The beauty of an old Hollywood black and white (and there are literally 100s to pick from) is the subtly of emotion, how the characterisation and dialogue really takes you between light and shade, protagonist to antagonist in a furtive glance or roll of the eyes.
Flamingo Road is one such classic I’ve actually never seen before staring Joan Crawford as Lane Bellamy, a girl born on the wrong side of the street who would have had a fancy name like Elaine but ended up with just the “Lane” part.
When the circus side show she is singing and dancing in and trying to scrap a living together has to make a swift exit out of town she decides to chance her luck and stay put for the first time in life in the small town of Bolden.
It’s the deputy sheriff Fielding Carlisle played by Zachary Scott who rumbles her first, but as someone himself who hasn’t quite ended up where he was supposed to, takes pity on her, helping her to find a job as a waitress and a room share with Milly who also works at the diner.
It’s not long before there’s a whiff of romance between Lane and Fielding sparking conflict. For evil Sheriff Titus Semple he doesn’t want his protegy getting distracted, his deputy sheriff Fielding is an unwitting pawn in his political aspiration and must be immediately and neatly married off to Annabelle Weldon, played by Virginia Huston.
The Sheriff, when his interference in Fielding and Lane’s relationship doesn’t get rid of Lane entirely, he does his best to drive Lane Bellamy out of town, getting her fired from her job.
It’s a fast paced movie, real heroine, against all the olds plot with more twists and turns for Lane Bellamy as she aspires to live on the richest street in the town Flamingo Road.
She gets there with the help of businessman Dan Reynolds, whom she marries but makes the mistake of not sharing her dealings with the Sherriff who subsequently manages to double cross everyone temporarily, framing Dan Reynolds and forcing him to face an erroneous indictment.
Lane Bellamy ends up in jail of course with Dan Reynolds coming in last minute to save the day.
The ending, traditionally a bit predictable. All in all a very good film. I’d say a strong 8 out of 10.
Who’d love it.
Anyone interested in what life was actually like for women in the 1940’s and 1950’s.