How could a noir blog miss a chance to celebrate the awesome Bette Davis? Although she isn’t best known for her work in the genre, Davis’s highly dramatic style graces such original cycle noir pictures as The Letter (1940), Deception (1946), and Beyond the Forest (1949). Yet, when In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood announced its 2016 Bette Davis Blogathon, I decided I wanted to revisit one of my favorite pre-noir flicks, The Petrified Forest (1936).
This Depression-era tale finds disillusioned drifter Alan Squier (Leslie Howard) wandering into a roadside service station in Black Mesa, Arizona, at the edge of the Petrified Forest. He is served by young idealist Gabrielle (Bette Davis), who falls instantly for the down-on-his-luck writer, and soon her youthful optimism seduces him as well. Gabrielle shows him her artwork and they share poetry together — much to the chagrin of her football-playing lug of a boyfriend Boze (Dick Foran). But before Alan can get out of town with the help of a ride from the wealthy and morose Chisolms (Genevieve Tobin and Dick Foran), the diner is taken over by the murdering gangster Duke Mantee (Humphrey Bogart in a role based on Dillinger that would help to define his entire future career). Will everyone survive? Will everyone want to?
The Petrified Forest is incredibly stagy and wordy, but I love it. The diner is and feels like a set, with the dead wilderness beyond it more a theme than a reality, as it certainly was in the original stage play by Robert E. Sherwood — a member of the Algonquin Round Table, speechwriter for Franklin D. Roosevelt, and perhaps best known as author of the screenplay for the film The Best Years of Our Lives (1946).
Bette Davis is young but plays even younger here (she’s 28 but the character seems meant to be a naive 21 at most). It’s a delight to watch her play up to Howard after she brought his downfall in a proto femme fatale role two years earlier in Of Human Bondage (1934). It’s not that I ever believe she is Gabrielle; she’s Bette Davis and Leslie Howard is Leslie Howard, but it’s a fantastic view of an early film era when acting meant something stagier than today’s naturalist downplay. And it will be vital to the style of noir. Moreover, we need this kind of excess for Bogart’s Duke Mantee to shine, a precursor of the noir tough guy Bogart would soon embody. Overall, it’s a great, theatrical ensemble cast, and Bette is her gloriously stylized self as much as she will be in classic films from Jezebel (1936) and Now Voyager (1942) to All About Eve (1950).
Allow me to end on a quote:
April 2, 2016 at 2:37 AM
Wonderful film. From what I have read about it, Howard starred on Broadway in the stage version, as did Bogart, playing Mantee in the same stage production. Of course, the studio didn’t want Bogart to play Mantee in the movie, and they did want Howard, who told the studio that the only person who could play Mantee in the film was Bogart. Bogart was ever grateful to Howard for that support; he and Lauren Bacall named their daughter Leslie, after Howard.
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 2, 2016 at 2:50 AM
Yup, I’ve read that, too. Only Davis was new to the film.
LikeLike
April 2, 2016 at 9:32 AM
Great film a real favourite of mine. People talk of this being a star making role for Bogart but for me this is very much Leslie Howard’s film, he was such a great actor, always thought that if Basil Rathbone had turned down the role Howard would have made a wonderful Sherlock Holmes. Watching this film it is impossible to get away from its stage origins, at times it feels a little like watching a filmed play but as a piece of entertainment it works.
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 2, 2016 at 4:38 PM
I agree with all you say. Howard is one of my favorite classic actors, and he shines here. I like your final thought especially, that it can be enjoyed as a filmed stage play rather than decried as stagebound.
LikeLike
April 14, 2016 at 2:07 AM
Howard’s son played Sherlock Holmes! You can find the dvds pretty easy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 2, 2016 at 4:47 PM
This is such a great play, easily in the top ten of the 1930s and this version with Leslie Howard and Bette Davis is a true treasure. Great selection, and enjoyable post.
PS love that you brought up the Algonquin Round Table connection to your film.
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 3, 2016 at 4:08 PM
So glad you enjoyed the post (and Algonquin Round Table reference). Thanks for commenting!
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 3, 2016 at 9:03 PM
This film was often on TV, but I missed the chance to see it. I hope I can watch the movie soon – especially because I love early, evil Bogart! Bette and Leslie are wonderful actors as well, but Bogie is the charm for me!
Don’t forget to read my contribution to the blogathon! 🙂
Cheers!
Le
http://www.criticaretro.blogspot.com
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 3, 2016 at 10:26 PM
Thanks for commenting. If you don’t mind Greek subtitles, you can watch the film free here: https://vimeo.com/151537272
LikeLike
April 4, 2016 at 6:06 PM
Like you, I love LOVE this film, despite the fact that it’s wordy and obviously adapted from a stage play. Bette Davis is luminous in this role – she is utterly convincing as Gabrielle. I can’t watch it enough!
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 5, 2016 at 4:26 PM
Luminous is the perfect word. So full of earnest light. Thanks for commenting!
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 4, 2016 at 9:13 PM
It’s a long time since I’ve seen this, so I need to revisit. Looking back at my own short review from some years back, I see I found it too stagy and wasn’t convinced by Howard’s character (though I loved Bogart as Duke Mantee). But I should aim to see it again and bear your thoughts here in mind – I think I enjoy “stagy and wordy” dramas more now than I did back then!
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 4, 2016 at 9:15 PM
Definitely worth seeing again for what it is, for its place in film history 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 5, 2016 at 7:05 AM
That final quote is great! I haven’t seen this one – always assumed The Letter was my favourite Bette noir, but this looks interesting. I love the idea that it feels like a contained set and that the ‘wilderness’ is something that happens outside of it but is no less scary. Often what’s most terrifying is that which you don’t see.
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 5, 2016 at 4:28 PM
The Letter is definitely her noir. This is more a mood piece with pre-noir elements. And yes, do see it. Thanks for commenting!
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 8, 2016 at 1:37 PM
I always been very fond of this film, and I could easily consider it to be one of the best from the year. All the cast was great. Love it. Thanks for joining in on the blogathon with an excellent entry on a film that I have always enjoyed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 8, 2016 at 3:32 PM
Happy to join in.
LikeLike