House music
Good evening.
Tonight something very special indeed.
I must say that when I presented Casablanca I really didn't anticipate such an excited
reaction to it and really that's why Casablanca has now been followed by Key Largo tonight.
Key Largo is an exceptional entertainment, it's a gripping melodrama and if you wish
to probe beneath surfaces you'll find a lot of interesting features too.
It's based on a play that failed in 1939, a play written by Maxwell Anderson who wrote
well among many works Winter Set and of course the play on which the film Private Lives of
Elizabeth and Essex was based.
A fine writer, a man deeply concerned about the international scene in 1939, he related
it to the Spanish Civil War.
Now Warner Brothers moved up ahead many years to the end of World War II so that this has
reference to a world at war and I think in the light of recent events in the last few
months it is still a very relevant contemporary film.
Key Largo, outstanding, directed by John Huston and by the way I must remember to tell this
right this moment, John Huston's father, Walter Huston, also participates in this picture
but you won't see him, you'll only hear him.
His voice is heard over the radio so listen for Walter Huston's voice.
The screenplay was written by John Huston in collaboration with another writer who became
a top director, Richard Brooks and there's music by Max Steiner as well.
This is I say one of the finest Warner Brothers movies of the late 40s.
Now let's look at the cast of Key Largo.
Well I suppose the most interesting is naturally featured on Humphrey Bogart himself.
It's a perfect role that of Frank MacLeod, the role played by Paul Muny in the original
stage production and of course he's co-starred with Lauren Bacall.
It's a fine teaming and I think you'll find them terribly interesting in this picture
because the dialogue is good and John Huston brings the best out of them.
Lionel Barrymore, he plays the part of James Temple, a man who has a lot of sadness in
his life, a man who's crippled and there's one scene where he is driven to try and get
out of his wheelchair because he becomes so infuriated by the city filth that's invaded
his life.
It is one of the most powerful things that Lionel Barrymore ever did in that period of
his life when he was confined to a wheelchair.
He is magnificent.
And we have Claire Trevor.
Claire Trevor won an Academy Award for her performance and a lot of it was centred on
one very special scene in the film.
A scene that I find very moving and I think you'll find the consequences of the scene
very moving too where she sings a song, Moan and Lo.
Now let me say something about this scene.
It's in this scene where you get a beautiful moment of rapport between Lauren Bacall and
Humphrey Bogart where she realises what a fine man he is and he does something for Claire
Trevor, Humphrey Bogart, that I think will move you almost to the point of tears.
It's a lovely gentle moment in a fine film.
And finally, Edward G. Robinson.
I'll tell you now because I think it's true that I don't believe Edward G. Robinson ever
made on the screen a more dynamic first appearance than he does in Key Largo.
It is both hypnotic and revolting.
Wait till you see it as it appears on the screen.
A very special movie, Key Largo.
I think you're going to adore it.
I think you're going to love it.
I hope you're enjoying Key Largo.
I think it's an outstanding film.
Now we just showed you something that's a very precious possession of mine and I thought
you might be interested just to see it.
This is the hardback edition of the play Key Largo by Maxwell Anderson which I was able
to secure in a bookshop, a secondhand bookshop in Hollywood Boulevard.
As a matter of fact, it's the only copy I've ever seen.
And what was very interesting about the play when I found it was that it is in blank verse
which is rather unusual.
And I also discovered by looking at the cast list that we had Paul Muny playing the role
that's played here by Humphrey Bogart but also in the cast were Carl Malden.
His name is spelt with a C those days.
We had James Gregory and Jose Ferrer.
Now that was 1930.
Now the play was a failure and something like a hundred performances which meant that there
weren't any other editions of the play I should imagine.
But very hard to get hold of.
But it's a fascinating thing.
Try your library.
You never know.
It could be there.
Now I get many letters about the film music and also theatre music too.
Well I've invited you to write into me about those and I thought I'd just take this moment
in the middle of Key Largo to say that there is music available of Key Largo.
It's on this fabulous disc from RCA, Casablanca, classic film scores for Humphrey Bogart.
It's got the main theme from The Cane Mutiny which is very rare indeed by Max Steiner.
It's a great theme.
It's the left hand of God, Sahara, Virginia City, To Have and Have Not, The Two Mrs.
Carols and a wonderful, well it's almost like a tone poem in a sense, of Casablanca.
It is really stunning value.
Now I know they've got that at John Davis Records.
Now John Davis Records have moved in case you don't know.
They are now at the Twin Plaza in Twin Street.
The Twin Plaza in Twin Street.
And Les there at John Davis Records tell me he has got copies of this record of music
of Humphrey Bogart's films in stock.
So get onto that, it's a fabulous disc and I never tire of listening to it.
Well that's Mone and Lowe by the way that you can hear behind me right now.
Not from that disc but that's the song of course that Claire Trevor sings in Key Largo.
We shall return to Key Largo.
I know you're going to find the rest of the picture very exciting indeed.
Wow, it's quite a film.
It's almost exhausting.
The tension is just so sustained throughout that picture.
But didn't you love that moment after Mone and Lowe when you realise that Lauren Bacall's
feelings towards Humphrey Bogart have changed so much because she has thought he's a coward.
Beautiful.
And that conflict between Bogart and Robinson is great stuff indeed.
Key Largo, I think probably my favourite Bogart Bacall movie.
I think it probably is.
I was looking at this book by Garson Canaan together again about screen teams and he said
the team of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall was so integrated, so close and so powerful
that something of the fabulous Bogart image remains with Lauren Bacall even now.
The aura of charming hardness, daring audaciousness, healthy cynicism and basic good humour.
This emanates from the survivor of this terrific team.
Terrific team, how right that is.
Well now the music of Key Largo by Max Steiner, part of it is available on that Casablanca
disc that I showed you earlier with Humphrey Bogart and the scenes from Casablanca on the
cover and you ask Liz at John Davis Records at Twin Plaza and Twin Street and he'll look
after you for any of the music of the movies that we play here on Channel 10.
Well in a few moments time I'm presenting something completely different, a very interesting
film.
Burt Lancaster is the star and plays the title role in Valdez is Coming.
I think you'll find that quite engrossing viewing and I'll be back in a few moments
to present it for you.