THE MAN I LOVE: Blu-ray (Warner Bros., 1947) Warner Archive

Director, Raoul Walsh had quite a career at Warner Bros. But you would never guess as much by watching The Man I Love, his pseudo-noir-weary chestnut from 1947 that has not weathered well with time. Whisky-voiced, hard-drinking/chain-smoking, knock-about-gal, Ida Lupino stars as Petey Brown, a thinly veiled alter ego. Petey’s the no-nonsense, rough n’ tumble sort who just keeps leaning up against the wrong lamp post or man. Manhattan’s become too small for her. So, she decides to hightail it from wintery New York to bright-and-breezy California where sisters, Sally Otis (the thoroughly forgettable, Andrea King) and Virginia Brown (an utterly wasted Martha Vickers) share an apartment. Aside: after seeing Vickers play the demented nympho in The Big Sleep (1946), painting her as amiable wallflower herein is like expecting Divine Brown to bake cookies for the PTA. But I digress. Lupino, dubbed by Bostonian-bred, Warner contract player, Peg La Centra, suffers her way through a handful of standards, including George and Ira Gershwin’s title tune. Alas, the songs neither augment the story, nor prove particularly integrated into the character’s emotional DNA. So, they bring the already lumbering plot, cobbled together by Catherine Turney and Jo Pagano (loosely based on Maritta Wolff’s 1942 novel, Night Shift) to a screeching halt.

Presumably, this was Martin Scorsese’s inspiration for his own offbeat music-laden disaster, New York, New York (1977) Aside again: I can definitely see the similarities there. But The Man I Love is all over the place. There is no real reason to begin the movie in New York, and then, to further delay Lupino’s arrival in sunny Cal with a few leaden scenes of awkwardly scripted domesticity, featuring the unhappily marrieds, Gloria (Dolores Moran) and Johnny O’Connor (Don McGuire) and their scene-stealing baby twins. We get Gloria’s number pretty quick. She’s a tramp, leaving her kids in Sally’s care and her husband to nurse his burned wrist while she scorches up the scenery with some dangerous playboys who enjoy a little blonde arm candy on the side. So, why are we not following this ‘hotter than hot’ byline of a real noir vamp instead of Petey’s constantly delayed, then permanently derailed pas deux with piano player/sailor, San Thomas (Bruce Bennett)? Oh, right. Because Lupino is the star of our show. In another life, Bennett was professionally known as Herman Brix – an all-around athlete who took the 1928 Olympic silver medal for shot put. Brix, or rather, Bennett, ought to have had a more high-profile movie career. Indeed, before breaking his shoulder, he was slated to play Tarzan, the ape man at MGM – a career-defining role, ultimately handed over to two-time, gold medal Olympian, Johnny Weissmuller instead.

From here on in, Bennett’s segue into the movies took on second-stringer status in roles ever decreasing in number and size. He’s barely in The Man I Love, except as token testosterone – just a big, sullen brute Petey can pin her hopes upon, even as she departs from the docks in a bittersweet farewell both she and San probably realize will be there last. Between Petey’s arrival at Sally’s cramped apartment and her stoic, tear-stained retreat from true love on the wharf, there are other dalliances to fill the runtime. Petey gets involved with slick hood/nightclub owner, Nicky Toresca (Robert Alda) who, try as he might, through means, then muscle, then muscle that’s just mean, cannot bridge the chasm between Petey’s glacial heart and his burning loins. So, Nicky settles on Gloria, who is only too willing to oblige. A pity, our Gloria does not realize this ‘bop and burn’ is just a tryst. When Nicky pays Petey’s brother, Joe (Warren Douglas) to escort a gin-soaked Gloria home, Joe’s failed attempt to keep Gloria in the car results in a hit and run that leaves this mother of two with a lethal face plant against the pavement. Suspecting Nicky of the crime, Roy briefly seeks retribution at the point of a gun, but is convinced by Petey, Toresca isn’t worth his jail time.

Warner Bros. paid a sizable $25,000 for the rights to Wolff’s novel, originally with the intent to cast headliners, Ann Sheridan opposite Humphrey Bogart. Now, there is a movie I would have loved to see. But it behooves us to pause momentarily to sing the praises of this movie’s actual star, Ida Lupino…just not in this movie. The Brit-born goddess proved herself a multi-faceted individual, reigning in 59 films over the next 48 years, not only a great actress, but also to direct 5 features herself, and write and produce considerably more television. Lupino’s bent in passion projects often tackled women’s issue, along the way, shattering social conventions for the fairer sex as she trailblazed proto-feminist picture-making. The Man I Love really does not give Lupino the opportunities to be similarly proactive. Although Petey Brown starts off as a smack-talking, shoot-from-the-hip gal (third aside: we love those!), it isn’t long before the Turney/Pagano screenplay has Petey Brown groveling for a little of San’s chronically stalemated affections while simultaneously warding off Nick’s more oily advances. Production on The Man I Love was delayed for 19 days after Lupino fainted from exhaustion on the set and had to be cut out of costume designer, Milo Anderson’s form-fitted evening gown. Lupino’s absence caused the picture to go $100,000 over budget. In more recent times, The Man I Love has been reassessed by some critics as a solid B in Warner’s late 40’s canon. Yet, in reviewing the picture a few nights ago, I cannot help but lean on The New York Times’ Bosley Crowther who, upon the pictures debut, characterized it as “both silly and depressing…not to mention dull.” Really…I could not have said it better myself.

The Man I Love arrives on Blu-ray via the Warner Archive (WAC) and, predictably, there is not much to say here.  It’s another impressive remastering effort, with only slightly anemic contrast to mar a few scenes, and a handful of dupes looking clumpier and softer than the rest of the image. What’s here is smartly turned out for the most part. The B&W image shows off Sidney Hickox’s smooth and stylish cinematography to its best advantage. For decades after its general release, The Man I Love appeared on late-night television and early home video releases with the song, ‘Bill’ (lifted from Jerome Kern’s immortal Showboat) excised, due to rights issues and Warner refusing to pay for the privilege. This Blu-ray marks the first time in nearly 70 years the song has been reinstated. Does its insertion ‘improve’ the story? Not really, but it provides us with yet another opportunity to see Lupino lip-sync to La Centra’s off-key vocals. The 2.0 DTS mono is admirably represented. Warner pics of this vintage always had the brassiest sound, and it's reproduced here faithfully. The only extras are a pair of vintage cartoon shorts and a trailer. Just as well. The Man I Love does not rate much more. Bottom line: it’s a middling flick, pushed ahead in the hi-def lineup, when so many bona fide classics under the Warner banner remain MIA. Not a fan…even if the quality on this disc is near perfect. Regrets.

FILM RATING (out of 5 – 5 being the best)

2

VIDEO/AUDIO

4.5

EXTRAS

1