I Wake Up Screaming

When ambitious waitress Carole Landis reaches for Hollywood fame, she is found murdered in the apartment she shares with sister Betty Grable. Suspicion falls on Victor Mature's, Carole's promoter, but Betty believes in him and helps, through devious ploys, to unmask the real killer. Plenty of twists to keep you guessing in this exellent film noir, based on the book by Steve Fisher. Grable had one number to sing in this but, in order to sustain the dramatic content of the film, it was cut and Grable's occupation changed from songplugger to stenographer.

When previewed, this film (then entitled Hot Spot) was given the thumbs down by the audience - they thought they were in for a Grable musical treat. Zanuck and director Bruce Humberstone, re-edited the film and added new key scenes, working day and night to have it ready for its premiere. Reverted to its original title, it soon became a success and is a highly rated movie in its genre.

Laird Cregar steals the acting honours as the sinister detective investigating Landis's murder. And that excellent supporting actor, Elisha Cook Jr., is one of the "red herrings" under audience suspicion.

Cameraman Edward Cronjager does much to add to the atmosphere of this classic mystery with some fine low-key lighting and imaginative photography.

20th Century Fox presents "I WAKE UP SCREAMING" (1941) (82 min/B&W) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) -- Well-known New York sports promoter Frankie Christopher (Victor Mature) is the prime suspect in the murder of Vicky Lynn (Carole Landis), a successful model and would-be actress --- Questioned relentlessly by the police, and particularly by hulking detective squad commander Ed Cornell (Laird Cregar), he maintains his innocence --- Meanwhile, Vicky's sister Jill (Betty Grable) is also being questioned --- Their answers, given in adjoining interrogation rooms, become the basis for brief, neatly constructed interlocking flashbacks at the opening of the movie that explain the plot in very little time --- Both are released after admitting nothing, and the police begin working on other suspects, including journalist Larry Evans (Allyn Joslyn), aging actor Robin Ray (Alan Mowbray), and hotel clerk William Harrison (Elisha Cook Jr.) --- Jill had little use for Frankie, the man who had been promoting her sister's career, but the two are drawn together in the course of trying to sort out their lives and the murder of her sister, and her realization that Frankie is capable of truly loving a woman, and not just exploiting her --- Meanwhile, Cornell makes it his business to pressure and torment Frankie, illegally entering his apartment and promising him an arrest and a death sentence --- Eventually, the noose seems to tighten around Frankie as the circumstantial evidence piles up, until Frankie, trying to clear himself, uncovers a clue leading back to the real killer who was known to Cornell all along!

Top film noir performances and direction -- Great stuff!

Under the production staff of:
H. Bruce Humberstone [Director]
Steve Fisher [novel "I Wake Up Screaming"]
Dwight Taylor [Screenplay]
Milton Sperling .[Producer]
Cyril J. Mockridge [Original Film Music]
Edward Cronjager [Cinematographer]
Robert L. Simpson [Film Editor]

BIOS:
1. H. Bruce Humberstone [Director]
Date of Birth: 18 November 1901 - Buffalo, New York
Date of Death: 11 October 1984 - Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California

2. Betty Grable [aka: Elizabeth Ruth Grable]
Date of Birth: 18 December 1916 - St. Louis, Missouri
Date of Death: 2 July 1973 - Santa Monica, California

3. Victor Mature [aka: Victor John Mature]
Date of Birth: 29 January 1913 - Louisville, Kentucky
Date of Death: 4 August 1999 - Rancho Santa Fe, California

the cast includes:
Betty Grable - Jill Lynn
Victor Mature - Frankie Christopher (Botticelli)
Carole Landis - Vicky Lynn
Laird Cregar - Police Insp. Ed Cornell
William Gargan - Jerry 'Mac' MacDonald
Alan Mowbray - Robin Ray
Allyn Joslyn - Larry Evans
Elisha Cook Jr. - Harry Williams
Chick Chandler - Reporter
Morris Ankrum - Assistant District Attorney

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 4 Stars
Performance: 4 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 4 Stars
Overall: 4 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 82 min on DVD ~ 20th Century Fox ~ (06/06/2006)

No one wakes up screaming in this feature, though it's a wonder, given the way the characters show up in each other's darkened apartments! A good deal of the action, as well as the dialogue, appears to be utterly fantastic--so it seems appropriate that Grable's presence is often accompanied by strains of "Over the Rainbow". Such incredibility does lend to the unpredictability of the plot-line, though, so the movie can be enjoyable if one doesn't think about it too deeply. It's also fun to watch Grable in a film noir--and amusing to see how a swimsuit scene is worked into the story!