Fans of old movies like to joke about World War II platoons made up of what passed for diversity back then: a Jewish guy, an Irish guy, a Southern redneck etc. Alfred Hitchcock’s Lifeboat tops that as the cast includes a Black actor, Canada Lee, who is not obliged to do or say demeaning shit.
Lifeboat tells the story of survivors of an attack on a passenger ship during World War II. A German U-Boat sank the ship and, in turn, was sunk by the good guys. In addition to Canada Lee the survivors include:
- a tycoon played by Henry Hull
- a hep cat dance nut played by William Bendix
- a Commie engine room merchant mariner played by John Hodiak
- a nurse played by Mary Anderson
- a traumatized mother whose baby died in the attack played by Heather Long
- an English radio operator nicknamed Sparks played by Hume Cronyn
- a German sailor with a secret played by Walter Slezak
- the star of our show a Dorothy Thompson-like journalist played by Tallulah Bankhead.
The interactions of these disparate characters drives the story as does, of course, the war. Suffice it to say that Bankhead, Bendix, and Slezak steal the show.
Tallulah Bankhead’s performance is typically flamboyant. She’s the first on the lifeboat and managed to save her prize possessions: a camera, fur coat, and typewriter. She loses all of them over the course of the movie but gains the affections of the hunky John Hodiak. Hunky Hodiak is a helluva tongue twister. Try it at home.
William Bendix is one of my favorite character actors of that era. He’s in bad shape when he’s pulled aboard the lifeboat. He’s one of four crew members adrift. He’s madly in love with his girlfriend Rosie who loves to dance at the Roseland ballroom. Bendix loses a leg then frets about losing Rosie to his nemesis Al Magaroulian. Holy Armenian tongue twister, Batman.
There was a brief controversy when Lifeboat came out in 1944 about whether it was pro-Nazi as it was NOT a propaganda movie. Slezak as the garrulous German U-Boat Captain deceives our heroes by hiding a compass and some water when the rest are so parched that Bendix drinks salt water. Proof of the movie’s anti-Nazi bona fides comes when the rest of the survivors turn on Slezak when they learn he’s harmed Bendix who plays the ultimate loveable lug.
Additionally, the story was by John Steinbeck, script credited to Jo Swerling with script doctoring by Ben Hecht. All of these writers were liberals or leftists. John Steinbeck, pro-Nazi? Nonsense. Read the Grapes Of Fucking Wrath for chrissake.
Hitch’s cameo is one of his cleverest. Note the ad in the paper held by William Bendix:
A rare show of vanity from the director showing off his weight loss.
Lifeboat did not make my Hitchcock Dozen but it’s definitely in my top 15, which when you’re talking Hitchcock means it’s damn good.
Grading Time: I give Lifeboat 4 stars and an Adrastos Grade of A-. Still working on that tough grader thing I mentioned yesterday.
It’s poster time. The first one has folds, so you know it’s vintage.
Let’s go long:
Do you know what time it is? It’s time to head out to the lobby: just follow the second-lining treat boxes.
The lobby cards are more interesting than either the posters or stills. As always, they’re in color for this black and white film. Good thing for Tallulah, she looks great. Here she is with John Hodiak after their epic meet cute finally ends in a snuggle:
The ship is sinking and the lobby’s flooded, let’s hop in the trailer and hope it floats.
The last word goes to TCM hosts Alicia Moran and Ben Mankiewicz.
