And now, would one fugitive from justice care to fix another fugitive from justice… a sandwich?
Today on Classic Movie Review, we are taking on Film Noir Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950).
This movie is rated an insanely low 7.1[1] on iMDB.com. On Rottentomatoes.com, this movie does not have its due with no Tomatometer score and a relatively low 74 percent audience approval[2].
In reading the reviews for this film, I noted that it was showing the same week as Panic in the Streets (1950), making a pretty good week for hardened Film Noir viewing.
New York Times film critic Howard Thompson reviewed the film on August 5, 1950[3], and didn’t have much good to say about it.
“All the snarling, mangling, triple-crossing and exterminating on the screen of the Strand yesterday morning adds up to one thing—James Cagney is back in town and right in the same old crime groove. In “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye,” adapted from Horace McCoy’s novel and produced by the star’s brother, William, Mr. Cagney is taking up where he left off in last season’s “White Heat.” Not nearly as rewardingly, however. The new picture has a slick veneer, some lively episodes and a couple of neat secondary performances, but as a whole comes off as a poor man’s carbon copy of “The Asphalt Jungle. “Intentional or not, the similarity is there and a yard wide.”
Continuing later with:
…Having assembled these characters rather graphically, the story proceeds to build up Cagney as a superman of cunning and right jabs and peels the others down to puppet size while the suspense trickles away.”
I couldn’t disagree with Howard Thompson more. Although the film’s arc may be the same as White Heat (1949), Cagney is not snarling and snapping his way through a world he hates. Cotter, the character Cagney plays, may be just as psychopathic and hate the world as much as ‘Cody Jarrett,” but the rage boils inside, not externally.
This movie is a nice crime story and with an original setup to tell the tale in flashback. I recommend this movie as a good watch.
Actors – Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950)
Returning
I was initially drawn to this movie, but the long list of actors we have already discussed. This movie features one of my and probably one of your favorite actors, James Cagney as a calmly psychotic criminal, Ralph Cotter. This amazing actor was first covered in a great comedy, one of his later films, One, Two, Three (1961).
Two cops from The Maltese Falcon (1941) played cops in this film. They are Ward Bond as Inspector Charles Weber, and he was first covered in It’s A Wonderful Life (1946), and Barton MacLane as Police Lt. John Reece, who was first covered in The Maltese Falcon (1941).
An actor who I always enjoy, Luther Adler, played the crocked lawyer Keith ‘Cherokee’ Mandon. Adler was first covered in the great Film Noir D.O.A. (1949)
An uncredited Neville Brand performed a small role as Carleton, the convict brother of Holiday. Brand was first covered in Birdman of Alcatraz (1962). Frank Reicher has a minimal role as ‘Doc’ Darius Green, a reformed gangster that has switched to spiritualism. Reicher was first mentioned in King Kong (1933). Kenneth Tobey played Detective Fowler. Tobey was first covered in the Civil War film The Great Locomotive Chase (1956).
Covered in Trapped (1949) are Robert Karnes as Detective Tom Gray and Barbara Payton as Holiday Carleton. Payton was as lovely as ever in this film, mocking the tragedy of her post-film career life, which included stabbing, prostitution, and heroin before an early death. This story is all discussed in Trapped (1949). Give it a listen if you haven’t heard the sad tale.
New
Steve Brodie played secondary criminal Joe ‘Jinx’ Raynor. Brodie was born in Kansas in 1919. Brodie played tough guys in B films, and it seems he may have been a rough and tumble fellow. He left school to race cars, box, and labor on oil rigs.
Eventually, Brodie found a job in summer stock. He moved to New York but had little luck until he moved to Hollywood. He began uncredited film work in Ladies Courageous (1944). Brodie had a look that got him cast in bit parts in films like Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944), A Walk in the Sun (1945), and Anchors Aweigh (1945).
Brodie moved to RKO and did a lot of work in the westerns. He also had his share of Film Noirs with Desperate (1947), Crossfire (1947), Out of the Past (1947), Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950), Armored Car Robbery (1950), and M (1951).
Other good movies Brodie was in include The Arizona Ranger (1948), Guns of Hate (1948), Rose of the Yukon (1949), Home of the Brave (1949), The Steel Helmet (1951), Lady in the Iron Mask (1952), The Caine Mutiny (1954), The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953), and Under Fire (1957).
Brodie worked extensively on television in the 1950s and 60s. From the late 1960s, Brodie began to struggle with alcohol. His career ended save a couple of films. He died in 1992.
Helena Carter played the role of Margaret Dobson, a woman with money. Carter was born in 1920 in New York City. Educated at Columbia University, she became a model and was then recruited for films. Carter had thirteen film credits before retiring from the industry.
Her first film was Time Out of Mind (1947). Three of her films were pirate movies, and a large percentage were focused around water bodies. Her last film was the sci-fi Invaders from Mars (1953). Carter married in 1954 and left the business. She remained married until the death of her husband. Ms. Carter died in 2000.
William Frawley has a small part as prison guard Byers. Frawley is a familiar actor for two television shows. Frawley played Fred Mertz on “I Love Lucy” 1951-1957. He was also Bub O’Casey on “My Three Sons,” 1960-1965.
Story – Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950)
The movie begins in a Superior Court Room. The District Attorney (Dan Riss) tells the jury that the seven people on trial are murderers and are evil. The people on trial are Holiday Carleton (Barbara Payton) as a murderess, Inspector Charles Weber (Ward Bond), an accomplice, Police Lt. John Reece (Barton MacLane), an accomplice, Keith ‘Cherokee’ Mandon (Luther Adler) attorney, and accomplice, Peter Cobbett (John Halloran) prison guard an accomplice, Vic Mason (Rhys Williams) an accomplice, and Joe ‘Jinx’ Raynor (Steve Brodie) as a murderer.
The DA says there should be an eight-person on trial. Peter Cobbett is called to the stand. He begins telling his tale, and that flashes back to Cobbett, Byers (William Frawley), and another man waking chained prisons for a day of work on the prison farm. Cobbett gives the nod to Ralph Cotter (James Cagney), who passes the signal on to Carleton (Neville Brand).
The convicts are taken to a field where they work hoeing the ground. Cotter fakes that he is fainting. Byers takes him into the woods for a drink from the stream. Cobbett is guarding the stream. Cotter pulls an inner tube from the water and removes two revolvers from inside. Back in the field, Cotter slips a gun to Carleton.
After a bus goes by and a car hidden in the woods honks its horn. Cotter hits Byers, and the two convicts start running. Cotter shoots a guard that is riding a horse. Carleton gets scared and won’t run. Cotter shoots him. Another guard on a horse is bearing down on Cotter, but someone in the woods shoots and kills the guard. The shooter of the second guard is Holiday Carleton.
Holiday and Cotter jump into the waiting car. Joe ‘Jinx’ Raynor drives the car. Holiday is breaking down thinking the guards killed her brother in the escape. They eventually make it to a garage hideout where Vic Mason is ready to help them. Cotter asks if he can see Holiday, and she gives him the brushoff. Jinx goes back to the radio shop where he works.
Vic tells Cotter that he owes $1,000 for the job. Cotter goes to get milk, but first, he asks for Holiday’s address. Cotter goes to Holiday’s apartment. She is extremely hostile to him. She has gotten a room for her brother, and Cotter says he will take it. Cotter starts gigging her about being a criminal. Holiday insists that her brother was innocent. Finally, Holiday throws a knife at Cotter, but it just clunks him. She has crazy murder eyes. Cotter eventually beats her with a towel. She breaks down and becomes his girlfriend.
Cotter has an idea to rob the grocery store and wants to get Jinx to help him. Jinx and Cotter rob the store. Cotter pistol whips the manager. They calmly make a getaway. Jinx and Cotter go to Vic’s and pay him off. Vic is not happy that they robbed a store so close to his location. Jinx wants a bigger share, and Cotter gives it to him. Vic calls Cotter nuts and gets his foot stomped on.
The police take the badly injured manager out to the hospital. All the secretary saw was BGBG. Big guns, big guns.
Cotter brags to Holiday about paying off her debt. She realizes he is dragging her in deeper and deeper. A knock on the door leads to two cops, Inspector Charles Weber and Lt. John Reece, rushing in and nabbing Cotter. They then begin a story about Vic giving all his money to help an old lady get treatment in Arizona. The two cops are hitting him up for a payoff. Cotter hands over all of the robbery money he has left. Weber orders the two to get out of town on separate buses. They give him his gun back.
Cotter is heading out to steal more money. Holiday is now calling him darling. Jinx knocks on the door. Jinx escaped without losing his money. Cotter wants to do some kind of business with Weber. Cotter takes the money from Jinx. He tells Jinx to set up the apartment with recording equipment. The recording will use cutting needles on 10-inch acetate.
Cotter goes to Vic’s garage. Vic gets the jump on him with a revolver. Cotter says he wants to buy a car. Vic wants nothing to do with him. Cotter leaves, and Vic goes to call Weber and tells the whole story. Cotter sneaks back in and beats Vic with a pistol before dropping him into the grease pit.
Jinx setups the recording equipment at Holiday’s apartment. Weber and Reece show up and starts needling Cotter. Jinx records the conversation in the backroom. Cotter pitches a payroll robber to cops that they can all split. The cops decide to go for it.
After the cops are gone, Cotter says they need a lawyer to help them. Jinx gives the name of ‘Doc’ Darius Green (Frank Reicher), whom he says is no lawyer or doctor, and he can’t be trusted. Doc is a new age philosopher, and Jinx says he is nuts also. Inside, they are giving new-age philosophy classes and reading. Cotter and Jinx play along. Doc’s assistant is Margaret Dobson (Helena Carter). Cotter takes note of her looks.
Cotter talks to Doc. When they are alone, Doc rages at Jinx for coming to him. They ask him about finding a lawyer. Doc gives them the name of lawyer Keith ‘Cherokee’ Mandon. When the two men go outside, Margaret is sitting in a car. Cotter convinces her to give them a ride to a phone booth.
The movie switches back to the trial, and Mandon is on the witness chair. The DA asks Mandon how he was connected to Cotter et al. In Mandon’s story, Cotter shows up at his home and asks for advice. Cotter says that he has Weber nailed, and there is money to be made. Mandon thinks other lawyers are setting him up. Cotter pulls a gun to keep from getting thrown out.
Cotter takes Mandon to hear the recording of Weber that they made. He is ready to go along but is worried that Weber is too tough to take down. Now Holiday believes in Cotter.
The next day, Weber and Reece arrive at the apartment. Weber goes right to work on Jinx about the payroll job. They bring Mandon out of the backroom. Mandon has Jinx play the record. Weber’s face shows he is caught. He smashes the record and pulls a gun on everyone. Weber is getting ready to shoot them, but Mandon says there are more copies of the record. Cotter slugs Reece.
Later Cotter goes to Doc’s to meet with Margaret. She decides they can go for a drive and a talk. Margaret flies out of town, driving an English roadster. Her driving does not shake Cotter. The two almost die as Cotter pushes the gas pedal from his side. Margaret is thrilled by the driving. Cotter tries to psychoanalyze her. They get to kissing, but two motorcycle cops that have been chasing them arrive. When the cops realize who Margaret’s father is, they give her a warning. After the cops are gone, Margaret won’t tell who her father is. They get back to kissing.
Holiday already knows in the morning about Cotter’s date. She is not too happy. She throws a full coffee pot and some other stuff at him. It turns into a laughing, kissy fest.
Cotter and Mandon go to city hall. They go to the police inspector’s office. Cotter is introduced under a new name. Mandon takes Cotter’s gun and says he will get him a permit. They go in to see Weber and Reece. Weber has pulled Cotter’s police record, and they destroy it in the office.
Weber is called to see the Police Chief Sam Tolgate (John Litel). The chief says the grocery store manager has died, and Weber has 48-hours to solve the case. When Weber gets back to his office, they force Weber to go back to the chief for a permit to carry a gun. Weber says that Cotter should avoid federal crimes. Cotter asks about Margaret’s father. Mandon says Ezra Dobson (Herbert Heyes) is rich, but Margaret is poison.
Of course, Cotter starts seeing Margaret. They end up at her expansive apartment. Margaret ignores a request to call her father. Later that night, Ezra and two men barge into the apartment. In the bedroom, they find Margaret and Cotter wearing PJs and sleeping in twin beds.
Ezra orders his men to remove Cotter. Margaret says they can’t because they are married. Ezra basically calls her a tramp and says Cotter is not good enough. Ezra says he will know everything about him in 24-hours. Margaret is concerned that her father did not cave in to her demands. She tells Cotter how her father can destroy a man. Cotter feels safe with his automatic under his pillow.
In the morning, Cotter is forced to relinquish his claim on Margaret and Ezra’s money as part of an annulment. He refuses a $25,000 certified check, and Margaret believes it is true love.
Cotter, Jinx, and Mandon case the pickups of some bookie’s bagmen. Cotter has the idea to get a police uniform from Weber. They go to one of Weber’s private offices. Weber says the gamblers pay him bases on a 20 k daily take. Cotter says they will kill the three men and make them disappear. Weber doesn’t like the idea of murdering three people for 20 grand.
Cotter gets the uniform, and he and Jinx get ready to pull the job. The three pickup men arrive at Tecumseh Pipe Shop. Jinx is genuinely nervous. Cotter acts like he is giving the driver a ticket, and the other two get back in the car with the money. They tell Cotter that they work for Romer and can’t be touched. Cotter pulls his gun, and it’s a revolver. He gets in the car, and Jinx follows them.
When the gangsters get wise, Cotter shoots the one in the backseat. Weber and Reece get the call from Romer that his men are missing. Cotter and Jinx come in with the money. Cotter gives Weber 17 grand as a third of the take. Weber realizes that Romer has been ripping him off on his protection cut. Cotter says he will take care of Romer and may take his business. Everyone is getting the idea that Cotter is crazy and will get them all killed.
Two cops, Detective Fowler (Kenneth Tobey) and Detective Tom Gray (Robert Karnes) visit Vic in hospital. Vic fingers Cotter. Vic tells them to go to Holiday’s apartment.
Back on the stand, the DA asks Jinx what he did after he left Weber’s office. He says he went to Holiday’s and counted the money, but he was sick about what they had done. He and Holiday were very terrified. Cotter comes in with champagne and gifts. Jinx tells Cotter he will not work with him anymore. Holiday says she will stay with Cotter. Cotter says he will kill Jinx if he doesn’t stay in the gang. Jinx leaves.
Holiday says she is afraid, and Jinx is too. There is a knock on the door. It is Mandon, and he says he wants to talk outside. In the hall, he tells Cotter that Margaret and her father have visited him. Mandon says he will protect himself. Mandon has to take Cotter to Ezra. Holiday hears through the window that Cotter married Margaret.
Margaret is happy to see Cotter. She asks about Mandon. They go in to see Ezra. Ezra and Cotter have a private talk. Cotter says he doesn’t want any of their money. Ezra says Cotter is the man that can control Margaret. Ezra thinks that Cotter has no interest in money. Ezra has stopped the annulment. Cotter tells Margaret that he will accept the offer. When they kiss, she feels his gun. Margaret takes it and throws it in the fountain. They decide to leave together.
Back at her apartment, Holiday is sitting there numb when Cotter comes back. She throws a bullet from her brother’s head onto the table. Cobbett emerges from the back room. He has brought the bullet down from the prison. Holiday now knows that Cotter killer her brother. Holiday pulls a gun on Cotter. Cotter says his brother has a copy of the record, and they will all be caught if he disappears.
Another knock sounds at the door. Holiday says they are going to put him with the three dead bagmen. Cotter slaps the gun with his hat, but Holiday fires into his belly. He comes after her with a broken bottle. Her gun clicks once but fires the next time killing him. The knocks on the door continue until detectives Fowler and Gray break-in.
The scene switches to the courtroom where the original recording is being played. The man on the stand identifies the voice on the recording as that of his brother, Cotter. The DA declares that the state rest.
Conclusions
One glaring inconsistency in this movie is that all the defendants are charged with murder or accomplice at the beginning of the film. Which murder or murders? Holiday killed a guard during the escape, and she killed Cotter. So, which one is she on trial for? Was Cobbett the prison guard charged will the killing of the guard during the escape or giving the evidence to Holiday that led to the death of Cotter. The same for Vic; he just engineered the escape. Jinx was part of the grocery store robber and the resulting death. He was also a part of the bagmen murders. Could he be tried for both at the same trial? Weber and Reece were part of the bagmen murders and as an accomplice after the fact for taking the money from the grocery store robbery. Mandon was an accomplice to the bagmen murders. So, the way I see it, there should be at least four trials, the grocery store death, the bagmen murders, the escape killings, and the Cotter killing. What bothered me more was that defendants were called to give evidence against themselves.
According to iMDB.com, the inclusion of a New Age spiritualist church was ahead of its time[4]. It did very little to advance the story, saving having Cotter meet Margaret Dobson.
By far, the most interesting bit of trivia associated with this film is the juxtaposition of Holiday’s and Dobson’s characters and their professional life. Helena Carter as Margaret Dobson was wild and a danger seeker. At the same time, Barbara Payton as Holiday was relatively innocent at the beginning of the film, except for that whole prison break and murder thing. After the end of their careers, Helena Carter married and had an everyday life. On the other hand, Barbara Payton descended a path that led to her own destruction.
World-Famous Short Summary – Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
Beware the moors.
[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042648/
[2] https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1011675-kiss_tomorrow_goodbye
[3] https://www.nytimes.com/1950/08/05/archives/the-screen-in-review-panic-in-the-street-new-bill-at-roxykiss.html
[4] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042648/trivia/
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