Road House **** (1948, Ida Lupino, Cornel Wilde, Celeste Holm, Richard Widmark) – Classic Movie Review 8891

Director Jean Negulesco’s dark and involving 1948 20th Century Fox film noir drama Road House stars Ida Lupino, Cornel Wilde, Celeste Holm and Richard Widmark as crazed bar owner Jefferson T ‘Jefty’ Robbins, who comes to hate his long-time buddy and staff worker Pete Morgan (Cornel Wilde) and sets him up for a murder charge.

Top-billed Ida Lupino plays Widmark’s bar torch singer Lily Stevens, the girl who comes between the two men – and sings the classic Johnny Mercer song ‘One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)’ and a famous song called ‘Again’ (music by Lionel Newman, lyrics by Dorcas Cochran), which debuts in this film. Lupino does her own singing, yes, hauntingly raspy.

The stylish-looking roadhouse comes complete with a bowling alley! Murderous trouble begins when Lily rebuffs Jefty in favour of Pete and then Jefty goes into a rage when he is rejected after proposing to Lily.

Negulesco’s 1948 Road House is a good, solid, strong film noir, with imaginative and stylish touches, and rich dialogue, even if the story and handling sometimes hesitate and meander. The performances of the star trio keep it compelling, with Widmark romping home with the acting honours. There are other assets with the art direction, along with a great noir mood and notable black and white cinematography by Joseph LaShelle.

The cast are Ida Lupino as Lily Stevens, Cornel Wilde as Pete Morgan, Celeste Holm as Susie Smith, Richard Widmark as Jefferson T ‘Jefty’ Robbins, O Z Whitehead as Arthur, Robert Karnes as Mike, George Beranger as Lefty, Ian MacDonald as Police Captain, Grandon Rhodes as Judge, Jack G Lee, Marion Marshall, Jack Edwards, Don Kohler and Ray Teal.

Road House is directed by Jean Negulesco, runs 95 minutes, is made and released by 20th Century Fox, is written by Edward Chodorov, from a story by Margaret Gruen and Oscar Saul, is shot in black and white by Joseph LaShelle, is produced by Darryl F Zanuck (executive producer) and Edward Chodorov and is scored by Cyril J Mockridge and Alfred Newman, with Art Direction by Maurice Ransford and Lyle R Wheeler.

Capitalising on his success, it was advertised as: ‘Richard Widmark follows The Street With No Name in another tornado of thrills!’

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8891

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