My first Sitting In The Aisle in over a year! Last week L. and I went to the Hollywood Legion Theater after finding out that they play movies. This is also how we got to go to the Hollywood Heritage Museum the following day. They had a deal. As for the movie, Nightmare Alley, there was a double feature but we ended up not staying for the second movie since it was already 10pm by the time the first movie ended. I'm old. Leave me alone. So this movie is about this con man that works for a traveling carnival named Stan. This is a straight up carny place with a geek that bites the heads off of chickens, a psychic, and strong man. This lady named Zeena who is the psychic has a drunk ass husband Pete that she always has to look out for. This girl Molly tells Stan about how Zeena and Pete use codes for their psychic act which makes him immediately want it to make more money. Stan tries to wine and dine Zeena which works. This dude can talk his ass off. One night Pete's drunk ass has been cut off from being allowed anymore liquor when he stumbles upon Stan. Stan gives him some and the next morning Pete is dead. Turns out Stan gave him PURE alcohol which is in the exact same bottle as his moonshine. Zeena was just gonna send him to rehab the next day.
Zeena starts working with Stan using the codes but he is more into Molly's young ass. One night while at a diner Bruno, the strongman, chokes out Stan so that he marries Molly. This was confusing since I thought Molly and Bruno were a couple. Now Stan is stuck with Molly but teaches her the code and they take the show out on the road and its great. One evening this lady who is a psychologist named Lilith Ritter spots the con immediately and tests out Stan's skills. He succeeds. They meet and he explains everything to her and finds out she records her high profile clients therapy sessions. He comes up with the idea to trick these rich folks using information only the therapist knows and they are making all the money. This man named Ezra Grindle who is loaded wants a private reading and for his old love to show herself. She dead. Stan wants Molly to pretend to be her. Molly already feels bad about the tricks they are playing and even tried to leave. She ends up going along with it but right when its working she gets a fucking conscious and ruins it all. Stan knocks the old man to the ground and bones out.
Stan is at a desperate place now and realizes that Lilith played his ass just like he has others. Lilith gives him $150 and not $150,000 so Stan breaks into her place. She brings up Pete's death which has been haunting him. He can hear sirens which may or may not be real. She says he is mentally ill and will go to jail when he tries to threaten her regarding her recordings. Molly wants to go back to the carnival which she does while Stan ends up drunk as shit drinking booze with hobos. He finds a carnival and no one knows who he is and he becomes the new geek at the place. He goes nuts like the previous geek had until Molly spots him and says she will help him. He is now the new Pete and Molly is the new Zeena. The shit was sad.
This was a really good movie. I used to love watching classic and noir films as a kid but don't watch them hardly at all anymore. The way everyone speaks. The way the acting was done. I like all of it. I was also shocked at how young the people in this movie were at the time if filming (and how their lives ended afterward). Hollywood is a weird ass place, y'all. Don't know why anyone wants to be famous. If you can find this movie check it out because even though I talked all about it I left some stuff out. Plus its just a good ass movie to watch.
Tyrone Power as Stanton "Stan" Carlisle
Joan Blondell as Zeena Krumbein
Coleen Gray as Molly Carlisle
Helen Walker as Lilith Ritter
Taylor Holmes as Ezra Grindle
Mike Mazurki as Bruno
Ian Keith as Pete Krumbein
Click here for previous Sitting In The Aisle.
No comments:
Post a Comment