MIDNIGHT LACE

Doris Day in jeopardy

MIDNIGHT LACE (1960). Director: David Miller.

Heiress Kit Preston (Doris Day) has never had a difficult day in her life, so the perky but somewhat neurotic lady is unprepared when she starts to get death threats from a sinister, cartoon-like voice in the London fog and over the telephone. Kit recently wed businessman Anthony Preston (Rex Harrison), and while he is concerned, neither he nor Inspector Byrnes (John Williams) are absolutely certain that Kit has been hearing anything. She is suspicious of everyone she encounters, including her maid's nephew (Roddy McDowall of Dead Man's Island); a hunky contractor working on a house next door (John Gavin); and an odd fellow who keeps following her (Anthony Dawson). Then someone pushes her in front of a bus ...

Day, Harrison, Williams, Gavin, Loy

Midnight Lace is a smooth and entertaining suspense film with a host of good actors, including those mentioned and Myrna Loy as Kit's aunt and Herbert Marshall (of Gog) as Anthony's business associate. Natasha Parry [The Dark Man] and Hermione Baddeley are also notable. As for Day, she gives a convincing if borderline comical performance of a incredibly overwrought woman who is admittedly in a tense situation but has no clue as to how to handle it without getting hysterical -- and I do mean hysterical. One has to witness her incredible meltdown on the staircase to believe it! The picture is fun however. It has some structural similarities to another film directed by David Miller, Sudden Fear. (In that film Joan Crawford handles things with much more vigor than Day does). 

Verdict: Unless you really hate Day you should enjoy this. ***. 

SUDDEN FEAR

Joan Crawford

SUDDEN FEAR (1952). Director: David Miller. Colorized. 

Wealthy playwright Myra Hudson (Joan Crawford) turns down the actor Lester Blaine (Jack Palance) for a role in her new stage work because he lacks "romantic" looks. Nevertheless, Blaine seems more than romantic enough when she encounters him on a train to California and he wins her over. It isn't long before the two are dating, and then married, living in her fabulous San Francisco mansion. But one day Myra hears something that was inadvertently recorded on her dictaphone, and realizes with a sickening shock that Lester may not be as enamored of her as she thought. Her money, however, is a different matter. The feisty Myra makes up her mind to fight back ... 

Jack Palance and Gloria Grahame

Sudden Fear not only features an exemplary Crawford performance -- she received an Oscar nomination -- but is an excellent, suspenseful thriller that has tense moments that remind one of Hitchcock. The film's climax, set all over the rolling streets of the city (but actually filmed in Los Angeles unlike the rest of the movie), is outstanding. Crawford isn't the only cast member operating at top level: Jack Palance  -- nominated for a supporting Oscar -- and Gloria Grahame as his lover are also on target all the way through, and there's fine work from Mike Connors [Voodoo Woman] in his first role, billed as "Touch" Connors; Virginia Huston [Flight to Mars]; and Bruce Bennett. It's fun seeing Crawford exchanging small talk with Arthur Space of Panther Girl of the Kongo in a party scene. Fine David Miller direction, a good score from Elmer Bernstein, crisp Charles Lang cinematography, and very sharp editing by Leon Barsha. This version is also beautifully colorized, which only adds to its appeal. NOTE: To read further analysis of the film and go behind the scenes read Joan Crawford: The Essential Biography by Quirk and Schoell. 

Verdict: One could quibble about certain illogical plot points, but basically this is all systems go! ***1/2.