"This was a Borzage production that ended up in Raoul Walsh's hands, and the MoMA writeup says it better than I could have: "What might have been a metaphor for Borzage is, for Walsh, a bordello." Farrell and Gaynor give it their best, and it's not bad, but you can't help but imagine how much the material could have benefited with a bit of subtlety (a concept that, bless him, Walsh has never heard of)."
Just tying up a loose end... . I found out, too late to edit, that the other man in that picture is Bill Radovich. The character was Ogeechuk, an Eskimo crewman on a ship, and the movie was, The World in His Arms, 1952, with Gregory Peck and Ann Blythe. Radovich played five seasons in the NFL with the Detroit Lions, served in the Navy in WW2, then did some pictures and TV shows, often unaccredited. Trivia: . The character Ogeechuk was written into the script at the last moment, following Gregory Peck's replacement of John Wayne in the leading role. Writer Borden Chase claimed that Peck was incapable of some of the strong-arm action in the script, and so a new character was added to take over these scenes.
Thanks, Nancy. Here is a list of movies Bill was in: Rocky Jones, Space Ranger (TV Series) Milo - The Forbidden Moon: Chapter II (1954) ... Milo 1954 Prince Valiant Sligon's Guard (uncredited) 1953 Back to God's Country Lagi 1953 All American Joe - Truck Driver (uncredited) 1953 The Golden Blade Eunuch (uncredited) 1953 Trouble Along the Way Moose McCall - Assistant Coach (uncredited) 1953 Gunsmoke Bartender (uncredited) 1952 Against All Flags Hassan (uncredited) 1952 The World in His Arms Ogeechuk 1951 That's My Boy Assistant Coach (uncredited) 1949 Father Was a Fullback Football Player (uncredited) 1949 Yes Sir, That's My Baby Football Team (uncredited) 1947 Calendar Girl Irish Tug of War Man (uncredited) 1940 Yesterday's Heroes Football Player (uncredited)
In 1940 Bill was in Knute Rockne: All American as a football player. Among the other players were his USC teammate and friend, Nick Pappas, who later in life would be nicknamed, Mr. Trojan; the legendary Jim Thorpe; and, of course Ronald Reagan. Nick Pappas once reminisced about filming the famous scene where Pat O’Brien, as Coach Knute Rockne, gave the “Let’s do it for the Gipper” speech to his Notre Dame players during half time. They were on a sound stage designed to be the locker room, just outside was the football field all setup for the scene that would follow. Nick recalled, “It was so convincing – and we had all been through a lot of such pep talks – that he got me and the other actors all fired up like it was a real game. I had tears in my eyes. I jumped up and yelled, “Let’s go!” The other guys charged with me and we knocked down all the fake scenery as we got out there. We really thought we were going to win one for the Gipper. Then we remembered where we were.” While waiting the two hours it took to rebuild the set. Nick remembers Bill denying the effectiveness of Pat O’Brien’s performance on him, “He just didn’t want to admit it, but Rad was the first guy through the wall.”
I saw The Tall Men once on Ted Turner's TV station back in the late 70's. I remember because of "that song" Jane Russell sings, off and on, throughout the movie. It's unforgettable. . So then the other woman in the first picture is Argentina Brunetti. I've seen her in a lot of TV dramas, but never knew her name. Which reminds me of one reason I never liked seeing movies in the theater. Everyone always stood up and started leaving as soon as the final credits began to roll, and you couldn't see them. I always wanted to see them.