September is Classic 40s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Will King.
Movie Title: Key Largo
Year: 1948
Writers: Screenplay by Richard Brooks and John Huston; based on the play by Maxwell Anderson
Lead Actors: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Edward G. Robinson, Lionel Barrymore, Claire Trevor
Director: John Huston.
IMDb Plot Summary: Frank McCloud travels to a run-down hotel on Key Largo to honor the memory of a friend who died bravely in his unit during WW II. His friend’s widow, Nora Temple, and wheelchair bound father, James Temple manage the hotel and receive him warmly, but the three of them soon find themselves virtual prisoners when the hotel is taken over by a mob of gangsters led by Johnny Rocco who hole up there to await the passing of a hurricane. Mr. Temple strongly reviles Rocco but due to his infirmities can only confront him verbally. Having become disillusioned by the violence of war, Frank is reluctant to act, but Rocco’s demeaning treatment of his alcoholic moll, Gaye Dawn, and his complicity in the deaths of some innocent Seminole Indians and a deputy sheriff start to motivate McCloud to overcome his Hamlet-like inaction.
Why I Think This Is A Classic 40s Movie
Released in 1948, three years after the end of WWII, the story’s original plot of a Spanish Civil War veteran was changed to be a World War II vet. This began to give voice to the feelings of some of the returning vets who had lived while watching their compatriots died in battle.
My Favorite Moment In The Movie
When Rocco challenges Frank to a gun duel in front of the entire group, Frank backs down, which results in the death of the deputy sheriff Sawyer and causes Nora and James to judge Frank to be a coward. However, after Gaye gives her desperate singing performance and begs for a drink, Rocco reneges on his promise that she could drink if she performed. Frank, risking harm by Rocco and his gang, pours a drink and serves it to Gaye. James and Nora witness this, and come to understand that Frank’s heroism is quiet and personal, not public.
My Favorite Dialogue In the Movie
There is a conversation between Johnny Rocco and Frank McCloud when McCloud begins to challenge Johnny, standing up to his threats. Johnny begins to interrogate Frank, curious about this man who dares challenge him.
The speech Frank gives about cleansing the world is a paraphrase of FDR’s State of the Union speech given on January 6, 1942.
ROCCO: Okay, you know a lot about me. Now, what’s with you, wise guy? Well, give. In the war, weren’t you?
FRANK: Yes.
ROCCO: Get any medals?
FRANK: Couple.
ROCCO: Brave, huh?
FRANK: Not very.
ROCCO: Why’d you stick your neck out?
FRANK: No good reason.
MR. TEMPLE: What are you saying, Frank?
FRANK: I believed some words.
ROCCO: Words? What words?
FRANK: Well, they went like this: “…but we are not making all this sacrifice of human effort and human lives to return to the kind of a world we had after the last world war. We’re fighting to cleanse the world of ancient evils, ancient ills.”
ROCCO: What’s that all about?
MR. TEMPLE: I remember those words.
FRANK: That makes two of us.
MR. TEMPLE: (to Rocco) We rid ourselves of your kind once and for all. You ain’t coming back.
Key Things You Should Look For When Watching This Movie
The film story was taken from a play by Maxwell Anderson, but there were several changes made. In the play, the main character is a veteran of the Spanish Civil War and the gang are Mexican banditos. In the film, Frank McCloud (Humphrey Bogart) is a World War II vet who served in Italy and knew James Temple’s (Lionel Barrymore) son and Nora Temple’s (Lauren Bacall) husband.
In the original play McCloud was a deserter who dies at the end. In the film, McCloud proves himself heroic in the end by defeating Johnny Rocco and his gang in close-quarters fighting.
Lionel Barrymore not only played wheelchair-bound James Temple, but was, in fact, limited to a wheelchair in real life due to arthritis.
This was the fourth film which paired Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, and it would be their last pairing on-screen.
The boat used in the final sequence is named the Santana, which was also the name of Humphrey Bogart’s real-life sailing yacht.
Claire Trevor was uncomfortable with her singing skills and asked director Huston several times for a chance to rehearse the song before being filmed, but each time Huston put her off saying there was time to rehearse later. On the day the scene was shot, the cast returned from lunch and Huston announced they would immediately shoot the singing scene. Trevor was upset with Huston but went ahead anyway, her real-life anger and insecurity showing through in the film. When the shot was completed, she received spontaneous applause from the cast and crew. She also won an Oscar as best actress in a supporting role.
Thanks, Will! To show our gratitude for your guest post, here’s a dash of creative juju for you. Whoosh!
We already have a set of classic 50s movies, 60s Movies, 70s movies, 80s Movies and 90s Movies. This month, we’re working on 40s movies. And thanks to the GITS community, we’ve got 30 movies in the works, one for each day of the month!
Those who I put in bold have already sent me their posts. If you haven’t sent yours to me, please do so as soon as you can!!!
Act of Violence – Eric Rodriguez
Arsenic and Old Lace – Gisela Wehrl
Bicycle Thieves – Megaen Kelly
Brief Encounter – Emily Bonkoski
Casablanca – Paul Graunke
Double Indemnity – Susan Winchell
Five Graves to Cairo – Jeff Gibson
Foreign Correspondent – Doc Kane
Here Comes Mr. Jordan – Wayne Kline
His Girl Friday – John Henderson
It’s a Wonderful Life – David Laudenslager
Kind Hearts and Coronets – James Calder
Key Largo – Will King
Laura – Melinda Mahaffey Icden
Les enfants du paradis – Brendan Howley
Mrs. Miniver – Traci Nell Peterson
Notorious – Christine Henton
Now Voyager – Melissa Privette
Out of the Past – Brantley Aufill
Rope – Lance Morgan
The Bank Dick – Bob Saenz
The Best Years of Their Lives – Shaun Parker
The Big Sleep – Ipsita Barik
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir – Annie Wood
The Long Voyage Home – Vincent Martini
The Lost Weekend – Liz Warner
The Maltese Falcon – Roy Gordon
The Ox-Bow Incident – Clay Mitchell
The Philadelphia Story – Kristen Demaline
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock – David Joyner
The Third Man – Harry Cooke
To Have and Have Not – Felicity Flesher
Thanks to everyone who steps up for this ongoing project!
For the original post explaining the series, go here.
For all of the 40s movies featured in the series, go here.
Click REPLY and see you in comments about today’s classic 40s movie!
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