Evening star., 1953-03-19

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The Blue Gardenia" at
theaters is just such a movie. It
is a melodrama that would be
sheer parody in any other set
ting but in it's Los Angeles
locale, it leaves one feeling that
perhaps this is how preposterouS
life really is out there.
1t just might be that there are
wolves out there like the one
played by Raymond Burr, and
innocent victims such as the one
impersonated by Anne Baxter. 1t
is possible, too, though less
likely, that there is a newspaper
like the one that employs Rich
ard Conte and a columnist such
as Conte working on such a
newspaper.
Sanity can be jeopardiZed by
going too far with notions like
this. but this is the effect of
THE Blue Gardenia" upon the
presumably reasonable mind.
y X X X
Vera Caspary and Charles
Hoffman are the authors of "The
Blue Gardenia" and their premise
clearly is that anything can hap
pen in Hollywood.
What does happen, briefly, is
that Burr. an artist, gets Miss
Baxter's telephone number. One
night, just after she has read
a farewell letter from her f1ance
who has decided to wed another,
Burr makes use Of the number.
With nothing to lose, she
thinks except a crushing an
guish, Miss Baxter meets him at
a handy restaurant. He plies
her with a drink called Poly
nesian Pearl Diver. rushes her
off to his apartment. makes a
pass that leads to a fight, and is
found dead the next morning.
Miss Baxter wakes up in her
own little bed. but with terrific
hangover and the terrifying
question: Did she commit the
murder? She has had too many
Polynesian Pearl Divers to re-
member, which shows what these
exotically named drinks will do
to a girl.
It turns out. however, that
girls with alcoholic amnesia are
not necessarily doomed even in
circumstances as dire as these.
Not with columnists like Conte
around. These public idols, on
whose every word the entire
community hangs, are in compe-
tition with the police in the
solution of crimes.
Conte is one of the best at this
game. He gets in touch with Miss
Baxter and what he does for her
and the newspapers circulation,
is. we'll. out of this world. 1t is.
also out of the orbit of this re-
port on The Blue Gardenia."
X x y
Previous pictures in which
they have appeared have made
it evident that the players in the
Warner thriller are capable of
realistic behaviour. With the
help of Director Fritz Lang, an
artful man if given a rational
chance, they do the best they
can with the script they are
given here. 1t is not a very con-
vincing best to any one brought
up on the dull routine of life that
exists beyond the Los Angeles
city limits.
The most unreasonable roles
In "The Blue Gardenia" are
those assigned to Miss Baxter
and Conte. Not since "the Black
Daliah," a real-life victim of
Hollywood f1end, has there been
a girl like Miss Baxter's heroine.
AS for Conte's columnist, he is
maverick that few respectable
newspapers would use as filler on
the last page of the classified ad-
vertiSlng section.
The performer who comes off
best, next to Burr who dies out
of the thing early, is Ann Soth-
ern. She plays one of those wise.
hard-boiled girls with a heart
of gold who sounds like a loud,
clear, authentic echo of Maisie.
1t is pleasant to have her turn
up in a picture designed to show
how much more exciting homi-
eide is in Hollywood than any,
where else.
AARKTC