stack
and George Sanders were trotted out once again as the detective and the
columnist, opposite Jackie O's sister, Lee Radziwill, as Laura. Lee was getting
mentored by writer/society pal Truman Capote as an actress—I’m surprised Tru
didn’t suggest himself as catty scribe Waldo Lydecker! The reviews were lethal
and any copies of the production are now hard to come by.
Also,
did you know there was a 1962 German TV version of Laura, with Hildegard Knef as Laura? You can watch it on YouTube.
| Who remembers the Carol Burnett spoof, 'Flora?' |
And
TV fans, do you remember Carol Burnett’s spoof of Laura, called “Flora?” I only remember Vicki Lawrence as Bessie,
the hysterical maid, and Steve Lawrence as the wisecracking detective. And I’m
sure Harvey Korman played the imperious Waldo Lydecker. Does that leave Lyle
Waggoner as Shelby Carpenter? I’d love to find this!
So,
what do I love about Laura? That it
gave Gene Tierney her signature role? That it made Clifton Webb a movie star at
55? That it makes audiences appreciate the naturalistic Dana Andrews even more
today? That it has one of the loveliest movie themes ever? Laura is one of those rare films where all the elements come miraculously
together, despite what was going on behind the camera, to create movie magic.
| 1944's 'Laura' all comes together in one lovely film noir. |
FYI: I put all the movie overflow on my public FB movie page.
Check it out & join! https://www.facebook.com/groups/178488909366865/