Performance of the Month: Fredric March in “Death of a Salesman” (1951)



Fredric March as Willy Loman in "Death of a Salesman" (1951)

The Best Actor Oscar category was almost an embarrassment of riches in 1951: Humphrey Bogart was a popular winner as scraggly boat captain Charley Allnut in John Huston’s classic “The African Queen”, but the role itself was lightweight compared to the heavy dramatic lifting done by fellow nominees Montgomery Clift in “A Place in the Sun” and Arthur Kennedy in “Bright Victory”. Of course, Marlon Brando’s landmark work as Stanley Kowalski in Elia Kazan’s “A Streetcar Named Desire” was highly praised, and deservedly so; and it seems unfair in retrospect that Brando was the only one of the four principal cast members not to win an Oscar for the film. The field was so strong with top-notch actors in important roles that outstanding performances given by Robert Walker (Strangers on a Train), Kirk Douglas (Detective Story), and Richard Basehart (Fourteen Hours) were unable to even earn a nomination. The fifth nominee, my personal choice for the Best Actor of 1951, as well as performance of the month is Fredric March as Willy Loman in the film adaptation of Arthur Miller’s landmark play “Death of a Salesman”. Having never read the original playscript by Miller, I cannot comment upon the film’s difference from the original stage drama. Also, having never viewed a stage or filmed version, I am unable to compare March’s performance with other well-regarded Willy Lomans, such as Lee J. Cobb, Dustin Hoffman, or Brian Dennehey, so I must consider it on its own terms as a performance.

Fredric March is an actor who gave outstanding performances during every phase of his career: As a young man, he won an Oscar in 1932 for “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, and repeated that feat during middle-age for 1946’s “The Best Years of Our Lives”. Likewise, he is also remarkable in old age, as in 1960’s “Inherit the Wind”, and worthy of mention for numerous other performances through the years, including “The Dark Angel” (1935), “A Star is Born” and “Nothing Sacred” (both 1937), “One Foot in Heaven” (1941), and Executive Suite (1954). But it is in ‘Salesman’ that I think March found his greatest role, and Willy Loman is certainly one of the legendary roles in American drama. Willy is a man who finds his dreams crumbling at the same time as his sanity, and the breakdown may not be enjoyable to watch, but it is compelling. He is getting along in years, having worked the road as a salesman and is hoping to be transferred to a position in the office of his company. His devoted wife Linda (Mildred Dunnock earned a Supporting Actress nomination, and this characterization is practically a letter-perfect example of the long-suffering housewife archetype that exists in popular culture even today) is worried because she fears Willy may be planning to kill himself, and tries to keep the peace between Willy and newly returned son Biff (Kevin McCarthy, nominated for Supporting Actor), with whom he’s always had an antagonistic relationship.

Perhaps some of my own emotional baggage colored the scenes between Willy and Biff; the eternal struggles between fathers and sons, between generations, and between men with different goals and outlooks on life. I have a feeling that it could be very easy for an actor to overplay Willy; to rely on shouting and overpowering mannerisms, but March doesn’t do that. Willy holds his own with Biff, even though it is obviously a struggle to do so. In addition to the family drama, there is the fact that Willy’s sales have dropped to the point that he has to regularly borrow money from his pal Happy just to make the monthly bills. And too, there are the hallucinations and recalled memories from his past that have begun to haunt Willy. March is smart in never playing these too obviously; rather they come across as a natural expression of Willy’s deteriorating mental state. And in the end, his memories turn on him, and become as disappointing as his reality has become.

“Death of a Salesman” is certainly a depressing experience, but worth watching for the talents of the actors involved, and, as I said before, because it is considered one of the milestones in modern American theater. And though Fredric March’s interpretation of Willy Loman may not be the definitive version, it is certainly one of the high points in film acting from 1951; an excellent performance in a year that was overflowing with great actors in great roles.

A Stand-Up Guy: "The Friends of Eddie Coyle" (1973)

The early 1970’s was a fertile time for cops and robbers pictures. Gritty urban dramas like “The French Connection”, “The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3”, and “Dog Day Afternoon” were critical as well as box-office hits. A lesser known, yet just as worthy film, is “The Friends of Eddie Coyle”, released by Paramount in 1973. Peter Yates, who had directed the Steve McQueen classic “Bullit” five years earlier, employs less flashy, yet still crisp and controlled direction that moves the story forward and keeps hold of the viewer’s interest. Especially good is a lengthy early scene of a bank robbery that builds tension naturally and effectively, primarily through Yates’ direction.

Though the costumes and Dave Grusin’s slightly intrusive score mark the picture as a definite product of the early 70’s, the plot remains fresh, concerning double crossing and “friends” who may turn you in to save their own skin or invite you out to dinner and a hockey game. Set in, and filmed around Quincy, Massachusetts, the film benefits greatly from Gene Callahan’s production design, which creates a self-enclosed world of dingy barrooms and clandestine meetings in out of the way places between small-time hoods and fences, one of whom is the Eddie Coyle of the title, played by legendary movie tough guy Robert Mitchum.

Mitchum was always an interesting actor to watch, as he always looked like he’d just as soon kick your ass as shake your hand. As the picture starts, Eddie’s facing a hearing for an incident where he was caught driving a truck full of stolen liquor, and seemingly makes a living buying guns to sell to a gang of bank robbers. In this world, who you trust can be a matter of life and death, and the cast of familiar faces (you may not know the names Alex Rocco, Joe Santos, Richard Jordan, and Steven Keats, but film fans will surely recognize them) playing cops, and both big and small-time crooks is a pleasure to watch. Getting back to Mitchum, however, I submit that by this time in his career he could’ve played Eddie Coyle in his sleep, he is great in the role; never coasting on his familiar image and investing the character with real emotions and concerns.

An exceptionally good supporting performance is given by Peter Boyle as Eddie’s pal Dillon. If you’re only familiar with Boyle’s comic acting in “Young Frankenstein” or his grumpy grandpa on the long-running “Everybody Loves Raymond”, you may be surprised at how well he handles the multi-layered character here. Dillon, like every other character in the film has his own agenda, which doesn’t become entirely clear until late in the film, and the reveal adds a chill when you recall how early in the film he tells Eddie “You’re a stand up guy.” It is precisely because Eddie is that kind of guy that he finds himself in the situation that he’s in.
　
"The Friends of Eddie Coyle" succeeds not only as one of the better urban crime dramas of the early 70', but also, thanks to Mitchum and his iconic presence, as a link to the classic Hollywood genre film; well worth viewing!

An Honor Just To Be Nominated: Considering Thelma Ritter, the Consumate Supporting Actress

Thelma Ritter looking glamorous, or, as she almost NEVER appeared in an actual movie.

To this day, she and Deborah Kerr hold the record among actresses for most Oscar nominations without a win, with six failed nominations stretching from 1950 to 1962, and yet, she brightened up nearly every film she appeared in, no matter how small a role she played.  Classic film fans regard her as one of the greatest character actresses ever to appear in film, and she worked for many of the greats: Alfred Hitchcock, John Huston, Joseph Mankiewicz, George Cukor, Frank Capra, etc. and though she never won the Oscar, she did share in a Tony Award for her appearance in the Broadway musical "New Girl in Town".  She is Thelma Ritter, and if you're not familiar with her work, get thee to Turner Classic Movies or Netflix immediately if not sooner, because you are missing the best supporting actress in movies. 

Ritter was born in Brooklyn, and didn't appear in a film until she was in her 40's, and what a picture to make your debut in: the 1947 Yuletide classic "Miracle on 34th Street".  Ritter appears in two brief scenes as a harried Christmas shopper who gets upset when Santa (Oscar winner Edmund Gwenn) promises her son a toy that is impossible to find, but then her tune changes when he tell her where to find it, and she subsequently praises Claus to the floor manager.  Ritter is perfect as the typical housewife struggling with the holiday rush, and that inimitable Brooklyn accent highlights her lines with a world-weary sense of humor as well as street smarts, traits that would become the standard of most Thelma Ritter film characters.

In 1949's "A Letter to Three Wives", Ritter appears as Sadie, the slovenly housekeeper to upwardly mobile suburban couple Kirk Douglas and Ann Sothern.  Ritter gets great lines (she got better wisecracks than practically any other actress, except maybe Eve Arden), and the scene where she tries to pull off a dignified front at a stuffy dinner party despite her shanty-town ways is hysterical.  Ritter gets a lot of comic mileage out of fumbling with her awful maid's cap, a folding screen, and, finally, just uttering the phrase "Soup's On".  Ritter also has good scenes with a crony played by Connie Gilchrist, as the two spend an evening drinking beer and playing cards together.  Director Joseph Mankiewicz utilitzed Ritter's talents again the following year, and she earned nomination number one for 1950's "All About Eve", where she more than held her own against powerhouse talent Bette Davis.  Ritter play Birdie, longtime assistant of theatrical star Margo Channing (Davis), and once again, gets her share of sharp lines and snappy comebacks.  Ritter's value in 'Eve' comes from the fact that she is the first character in the film to realize the true motive behind Eve's (Anne Baxter) fascination with Margo, although sadly, Birdie disappears for the entire second half of the picture.

In 1951, Ritter had two very good roles, earning her second nomination for "The Mating Season", where she plays Ellen McNulty, who moves in with her on and his new wife, pretending to be their cook.  Again, she proves to be the voice of wisdom and reason, repairing the strained marriage and dealing with the wife's stuffy mother (Miriam Hopkins).  Her second, and best role to date came in George Cukor's "The Model and the Marriage Broker", where she (at last!) played the central role in the film, even though the first name in the title and in billing went to co-star Gene Tierney.  Here, Ritter is Mae Swasey, who runs a lonely-hearts matchmaking office, and tends to get too involved in the lives of her clients.  Back in supporting mode, Ritter earned her third nomination in 1952 as the kindhearted nurse assisting wounded singer Jane Froman (Susan Hayward) in the inspirational musical biography "With a Song in My Heart".  This is one of the few films in which Ritter's sparky personality was downplayed, but her talent nonetheless shines through.

In 1953's "Titanic", she is Maude Young, an unlikely heiress travelling on the doomed ship, a character based on the famous Molly Brown, and then earned her fourth career nomination  (as well as giving her greatest film performance) as Moe in "Pickup on South Street".  The film is a stinging bit of film noir, with some 50's era communist villains thrown into the mix.  Moe's occupation is a door-to-door necktie saleswoman, but she earns her real money by selling secrets.  Some information about missing microfilm turns out to be just the gold mine that Moe needs to insure she will have enough money to pay for her burial place.   In a lengthy scene in her dingy apartment, face to face with a menacing killer, Ritter stays true to her tough character.  She knows what the man is there for, and what the ultimate outcome will be, but she doesn't change her personality one iota.  Moe is smart enough to see that the end has come, and to accept that for everything it means regarding her life peddling ties and secrets in the streets of New York.  Ritter doesn't play for our sympathy; she doesn't need to.  It is a performance so tough and honest that it seems to be something beyond mere acting; there is a realism there that many performers never approach, but Thelma Ritter nailed it.

More flashy supporting roles followed.  In 1954, she played another sensible nurse, this time to James Stewart in Hitchcock's "Rear Window".  Her Stella may claim that she should've been a "gypsy fortune teller instead of an insurance company nurse", but this time her homespun humor and common sense widsom don't stop her from getting drawn into the mystery Stewart has observed concerning the disappearance of one of his neighbors.  Ritter then created the role of Aggie Hurley in the original television production of "A Catered Affair" and earned an Emmy nomination for her work, but then lost the part in the film adaptation to former co-star Bette Davis.  Davis was overbearing and too strident in the role, which Ritter probably would've performed with the perfect mixture of humor and pathos.

In 1959, she was nominated for a fifth time, playing Doris Day's tippling housekeeper Alma in the frothy comedy "Pillow Talk", and she is, as always, a delight.  Her interaction with the elevator operator in Day's apartment building is hilarious, and there is a very funny drunk scene with co-star Rock Hudson.  Also from 1959 was Frank Capra's "A Hole in the Head", where Ritter was the loving wife of Edward G. Robinson and the concerned sister-in-law of Frank Sinatra.  The film suffers from Ritter's character being too watered down, with not enough of her natural personality showing through.  She was an actress who balanced comedic and dramatic roles with an ease and ability that many others could not match.  In 1961, she appeared as Marilyn Monroe's caring landlady in John Huston's "The Misfits", and in 1962, earned her sixth and final nomination for her unusually severe performance as prisoner Burt Lancaster's mother in "Birdman of Alcatraz".  In another 1962 film, "How the West Was Won", she seems slightly miscast, yet still enjoyable to watch as a frontier woman (granted, a frontier woman with Ritter's ever-present Brooklyn voice).  Prior to her death in 1969, final roles of note came in films as varied as "Boeing, Boeing" (1965) where she was Bertha, the comically complaining housekeeper (did anyone ever play more maids and housekeepers?) of playboy Tony Curtis, and as another character named Bertha, an elderly woman victimized by thugs during a harrowing, middle of the night subway ride in "The Incident" (1967). 

In some of these film, Thelma Ritter only appeared in a handful of scenes, in others, she was an important part of the film's narrative structure.  Whatever the case though, Ritter shone in everything she did.  Her talent is not necessarily measured by range, because she generally played the same type of character time after time; but for the performances that she gave, and the work that she did, it is not hard to see that there is no character actress working today who lights up a movie quite the way Thelma Ritter did.  And we film fanatics are all the richer for having her work to watch and treasure even now.