Slander *** (1957, Van Johnson, Ann Blyth, Steve Cochran) – Classic Movie Review 8910

Director Roy Rowland’s 1957 black and white film noir crime thriller Slander stars Steve Cochran as slick publisher H R Manley, whose notoriously sleazy gossip scandal magazine blackmails TV children’s entertainer star Scott Ethan Martin (Van Johnson) by threatening to reveal his armed-robbery conviction as a teenager if Martin (Johnson) doesn’t come up with damaging tittle-tattle about a Broadway star actress he knew years ago while growing up in their tough district.

Hollywood gets its revenge on the smear magazines – and does it rather well in this largely forgotten little movie, adroitly written by Jerome Weidman and based on an intriguing story by Harry W Junkin. Rowland’s incisive, well-played melodrama is a timely attack on America’s gossip mags, and unfortunately still all too relevant.

[Spoiler alert] Cochran is spot on as the smug magazine owning publisher, who goes on to reveal Martin (Johnson)’s jail history and gets him fired from his flourishing television career. Ann Blyth is effective as Martin (Johnson)’s wife, Connie Martin. And, among the support, Marjorie Rambeau is especially good as Manley (Cochran)’s mother, Mrs Manley.

Also in the cast are Harold J Stone, Richard Eyer, Philip Coolidge, Lurene Tuttle and Lewis Martin.

Slander is directed by Roy Rowland, runs 81 minutes, is made and released by MGM, is written by Jerome Weidman, based on a story by Harry W Junkin. is shot in black and white by Harold J Marzerati, is produced by Armand Deutsch, is scored by Jeff Alexander and is designed by William A Hornung and Hans Peters.

Van Johnson had previously starred in Roy Rowland’s Scene of the Crime (1949).

Ann Blyth, Oscar nominee for Best Supporting Actress in Mildred Pierce (1945), turned 92 on 16 August 2019.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8910

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com