Photofest
Jean Negulesco, US 1948
Print source: UCLA Film and Television Archive
Running time: 95 minutes
About the print
This is a vintage print on deposit with UCLA for Twentieth Century-Fox. There is some edge damage that has been repaired and intermittent scratching appears, particularly at reel changes. Slight warping is evident, but does not affect projection. Shrinkage: 0.6%
About the film
“List first the fact that [Richard] Widmark, though he stands in danger of being typed as the screen’s prime psychotic, does an excellent job (complete with chilling laughter) of the road house owner, who gets his friend paroled so as to further torture him. Although Ida Lupino is described as being able to ‘do more without a voice than anyone I’ve heard,’ her portrayal as the beleaguered chanteuse is expertly brittle and passionate and her singing of three low-down numbers convincing. Cornel Wilde is the sedate but muscularly attractive object of her affections, while Celeste Holm is her customary witty self in the decidedly minor role of road house cashier.”
– A.W., New York Times, November 8, 1948
“At the center of the story, turning in one of the best performances of her career is Ida Lupino, playing a low-down blues warbler who finds herself in the middle between Widmark and Cornel Wilde. . . . Miss Lupino’s standout performance is highlighted by her firstrate handling of a brace of blues numbers, including ‘One for My Baby,’ ‘The Right Time’ and ‘Again,’ all three being solid tunes.”
– Herm Schoenfeld, Variety, September 22, 1948