Classic and Indie Film Series Under the Stars: ACE IN THE HOLE (1951)

Last month we did a classic movie up north at Mister Tramps. Although everything went well, I think we'll need to do future showings up there on weeknights instead of Friday as the sounds from the bar were drifting into the room. So I'll work on doing that to continue to accommodate you folks on the northside.

But for this month, and as I always intended to do, we'll move back down south with another classic film.

In 1951 Kirk Douglas was an emerging star, although he was quickly being typecast in supporting villain roles in various film noir classics such as OUT OF THE PAST (1947) and I WALK ALONE (1947), a personal favorite of mine. There were a few attempts by Warner Brothers, who owned his contract, to help him break through, including the now largely forgotten YOUNG MAN WITH A HORN (1950) co-starring Lauren Bacall and Doris Day.

But it wasn't until this film that Hollywood and audiences began to recognize Douglas' talent, largely because it was the type of iconoclastic and rebellious role that would define most of the rest of his career.

The curiously entitled ACE IN THE HOLE (1951) features Douglas as Chuck Tatum, a largely amoral newspaper reporter exiled from New York City for some questionable judgment on a story who is forced to con his way onto the staff of a small daily newspaper in New Mexico, where instead of doing stories on political corruption he is being asked to cover rattlesnake roundups in Albuquerque. He believes that his only way back to the big time is to get a really big story. And if its not all completely true...well...that's the breaks. He'll deal with the fallout afterwards.

Then, like mana from heaven, a story made to order just drops into his lap, and Tatum determines he is going to inflate and milk it for everything its worth. Turns out a resident of a tiny backwater and largely deserted mining community has gotten himself trapped by a small cave in the town's abandoned mineshaft. Tatum knows that small personal "trapped in a mine" stories sell a lot of newspapers, so he not only sets forth to make sure that the rednecks essentially turn over all the rescue operations to him, he even figures out ways to make the drama last longer by rejecting quicker and possibly safer methods of getting to the trapped man, all the while making sure that local police only let him in to talk to the man "for safety reasons." The whole thing turns into a literal circus, and the poor trapped man is largely a forgotten prop in a media and financial sensation where everybody is making money as the man's life slowly and unnecessarily ebbs from his withering body.

Director Billy Wilder was no stranger at this time to films featuring deeply cynical protagonists. After all, it was Wilder who gave us Fred MacMurray's conflicted insurance adjuster in DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944), Ray Milland's deeply troubled alcoholic in THE LOST WEEKEND (1945), and William Holden's "kept man" to Gloria Swanson's aging film star in SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950). But never before or after did Wilder give us someone like Chuck Tatum. And like his character, Douglas milked the role for all its worth. It was a star-making performance, and his career was never quite the same, going on to create unforgettable roles in everything from 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA (1954) to SPARTACUS (1960) to his amazing performance as Vincent Van Gogh in LUST FOR LIFE (1956), all of which led to three Oscar nominations and an Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996 a few years before his death.

So come see where it all began and witness an altogether too familiar tragedy unfold where the media blurs the line between journalism and manipulation. The message is as important and timely now as it was then.

Presenting our Indie & Classic Backyard Movie Under the Stars Series, where we'll all get together during good weather armed with our bug spray and lawn chairs to watch a variety of classic and independent films.

I have the movies. I have the projector. I have a sort of giant (for a backyard at least) 10 foot screen. I even have a long, narrow but semi-deep backyard with a giant oak tree that will silently watch over us as we relive our youth at the drive-in.

There will be free hot dogs, movie candies, movie nachos, and popcorn. Feel free to bring other stuff if you want, including your own lawn chair. I have some spares and some blankets, but not enough for a full house. BYOB. I'll have some soft drinks and water as well.

We'll socialize for about an hour before the movie, which will start promptly at dusk (about 8:00 pm). An Alamo Drafthouse-style preshow will be playing when you walk in

RAIN POLICY - I'll post here if we have to reschedule for weather or other unforeseen events. Just check here before you head this way.

CARPOOLS - My parking around here really is limited thanks to overbuilding on nearby lots, so carpooling is encouraged.

In keeping with the general idea of this group, we will have a short discussion about the film, its stars, and the filmmakers before and after the movie. I hope you'll participate. If I have time I might even put together some film trivia with prizes.

Hope to see you there.