March 24

Happy Birthday to Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, Harry Houdini & Richard Conte.

To celebrate Richard Conte’s birthday I watched House of Strangers. Edward G. Robinson and Susan Hayward have billing above Richard. The movie starts with Richard walking along the sidewalk with a purpose (the camera jolted around like it was on a flatbed truck and there were a lot of potholes in the road) and into the bank like he owned the place. He goes into the office to see his family. The actors that play brothers could have been brothers of Richard Conte and sons of Robinson. Richard was in jail for 7 years. He doesn’t want money from his family, he wants his life back. “Vengeance is a rare wine, a joy of the vine. I’m going to get drunk on it.” He tells this to Susan who is his girl. She wants the two of them to go away, but he wants revenge, She insults his dead father, he slaps her and then goes to his family home. He plays an opera record, the camera goes up the stairs and time goes backward. Edward is singing the same song in the bath.

Richard was an attorney. He was actually the favorite son. He is independent and strong. The family is sitting at the dining room table for Richard an opera record plays in another room. No one can eat anything until Richard gets there. When his children and their wives complain about not liking the opera music, Edward says they can find another bank to work. Before the food is passed down to Richard he receives a phone call and has to leave. Susan who hired him to help a friend who got into some trouble has another friend in trouble. He goes right over to her apartment. He and Susan spend time together. His fiancée mother wants the engagement broken, but the girl wants to marry him. He wants Susan, a possessive desire not love. She cares for another man is going to marry. She didn’t marry she was just using him to get back at Richard.

The government closes the bank, stating loans were given out without the proper paperwork and collateral. There is a riot and Edward is hurt. The idea to save the bank and family was to split things 4 ways. The oldest son states he is a clerk, not a son to split responsibility. Another son is a fighter. He doesn’t think he has the head to be involved. The third son is diplomatic and stands with the oldest brother, weak his father calls him. When the mother comes in Richard said “Did you know you brought up a house of strangers?” Edward tells his sons what he thinks of them. “I have no sons, I have strangers”. Richard states just the two of them can make things work out. Mother states that things were better when they were poor, because they had love. Now they have nothing in her opinion.

During the trial Edward is called a money lender and he becomes upset. Richard finds out that one of the jurors is sympathetic. He goes to her house to talk with her and tries to give her a bribe. She refuses and doesn’t give him any information. Outside her apartment the police are waiting and he is taken to jail. Edward signed the bank over to his wife and she signed it over to her sons. The bank is changing from the old style that Edward had to the new bank his sons run. The sons treat Edward worse then he treated them. While Richard is in jail his fiancée breaks up with him and plans to marry one of his brothers. Edward asks Richard to “make them pay, for me”. Richard promises. Edward dies. Richard is given a pass to visit the family and viewing. He gives his brothers a sign. The mother says she has no one, no husband, so sons, no family.

The scene goes to a record spinning under the needle and it is back to modern time. He is talking to the picture of his father, where to we start? He has all the plans for each one, but has decided that he has come back to life. He buried all those feelings with him. He calls Susan and decides to leave town with her. The brothers come to the house. Richard states that he has had a change of mind. The brother who is a fighter knocks him around. The oldest brother states “more“. Richard, almost unconscious, is carried to the balcony, he oldest brother wants him dropped of the balcony. The brother refuses and attacks him. Richard stops the fight. Susan arrives and he gets into her car.
The black and white tone of the film seemed darker than other black & white films. It is like the film is underdeveloped but lit so well the actors don’t seem too dark. I have written it before and I will probably write it again, Richard Conte is the epitome of 1950’s leading actor: handsome, talented and has all the right moves. In this film he comes off as the smart one and you really feel for him. I can’t believe his brother would want to throw him off the balcony. He is trying to protect his home, family and business but that seems to be extreme. Yet Richard tries to help him.