| Happy here, Harry Belafonte stars in the grim noir "Odds Against Tomorrow." |
Odds
Against Tomorrow has been called the last film noir by some,
but for me, it's a fascinating character study, with a clear-eyed look at
mid-century NYC.
Dave Burke, a bitter ex-cop, has a “surefire” plan
to hold up a specific bank. He enlists two men who badly need the money. Johnny
Ingram is a black musician and gambler who owes big time to some small-time
gangsters. Earle Slater is an ex-con with a bad temper, and relies on his
good-hearted girlfriend for dough. Two big problems: One, neither man has ever
committed robbery. Second, Earle is an old-school racist and Johnny is a modern
black man who doesn't kowtow to whitey. Need I say that this well-planned heist
is doomed from the start?
| An eerie moment when Robert Ryan's racist goes out of his way to grab the little black girl. |
As well-done as the
script is in leading to the bank robbery, the story of these two desperate men
is what makes this movie compelling. Much has been written about this cult
film, so I'll just refresh the basics: Odds
Against Tomorrow would considered an indie film today. Shot on a modest
budget, the talent involved wanted to work with hot young star Harry Belafonte,
who also helped put this film together. That, plus respected director Robert
Wise, who was just coming off of I Want
To Live! The cast is an intriguing mix of veteran stars like Robert Ryan,
Ed Begley, Shelley Winters, and Gloria Grahame, opposite Harry Belafonte, plus
future name actors like Wayne Rogers, Richard Bright, Zohra Lampert, and Cicely
Tyson, as the nightclub bartender.
| Right, Cicely Tyson is the amused bartender at the club where Belafonte's Johnny sings. |
The movie is a moody
snapshot of late '50s NYC, with director Wise using infrared film for some
exterior scenes to give the city a bleak, cold look. This film is throwback to
the economic storytelling from Wise’s early career, and one of the best, Dede
Allen, was the film editor. The taut, no-nonsense script was by blacklisted
screenwriter Abraham Polonsky, working under a pen name. The great jazz score
is by John Lewis, which creates a melancholy mood. Unlike most studio movies at
the time, life in the Big Apple isn't prettified for audiences here. One of the
men in the park scene asks the cops why nobody goes to the park at night
anymore. His answer is, those darn kids. The ex-cop lives in a grand old
apartment building, which has seen better days. The gambler/musician lives the
night life while his ex-wife is mingling with white folks over PTA luncheons. Racism
isn't romanticized, either. In Earle’s first scene, he side steps into a group of kids playing, grabs a
little black girl, and tells her to be careful, calling her a "pickaninny."
| Gloria Grahame gives a quirky take on Ryan's oddball neighbor in "Odds Against Tomorrow." |
| Shelley Winters as Lorry, Ryan's sympathetic girlfriend, in "Odds Against Tomorrow." |
The realistic acting
and storytelling really are what’s riveting about Odds Against Tomorrow. Shelley Winters is truly unglamorous as
Earle's long-suffering girlfriend, who can't help but mother hen him,
which further infuriates him. Gloria Grahame is the neighbor who’s turned on by
Earle's prison past. Gloria plays the role in a peculiar fashion, which
seems like something out of Touch of Evil
or Twin Peaks. Richard Bright, who
became a popular character actor in the "New Hollywood," was
just a baby here. As Coco, he’s of the gangsters who just happens to be gay,
and loves to come on tauntingly to Johnny. Wayne Rogers makes a strong
impression as a soldier who makes the mistake of picking a bar room fight with
Earle. Zohra Lampert is the bar girl he's trying to impress. In the night club
scene, Diana Sands and Cicely Tyson are uncredited but instantly recognizable
as the hostess and bartender, observing Belafonte's drunken antics.
| Richard Bright as Coco, who's just wild about Harry in "Odds Against Tomorrow." |
What's great about Ed
Begley's ex-cop, Harry Belafonte and Robert Ryan's ne’er-do-well cohorts, are
that they aren't rationalized, but aren't demonized, either. Begley's former
cop Dave is embittered at being sold out by his superiors, but seems like a
decent man, in terms of his offer to the two men. Begley, who excelled at
corrupt creeps, is most believable as a man who just wants his perceived due.
Belafonte's musician is a player and a bad gambler, but Johnny is aware of his
flaws as a man. Belafonte, who could be a bit stiff as an actor, luckily had
charisma and good looks to spare. And Harry gives one of his best performances
here. He's strong and intense, playing a John Garfield-like character. In the
scenes where he's up against an ex-wife, mobsters, and a racist partner, he's
convincingly desperate. The most difficult character is Earle, who has been in
prison twice for assault, and is a walking time bomb. Luckily, the subtle
script is in sure hands with the brilliant Robert Ryan. The actor was equally
great playing heroes and villains, so here he captures the complicated racist
loser.
| Infrared photography for "Odds Against Tomorrow" exteriors makes racist relic Earle look ghostly. |
Odds Against Tomorrow is really more than a noir or a heist film.
It's about two men trying to live in modern America. Belafonte's Johnny, though
smart and proud, doesn't seem to fit in. His gambling life and fast living
aren't getting him anywhere, and he resents seeing his wife mainstreamed into
white society. Ryan's racist is most timely to today’s film viewers. Earle was
a war hero, but is considered a middle-aged relic. The young soldier in the bar
room reminds him that Earle was in the last
war, his solving problems with his temper and fists have landed him in prison
twice, and his knee jerk racism rankles those around him.
| The finale bank robbery's a bust. Ed Begley gives great support in "Odds Against Tomorrow." |
Odds Against Tomorrow is a good look at what makes a racist, the individual
who feels the world has passed them by, and is looking for a scapegoat. In the
film, Earle constantly looks to blame Johnny for any mistakes or missteps in
their planned heist. Dave's ringleader more than once has to tell Earle to back
off, but he just can't help himself, and ultimately his hate and distrust is
responsible for the heist going awry.
Some film fans find
the ending of Odds Against Tomorrow a
bit too clever. I can see their view, but the ultimate point is still the
truth. When you're dead, it doesn't matter what color you are.
FYI: I put all the movie overflow on my public FB movie
page.
Check it out & join! https://www.facebook.com/groups/178488909366865/
| Robert Ryan & Harry Belafonte relaxing on the set of "Odds Against Tomorrow." |