Highly recommended as a fleabag joint, this hole-in-the-wall offers a full swing orchestra and a torch singer with a dream.
Table service for sandwiches and cocktails.
This segment of the Lonely Street Bar Noir Pub Crawl is remarkably brief as there is only one real stop along the crawl. The sign is never fully revealed but it looks like it begins with a and has a P and a T and maybe a J in its name. The only discernable word is Cocktails. (NOTE: I went back to look at the scene again and discovered the bar name is The Dolphin. I'm not sure that helps.)
The movie opens in this hole-in-the-wall on some backstreet in Los Angeles. A young woman sits at the bar having a cigarette and a cocktail. It's an odd time in American bar culture. Is she a teen or is she that as of yet unidentified demographic of 'young adult' in those grey years of 18-20? And if she's younger, why is she sitting at the bar knocking back the hooch in the company of guys one street north of Skid Row?
AND NOW THE STORY
A team of recalcitrant teens lures unsuspecting men to mug them. When the latest robbery goes awry, a rough-edged teen and an innocent girl who thought she was out on a double date get arrested and sent to Juvenile Hall. From there, the boyfriend of the troubled teen plots a breakout. The majority of the movie takes place on a dairy farm until the climactic conclusion at Griffith Observatory.
Molly McCart plays the siren to George Cisar's lecherous older man in the opening sequence at the Dolphin. Cisar was known for his many roles on shows like Hogan's Heroes, The Andy Griffith Show, and That Girl to name a few. McCart would go on to play a similar delinquent teen in the 1957 film, Dino, written by Reginald Rose, who penned Twelve Angry Men. I had the opportunity many years ago to direct a stage version of Dino but wound up choosing Dark of the Moon. I did get to direct another Rose play, The Death and Life of Larry Benson, first seen on Studio One in 1948. I directed it in 1989. The play appears to have been the forerunner of The Return of Martin Guerre (1982), or as it is known in America from the remake, Sommersby, aka The Return of Richard Gere (1993).
That's it for the latest stop along the Lonely Street Bar Noir Pub Crawl. What follows are images of the production crew. Until we meet up again, be sure to settle your tab.
This week the Lonely Street Bar Noir Pub Crawl travels back to 1936 and visits the fun places of BULLETS OR BALLOTS, a post-Prohibition era film on the rise of corruption, racketeering, and murder. It's a short trip, but a fun one.
The crawl begins at the upscale Lee Morgan's. Entertainment awaits the well-to-do partygencia. Club owner Lee Morgan meets each night with her talented performers to go over the show and fire them up.
Morgan also mingles with the local police detectives that don't care for ex-cons crashing the party.
Modest decor, four-top tables are readily available. A well-stocked bar awaits the customers. Sometimes it even stays open after hours.
Speaking of after-hours places, sometimes it's a gas to move the party to somewhere private, like the den of the local bank president. Black tie preferred, but if you know someone, you'll be welcome.
Need a place to catch up on old times? Sometimes the out of the way watering hole is the right kind of place to meet.
Getting the munchies? The go-to place is Jerry's Place. Italian and American meals fill the menu. Simple, quiet decor. Tables for four or more. A well-stocked wine bar offers a variety of Italian vintages.
AND NOW THE STORY:
After a crusading, anti-vice newspaper editor is gunned down, a detective goes undercover to infiltrate the mob.
William Keighly directs the script penned by Seton I. Miller and Martin Mooney. BULLETS OR BALLOTS stars Barton MacLane, Joan Blondell, Edward G. Robinson, and Humphrey Bogart. It also features strong performances by Frank McHugh and Louise Beavers.
All in all, 4 vices out of 5.
Until next we crawl, be sure to settle your tab!
This week the Lonely Street Bar Noir Pub Crawl visits the party spots of the 1945 film, Detour! A favorite of Noir Alley, Detour offers seve...