The Blue Gardenia

 (1953)
Directed by Fritz Lang
Written by Charles Hoffman, from a novella by Vera Caspary
Starring: Anne Baxter, Richard Conte, Ann Sothern, Raymond Burr, Jeff Donnell, George Reeves, Nat "King" Cole
IMDB Entry

Like anyone who appreciates films of the 40s and 50s, I'm a fan of film noir. But the term has been overused and watered down over the years and nowadays it's used for any movie in black and white where a crime is committed. I'm going to be looking at some film noir films in the next few weeks, though I'm going to start with one that doesn't fit, even though it's often called noir: The Blue Gardenia.

Norah Larkin (Anne Baxter) is a telephone operator who lives with her friends Crystal (Ann Sothern) and Sally (Jeff Donnell). After she gets a "Dear Jane" letter from her boyfriend in Korea, she answers the phone to hear Harry Preble (Raymond Burr), a serial womanizer, who wants to ask Crystal out for a evening. Norah, on the rebound, takes him up on it. Harry gets her drunk and takes her back to his apartment where he tries to take advantage of her. She hits him with a fireplace poker and leaves.

The next morning, she remembers nothing and learns that Harry was found dead, killed by a fireplace poker. Norah can only remember parts of the evening and thinks she has killed him. The police have few clues, so newspaper columnist Casey Mayo (Richard Conte) writes a column asking the killer to turn herself in. Norah meets with him -- without admitting what happened -- and they develop a relationship.

Despite the noir label, the film doesn't fit the mold. The pervasive corruption in the genre is nowhere to be seen; the lead detective, Captain Haynes (George Reeve*) is an honest cop willing to give Casey a chance to help out Norah. Norah isn't corrupted, either -- she's just caught in a difficult situation and tries to fix it. It's ultimately a murder mystery where she thinks she might be the murderer.**

Baxter works well as Norah. She's already won an Oscar and Golden Globe at this point and is good as the troubled woman.  Burr makes an intriguing cad, though Richard Conte's performance is routine.  Nat "King" Cole shows up to perform the title tune in the nightclub that gives the movie its name.

The movie was directed by the great Fritz Lang.  It's not one of his major works, but still showed a sense of paranoia that was often a part of his films.

______________________________________________________________
*Yes, TV's Superman, though he's sporting a moustache here. He was not u

**If this were noir, she would have been guilty, dragging Casey down with her.

Being Human (TV)

 

(2009-2013)

Created by Toby Whithouse
Starring Lenora Crichlow, Russell Tovey, Aiden Turner
IMDB Entry

Gimmick stories can make for bad television, but one big exception is the UK series Being Human.*

The gimmick is simple. Three roommates just happen to be supernatural beings. George (Russell Tovey) is a werewolf. Mitchell (Aiden Turner) was a vampire. Annie (Lenora Crichlow) is a ghost. Vampires hate werewolves, but Mitchell -- who is trying to make do without killing people and drinking blood -- rescues George and become roommates and end up in the apartment that Annie is haunting. They have to negotiate being human and keeping their secrets, which isn't easy.

George and Mitchell both work as orderlies in a hospital, taking the menial job to keep from hurting people. George is moody and ashamed of what he becomes with every full moon, since he's pure animal. Mitchell keeps being tempted by circumstances and other vampires to drink blood and kill, something he can't always resist.  Annie is bright and bubbly and tries to make the most of being dead until she finally discovers how it happened.

There is a good mixture of drama and humor and plenty of villains out to tempt them and kill them.

I recognized Russell Tovey from the Doctor Who episode "Voyage of the Damned," where he played Alonzo Frame, the second in command.** His George is the most cautious of the group, pointing out the various pitfalls of any plan. Aiden Turner is best known from playing Poldark and brings both brooding and humor to the role. Lenora Crichlow has done quite a few UK series, both before and after, and her Annie is a delight.

The show ran for five seasons and is terrific throughout.

__________________________________________________________________________
*There later was Canadian-American version that aired on SciFi.

**Allowing the Doctor to finally say "Allons-y Alonso"