His Kind of Woman is a black-and-white 1951 comedy drama film noir starring Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell. The film features supporting roles by Vincent Price, Raymond Burr, and Charles McGraw. The movie was directed officially by John Farrow and based on the unpublished story Star Sapphie by Gerald Drayson.[1]
Post-production on the film was rife with problems and Howard Hughes was dissatisfied with John Farrow's work, and a number of scenes were cut, added, and re-shot by the uncredited Richard Fleischer. Hughes also organized a screenwriting team which extensively rewrote the film and added many pages to the first script. Despite the turmoil surrounding the film's production, the film was commercially successful and has developed a cult following, despite its lack of widespread distribution in the decades since its release.
Plot
Down on his luck, professional gambler Dan Milner (Robert Mitchum) accepts a mysterious job for $50,000. He is told to take a charter flight to Morro's Lodge, an isolated Mexican resort, where he will receive further instructions. Milner is attracted to the only other airplane passenger, Lenore Brent (Jane Russell).
When he arrives, Milner finds that several guests at the luxurious Baja California resort have hidden agendas. He is disappointed to find that Lenore is the girlfriend of famous movie actor Mark Cardigan (Vincent Price).
Milner overhears two guests, self-proclaimed author Martin Krafft (John Mylong) and a man named Thompson (Charles McGraw), planning something which he suspects involves him. When Milner confronts them, he is given $10,000 and told that someone is on his way to Baja to see him.
When seemingly drunk Bill Lusk (Tim Holt) flies in, despite warnings of very dangerous storm conditions, Milner thinks he must be the contact. However, when the two are alone, Lusk claims to be an undercover agent for the Internal Revenue Service.
He tells Milner that the U.S. government suspects that underworld boss Nick Ferraro (Raymond Burr), deported to Italy four years earlier, is scheming to get back into the country posing as Milner. The two men are a close physical match, and Milner is a loner, so no one is likely to miss him. Krafft turns out to be a plastic surgeon.
Meanwhile, Cardigan's wife Helen (Marjorie Reynolds) and his personal manager Gerald Hobson (Carleton G. Young) show up. She had gone to Reno to get a divorce, but without really intending to go through with it, as she is still fond of her husband. Hobson also thinks it is a bad idea because Cardigan's film contract is expiring soon and the bad publicity would make it hard to get a new one.
With her own plans now ruined, Lenore confesses to Milner that she is really just a singer looking to hook a wealthy spouse. Milner shows his softer side when he helps unhappy newlywed Jennie Stone (Leslie Banning) by cheating at poker to win back her husband's gambling losses from investment broker Myron Winton (Jim Backus).
Lusk sneaks into Thompson's room, but is caught and killed. Milner and Lenore stumble upon his body, dumped on the beach. Milner is convinced that the dead man must have been telling the truth.
That night, Thompson and his men take Milner to a newly-arrived yacht. Milner is able to pass along a veiled plea for help to Lenore. She persuades Cardigan, who is tired of just pretending to be a hero, into rescuing Milner. While the actor keeps the pursuing mobsters pinned down with his hunting rifle, Milner then sneaks back onto the boat, knowing that the only way out of his mess is to deal with Ferraro once and for all. However, he is caught and brought to the vicious crime kingpin.
After killing two of the thugs and wounding and capturing Thompson, Cardigan mounts a rescue with the reluctant assistance of the Mexican police and a couple of the more adventurous guests. A gunfight breaks out aboard the boat, followed by a wild melee. Milner manages to break free and shoots Ferraro dead.
Cast
Critical reception
Jane Russell and Robert Mitchum.
In a review of the film, the staff at Variety magazine lauded the pairing of Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell as the lead characters, writing, "[The] two strike plenty of sparks in their meetings as each waits out plot development...Both Mitchum and Russell score strongly. Russell's full charms are fetchingly displayed in smart costumes that offer the minimum of protection. Much is made of Vincent Price's scenery-chewing actor character and much of it supplies relief to the film's otherwise taut development."[2]
Critic Dennis Schwartz called the film, "An oddball tongue-in-cheek crime thriller, filled with ad-libs, from Howard Hughes' RKO studio that strays from its conventional film noir plot to try its hand at comedy." Schwartz also appreciated the acting, writing, "It's a part where Mitchum is perfectly at home with being a loner anti-hero and Russell is perfectly cast as the bouncy 'his kind of woman,' who in the last shot kisses him while his pants are being scorched by the iron--a perfect metaphor to end on."[3]
Linda Rasmussen liked Mitchum's performance but as a film noir proper gave the film a lackluster review, "As a serious film-noir thriller, it lacks suspense and depth. However, the film has its moments, and Robert Mitchum is in his element as the loner anti-hero."[4]
See also
References
- ^ His Kind of Woman at the Internet Movie Database.
- ^ Variety. Film review, August 29, 1951. Last accessed: January 15, 2008.
- ^ Schwartz, Dennis. Ozus' World Movie Reviews, film review, December 15, 2004. Last accessed: January 15, 2008.
- ^ Rasmussen, Linda. His Kind of Woman at Allmovie. Last accessed: January 15, 2008.
External links
