Quicksand (1950)

After borrowing $20 from his employer's cash register, an auto mechanic is plunged into a series of increasingly disastrous circumstances which rapidly spiral out of his control.Directed by Irving Pichel shortly before he was blacklisted for suspected Communist activities, the film has been described as "film noir in a teacup... a pretty nifty little picture" in which Rooney "cast himself against his Andy Hardy goody goody image." Rooney stills comes across as a mostly harmless, innocent man in this film, but it may be a bit shadier than people had seen before.Rooney co-financed "Quicksand" with Peter Lorre, but their shares of the profits were reportedly left unpaid by a third partner. Most of the film was shot on location in Santa Monica, California, with exterior scenes at the old Santa Monica Pier. Jazz cornetist Red Nichols with His Five Pennies group are seen and heard in a nightclub scene.Peter Lorre's fellow actors in "Quicksand" were impressed with his performances on the set. Commenting on the film in a later interview, Jeanne Cagney observed the following about Lorre: "He did it with all his might. Even though the picture was not a top drawer film he still approached it as if it were the 'A' picture of all 'A' pictures." Indeed, with all due respect to Rooney, Lorre is the real star and the reason this film remains worth seeing today (2017).

"I feel like I'm being shoved into a corner and if I don't get out soon, it will be too late." So says Dan Brady (Mickey Rooney) after a series of bad decisions causes him to get deeper and deeper, quicksand like, into crime. Viewers are led to believe that Dan is basically a good guy; but he just can't get a break, as he goes from one small problem to a disaster, then to a bigger disaster. It's almost comical.What makes the film better than comparable era crime stories is the casting of Rooney, an actor who's little boy face and short stature run counter to villain stereotypes. Actually, Dan's downfall can be traced back to his infatuation with a blonde "dame" named Vera Novak (very well played by Jeanne Cagney). Various twists and turns in the plot add interest.A few complaints here. First, the film gets off to a slow start. Second, I don't like the "Deus-ex-machina" ending. And third, the film is almost too brief; it seems rushed. The impression conveyed is that the scriptwriter was too lazy to add story depth and a few extra scenes to the script.For its historical era, B&W visuals are okay, but nothing special. Costumes, editing, and prod design are average. Casting is terrific and is probably the best element. Acting is average except for the performances of Rooney and Cagney, which are terrific.Because the run-time is brief, "Quicksand" is a somewhat thin story. Yet, it still held my attention once the plot got going. Of course I'd rather see a too-short film that's good than a too-long film that's bad.

A young mechanic borrows $20 from the till to take a dame out on the town, setting in motion an escalating series of crimes. This is a really enjoyable "out of the frying pan, into the fire" situation as Mickey Rooney digs himself in deeper and deeper. Maybe not as hard-edged as I usually prefer my noir, but the story moves at a rapid clip and never slows down. And I don't mean to imply it's light-hearted, although there is some amusement in how incompetent the protagonist is at committing crimes. It's also kinda funny to see the diminutive Rooney square off against the equally diminutive Peter Lorre (sadly, not a large role, but his presence is welcome). I'm only familiar with the "Andy Hardy" Rooney by reputation, but as a noir actor he's growing on me more and more. There's a simplistic but entertaining good girl/bad girl dichotomy with Barbara Bates (a little too earnest, but cute) and Jeanne Cagney (Jimmy's sister, and a delightful performance). Some beautiful lighting and shot composition as well. Exciting, fun, and memorable... I'm buying a copy of this one for my collection.

Garage mechanic Mickey Rooney (as Dan Brady) wants to date blonde cashier Jeanne Cagney (as Vera Novak) after seeing her arrive for work in a sexy black dress. Since one of his friends owes him $20, Mr. Rooney decides to "borrow" it from the cash register at work. No one will know. After brushing off former girlfriend Barbara Bates (as Helen), Rooney takes Ms. Cagney out on borrowed money. Today, taking a date to the Santa Monica Pier is not that costly... Of course, Rooney's plan to replace the money fails, and he gets deeper and deeper in "Quicksand". The appearance of Peter Lorre (as Nick) means more trouble for Rooney. This is a fair to middling story, depending on how far you can stretch your suspension of disbelief. It moralizes about "robbing Peter to pay Paul." Funny, if you're in the mood.**** Quicksand (3/24/50) Irving Pichel ~ Mickey Rooney, Jeanne Cagney, Barbara Bates, Peter Lorre