Key Largo (1948).

Key Largo (1948). film noir directed by John Huston. Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Lauren Bacall, Lionel Barrymore, and Claire Trever. Key Largo, was the fourth and final film pairing of married actors Bogart and Bacall. Trevor won the 1948 Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance.

Veteran Frank McCloud, travels to Key Largo, Florida to pay his respects to the family of George Temple, who died under his command during World War II. George's wheelchair-bound father James runs the hotel with George's widow, who insists that he stay the night. Sitting at the bar are Nora, Frank, Curly Hoff, Toots, Angel and Gaye Dawn. Nora, explains to him that they offered her father-in-law so much money to open the hotel for them, that he could not say no.

It is not long before, a hurricane warning is issued and Nora, runs around closing all the shutters, when the telephone rings. Curly, answers the phone and tells the caller that the Temples are not there and he also has not seen local police officer named, Sawyer. When Temple speaks up, the men pull their guns. The men's boss comes downstairs and Frank recognizes him as the gangster Johnny Rocco. Johnny Rocco and his men, have already captured and beaten Sawyer, who was looking for the Oceola brothers, who had just escaped from jail.

When Rocco, makes a pass at Nora, she spits in his face and Frank quickly talks him out of killing her. Rocco throws him a gun and tells him that he can rid the world of Rocco if he is also willing to die. Frank, throws the gun and Sawyer grabs it and tries to escape. Rocco kills Sawyer, revealing that the other gun was not loaded. Rocco then demands Gaye, his alcoholic girlfriend, to sing a song before she can have a drink. She does not sing very well, Rocco refuses to give her a drink, Frank feels sorry for her and pours her a drink. Rocco slaps him and once again, Frank does nothing.

After the storm passes, Rocco learns they lost the boat in the storm. He orders Frank to take Temple's boat to take him to Cuba. Just before they leave, a second police officer comes looking for Sawyer and finds his body laying outside the hotel. Rocco, blames the murder on the Oceola brothers and when the the brothers try to escape, the officer shoots them. As Rocco and his men prepare to leave, Gaye begs Rocco to take her with them, she grabs his gun from his pocket without him knowing and slips it to Frank. Will Frank save them and get out of this alive?

Key Largo, is a story about a bad situation in which from the beginning you wonder when Frank (if ever), is going to make his move, but.. as luck would have it the hurricane changes things around .

Thomas Gomez (July 10, 1905 – June 18, 1971), began his acting career in theater during the 1920s and was a student of the actor Walter Hampden. He made his first film Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror in 1942 and by the end of his career had appeared in sixty films.

He received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film, Ride the Pink Horse (1947). His other film roles include: Who Done It? (1942), Key Largo (1948), Force of Evil (1948), The Conqueror (1956) and his final film Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970).

King of the Underworld (1939).

King of the Underworld (1939). Directed by Lewis Seiler. With Humphrey Bogart, Kay Francis, James Stephenson, John Eldredge.

Dr. Niles Nelson, is lured into becoming doctor to crime boss Joe Gurney and his gang. When Niles is killed by the police, while taking care of one of Gurney's men, his wife, Dr. Carol Nelson, falls under suspicion of also being part of the gang. Carol, wants to prove her innocence, and moves her practice to a small town, in which two of Gurney's gangsters, are being held the towns prison. Things become complicated, when Gurney, breaks into the jail and frees his men. Wounded in the jailbreak, Gurney forces Carol to treat his arm. Also, wounded in the jailbreak, is down on his luck writer Bill Stevens, who had accepted a ride from the gangster. Carol and Bill, become fast friends, who is later taken prisoner by Gurney, so that he can write the gangster's autobiography. Knowing, that the federal agents, are coming to arrest her, because of her involvement with Gurney. Will Carol come up with a plan to capture the gangsters and prove her innocence in time?

I really only recommend this film to fans of gangster films, or Bogart. Bogart, plays a gang leader who thinks of himself as the next Napoleon, which seems a little odd at times.

Tokyo Joe (1949).

Tokyo Joe (1949). Directed by Stuart Heisler from a story by Steve Fisher, adapted by Walter Doniger. Cast:Humphrey Bogart, Florence Marly and Sessue Hayakawa. This was Heisler's first of two features starring Bogart, the other was, Chain Lightning (1950).

The story begins when, Joe Barrett, returns to Tokyo after the war, to re-open his club. Unfortunately, it is now illegal to run a gambling club in Japan. Joe goes to see his old Japanese partner, Ito, who tells Joe that Trina, his Russian wife, is still alive with a 7 year old daughter. Joe soon learns that she divorced him and is now married to American lawyer, Mark Landis.

Joe, wants to win her back and applies for an airline franchise, which allows him to stay in Japan after his visa expires. Ito, introduces him to Baron Kimura, a gangster, who forces Joe into piloting war criminals by informing him that during the war Trina made treasonous broadcasts.

The American authorities soon find out and then explains to Joe that "Kamikazi," his Japanese pilot, is an American agent who has learned that Kimura plans to smuggle Japanese war criminals back into the country. The authorities now ask Joe, to risk his life and deliver the criminals to them.

TCM gave this film only two stars, so I really wasn't expecting much. But... I have to say..Humphrey Bogart, does a superb job as always as is the rest of the cast. The plot is very well written, a must see for, Humphrey Bogart and suspense fans.

Czech-born actress Florence Marly, became interested in becoming an opera singer. At age 18, she was discovered by French director Pierre Chenal, while a student of art and literature at the Sorbonne. He put her into his film L'alibi (1937). They married the following year and she continued to perform in his films: The Lafarge Case (1937), Sirocco (1938) , The Last Turn (1939), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1939), The Idol (1952) and Confession at Dawn (1953). In 1942, she left Paris before the Nazi occupation and spent her war years in Argentina where she performed in a couple of films. She returned to France in the post-war years and was nominated for a Cannes Film Festival award for Les Maudits (1947)(The Damned), then decided to travel to Hollywood and Paramount Studios in 1948. When not performing in the intrigue and espionage movies expected of her opposite such stars as Ray Milland in, Sealed Verdict (1948) and Humphrey Bogart in Tokyo Joe (1949), she entertained American troops in Korea.

The Two Mrs. Carrolls(1947).

The Two Mrs. Carrolls(1947). Noir. Directed by Peter Godfrey and produced by Mark Hellinger, with Jack L. Warner as executive producer, from a screenplay by Thomas Job based on the play by Martin Vale. Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Barbara Stanwyck and Alexis Smith with Nigel Bruce.

While on vacation in Scotland, Sally Morton meets and falls in love with painter Geoffrey Carroll, but is heartbroken when she finds out that he has an invalid wife and a daughter. Back home, Geoffrey come up with a plan to get rid of his wife, using another name, buys poison. Then sends his daughter Beatrice, away to school and takes over the care of his wife.

Two years after the death of Geoffrey's wife, he and Sally have been married a year and live with Bea. Geoffrey's paints a beautiful portrait of his first wife which he calls.. "Death". Things are not going well in his studio and he is not very happy when Charles Pennington, Sally's former fiancee visits with Mrs. Latham and her daughter Cecily, who wants him to paint her portrait.

Geoffrey needs the money to pay Blagdon's blackmail demands, agrees to do the work and begins an affair with Cecily.

Later when Sally, becomes ill, Dr. Tuttle believes her symptoms is a bad case of nervous. Geoffrey, begins making plans to send Bea back to boarding school and he has begun to paint a new painting, which he refuses to let Sally near the studio.

Geoffrey then travels to London to meet Blagdon, who has demanded another payment. While he is gone, Sally, who knows about his affair with Cecily, finds Bea packing for school, where she learns that she was also sent to school before her mother died. Sally now suspects that Geoffrey is trying to kill her. Will he succeed with his plans or will Sally out smart him?

The story is very interesting even though it has a few odd moments. A perfect movie, for the Bogart fans, who want to see him in a role that is a little different.

First video of 7.

Nigel Bruce (4 February 1895 – 8 October 1953), was a British character actor on stage and screen. He was best known for his portrayal of Doctor Watson in a series of films and in the radio series The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes). Bruce is also remembered for his roles in the Alfred Hitchcock films Rebecca and Suspicion.

Dead End(1937).

Dead End(1937). Crime drama film. Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Joel McCrea, and Sylvia Sidney. It is the first of 7 films with the, Dead End Kids.

The story begins on the streets of New York, where there are many luxury apartments being built close to the east river, because of the beautiful views. The poor people, also live close by in their crowded run down tenements.

At the end of the street, is a dock, where you will find a gang of street kids who call themselves, The Dead End Kids. There is a the new kid on the block looking for friends. At first, the gang bullies the new kid and takes his money, but they soon become fast friends. One of the boys sister, Drina, dreams of marrying a rich man who will save her and her brother from their hard life.

Drina, does not want her younger brother to turn out like Mobster Baby Face Martin, who just returned to his old neighborhood. Drina's friend Dave Connell, is an unemployed architect, who now works odd jobs. He is having an affair with a rich man's mistress, Kay Burton.

Looking for trouble, the gang of kids beat up a rich kid, who lives in the near by apartments. When the boy's father tries to help his son, Tommy stabs him in the hand and then goes into hiding.

Mobster Baby Face Martin, is turned away by his mother and upset to find out that his ex-girlfriend, Francie, is now a prostitute. Needing money, he decides to kidnap the rich child for ransom. Dave, finds Martin and kills him in a fight. When the police arrive, Spit.. tells the police that it was Tommy, who stabbed the man. Will Dave, convince him to turn himself in?

In this film you have, Rich, poor, kindhearted and hardhearted all trying to live together, in the same neighborhood. This film also, shows the differences as well as similarities between the rich and the poor.

Fun Fact:

Even though, she is in only one scene that lasts a little under five minutes, Claire Trevor won an Oscar nomination for her performance as Francie, the prostitute.

Sylvia Sidney (August 8, 1910 – July 1, 1999), she became an actress at the age of fifteen. As a student of the Theater Guild's School for Acting, Sidney performed in several of their productions during the 1920s. In 1926, she was seen by a Hollywood talent scout and made her first film performance later that year.

Sidney, often played the girlfriend or the sister of a gangster in the films: An American Tragedy, City Streets and Street Scene (all 1931), Alfred Hitchcock's, Sabotage and Fritz Lang's, Fury (both 1936), You Only Live Once, Dead End (both 1937) and The Trail of the Lonesome Pine .

She also performed in the films: Blood on the Sun (1945) and Les Misérables(1952).

In 1973, Sidney received an Academy Award nomination for her supporting role in, Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams.

As an elderly woman, Sidney continued to play supporting screen roles such as, Miss Coral in the film, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden. She played Aunt Marion in, Damien: Omen II and had a role in the films: Beetlejuice, for which she won a Saturn Award and the film, Used People. Her final role was in, Mars Attacks!

My favorite Sylvia Sidney films:

City Streets (1931)
The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1936)
Fury (1936)
Dead End (1937)
Beetlejuice (1988)

Great On Screen Couples: Humphrey Bogart & Lauren Bacall

From the first time they met, Bogie and Bacall were pure magic. When cast as Marie in her first film, To Have And Have Not (1944), the sparks she and Bogie created was something special. At the time Humphrey was married to his third wife, but once he met Bacall, he had found his true love. The two married a year later and following that, they teamed up for their second film, the noir classic The Big Sleep (one of my personal favorite films). By now Bogie and Bacall knew each other so well, they practically finished each other sentences. They would make two more films together: 1947's Dark Passage and 1948's Key Largo.

And while we no longer see their magic on screen again, Bacall did provide Bogie with something his first three wives never did: a son and a daughter. And they was able to enjoy being a family for a little bit before Bogie's death due to throat cancer. Bacall would later marry again to Jason Robards Jr but would divorce him in 9 years. Bacall herself stated that she never met a man to match her first love. Humphrey Bogart was cremeated and his ashes were interred at Forest Lawn in Los Angeles. Lauren Bacall is one Hollywood's last living legends and periodically makes a rare film appearance.