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D.O.A. (1949)

 
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 04, 2020 8:07 pm    Post subject: D.O.A. (1949) Reply with quote

________________________________

This unique and gripping crime drama aired on TCM recently, and it knocked my proverbial socks off.

The Wikipedia summary of the complex plot needed considerable revisions, and since I'm registered with Wikipedia, I spent about two hours improving the description of the plot they already had.

Trust me, the summary will only wet your appetite to see the movie and help you understand the incredible complex plot. I left off the ending so I wouldn't spoil the conclusion.

Here's the revised Wikipedia summary of the strangest murder mystery in the history of Hollywood.
________________________________

The film begins with what a BBC reviewer called "perhaps one of cinema's most innovative opening sequences." A long, behind-the-back tracking sequence features Frank Bigelow walking through the hallway of a police station to report his own murder. Oddly, the police have been expecting him and already know who he is. They ask him to make a detailed statement, which they are eager to hear.

A flashback begins with Bigelow in his hometown of Banning, California, where he is an accountant and notary public. He decides to take a one-week vacation in San Francisco, but this does not sit well with Paula Gibson (Pamela Britton), his confidential secretary and girlfriend, as he does not want her to accompany him.

Bigelow accompanies a group from a sales convention which is being held at his hotel when they go out for a night on the town. At a nightclub, Frank Bigelow doesn't notice that a stranger has swapped his drink for another one and then skulks away. (The nightclub scene includes one of the earliest depictions of the Beat subculture.)

The next morning, Bigelow feels ill. He visits a doctor, where tests reveal he swallowed a "luminous toxin" for which there is no antidote.

Frank Bigelow angrily rejects the first grim diagnosis and rushes to a second medical center where he demands a second test for luminous poison.

The second opinion confirms the fatal diagnosis, and the doctor states that the poisoning must have been deliberate. Someone has actually murdered him. Bigelow remembers that his drink at the night club tasted strange.

With only a few days to live, Bigelow sets out to untangle the events behind his impending death, interrupted occasionally by phone calls from his secretary/girlfriend, Paula. She provides the first clue: a man named Eugene Phillips had been urgently trying to contact Bigelow for the last few days, but he had suddenly died.

Bigelow travels to Phillips' import-export company in Los Angeles, first meeting Miss Foster, a secretary, and then Mr. Halliday, the comptroller, who tells him that Phillips committed suicide a day earlier.

From there, the trail leads to Eugene Phillips' widow and his brother, Stanley Philips. He learns that Eugene had been arrested two days ago, but he'd made bail the next day. Six months earlier, Eugene Phillips had sold some rare iridium to a dealer named Majak, and the iridium turned out to be stolen. Eugene had bought the iridium from a George Reynolds, but two months ago he had grown suspicious that something was wrong.

Frank Bigelow had previously notarized the bill of sale for Eugene Phillips — which is the connection between poor Frank Bigelow and this dangerous situation.

The late Eugene Phillips could have cleared himself with the notarized bill provided by Frank Bigelow, but the document is now missing. Eugene Philips thought George Reynolds took it, but he was unable to locate him.

In trying to find George Reynolds, Bigelow manages to connect Phillips' mistress (Marla Rakubian) to gangsters led by the crime boss named Majak. Frank Bigelow is soon taken to Majak, where he learns that George Reynolds — actually Majak's nephew, Raymond Rakubian — died of poisoning about a month after the sale.

Originally Majak had no reason to want to kill Frank Bigelow, but now Bigelow knows that the bill of sale he notarized would have cleared Eugene Phillips.

Majak orders his psychopathic henchman Chester to kill Frank Bigelow. However, Bigelow escapes, and Chester is killed by the police while attempting to kill Bigelow.

Frank Bigelow now thinks Stanley Philips and Miss Foster are his killers, but when he confronts them, he finds out that Stanley has just been poisoned too after having dinner with Mrs. Phillips and Halliday.

Stanley Philips produces a letter found in Eugene's desk that very day by Miss Foster, a letter which proves that Halliday and Mrs. Phillips have been having an affair.

Frank Bigelow tells Miss Foster to call an ambulance, and to tell them what the poison is. He knows that Stanley Philips can be saved if his stomach is pumped in time.

Upon confronting Mrs. Phillips, Bigelow learns that she originally diverted him with the theft of the iridium ... and that Eugene Philips died because he had discovered the affair and then quarreled with Halliday.

Halliday threw him off of the 6th floor balcony to make it seem like Eugene committed suicide to avoid going to prison. However, when they discovered that there was evidence of his innocence in bill of sale, Halliday targeted Frank Bigelow because he'd notarized the bill.

Frank Bigelow tracks Halliday to the Phillips company. Halliday is wearing the same distinctive coat and scarf as the mysterious man had worn in the bar, the man who'd switched Bigelow's drink and poisoned him. Halliday draws a gun and fires first, but Bigelow fatally shoots him.

The flashback ends. Frank Bigelow finishes telling his story . . . and dies, his last word being "Paula." The police detective taking down the report instructs that his file be marked "D.O.A."

The flashback ends. Frank Bigelow finishes telling his story . . . but you'll have to watch the movie to find out if Frank Bigelow survives being poisoned, or if he tragically dies at the end![


__________________________ D.O.A. (1949)

__________

_________________
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Sat Dec 05, 2020 9:56 am; edited 1 time in total
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 05, 2020 12:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote


Why not do it again deja-vu style?

D.O.A. is a 1988 American neo-noir mystery thriller film and a remake of the 1949 film noir of the same name.

While it shares the same premise, it has a different story and characters. The film was directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel, and scripted by Charles Edward Pogue.



the synopsis from IMDb---

In the opening scene (filmed in black and white) during an unseasonably balmy Christmas season, English professor Dexter "Dex" Cornell (Dennis Quaid) stumbles into a police station to report his own murder and describe the events of the past 36 hours....

In class, Dex's lecture is upstaged by his star pupil, Nicholas "Nick" Lang (Robert Knepper), a precocious intellectual who has just completed his first novel, 'Out of Whack.' Nick is desperate for Dex to read the manuscript, and claims his professor's feedback is a matter of life and death. However, Dex avoids the novel.

He has been suffering writer's block for years, and the boy's talent reminds him of his own shortcomings. As Dex settles into his office and gives 'Out of Whack' an "A" grade without reading it, he is startled by the thud of a body crashing into the window, and realizes that Nick has thrown himself off the rooftop to commit suicide.

Shortly thereafter, Dex's colleague, Hal Petersham (Daniel Stern), comes to the office with a bottle of whiskey. He pours the liquor into a coffee mug and hands it to Dex, who tells him about Nick's troubled past. The boy's father tried to rob a tycoon named Mr. Fitzwaring, and both men were killed during the break in. Despite the tragedy, Mrs. Fitzwaring took pity on Nick and financed his college education. Dex decides to read 'Out of Whack' after all, and takes it home where his wife, Gail (Jane Kaczmarek), reminds him to sign their divorce papers.

Dex wants to save the marriage, but Gail complains that he lost his integrity and his romantic vitality when he stopped writing. As Gail leaves, she chides Dex's apathy, and accuses him of exchanging alcohol for ambition. Dex fails to sign the divorce papers and returns to campus, where he unexpectedly reunites with Gail at the opening of the Fitzwaring Art Gallery.

When Mrs. Fitzwaring makes an inaugural speech that mourns Nick's death, Gail learns about the suicide, becomes ill, and is escorted home by Hal Petersham and his girl friend, Dr. Elaine Wells (Elizabeth Arden). Looking for more alcohol, Dex goes to the Continental Club and sits next to a young woman, unaware that she is Mrs. Fitzwaring's daughter, "Cookie." (Robin Johnson)

As Cookie offers Dex a martini and starts to cry, a man named Bernard (Christopher Neame) drags her away, and Dex is spotted by one of his female students, Sydney Fuller (Meg Ryan). The girl is infatuated with Dex and encourages him to drink.

The next morning, Dex awakens in Sydney's dormitory bedroom and is relieved to learn their evening was platonic. Dex telephones Gail, and she confesses she once had an affair with Nick Lang. Unfazed, Dex declares his love, but Gail discourages him from coming home and finds Nick's novel, 'Out of Whack,' in his briefcase.

As Dex hangs up the telephone, he is overcome with vertigo and goes to the hospital, where he discovers he has been poisoned with a lethal dosage of radium chloride. Dr. Elaine Wells declares that Dex ingested the chemical compound in an alcoholic beverage, and regrets he has one day to live.

Dex races home with renewed appreciation for life and reunites with Gail. However, she is hit over the head by an intruder and dies. Police arrive at the scene and notice Nick's 'Out of Whack' manuscript, burning in the fireplace. The detectives are aware of Gail's affair, and accuse Dex of murdering his wife to exact revenge. They reveal that Nick did not commit suicide, after all, and assume that Dex pushed his student off the roof.

As Dr. Elaine Wells tries to sedate Dex with an intravenous drug, he grabs the needle, threatens to hold her hostage, and escapes to Sydney's dormitory. He accuses the girl of poisoning him, but she insists she is innocent, and he loses consciousness. When Dex awakens, he explains his predicament, douses his hand in super glue, and grabs Sydney's wrist, creating a bond so she cannot get away.

After a series of false leads, the two go to Nick's funeral, where Dex recognizes Cookie Fitzwaring from the bar and realizes she was also Nick's lover. Dex corners Cookie and accuses her of poisoning his martini, but her mother's chauffeur, Bernard, comes to the girl's rescue. Dodging gunfire from an unseen assassin, Dex and Sydney run away, and Sydney is caught in an open elevator shaft. As she dangles from the conveyor, her skin rips away from Dex's hand and they escape together.

Dex sends Sydney home in a taxicab and goes to the Fitzwaring mansion, where he confronts Mrs. Fitzwaring (Charlotte Rampling) and Bernard in the horse stable. Just then, Cookie arrives and holds her mother at gunpoint, accusing her of killing Nick. In the ensuing commotion, Bernard knocks Dex unconscious and he comes to in the back seat of a car.

Bernard drives Dex back to the university and they pick up Cookie, but the girl is drunk and out of control. Still, Dex is convinced of her innocence and pushes Bernard out the car door in an attempt to get away. Cookie takes over the steering wheel. Bernard jumps on the roof, but his gun misfires, accidentally shooting her dead.

The car plummets into a tar pit and sinks while Bernard continues to fight. Dex throws him back into the muck, grabs his gun, and stumbles to a campus carnival. He is hassled by a crowd of impudent co-eds, but Sydney comes to his rescue, and they go back to his office to make love.

When Sydney falls asleep, Dex returns to the Fitzwaring mansion and confronts Mrs. Fitzwaring, who has just learned about her daughter's death and reveals the true story of her relationship with Nick. Mrs. Fitzwaring was once married to Nick's father, but she abandoned him after she gave birth to Nick, and secretly assumed a new identity as Mrs. Fitzwaring. Nick's father tracked her down at the mansion and revealed her ruse to Mr. Fitzwaring, who threatened to destroy her relationship with Cookie.

Mrs. Fitzwaring murdered both men, and vowing to protect her secret, Bernard invented the story of the break-in. Mrs. Fitzwaring laments the loss of both children and commits suicide, making Dex a witness to yet another killing. Dex is enraged by the wasted lives, and his failure to identify the murderer.

Dex returns to his office and ransacks the bookshelves in a tantrum, then soothes himself with a drink from Hal's whiskey bottle. Remembering that Hal poured the liquor into a coffee mug before giving it to him on the afternoon of Nick's death, Dex telephones his friend and orders him to come to the office.

When Hal arrives, he refuses to taste the whiskey and Dex realizes he is the killer. Hal explains his plans to publish Nick's novel under his own name. He was obliged to kill Gail, and poison Dex, because they knew about 'Out of Whack' and were likely to expose his deception. A fight ensues, and Dex shoots Hal in the chest. Hal plunges through the window to his death.

In the end, back at the police station (in black-and-white), Dex concludes his story to the investigating detectives. The final shot shows Dex walking out of the police station along a long hallway to meet his fate.

(One interpretation is that he might have died right there at the station and is walking down the station hallway to the light of Heaven.)



Whew! Just as confusing and convoluted as the original!

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There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.
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Pow
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 08, 2020 11:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

D.O.A. was one of the early films of the terrific actor Neville Brand.

Neville was born Lawrence Neville Brand (August 13, 1920~April 16, 1992). He was a highly decorated soldier in World War Two.

Neville was an accomplished and talented actor but generally was cast as mobsters, thugs, bullies, and villains.

He was able to play more heroic roles now and then in his career.

He portrayed rowdy Texas Ranger Reese Bennett on one of my favorite TV westerns in Laredo (1965~'67).
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