October 21, 2003 Archives

I have just finished sitting here, transfixed, watching Vince Edwards (billed as Vincent Edwards) on Encore/Mystery West in the 1958 Film Noir mystery, "Murder by Contract."

There is nothing big time about this picture.

Everything was done on the cheap, in Los Angeles. Many of the 'outdoor' shots were staged, using rear projections. The musical accompaniment was hauntingly played by a single guitar. The cast was small, the script predictable.

Edwards, who was later the title star on ABC's "Ben Casey," was known as a stoic, reserved actor and stayed true to form.

I'm trying to figure out what about this movie held my interest?

I came in a few moments after the opening, but never really wanted to turn it off. I knew there would be a moral ending, as this was 1950's Hollywood. No disappointment there. All the violence was implied or sanitized. A prostitute who came to Edwards' hotel room was expecting dinner before sex!

Maybe it was my fascination with Herschel Bernardi that kept my interest. Certainly no pretty boy, Bernardi was particularly plain in this film. I remember him as "Arnie," from the 1970 sitcom of the same name.

For much of his life, he made huge money doing voice over work. He had a beautifully timbered voice; very friendly and warm. Of course, he's best known (or maybe his character is known - he was anonymous) as the voice of "Charlie the Tuna" from the Starkist commercials (I assume there's another actor providing the voice now as Bernardi died in 1986).

Watching older movies is something I'm doing more of now that we've taken a digital cable package. There are at least a dozen movie (though they're really pairs of channels, with each two showing the same lineup, offset by three hours)
channels available to me, mostly with older, smaller, less requested movies.

Seeing little gems like this, or the opportunity to catch great actors early in the careers, has made it all worthwhile.

I found this quote, attributed to Martin Scorcese, concerning this movie:

It is sad to note that it would be difficult to get my daughter or anyone of her age to watch black and white movies or TV shows. Simply put, the monochromatic look implies old... and old is bad.

Ivy hasn't been eating well for the past 5-6 days. She had been eating really well prior to that. This morning, Helaine felt Ivy's stomach and it was hard, as if she were full.

I took Ivy to the vet where a quick examination showed more fallout from her congestive heart failure. This time it's fluid (blood) which has leaked from a bad heart valve and is now congregating in her abdomen.

Dr. Chin made some changes in Ivy's meds and hopefully, in the short run, she will be helped. But as we go along, it becomes more and more clear that Ivy is not well and will never really recover. We might be able to hold off her illnesses for a while, and will try to do that.

She seems to be in no pain, but I'm sure she's uncomfortable. Don't you wish she could talk, just a little, to help us help her?