Two Als, Ella & More
From pinterest.com, posted by IImrebá Emerich. Autószerelő, Hungarian for car mechanic:
The price of gas at the local BP has slipped just below four bucks. May it continue to plunge.
Get vic fortezza’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Last night AMGTV, 39–1 on OTA in NYC, ran another flick with which I was completely unfamiliar, Phantom Lady (1944), a nifty black and white thriller directed by Robert Siodmak, who also helmed the excellent The Killers (1946) and The Spiral Staircase (1946) among the 62 films he did. Unfortunately, he succumbed to his battle with the bottle at 72 in ’73. The movie in question stars Ella Raines as a secretary trying to find a woman who may provide an alibi for her boss’ murder rap. I’m surprised there are “only” 28 titles under her name at IMDb, screen career spanning 1943-’84. Other notable films in which she starred: Preston Sturges’ Hail the Conquering Hero (1944), opposite John Wayne in Tall in the Saddle (1946), Brute Force (1947). She did 37 episodes of her own series, Janet Dean, Registered Nurse. In the mid ‘70’s she taught acting at her alma mater in her home state at the University of Washington. Married and divorced twice, a mom of two, she succumbed to cancer at 67 in ’88. Her handsome co-star, Alan Curtis, had a fine career going, 56 credits, when he perished from heart complications at 43 in ’53. He married five times. Also in the cast of Phantom Lady: Franchot Tone, Thomas Gomez, Regis Toomey, Joseph Crehan, Elisha Cook Jr. hilarious as a randy drummer, and Aurora Miranda, sister of the more famous Carmen. Fay Helm is excellent as the titular character. The lighting in the noirish parts is terrific. There’s even a bit of psychological depth, although I think the wrong word was used, “paranoiac,” when “psychopath” would have been more fitting. Here’s a publicity still of the stars, courtesy of Google Images:
RIP MLB stalwart pitcher Al Worthington, 97. Born in Birmingham, he played two seasons of college football and four of baseball at the University of Alabama. He had a 14-year big league career, transitioning from starter to relief. He was a member of the 1954 NY Giants world champions, and the ’65 Twins pennant winners. He did not appear in the Fall Classic of the former, but hurled four shutout innings in two games in the latter. Overall, he had a record of 75–82 and 111 saves, ERA 3.39. He led the AL in saves in ’68. In 1974 he became the first coach of what is now Liberty University. He remains the winningest, record 349–181–1. He subsequently served as the athletic director. The school’s baseball field is named after him. He is a member of its Hall of Fame. Married 73 years, he was a father of five. Awesome, sir. Photo from GI:
It was a Seals & Crofts Summer Breeze-type day at the Anti-Inflation Book Shop. My thanks to the lady and gentleman who each donated a number of books, and to Romania-born artist Andu, who bought a Mel Brooks DVD box set, and to the woman who took home two more packages of adult incontinence items; and to the woman who purchased two novels by former Russian detective Marinina.
My Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Vic-Fortezza/e/B002M4NLJE
FB: https://www.facebook.com/Vic-Fortezza-Author-118397641564801/?fref=ts
Read Vic’s Stories, free: http://fictionaut.com/users/vic-fortezza
