Crime of Passion(1957)

Crime of Passion(1957). Crime film noir directed by Gerd Oswald and written by Jo Eisinger. Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Sterling Hayden, Raymond Burr and Fay Wray.

The story begins, as San Francisco newspaper reporter Kathy Ferguson, helps two Los Angeles homicide detectives, Capt. Charles Alidos and Lt. Bill Doyle, find the woman who has just killed her husband.

Soon after, Kathy's story impresses a important New York newspaper, who offer her a job with them.
She does not take the job, as she and Bill have fallen in love and move to Los Angeles, where they marry.

Kathy, quickly becomes bored with her role as a housewife and the card games with Bill's friends and their wives. Kathy, who can not take their company anymore decides to elevate their social life.

As luck would have it.. she has a fender-bender with Alice Pope, wife of Inspector Tony Pope. The two become fast friends and Kathy convinces Alice to let her plan a surprise birthday party for Tony. Which causes problems between Tony and Alidos, when he and his wife Sara miss the birthday party, as Kathy did not invite them.

Later, Kathy talks Bill into leaving the LAPD and join the Beverly Hills force, even-though he will lose his seniority. Tony refuses Bill's resignation, and promises him that he is planning to make changes within the department.

Kathy makes up a lie about Sara, gossiping about her and Tony having an affair, causing Bill to go to police headquarters in a rage and beating up Alidos. Bill and Alidos, decide not to tell Tony about the accusation.

Not, able to work together... Alidos, transfers to another division and Bill is promoted to captain. While Bill is out of town, Tony comes to tell Kathy that Alice has been hospitalized, because she can no longer take the pressures of his job.

Tony, now wanting to retire, Kathy makes the suggestion that Bill might replace him. Tony and Kathy fall into each others arms.

Later, when Kathy finds out that the Popes are moving to Honolulu, she meets with Tony where he ends their very brief affair. Tony, also tells her that he has decided not to nominate Bill for his job, as he thinks Bill is "not good enough," and plans to give the job to Alidos.

Later that night, while waiting for Bill at police headquarters, Kathy steals a gun from the evidence desk and goes to Tony's house, where she begs for Bill to be promoted. After, Tony tells her that he has always seen through her scheming ways, Kathy shoots and kills him.

Bill, is in charge of the investigation and when he discovers that the gun, is missing he realizes that Kathy had the opportunity to take it, he returns home where Kathy admits everything. Will Bill arrest his wife Kathy or let her go?

Barbara Stanwyck, gives a believable performance as a woman who, falls for the wrong man. As her hubby, Sterling Hayden, he plays the boring part of a man, who does not to see his wife, for what she really is. In a small but important role Raymond Burr, gives a perfect performance as Hayden's boss.

Fay Wray ( September 15, 1907 – August 8, 2004), her acting career spanned 57 years.

Wray attained international stardom as an actress in horror film roles, leading to many considering her as the first "scream queen".

Wray, was signed to Paramount Pictures as a teenager, where she made more than a dozen films.

After leaving Paramount, she signed deals with various film companies, being cast in her first horror film roles among many other types of roles, including: The Bowery (1933) and Viva Villa (1934), both huge productions starring Wallace Beery.

For RKO Radio Pictures, Inc., she starred in the film with which she is most identified, King Kong (1933).

After the success of King Kong, Wray performed in many major film roles and on television, finishing her acting career in 1980.

The Star (1952).

The Star(1952). Directed by Stuart Heisler. Cast: Bette Davis, Sterling Hayden and Natalie Wood. Bette Davis received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

The story begins when, Oscar Award winning Margaret Elliot, a bankrupt movie star, has to sell all her beautiful possessions at auction. She believes with all her heart, that one good part she can rebuild her career.

After another disappointment, she gets drunk and is arrested for DUI, and spends a night in jail. She is bailed out by Jim Johannsen, a young actor who she helped in the past.

Jim, tries to make Margaret see that her acting days are over. She does manage to get a screen test for a role in a film she’d always wanted to play. She decides to play the part as a sexy young woman but she ends up looking like a fool.

Later, at a Hollywood party, she is offered a role in a new film about a fading star who can’t face when their career is over. Will this script open Margaret's eyes to the truth.

The film, "The Star", is a look behind the scenes of old Hollywood. Bette, gave what I thought to be a realistic performance. Natalie Wood, gave a wonderful, bubbly performance as her daughter.



Classic movie snippets: The Star (1952) , movie review.

Barbara Lawrence (born February 24, 1928). She began her career as a photographer's model and performed in her first film, Diamond Horseshoe (1945). She also performed in the film, Captain from Castile(1947) with Tyrone Power. While finishing her studies at UCLA, she caught the attention of talent scouts and Lawrence was soon co-starring in 20th Century Fox movies: A Letter to Three Wives, The Street with No Name, Thieves' Highway and Here Come the Nelsons.

After her move to MGM, Lawrence starred in, Her Twelve Men. Lawrence, also played the major role in the film, Oklahoma!, in which she gets into a fight with Gloria Grahame.

Zero Hour!(1957)

Zero Hour!(1957). Written by Arthur Hailey. Cast: Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, and Sterling Hayden. Zero Hour! was the basis for the movie Airplane! Zero Hour! was also the remake of Hailey's Canadian Broadcasting Corporation play Flight into Danger(1956). Hailey co-wrote a novel with John Castle based on the same idea titled Flight Into Danger: Runway Zero-Eight (1958). The rights to the movie were purchased by the makers of the 1980 film Airplane! and they were able to use the screenplay almost verbatim. In later years, the film was bought by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Pilot Ted Stryker, in the final weeks of World War II, leads a raid on Wiesbaden, Germany. The target area is covered by fog, Ted does not cancel the mission and six of his pilots crash into countryside. Wounded Ted, is the only man to survive the mission and blames himself for the death of his men.



Eleven years later, Ted applies for a job in the Canadian Jet Research division of the Mid-Canadian Aircraft Co. Ted's old friend Frank Graham hires him and Ted returns home to celebrate the good news with his family. When he gets there he finds a note written by his wife Ellen, saying that she is leaving him. Ted rushes to the airport just in time to board her plane to Vancouver, even though he is still afraid of flying.

Once on the the plane, Ted asks Ellen to give him another chance, but she refuses because he has never stopped punishing himself from his mistakes. Midway through the flight, some of the passengers become deathly ill, the stewardess, asks a physician who happens to be on the plane to help them. Baird tells Capt. Bill Wilson to land the plane, so the sick passengers can be taken to the hospital. Only to learn that they are going to run into bad weather and they can not land the plane. Soon, co-pilot Stewart passes out and Baird now believes that the problem is food poisoning. Soon, Bill is also sick with food poisoning. Although he is able to put the plane on autopilot before collapsing.

Baird tells Janet he is not even sure he can save the sick passengers lives unless they receive medical attention soon. In the cockpit, Baird tells Ted that he is the only person aboard who can of land the plane. Ted then takes the pilot's seat and contacts Canadian air traffic control, asking for guidance in flying the plane. Will Ted manage to get over his past and land the plane safely?

I really enjoyed this film even though some moments are impossible to watch without being reminded of their parody versions.

Sterling Hayden, For most of his career performed as a leading man, in westerns and film noir, such as Johnny Guitar, The Asphalt Jungle and The Killing.

Later on he became known as a character actor for such roles as Gen. Jack D. Ripper in Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964).

He also played the Irish policeman, Captain McCluskey, in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather in 1972.

Standing 6-feet, 5-inches tall, he is one of the tallest leading actors of all time.