CONNECTION TO PREVIOUS ENTRY: Fred MacMurray and unintentionally, Porter Hall
SOURCE: Personal Collection–Kino Lorber Film Noir: Dark Side of Cinema VI
STARRING: Fred MacMurray, Ava Gardner, Richard Haydn
CO-STARS: Ronald Culver, Thomas Gomez, Porter Hall, Spring Byington
DIRECTOR: John Brahm
STUDIO:Universal
SUMMARY: Matt Gordon is a pearl smuggler living in Singapore right before World War II. He meets and falls in love with fellow American, Linda Grahame (Ava Gardner). After a whirlwind 9-day courtship, Matt and Linda decide to marry. On the day of their wedding, the Japanese bomb the church where Linda is waiting for Matt. Matt tries to find Linda in the rubble, but to no avail. He returns to the United States assuming that the love of his life perished in the air raid. Fast forward five years, the war is over, and Matt returns to Singapore to retrieve a large cache of pearls he has hidden. He ends up seeing Linda dancing with another man. When he approaches her, she cannot remember him.
FAVORITE PART(S):
1) I liked that Fred MacMurray’s character, while the protagonist of the film, is a criminal; however, as the audience, I wanted him to be happy ever after with Ava. I also like that Ava Gardner’s character didn’t seem to care that he was a criminal.
2) The crankiness of Porter “Medford Man” Hall’s character. This is a man who does not want to be on vacation in Singapore.
3) Ava Gardner ordering a gin sling in the restaurant, not even taking a sip of it, and leaving. Fred MacMurray, despite not even ordering a drink, nor having any of Ava’s, is stuck with her bill.
4) The ending. It was a little ridiculous, but I liked it.
BEST QUOTE(S):
MATT: That’s the trouble with history–it doesn’t leave any room for sentiment.
MR. BELLOWS: Where are you dragging me to tonight?
MRS. BELLOWS: To the Chinese Theatre. Mr. Gordon says it’s a must. They’re doing Hamlet.
MR. BELLOWS: [confused] In Chinese.