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We've all got our holes (so to speak) -- the gaps in our film knowledge where people are like, "What? You haven't seen THAT? Kill yourself!" (I hang out with nasty people.) So when I caught a little of Howard Hawks' The Big Sleep on TV the other day I hesitated to admit that I had not yet seen it. But then Dorothy Malone showed up as a wanton bookstore clerk...
... and I knew all hopes of covering up my ignorance any longer
were for naught. And of course she's stroking a pencil...
... and the second that Bogart brags he's a private dick...
"Looks like we're closed for the rest of the afternoon."
Man we lost a treasure when we lost Dorothy Malone.
She even gets a "Sexy Librarian" make-over!
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5 comments:
She definitely makes a meal out of this one scene and it got her noticed at the time. She'd been doing bits and tiny roles but from this point on she was on her way up.
Dorothy aside what did you think of the overall film? I find it sort of a confusing hash, but Martha Vickers is fantastic as the wanton Carmen. I much prefer Dark Passage of the Bogie & Bacall pairings.
Joel -- I actually didn't get the chance to watch the whole movie yet! I meant to make that clearer in this post but I got carried away vibing on Dorothy. (As one does.) I had to head out to a different screening right after watching this scene on TV; I still have to watch the rest. I will though!
She's simply amazing in that scene. Love her, and the movie, so much. Yeah as a complete whole the film has an issue or two - but there are so many delectable parts to it.
Right, Joel and Scott. One of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite movies. But if you asked me to explain it, I couldn't for the frankly incoherent plot. But that's irrelevant because of 1) the-off-the-charts Bogart-Bacall chemistry 2) the parts are greater than the who!e: the movie is stuffed with great bits like this and 3) wall-to-wall snappy, witty, sexy dialogue that pushes the limits of 1940s production code restrictions. The first time I saw this movie, I didn't recognize Ms. Malone. As a boy in the 1960s, I was used to her later blonde incarnation in movies like Written on the Wind or on TV in Peyton Place. Seeing her in The Big Sleep made me wonder why she even bothered dyeing her hair, the girl was HAWT!
The emphasis by the screenwriters was on characterization, not ensuring the backstory was cohesive. Once you appreciate that, i.e., that there's no puzzle to puzzle out, it's a more enjoyable movie.
Weak moments: slamming the fake door in the fake wall after Carmen's bite, timing of Bacall's attempted slap, and that song
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