23 May Crossfire
Crossfire, WWII Movie starring Robert Young, Robert Ryan, and Robert Mitchum.
(1947) Crossfire is a film noir mystery starring Robert Young as the investigator who is trying to solve the brutal murder of a Jewish ex-soldier. World War II has just ended, and the cast of characters includes a group of men recently discharged from the army, all worried about what they are going to do with the rest of their lives.
Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne explained how Robert Ryan got involved in this film. When he was in the Marine Corps during World War II Ryan read a book called The Brick Foxhole by Richard Brooks, also a Marine. When Ryan, already an actor, met Brooks he mentioned that if a movie was ever made from this book he would like to play the “bad guy.” Two years later that happened.
The subject matter of The Brick Foxhole was homophobia. Since that topic was banned by the Hollywood code, the script for Crossfire changed the theme to antisemitism, also controversial.
What so often happens when I watch a movie from this era is that what I learn from doing my research is just as interesting as the film itself.
Richard Brooks, son of Russian Jewish immigrants, changed his name from Reuben Sax and went on to work on many noted films —Blackboard Jungle, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Elmer Gentry, In Cold Blood. He was married to one of my favorite actresses, Jean Simmons, for seventeen years. She was his 3rd wife.
Gloria Graham played a “taxi dancer” … guys would pay to dance with her … at a nearby bar. She is a dangerously beautiful character actress that I recognize from so many movies beginning in the 1940’s. She married director Nicholas Ray (Rebel Without a Cause with James Dean and Natalie Wood) in 1948. Their marriage ended when Ray found Gloria sleeping with his 13-year-old son Tony. That would have been around 1950. Gloria actually married Tony ten years later after she divorced another man in between. They had two sons before they divorced in 1974. This is so confusing.
In the meantime, 43-year-old Nicholas Ray had an affair with 16-year-old Natalie Wood.
That isn’t the end of the story, but I want to get back to Crossfire. At the 1947 Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best Picture. Gentleman’s Agreement with Gregory Peck, also about antisemitism, won that year. Robert Ryan, Gloria Graham, and Edward Dmytryk (director) received nominations too.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if someday people would be judged only by their good thoughts and kind deeds.
Watch an original trailer on the Turner Classic Movies website.
No Comments