 |
| Jack Palance lights Joan Crawford’s fire in 1952’s “woman in jeopardy” film noir, “Sudden Fear.” |
I watched Sudden Fear
starring Joan Crawford for the first time in years, with renewed interest. The
film has grown in reputation in recent decades, what with several high profile
film critics championing the film noir flick as a classic.
Sudden Fear was the first film Crawford made as
an independent after leaving her second long term studio contract, this time with
Warner Brothers. Like the post-MGM Mildred
Pierce, Sudden Fear gave Crawford’s career a shot in
the arm. Fear was not in the same league
as her biggest comeback with Mildred,
but was enough to keep her career going in its 4th decade, especially in 1950s
Hollywood, when the studio system was swiftly beginning to wane.
 |
| Joan Crawford gets to be glam and serious in the 1952 suspense noir, “Sudden Fear.” |
What I remembered as a solid star vehicle, is currently
called one of Crawford’s finest films. Well, I still think Sudden Fear is a solid star vehicle, not a classic, yet admirable
in its own right. The nifty noir is not Mildred
Pierce, Humoresque, or Possessed by any means, but closer to
Crawford’s slick star vehicles like Flamingo
Road and The Damned Don’t Cry.
And Sudden Fear is certainly more
substantial than camp classics that followed, such as Queen Bee and Female on the
Beach.
 |
| Though “Sudden Fear” was filmed on a moderate budget, these essentials were provided for Miss Crawford’s wealthy character. |
An expert collection of artists were rounded up for Sudden Fear, a “woman in jeopardy”
thriller: director David Miller, skilled with star actors; screenwriter Lenore
Coffee, who had worked at Metro with Joan; Sheila O’Brien, Joan’s favored
designer, for the costumes; cinematographer Charles Lang; and composer Elmer
Bernstein for the ominous, booming score. Newcomer Jack Palance was cast as the
younger husband, and noir queen Gloria Grahame as the other woman. Bruce
Bennett, who had played Mildred Pierce’s
first husband Bert, was a good luck charm, as the family lawyer, and Flamingo Road co-star Virginia Huston
played Joan’s secretary.
 |
| Joan Crawford with Bruce Bennett, Virginia Huston, and Jack Palance in 1952’s “Sudden Fear.” Huston reminds me of Carole Lombard here. |
Many veteran film divas have done a “woman in
jeopardy” movie, so it’s only fitting that superstar Joan starred in
several of this genre. Throughout her film stardom, Crawford’s movies often
cast her as adversarial characters toward her leading men, which intensified at
WB. And with Sudden Fear, the
adversarial became antagonistic, with Joan often fighting for her film life.
While Joan often played working girls and women, which
played off her well-known backstory, Crawford loved to play “great
ladies” on-screen and labored to be thought of as one off-screen. As Myra
Hudson (no relation to Blanche or Jane!), she’s an heiress who has found
further wealth and prestige as a playwright. The heiress/playwright is so
loaded that she plans on leaving her inherited wealth to charity.
 |
| Joan Crawford’s heiress/playwright revises her will in hubby’s favor, with her recorder. And will soon hear back a message from him! 1952’s “Sudden Fear.” |
Crawford is great fun to watch as the playwright
planning her life and dictating missives to her recorder in the most dignified
of tones, as if she’s giving a sermon. Yet, there’s a genuine warmth to her
character as the lonely career woman who lets love come later into her life.
Just a few years later, Joan herself would find the same, after being
single a decade, when she married Pepsi’s Alfred Steele.
 |
| Joan Crawford as Myra Hudson, heiress and playwright, in 1952’s “Sudden Fear.” |
When Crawford’s Myra has to let the leading contender go
from her latest play, the actor leaves in an angry huff. But a
“chance” meeting on a train trip from NYC’s Broadway back to
California’s San Fran, they meet again and fall in love. Myra is in seventh
heaven, but Jack Palance as Lester Blaine is steadily revealed to be the
schemer from hell.
 |
| Stranger on a train, indeed! Jack Palance as Lester Blaine, in 1952’s “Sudden Fear.” |
While Crawford gets to emote up a storm as Myra Hudson, David
Miller was an adept studio/star director. He lets Joan give a diva performance
without going totally over the top in this taut thriller. Crawford’s expressions
of loneliness as well as happiness as the betrayed bride are most believable.
Joan’s solo scenes in Myra’s study and hiding out in Irene’s apartment in climatic
scenes are played big, but not to the total point of ridiculousness. Joan uses
all her accumulated acting skills and tricks to put this character and story
across and got a well-deserved Oscar nomination. Only a few times are
there camp moments: Myra’s imagining the different ways hubby Lester could kill
her while bug-eyed with fear or Joan hiding in terror at Irene’s before the
finale, sweating like she’s in a sauna, instead of closet.
 |
| Joan Crawford strikes one of her go-to movie poses in 1952’s “Sudden Fear.” |
What I found interesting is that Myra’s career as a
playwright is a stellar success, but has no romantic life. She is great at
creating characters, but not a great judge of character, and is fooled by this
actor—and a “charm boy,” at that! Also interesting is that Lester
Blaine’s shady past is not spelled out. What really did happen at that house on
Fire Island, for instance? Lester is a hot head, yet amazingly keeps
his cool as he jumps through hoops in Myra’s world.
Once the facade is dropped and Myra finds her life in
jeopardy, Sudden Fear goes into
overdrive as the newlyweds plot to kill each other. How fascinating that the
genteel playwright’s gut reaction is to fight back with her own plan of murder.
Yes, she drops and shatters the recording of Lester’s murderous intentions.
But I think the authorities would easily believe old money Myra over no-name
actor Lester. Hey, film noirs aren’t renowned for their believable plotting.
So, game on!
 |
| Who’s zoomin’ who? Myra and Lester let the death match begin in “Sudden Fear.” |
I won’t give away the endless twists except to say that
when it comes to the finale, Lester and Myra make such a racket in their death
match that it’s amazing the entire neighborhood isn’t awakened by their Tom and Jerry-style chase!
How intriguing that a number of the plot twists hinge on accessories
of the day that are now a thing of the past: monogrammed kerchiefs, stationary,
and head scarves. In this film noir, everyone smokes like chimneys, have guns
tucked in their furs and overcoats, and notes hidden in gloves!
There are also some nods to living legend Crawford’s way of
life: her overly coordinated wardrobe, ankle strap shoes, and even an extremely organized list of a revenge
timeline against her hubby and his girlfriend.
 |
| Like Joan Crawford herself, Myra Hudson is very organized, right down to her murder timeline, in 1952’s “Sudden Fear.” |
Jack Palance got his big break with Sudden Fear. As the beginning actor who becomes the husband to
older, wealthy playwright, Palance goes from charming suitor to doting husband
to brutish opportunist skillfully. Palance is intense, made even more so with
his severe facial features. Jack got a Best Supporting Actor nomination, though
he was actually the film’s leading man.
 |
| Jack Palance, with his intensity and severe looks, was perfect as the villain husband, in 1952’s “Sudden Fear.” |
As with Myra, Lester Blaine has a dualistic personality. The
one he shows to Joan’s Myra is sensitive and cultured as the struggling young
actor. Quoting Shakespeare, reading to her, and solicitous to her needs,
plus letting her monogram everything he owns! Then when scheming with
Gloria’s Irene, Lester’s animalistic, even when he is showing affection.
Irene Neves, Lester’s partner in crime, is played by Gloria
Grahame. It just happens that Irene has also changed coasts, from New York City
to San Francisco. And with no visible means of support, Irene has started
dating a friend of Myra’s family, “Junior,” played by a young Mike
Connors, here billed as “Touch.”
 |
| Gloria Grahame as the vixen of “Sudden Fear” has some of the best lines! Here she is with a very young Mike Connors as her suitor. |
Gloria’s performance as the sexy, poisonous little
Kewpie doll is delicious. Gloria’s a bit of droll comic relief from the
glowering intensity of Crawford and Palance. Grahame won a supporting Oscar
that year, not for Sudden Fear, but
for The Bad and the Beautiful.
The ex-couple re-team for a more drastic plan. Unfortunately,
one of their debriefings takes place in Myra’s study, which has a state of the
art recording system that was left on. The revelation in Myra’s library is
skillfully done, as is the murder as it’s supposed to happen, as opposed to how
it really goes down. It’s all a bit far-fetched for my taste, but is still
great fun to watch. The final scene has Joan walking off into the wee hours
alone, as was often the case!
 |
| A striking moment by Joan Crawford in 1952’s “Sudden Fear,” when Myra Hudson sees what she has become. |
A look at Joan Crawford sparring with Jeff Chandler, Female on the Beach:
https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2023/01/love-is-beach-for-lana-joan.html
 |
| One of the many absurdities of FX’s “Feud: Bette and Joan” was 70ish Jessica Lange recreating snippets of Crawford’s greatest hits. For “Sudden Fear,” Jessica looks more like Kaitlyn Jenner than Joan! |
