Review: Let No Man Write My Epitaph

Unmarried, hard-working Shelley Winters and her troubled son James Darren live in the slums, surrounded by drug addicts, drunks, and other unfortunates struggling to make their way through life. These people are supposed to act as sort-of protectors/godparents to Darren so that he does better in life than they have. Unfortunately, their own lives are such a miserable mess, including drunk and disgraced (but kindly) ex-judge Burl Ives, drug addicted singer Ella Fitzgerald, Walter Burke as a legless newsstand owner, hooker Jeanne Cooper (Yes, Mrs. Chancellor from “The Young and the Restless”), and washed-up boxer Bernie Hamilton. Darren has the talent to be a musician, but his low-economic standing and habit of hanging around with hoodlums look to set him on a course similar to his late, criminal father. Ricardo Montalban plays the sleazy and powerful gangster who romances Winters and then gets her hooked on heroin. Jean Seberg is the pretty young girl who wants to hook up with Darren, and is much less concerned with his economic standing than her lawyer father Philip Ober (who unsuccessfully represented his dad back in the day) is. Roy Jenson plays one of Montalban’s goons, whilst Percy Helton turns up in a brief cameo with a really bad comb over as a character named Baldy.

 

Some of this 1960 drama from director Philip Leacock (“The Kidnappers”, “Reach for Glory”) plays very awkwardly as it blends Capra-esque schmaltz (which worried me a bit at the beginning) with something far more hard-hitting. However, it’s such an interesting and unusual mix, and the performances are absolutely outstanding, so that it ends up being quite memorable. Whatever its flaws, it deserves credit for even tackling such harsh, depressing economic circumstances as these. Scripted by Robert Presnell Jr. (“Meet John Doe”), it’s based on a Willard Motley novel, and Motley earlier had a novel turned into the movie “Knock on Any Door” back in 1949. Here James Darren plays the son of the hoodlum character featured in that earlier film, though there is no need to have seen the earlier film in order to understand this one (I haven’t seen it myself). Darren was frankly never much of an actor, but this film at least gives him an opportunity to try. And y’know what? It’s the best work the guy ever did, even if Sal Mineo would’ve well and truly owned the part.

 

The most surprising presence in this film might be legendary songstress Ella Fitzgerald playing a pathetic drug addict. She has a very sad presence, and certainly isn’t the worst actress I’ve seen, either. I do think, however, that her character ends up kind of being neglected after a while, which is a shame. The three standout performances are clearly by Shelley Winters, Burl Ives, and somewhat surprisingly, Ricardo Montalban. It’s a shame Winters wasn’t nominated for an Oscar here, because as great as she was in the films she did get recognition for, this might just be the performance of her fine (if wildly uneven) career. Perhaps the film was too strange for the Academy voters to get their heads around, but Winters (in a rare leading role for her) deserves credit for going about as low as an actress could go in a film in 1960. It’s a really haunting, pathetic characterisation. Ricardo Montalban, more of an icon (“Fantasy Island”, “Star Trek”) than an actor, is nonetheless very effective as essentially the villain of the piece. He and Winters probably end up stealing the film. And that’s no easy task giving just how much of a brilliant scene-stealer Burl Ives was, and is here. He’s one of the all-time great character actors, with one of the most iconic (and effective) voices too. Like Ella Fitzgerald, it’s very difficult watching the likeable, grandfatherly Ives in such unfortunate circumstances here. For all the outward good cheer Ives presents, you can tell that just beneath the surface, he’s carrying more than just physical weight. It’s like he’s carrying his own problem, and everyone else’s burdens too. Like with Shelley Winters, the Academy really ought to have recognised Ives’ outstanding work here. Look out for character actors Walter Burke, Philip Ober, and the lovely Jean Seberg, who has nice chemistry with Darren. Burke is a long-serving character actor who probably didn’t get a better showing than he does here in a role I’m surprised didn’t go to Elisha Cook Jr. Ober, meanwhile, portrays just about the nicest character he ever played, whilst still being a bit of a snob.

 

I’m really not sure why this film isn’t better-known. I can understand audiences not being ready for it at the time, but it’s such a fascinating film I’m surprised it hasn’t been re-evaluated. It deserves to be seen, the performances deserve recognition. It’s a fascinating attempt at grit and realism, successful or not. Hollywood probably wasn’t ready for truly downbeat realism yet, and so it’s a bit treacly at times, too. And I’ve got to admit I was waiting for some of those hoodlums to snap their fingers and sing at any moment. But there’s still some grit there that you won’t get from many other films of the time. The cast full of sad and unfortunate characters reminds me a bit of my favourite film “The Misfits”, which probably helped ingratiate the film to me. Give it ago if it comes on TV sometime, especially if you want to see Shelley Winters, Ricardo Montalban, and James Darren at their best.

 

Rating: B