The Man I Love (1946)
Directed by Raoul Walsh
Produced by Arnold Albert
Screenplay by W.R. Burnett, Catherine Turney
Based on the novel Night Shift by Maritta Wolff
Cinematography by Sidney Hickox
Music by Max Steiner
Warner Bros.
(1:36) New to me - borrowed from a friend
Nightclub singer Petey Brown (Ida Lupino) gets homesick and decides to leave New York to visit her siblings in Los Angeles during Christmas. Okay, here we go: Petey’s sister Sally (Andrea King) works to support her ex-soldier husband (John Ridgely) working in a restaurant owned by the slimy Nicky Toresca (Robert Alda). And...
Toresca has a thing for Sally, which Petey clearly sees and lands a job singing at Toresca’s club to keep an eye on things. Then Toresca starts thinking he owns Petey, and we’re not just talking about her voice.
Meanwhile, Petey falls for a washed-up jazz piano player named San (Bruce Bennett), and then...
I’ve described only about a third of the relationships going on in this film, which also includes a healthy (or unhealthy) dose of musical numbers. With so many characters and situations, I felt like I was trapped inside a pinball machine and I suspect Lupino did as well. She reportedly fainted from exhaustion during the making of the film.
The Man I Love is about 90% melodrama and 10% film noir, but if you’re okay with that, you’ll probably have a good time with it. But if you find yourself fainting from exhaustion, you’re in good company.
Next time: To be honest, I’m not sure… Stay tuned and have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Photos: DVD Beaver