March 4

John Garfield

Now that the 31 days of oscar is over mini birthday celebrations are starting again on TCM. The first one of the month is John Garfield. They showed the quintessential The Postman Always Rings Twice, which is a great film. I really like the look that John gives Lana Turner when he first sees her. Steamy.

I was able to watch They Made Me a Criminal staring John Garfield and the “Dead End” Kids”. It co-starred Claude Rains and Ann Sheridan. John plays a winning boxer with a seemingly pure life. After winning a match he says hello to his mother on the radio and that he will be home soon. He tells the reporters that he stays away from women and booze. That night while he is drinking with Ann Sheridan and friends he states that it is all the made up. One of the people there is a reporter who can't resist the story. John and the reporter fight and John gets knocked out (possibly passed out). Another man hits the reporter in the head and the man dies. The man and Ann take John to another house and leave him to recuperate. They take his money and watch. They end up dying in a car accident. The man has John's watch and they think it is him. John wakes up the next day and sees the story in the paper. The paper actually turns on screen as he turns the paper to read the rest of the story (I don't remember seeing that done before). He goes to his agent to get his winnings, but the agent only gives him part, keeping the rest as basically a bribe. John goes across country running from the law. There is a montage of a map and John walking across county. He ends up at a date farm in the southwest. He passes out and stays at the farm. The “dead end” kids are at the farm as part of church program. John teaches the boys how to really box and the boys look up to him. To get money John enters a boxing match. Claude Rains is the only police man who doesn't think that John is dead. He tries to find him. Claude had an unfortunate incident and has little credibility. With the promotion for the boxing match Claude finds him. After the match the Claude takes John to the train station to take him back to face charges. Claude decides to let John go. I wasn't expecting that. John did not kill the man and the killer did die, but the police think that John killed the man. I really don't understand why Claude let John go.

I also watched Pride of the Marines. John plays a man who is blinded in WWII. There is great dialog that really would apply today, probably any war. Men trying to re-figure their lives after being injured in war. Some well enough to go back into battle. Some wounded like John to figure out what to do with the rest of their life or even how to live with their disability.