Thu 31 Oct 2019
HOUSE BY THE RIVER. Republic Pictures, 1950. Louis Hayward, Lee Bowman, Jane Wyatt, Dorothy Patrick, Ann Shoemaker, Jody Gilbert. Based on the book by A. P. Herbert (Methuen, UK, 1920; Knopf, US, 1921). Director: Fritz Lang.
House by the River is a prime example of a Victorian melodrama and/or Gothic noir. It has its flaws, but with an outstanding cast and Fritz Lang at the helm, it overcomes its lack of a substantial budget to become a movie that more than holds its own today. (Maybe even more so. Bosley Crowther of the The New York Times panned it, quite oblivious to what most moviegoers see in it today.)
I do not know much about Fritz Lang’s career, and why he was working for the less than stellar Republic Pictures at the time (1950), but the moody atmosphere of death by misfortune (“accidental” strangulation) of a young housemaid by her employer (Louis Hayward) when she refuses his advances — and the aftermath — is remarkably well done, especially the scenes in which Hayward is frantically looking up and down the river in a small rowboat for the wood kindling bag in which he and his partially lame brother (Lee Bowman) disposed of her body makes this, in my opinion, a must-see for any devoted fan of film noir.
Whew. Let me take a breath. I didn’t realize that that came out as one long sentence until just now. Louis Hayward at first plays his character, a mostly failed writer, as an urbane cad, and gradually works his way up (or down) to showing his true colors as an unmitigated cad. Lee Bowman had been forced into aiding and abetting him for the sake of Hayward’s wife (Jane Wyatt), only to find most of the suspicion of the crime falling on him.
That’s the story. You can imagine what happens from this point on, or if not, the movie itself is easily available. Do watch it. I couldn’t give it an “A,” I don’t think, but it’s far better than average.
October 31st, 2019 at 2:24 pm
“on the river” (your version) or “by the river” (version on posters) or both?
October 31st, 2019 at 2:33 pm
Mea culpa. Thanks for catching that!
October 31st, 2019 at 3:09 pm
Fritz Lang and Republic. A quick survey will show that long before Lang spent some time there, Raoul Walsh, Frank Borzage, Orson Welles, John Ford (for three films) and many more fairly successful folks worked for them. On a personal basis, I absolutely detest the picture.
October 31st, 2019 at 5:12 pm
All fine directors, to be sure, and I always saw Republic as the best of the lesser film companies. But I was wondering why it was that Lang found himself needing to work there, especially in 1950 when it’s my sense that Republic was running out of steam.
Without being too personal, I’d love to hear more about your opinion of the picture.
October 31st, 2019 at 5:47 pm
Regarding Lang: Secret Beyond The Door was a major flop and essentially a co-production between Lang and Bennett. She managed to survive, but he came up empty in 1948, so when Republic came on board for this thing, and by t he way, no one was financially shortchanged by Yates, he grabbed it. Louis Hayward has just completed shooting Il Pirati Di Capri, the first Italian-American co-production, and despite lukewarm reviews, very successful. Edgar Ulmer hoped Hayward would remain over there and set up a second film, but Lang wanted Louis. So, Hayward made an error. He went. His deal was excellent. $75,000, plus 5 percent. The reviews were just okay, but the business was non-existent. My father saw it o n television, and before it was finished called me with this question: Why did he take a part like this…over the top with no redeeming virtues. And that was the end of Hayward in picutres that actually had chance to be well received. He signed with Columbia for a group of B+ costumes pictures and managed to fit in Duffy of san Quentin, The Royal African Rifles, none of which kept his star burning. Lang, with the exception of Moonfleet, an interesting picture but another major fail, ended up with minor noir. Blue Gardenia, While The City Sleeps, until finally there was nothing left.
Personal note: I was a little boy when this was going on, but at ten or twelve my take was similar. Then Hayward went into television, and in themed-sixties he said this to me, and I was flattered. ‘My wife said it’s a pity I didn’t have you with me when I did The Lone Wolf., but you were just a child then.’ He laughed.
I f I have not made this clear, I loved him, as a movie fan and hated to see that destroyed. Later I loved and admired him as person.
October 31st, 2019 at 6:37 pm
Your father said “…over the top with no redeeming virtues,” and it sounds as though you agree. On another given day, I may have written a review saying something very much like it. I was right on the edge of doing so, but when I sat down to write down my thoughts, this is where my fingers took over — as you can see when that long paragraph-long sentence showed up.
So of course when you said you detested the movie, I was very interested in having you follow up on that, and I’m glad you did. For that and for telling us what was going the behind the scenes when the movie was made, all I can say is thanks!
November 1st, 2019 at 10:57 am
Thanks for asking, Steve. By the way, Lewis Milestone, Myrna Loy and Robert Mitchum were at Republic for The Red Pony, and Joan Crawford with Nicholas Ray for Johnny Guitar. Ray Milland for both Lisbon and A Man Alone. Not too shabby a list.
November 1st, 2019 at 1:57 pm
I thought they might be two different films with the wrong posters displayed.
November 1st, 2019 at 8:10 pm
Barry,
I have a higher opinion of the film if only because it harkens back to Lang’s German Expressionist period, but I had no idea it hurt Hayward’s career so much. A pity, because he was always one of the more charming screen personalities of his period, an actor whose easy on screen charm sometimes seemed to hide how good an actor he was.
November 1st, 2019 at 8:59 pm
David,
I like and agree with your view very much, but it was not quite a straightforward as I made it out to be, not that it isn’t so, but combine this with the major studios losing control of exhibition, simultaneous to changing tastes in subject matter and style; Brando and the method lead the way. For example, John Wayne took charge effectivley of his own career, Gable ws GAble and Randolph Scott reteated into excellent if more modestly budgeted proejcts,
November 1st, 2019 at 9:08 pm
This thing escaped me, T continue:
Cary Grant had a period between 1953 and 1957 in which he had only one film released, To Catch A Thief.
Ray Milland made a serious effort to direct, but he never became just that. And then, there was television. In the fifties only two Hollywood stars made a successful transition, Lucille Ball and Dick Powell. The others, Louis, Brian Donlevy, George Raft managed to tread water. I am not counting Raymond Burr because he was not a star, he became one. I know for a fact that in hindsight, Hayward believed going into television at that time was a mistake. No going back. And Ricard Carlson, not a star, did well with I Led Three Lives. An anomaly was I believe Highway Patrol, or perhaps Brod had a modern persona.
November 6th, 2019 at 1:03 am
In January House By The River will get a Blu ray release.