This movie made me uncomfortable at times, guessing at what effect was intended that seems to be misfiring laughably time and time again. Embarrassed for the artists basically. It gets into some very high maudlin stuff what with those cloying, belabored but actually interesting shots of the twin babies on xmas eve yet. Some of the stuff that comes out of peoples' mouths, oy! For example, Mom counsels son, who has just gotten into a fight cause another kid taunted him saying his father was "in the loony bin". She whips out a framed photo of Dad in uniform and says to the kid "Does this look like someone who's been in the loony bin!?" My favorite moment in terms of wow what were they thinking was "Petey"s arrival at sis' house when hunky neighbor Johnny shows up. "Petey" cruises him like the most brazen hussy on well, I don't know what street the male female and she male hookers hang out on in Long Beach, but "Petey" seemed as though she'd be right at home there, only she's at her sister's house and is sort of pumping and gyrating in excitement right in front of the guy's wife too! Not that THAT lipsticked platinum blonde could care! And that "Petey"? Why, she can't even give it a rest. Despite Johnny's blushing, she picks up on this vibe again later in the scene with an aside , "What kind of VITAMINS do you take?" Priceless! Ido Lupino was very good and all but very in sych with the weird unsettling aspects of this production. Details, including details of the big picture here, make this film worthwhile though. The singular ending, for one thing. It feels very confusing but very truthful in a strange way. maybe.
The piano playing is nice actually but when "Petey" talks about San's rough road in life it makes him out to be like Charlie Parker or something when he's really more of a Lee Liberace type, which I don't mean as any insult but then again maybe his flowery way of playing was ahead of its time in the 40s and the 50s was when that "General Hospital" sound came to the fore, I mean the music is way better than the piano on General Hospital though. Anyway, I really did like the corny piano playing it's very good. Some of those lyrics by Ira Gershwin make you wish they were songs without words sometimes though. It does add to the campiness of this adventure though.
Oh one other thing. There is a dropped storyline somewhere in this picture. The young girl aptly named "Virginia" who never wants to go out, the one Nicky if he had any taste would be after first but he doesn't even notice her, remember? Well, she goes out with this guy at one point on a double date sort to go see "Petey" sing and . . . then she sort of recedes, nothing happens to her, she's a loose end, if not a loose woman. Maybe it was originally that she and "Petey" find happiness together, Sappho style? It would work!
The piano playing is nice actually but when "Petey" talks about San's rough road in life it makes him out to be like Charlie Parker or something when he's really more of a Lee Liberace type, which I don't mean as any insult but then again maybe his flowery way of playing was ahead of its time in the 40s and the 50s was when that "General Hospital" sound came to the fore, I mean the music is way better than the piano on General Hospital though. Anyway, I really did like the corny piano playing it's very good. Some of those lyrics by Ira Gershwin make you wish they were songs without words sometimes though. It does add to the campiness of this adventure though.
Oh one other thing. There is a dropped storyline somewhere in this picture. The young girl aptly named "Virginia" who never wants to go out, the one Nicky if he had any taste would be after first but he doesn't even notice her, remember? Well, she goes out with this guy at one point on a double date sort to go see "Petey" sing and . . . then she sort of recedes, nothing happens to her, she's a loose end, if not a loose woman. Maybe it was originally that she and "Petey" find happiness together, Sappho style? It would work!