'Edmond O'Brien: Everyman of Film Noir' book review & author Q&A

He was the guy who frantically sought his own killer in D.O.A. (1949), the film publicity executive who sweat profusely in The Barefoot Contessa (1954), and the romantic poet Gringoire, who befriended Maureen O'Hara's Esmerelda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939).

I don't remember the first film I saw him in, but after watching his understated brilliance opposite James Cagney in White Heat (1949), Edmond O'Brien (1915-1985) rose quite high on my list of actors I just had to see more of. Luckily, coinciding with my watching more of his films was the publication of a complete study of his career and life, called 'Edmond O'Brien: Everyman of Film Noir'. The bio was written by Derek Sculthorpe and published by McFarland Press last year. I was pleased to be asked by McFarland to review the O'Brien book, and after I finished it, I contacted Sculthorpe to get more of his insights into O'Brien's unique experience in Hollywood, including dealing with a series of disruptive medical issues.

Sculthorpe states his objective is to "shine a light on his overlooked contribution to film and the art of acting." In this, Sculthorpe succeeded, as he dug deep into every film O'Brien made (and several he didn't) and shared the insights he gained for each one, in approximate chronological order. While the book focuses on the noir films made during O'Brien's most fertile period, it really covers his entire career, including glimpses into his stage, radio and TV performances, and his forays into directing (e.g. Shield for Murder, 1954) and producing. The book content is largely factual, and the extensive list of sources and complete credits attests to the depth of the research and credibility of the information. Of course, Sculthorpe injects his opinions of O'Brien's work which never stray too far to one side or the other, allowing the reader validation of their own opinions. Within the long stretches of movie capsules, Sculthorpe keeps your interest by inserting behind-the-scenes stories for each movie when applicable. There is also information about O'Brien's family heritage and early life as reported in government records and press sources during his career. I was surprised to learn that his older brother Liam was a screenwriter of some distinction with whom O'Brien collaborated whenever possible. Overall, the book presents a comprehensive picture of  O'Brien's career that would be of interest to any classic film enthusiast.

In many ways, O'Brien's career arc was similar to other character actors of the golden age, in that his versatility allowed him to work into his old age (he is brilliant, although almost unrecognizable, in the seminal Western The Wild Bunch (1969). He had a particular love of Shakespeare, and even worked on the stage as Marc Antony in an Orson Welles' production of Julius Caesar. In the star-studded 1953 film version directed by Joseph Mankiewicz, his turn as murderous Casca garnered great reviews at the time. (Note to self: I need to see this one!).

O'Brien and Deanna Durbin were paired in The Amazing Mrs. Holliday (1943);
definitely not film noir (photo from deannadurbindevotees.com)

While many actors of the golden era struggled with drug or alcohol addiction, O'Brien had a series of medical issues that could have derailed his career at any time. I was surprised to learn especially that O'Brien dealt with poor eyesight throughout his career, at times so severe that he required considerable assistance to move around on set or learn his lines. The eye problems dated to an accident during his active duty in WWII, and required many surgeries over the years. He also suffered heart attacks, and from his mid-life on, the effects of Alzheimers. Sculthorpe plumbed the records to uncover how these challenges impacted O'Brien, and what emerges is a portrait of an artist who, with help, was determined to give the best performance he could, and collaborators who helped make that possible. Even when severely compromised, he pulled it together on set, as in his small role in Orson Welles' last film The Other Side of the Wind, produced in 1970.

Q&A with author Derek Sculthorpe
Q: It seems O’Brien identified strongly with his Irish heritage (and obviously kept his last name such that his background was known) – can you comment on how his culture informed how he portrayed or adapted himself to his characters, if at all?

Sculthorpe: His Irish heritage was definitely important to him and informed his work, but I am not sure it was so evident as it was with others such as Spencer Tracy and Pat O’Brien. Edmond was frequently cast as a cop of course, but never as a priest, although he almost played one in the Pendergast story (a film called The Kansas City Story about corrupt senator Tom Pendergast) that was never made. He mostly portrayed Irish American characters, but there was a universal truth in his work that transcended all borders. 

O'Brien as undercover detective befriending unstable mob
boss James Cagney in the gangster noir White Heat

Q: Considering the broader culture at the time was not particularly advanced in supporting people with disabilities, was O’Brien an exception in how he was treated or typical of those in the business who found themselves with such struggles?

Sculthorpe: Certainly people with disabilities of any kind seemed to be invisible in that era. My guess is that he tried to hide or get around them somehow. By the time his eye trouble became apparent he was well-established and maybe they made allowances. Perhaps his heart trouble led to him losing more roles, but then again he wanted to keep working and he was still in demand. I wonder about the studio insurance in those days, but often health and safety did not seem to come into it. The actors and stuntmen did things then that I am sure wouldn't happen now. When you think of some of the alarming situations he endured while working on The Last Voyage for instance (blogger note: working in neck-high water with electrical hazards all around). Later, when he began to be afflicted by Alzheimers, it was not a disease that was understood at all. His co-workers just thought he was drunk, as they did with poor Rita Hayworth. Edmond was not diagnosed until long afterwards of course. Even at the end of his career with Black Sunday, the director was fully prepared to go out of his way to accommodate him even though he realised there would be times when he went blank and there might be lots of delays. In the event of course O’Brien wasn’t able to go through with it. But that’s a great testament to his ability and to the high regard in which directors and producers held him. 

Edmond O'Brien in his first film role The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)
 and one of his last The Wild Bunch (1969).

Q: It was interesting to me that so many greater stars and/or show business people with broad influence had such great regard for O’Brien’s abilities. Why do you think he didn’t become a bigger star? Did you get a sense he regretted not rising to the ‘A’ ranks?

Sculthorpe: It’s an interesting question. He said he was satisfied as a supporting actor because he got the more interesting roles. However, in his early career I feel that he wanted to be a star. He was concerned about billing and status. The turning point was the Oscar. I think that meant everything to him, to have the approval of his peers. He seemed to relax after that in a sense, and by then he was becoming more and more a character actor anyway. Personally, I think it’s a shame he didn’t get more chances in Shakespeare, because he clearly loved that and seemed to come to life in his works.

Thank you to Derek Sculthorpe for the insights.

Read my review of the Western Warpath, with Edmond O'Brien in the leading role, here.

Elegance on Television -- Olivia de Havilland on 'What's My Line?'

I'm pleased to help celebrate the great Olivia de Havilland as part of her 'Centenary Blogathon' hosted by Phyllis Loves Classic Movies and Crystal from In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood.  Check out the great posts over the past couple of days HERE.

Not unlike today, movie stars of the classic Hollywood era were in high demand beyond their film appearances.  They made public showings at film premieres, war bond drives, and other charity fundraisers. They were, of course, featured in popular film publications, and were paid to hock all kinds of products, often liquor and cigarettes, in print ads.  With the advent of television in the 1950s, movie stars had the opportunity to promote themselves in this new medium by joining game shows such as Password, and the popular panel show "What's My Line?".

Now that so many of the show's episodes can be sourced online, we can treat ourselves to a fascinating time travel experience, when even well-acquainted men and women addressed each other primarily as "Mister", "Miss" or "Missus."  The primary portion of the show was devoted to panelists asking non-celebrities questions to identify their 'line' of work.  Often these were unusual, like, 'Mud Bath Attendent' or 'Dynamite Salesman'.  The later part of the show always featured celebrity 'mystery guests'.  I find it fascinating to watch these classic stars as they were in real life, interacting with the host, John Daly, or the panelists, who, while blindfolded, tried to guess the star's identity using only yes or no questions.  Despite the stars' often humorous attempts to disguise their voices, they could not conceal their basic personalities, nor their natural wit (when present).  It was a special joy to see the lovely Ms. de Havilland in her four appearances on the program between 1958 and 1965, when she was an already long-established star in semi-retirement, but only halfway through her life to that point.

Her first appearance: May 25, 1958.  

Note for this and the other clips -- fast forward to about 2/3 of the way through

Here she initially appeared a bit nervous as she took her seat alongside Daly, at first wearing a broad charming smile but then turning serious as she contemplated being 'interrogated'.  She answered the questions yes or no in French, and then put on a charming French accent for her longer, English, responses.  This approach is not surprising because she'd been living in France for a few years by this time and seemed to be very happy there -- she'd moved there to start a life with second husband Pierre Galante.  She is altogether delightful in the mode of a modest French coquette.

Panelist Arlene Francis:  "Are you a happily married actress?"
de Havilland: "OUI!" (with a big smile).  And "call me madame!"

Her identity is revealed by Ms. Francis asking "are you the star of THE PROUD REBEL?" which Ms. Francis and long-time panelist Bennett Cerf had just seen the night before; both commented about how much they loved it, to which de Havilland said "I haven't seen it yet."  Cerf then made the insightful comment "It's a tender, beautiful picture".  In this western, featured in the blogathon here, De Havilland starred with Alan and David Ladd, and according to Ladd's biographer, Beverly Linet, had warmed the elder Ladd considerably when she told him she thought he'd have made a great Ashley Wilkes.

2nd Appearance: March 4, 1962

In this appearance Ms. de Havilland is as charming as before, but she seemed a bit more worldly, or less coquettish.  After eight years of marriage, this is the year she would separate from her husband.   Instead of French, she put on a rather Appalachian-sounding accent -- instead of 'yes', it's 'YAY - ess' .  It's delightful  how she surprised herself with that accent, almost chuckling after her answers.

At this time, de Havilland was in New York starring in the Garson Kanin play "A Gift of Time" alongside Henry Fonda.  The play ran 92 performances and about three months.  It was common for Hollywood stars, when acting in a show in New York, to stop by 'What's My Line?'; if so, it was easy for the panelists to ask about this and quickly identify the guest. In this episode we learn that Random House, panelist Bennett Cerf's company, was in the process of publishing de Havilland's memoir Every Frenchman Has One.  He very shrewdly mentioned the book, without its title, to what I expect was a very interested audience.

3rd Appearance: August 9, 1964

In this episode the panel includes regular, noted journalist Dorothy Kilgallen, Cerf, Francis, and as special guest panelist, celebrated film writer Joseph Mankiewicz, who, in case you've never seen him before, as I hadn't, provides an extra bonus to viewers. While a guest panelist in only three episodes, he added an interesting depth and seriousness to the proceedings.  One of the questions to de Havilland, asked by Francis, was "Have you ever appeared in a picture written by Mr. Mankiewicz?", to which de Havilland had to say no, with a look of regret.  Bennett Cerf, again, slyly referenced his publisher relationship with de Havilland, when she sweetly mentioned how all the panelists were her friends.  In this episode, rather than putting on an accent or speaking a language other than English, de Havilland disguised her voice by using a husky, hoarse whisper.  This prompted a joke among the panelists that they should have recognized her from her low husky voice!

While appearing in this episode, de Havilland had recently finished LADY IN A CAGE, a horror/thriller also starring James Caan, released a couple months before the show aired.   She seemed a bit embarrassed when the film was brought up, and no wonder -- it hadn't been particularly well received.  New York Times critic A.H. Weiler had commented on its "aimless brutality", although he said some positive things about de Havilland's performance.  Kilgallen was nice enough to compliment de Havilland by stating 'Another wonderful performance, Olivia."

4th Appearance:  August 8, 1965

Almost a year to the day since her previous appearance, and now an 'old friend' according to John Daly, de Havilland joined the show again as mystery guest.  She now answered the questions in Russian, using the familiar 'Da' and 'Nyet', and some other longer Russian words that were the source of great amusement for the panel.  The guest panelist this time was the humorous Carol Channing.  In quite the contrast from her previous film, de Havilland was now fresh off the critical success of HUSH HUSH SWEET CHARLOTTE, with Bette Davis, Robert Aldrich's follow-up to the highly successful WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?  This one was nominated for seven Oscars and won a Golden Globe for Agnes Moorehead.  Check out this post on the film for the current blogathon.

One glimpse into de Havilland's acting style and preference could be gained from her definitive 'Nyet! when asked whether she had been associated with the Actors' Studio, at this point quite notorious for turning out a new style of method actor like Marlon Brando. She also denied being anything other than a serious, as opposed to comic, actress, and also to not being associated with singing or dancing in her films.  Interestingly, despite this being her fourth time on the program, none of the panelists guessed her identity and Daly had to call time and reveal her.

It was fun to learn more about Ms de Havilland through her appearances on this popular show. While there were no great revelations, my image of her as a gracious, generous, strong, and charming woman were all reinforced, and I felt as if I had met her, even for only a brief moment. Here's adding my wish for her for many more years of health and happiness!