Classic 50’s Movie: “Kiss Me Deadly”

May is Classic 50s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from John Henderson.

Movie Title: Kiss Me Deadly

Year: 1955

Writers: Screenplay by A.I. Bezzerides, based on the novel by Mickey Spillane

Lead Actors: Ralph Meeker, Albert Dekker, Maxine Cooper

Director: Robert Aldrich

IMDb Plot Summary: A doomed female hitchhiker pulls Mike Hammer into a deadly whirlpool of intrigue, revolving around a mysterious “great whatsit.”

Why I Think This Is A Classic 50s Movie: On the surface, Kiss Me Deadly is private eye film about a detective getting involved with underworld intrigue while searching for a prized item. What separates Kiss Me Deadly from other detective movies and even some classic film noirs is its tone. This is a gritty, violent, and pessimistic film that subverts its literary hero, turning him into a sadistic brute. Mike Hammer in the novels was a tough guy but Meeker’s version of Hammer is an unlikable man who bulldozes his way through the mystery and does not care for anyone’s feelings.

The box that everyone in the movie is searching for, the “great whatsit” as described by Velma, Hammer’s secretary, is an ingenious concept. It is mystery incarnate and it allows for the exploration of themes of paranoia, Cold War fears, and Armageddon. While not giving anything away about the ending, I will say that Repo Man, Pulp Fiction, and Raiders of the Lost Ark are all indebted to this box.

Kiss Me Deadly was shot in black and white by cinematographer Ernest Lazlo who also filmed 1950’s classic film noir, D.O.A. Both used unconventional camera angles and fragmented editing that would later be found in the French New Wave films.

The movie was not a success when first released. It wasn’t until the 1970s when Taxi Driver screenwriter Paul Schrader wrote an essay on film noir and cited the movie as a “masterpiece” did it start to find its audience.

It should be noted that when this movie was released, the Kefauver Commission, a federal unit investigating corrupting influences, singled the movie out as 1955’s number one menace to American youth. The Catholic League of Decency also condemned it, forcing the film’s distributor, United Artists, to cut 82 seconds from the film’s ending. In 1997, the movie was restored and the original ending was reinstated. In 1999, Kiss Me Deadly was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

My Favorite Moment In The Movie: The climactic opening of the box. When I first saw Kiss Me Deadly, I had no idea what was about to happen was going to occur. I went into this movie blind, knowing only it was considered a classic of the film noir genre and was based on a book by an author whose first novel (I, the Jury) is one of my favorites. Earlier in the movie, Hammer finds the box. Warm to the touch, the box emits a white light and a loud hiss when Hammer tries to open it. It’s a startling scene because up until now, the movie has been firmly entrenched in the film noir genre. At that moment, however, the movie adds an element that seemingly belongs in the supernatural or a science fiction movie. After that, “What’s in the box?” becomes an obsession for the viewer and, ultimately, Lily Carver, the duplicitous femme fatale. If you haven’t seen the movie, I don’t want to spoil what happens when she opens the box. I love those unexpected moments in movies that take you somewhere you did not expect to go and this is one of those moments.

My Favorite Dialogue In the Movie:

“You’re never around when I need you.”
“You never need me when I’m around.”
“Do me a favor, will you? Keep away from the windows. Somebody might… blow you a kiss.”

“Look Mike, I like you. I like the way you handle yourself. You seem like a reasonable man. Why don’t we make a deal. What’s it worth to you to drag your considerable talents back to the gutter you crawled out of?”

Key Things You Should Look For When Watching This Movie: The disorienting opening credits scroll which run slanted from the top to the bottom of the screen:

Cloris Leachman makes her film debut as the hitchhiker who sets the story in motion. Also look for Jack Elam in a rare, non-Western role as a thug.

Thanks, John! To show our gratitude for your guest post, here’s a dash of creative juju for you. Whoosh!

Twitter: @hendersonjohnm.

Here is an updated list of 19 fine folks who have already volunteered [those who I put in bold have already sent me their posts]:

A Place in the Sun — Zach Jansen
A Star is Born — mkm28
All About Eve — Ricardo Bravo
American in Paris — stefani1601
File on Thelma Jordon, The — David Joyner
High Noon — Jeff Messerman
Invasion of the Body Snatchers — Rick Dyke
Kiss Me Deadly — John Henderson
Marty — jetwillie69
Night of the Hunter — Mark Twain
On the Waterfront — Bilbo Poynter
Rear Window — Roy Gordon
Rebel Without a Cause — uncgym44
Searchers, The — mkm28
Seven Samurai, The — PaulG
Some Like It Hot — Will King
Sunset Blvd. — Rick Dyke
Tokyo Story — Jeff Messerman
Vertigo — Jason Pates

I’m looking for 31 guest posts, one for each day of May. Why not pitch in to help add to this online resource to inspire writers to learn about and — most importantly — watch great movies.

If you have a classic 50s movies on which you’d like to do a writeup, please either post in comments or email me.

Thanks in advance!

For the original post explaining the series, go here.

For all of the 50s movies featured in the series, go here.