DETECTIVE STORY: Blu-ray (Paramount, 1951) Kino Lorber
The bulk of director, William Wyler’s
Detective Story (1951) is confined to a single set – New York’s fictional
21st police precinct, stomping grounds of self-righteous Det. Jim McLeod (Kirk
Douglas) and a host of fascinating characters from both sides of the law. Detective
Story is, in fact, all about Jim McLeod – his forthright determination to
rid the city of its less than desirable influences, employing tact, muscle and
threats to achieve his ends; also, his failed attempts to rid himself of a
troubled past, stemming from an unhappy childhood and a wife, Mary (Eleanor
Parker), whom he adores, but who – alas – harbors a dark secret, threatening to
destroy their happy marriage. Wyler’s command of the cinema space ensures this
one never becomes dated or stage-bound. Ditto for Douglas’ blistering
performance as the tough cop with an axe to grind, but who crumbles after
discovering the truth about Mary’s past. Between these bookends, and the show’s
riveting dramatic finale, the proscenium is populated by a veritable who’s who
of character actors, giving it their all and, for the most part, spectacularly succeeding.
There is the fabulous Lee Grant as the never-to-be-named shoplifter, unstable
and not terribly bright, as she flits and floats in and out of the central
action. There is also, Joseph Wiseman (Dr. No to you Bond fans) as the burglar,
Charley Gennini – part con/part psychopath, and, George McCready as disgraced
abortionist, Dr. Karl Schneider, Craig Hill (as petty thief, Arthur Kindred),
Cathy O’Donnell (as Susan Carmichael, the younger sister of Art’s fiancée),
Horace McMahon (empathetic, Lt. Monaghan), Gerard Mohr (as Mary’s ex—lover and
the father of her aborted child, Tami Giacoppetti), Luis Van Rooten (as Joe
Feinson – the voice of reason), Frank Faylen (loyal, Det. Gallagher), William
Phillips (Det. Pat Callahan) and last, but certainly not least - the
magnificent, William Bendix (as compassionate, Det. Lou Brody).
A killer cast and a great
screenplay by Wyler’s elder brother, Robert and co-writer, Philip Yordan
(later, to make a rather sordid name for himself by employing blacklisted
writers, but taking all the credit and accolades for their work himself)
conspire here to will a compelling 103-minutes from Sidney Kingsley’s 1949 play
of the same name. This ran on Broadway for 581 performances. At the outset, Wyler
had hoped to interest hard-boiled noir novelist, Dashiell Hammett to adapt Kingsley’s
proses. But after several attempts, the badly ailing Hammett announced he could
not continue. Kingsley, a diminutive but rough-hewn and broad-shouldered man,
who outwardly lent the illusion of being either a street fighter or a bouncer, could
not defend his reputation in the legitimate theater, brought to fruition with 1933’s
monumentally successful Men In White. After Detective Story, Kingsley
had but three more works to commit to the stage – none as successful as Detective
Story, and only 1951’s Darkness at Noon to find its way from stage
to television. Like actress, Lee Grant, Kingsley’s reputation was adversely
affected after being placed on HUAC’s Hollywood blacklist of suspected
communists and communist sympathizers. As for Grant, HUAC’s indictment was by
association rather than deed (her marriage to blacklisted director, Edward Dmytryk)
although eyebrows were raised in ‘51 when Grant gave an impassioned eulogy for
actor, J. Edward Bromberg, whose death she had the temerity to blame on the
stress of being called to testify before the House Un-American Activities
Committee. Lee’s staunch loyalty to her husband resulted in her virtual
disappearance from the screen for almost a decade after Detective Story.
Paramount bought the rights to
produce Detective Story for a then impressive $285,000, plus a
percentage of the profits, but with Alan Ladd anticipated to star. Owing to
Hollywood’s then reigning code of censorship under Joseph Breen, the
Wyler/Yordan screenplay was forced to omit the grittier details about the
criminal underworld as well as Kingsley’s espousing on the dangers of living in
a policed state. There is also no mention of the word ‘abortion’. Nevertheless,
it is distinctly implied. Yet, despite these omissions, Detective Story
packs a wallop. Breen and William Wyler eventually concurred to bend the MPAA
Production Code Committee’s ethics – slightly - to allow for the killing of a
police officer, as this was precisely the backbone to the picture’s tragic and
disturbing finale. For Kirk Douglas, Detective Story represented yet
another quantum leap into his fast-rising international stardom, begun, after a
few supporting roles, with his breakout a scant 3-years earlier as the unprincipled
boxer in Champion (1949). This earned Douglas an Oscar nod, though no
win as Best Actor. Of these early efforts, to also include 1947’s Out of the
Past, 1950’s Young Man With A Horn, and 1951’s Ace in the Hole
- Detective Story, for which Douglas also received a Golden Globe
nomination, was the picture for which he was most proud, and, even more
immensely loyal to Wyler for having selected him to partake. Ironically,
although director and star worked amicably together, and were extremely gratified
by each other’s efforts, they never reunited on another project.
After some impressive overhead
shots of New York under the main titles, Detective Story begins in
earnest inside the detective’s bullpen at the 21st precinct. Haunted
by his youth, having survived under the yoke of a violent criminal/father who
drove his mother literally insane, Det. Jim McLeod harbors a deep-seeded rage
against all lawbreakers, taking immense satisfaction in being able to spot a potential
criminal on the horizon. Or is he merely looking too hard to find what isn’t
actually there? McLeod’s contempt is telescopically focused on Dr. Karl
Schneider whom he suspects is performing illegal abortions, causing several
young women to die. To gain a conviction, McLeod practically bribes the good
doctor’s assistant, Miss Hatch (Gladys George) to implicate Schneider in a
police line-up. Alas, Schneider’s own bribe bests McLeod’s and Hatch fails to
identify her employer, causing McLeod to fly into a momentary rage. Concurrent
with this investigation, McLeod finds himself on the edge of another crime involving
ruthless burglar, Charley Gennini whose extensive rap sheet includes murder and
rape. Meanwhile, McLeod decides to throw the book at Arthur Kindred whose petty
theft from his employer, Albert R. Pritchett (James Maloney), merely to impress
the girl he loves, turns sour when Pritchett offers to forgive Art if he pays
back the money. The girl’s younger sister, Susan Carmichael agrees to do just
that, but is turned away by McLeod, who makes various citations about the law
and due process, despite Arthur’s contrition.
McLeod’s hope to pin a botched
abortion on Schneider is derailed yet again when the victim succumbs to her
injuries in hospital. In the meantime, Schneider makes a veiled threat to
McLeod, owing to some ‘sensitive knowledge’ about Mary. McLeod momentarily loses his temper and
assaults Schneider, incurring the wrath of his attorney, Endicott Sims (Warner
Anderson) who now threatens to bring McLeod up on formal charges with his
superior, Lt. Monaghan. Before being rushed to hospital, Schneider utters the
name Giacoppetti, in connection with a woman supposedly linked to McLeod. Upon
further investigation, Monaghan unearths the woman is, in fact, Mary. At first,
Mary denies any connection. But when Monaghan produces Giacoppetti, it becomes
clear to Monaghan these two have known each before. Mary breaks down and admits
Giacoppetti was her lover before she married McLeod. Worse, the unwed Mary
became pregnant, necessitating an abortion from Dr. Schneider. Deeply wounded
by this revelation, McLeod calls his wife a tramp. Mary, however, suggests he
has become just as jaded and evil as his father was towards his mother. Briefly
reconciled, McLeod cannot bring himself to entirely forgive his wife her past
infidelities. As such, Mary informs him, she has packed her bags and is
prepared to exit the marriage. In the midst of this hullabaloo, Gennini steals
a revolver from Det. Gallagher, holding the precinct hostage. Realizing there
is nothing left for him after Mary, McLeod confronts the psychotic Gennini in a
murder for suicide. Gennini plugs three bullets into McLeod before being
subdued by other detectives. An empathetic Det. Lou Brody embraces his fallen
friend and, upon McLeod succumbing to his wounds, offers a sincere prayer for
the redemption of his soul. Immediately afterward, Brody releases Arthur and Susan
from custody. The young couple flee the station house, sadder but wiser for
their day’s experiences.
Detective Story is an
exceptional entertainment, buoyed by ‘the Wyler touch’ – William’s
magnificent storytelling ability to focus on the humanity of the tale. A. Earl
Hedrick and Hal Pereira’s art direction is superb, creating credible interiors
for the cramped detective’s bullpen and its various offices and antechambers
where the records are kept. But the show belongs to Wyler’s uncanny facility to
master a gripping drama from nothing more (at least, on the surface) than the
occasional close-up, used sparingly throughout this ensemble set piece. While Kirk
Douglas is incontrovertibly the star of our show, the actors who surround him
are all of such a perfection that his own performance is occasionally allowed
to fade into the background. This, arguably, is all to the good, as Douglas –
especially from this vintage – is occasionally prone to tower, if ever
unnecessarily, to reassert his star wattage on the screen. Despite Douglas’
bravado, Lee Grant’s ditzy shoplifter, all but ignored as she slips in and out
of the action, never to grandstand or outstay her welcome, nearly steals every
scene. Grant was, in fact, Oscar nominated as Best Supporting Actress for barely
20-mins. of screen time. Playing against his usual typecasting as the boorish
pug-ugly, William Bendix excels as the gentle and compassionate, Lou Brody who
deeply aligns his respect for McLeod, but can also objectively separate the
accidental law-breakers from the hardened career criminals deserving of the
police’s time and prosecution.
Detective Story arrives on
Blu-ray from Kino Lorber and in a 1080p transfer from Paramount that is, if not
perfect, perfectly acceptable nonetheless. The main titles are in fairly rough
shape, sporting a crease and a tear running down the left side of the screen,
as well as a barrage of age-related artifacts throughout. Mercifully, once the body
of the feature begins, age-related nicks, chips and scratches are negligible
and the image snaps together with considerable sharpness and fine detail
throughout. Intermittently, a few shots to have been sourced from less than
stellar elements remain. These look softer by comparison. There are also a few
instances where edge effects intrude. But again, not altogether egregious or
distracting. The 2.0 mono audio is adequate for this dialogue-driven fare.
Extras are limited to Alan K. Rode’s scant, and mostly meaningless audio
commentary. Rode spends whole portions merely commenting on the screen’s action.
At other intervals, he either provides a very scant history of the production
or simply remains silent, allowing scenes to unfold without his participation.
Either way, it’s a weak commentary you can easily skip and feel as though absolutely
nothing has been missed! There is also a badly worn trailer to consider. Bottom
line: Detective Story is brilliant work from Wyler, Douglas and the rest.
A classic, for sure, and deserving of far more exposure than it has seen since
its theatrical debut. Highly recommended!
FILM RATING (out
of 5 – 5 being the best)
4.5
VIDEO/AUDIO
3.5
EXTRAS
1
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