Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

"Johnny Angel" is a 1945 noir starring George Raft, Signe Hasso, Claire Trevor, Hoagy Carmichael, and Marvin Miller. Johnny Angel (Raft) endeavors to find out who stole a gold shipment from his father's ship and killed his father, who was the captain. He discovers that there was a survivor on the ship, which seems empty when he boards it -- Paulette (Signe Hasso). Her father was killed by the hijackers, and she's trying to clear his name by finding out who took the gold.No one from my generation can see Marvin Miller without thinking of him as Michael Anthony, the associate of John Beresford Tipton, who used to give random people $1 million. I'm still waiting for him to show up at my house. Here, Miller plays the weak husband of Lilah (Trevor). Lilah is madly in love with Johnny, and he wonders if she may know something about the missing gold.The big problem here is Raft. I admit that I like him - he had a certain presence, and sometimes even warmth, but he was a very specialized actor. In the right role, he had all the bells and whistles, such as in Nocturne, but in the wrong role, he was ordinary. He wasn't really a leading man. Johnny Angel was a part for Bogart or Mitchum. Without that gravitas, it falls flat. Bogart certainly had a lot to thank him for, since he turned down High Sierra, Casablanca, and The Maltese Falcon. Amazing.Still, it's pretty good, with the film elevated by the presence and singing of Hoagy Carmichael, one of my all-time favorites, as well as the marvelous Trevor and Signe Hasso.

Despite its lackluster title, based on a book with an equally unexciting name, "Mr. Angel Comes Aboard," "Johnny Angel" stands out for its dazzling camera-work by Harry J. Wild--too bad it wasn't shot on location in New Orleans, but "The Naked City" was still three years away to popularize filming in the streets of big towns--and for the well-written noir script. The acting is sufficient for the story being told with Claire Trevor as Lilah (as in Delilah) Gustafson making an alluring femme fatale. And who can best Margaret Wycherly as a domineering mother (in this case a domineering nanny)?-with shades of Ma Jarrett already visible. The music by the multi-talented Hoagy Carmichael is added spice, but why "Memphis in June" when the film is about New Orleans? The story is a good one with the elements of mystery and suspense handled just right by director Edwin L. Marin so that too much is not revealed too soon. Seaman Johnny Angel discovers his father's ship deserted with signs of fowl play aplenty. In his mind he knows his father is dead, but why? A mysterious French lady in a green raincoat (Signe Hasso)was seen leaving the ship once it was towed in to harbor at New Orleans. Angel must find this vanishing woman to unlock the door to the enigma and to uncover the ones responsible for the dastardly deed. He works for George 'Gusty' Gustafson, portrayed as a nefarious milksop by Marvin Miller, later of TV's "The Millionaire" fame.Gusty who owns and operates the Gustafson Shipping Company is preoccupied with satisfying his demanding wife, Lilah, no easy task, who also has the hots for Angel. Lilah was a former entertainer at the popular hang-out, "The Jewel Box." When one of the girls at the club states, "I wish I could sing like she could." The bartender replies, "Who said she could sing?"

Johnny Angel was a movie that gripped me early and tightly, but when all is said and done left me wanting a bit more.The characters are first rate: George Raft is plays your trademark noir good guy with rough edges leading role and does so very nicely. Claire Trevor plays a calculating woman with a heart of ice that only Johnny can melt. Both give very strong performances; I felt that they could have used some more development, but I almost always do with these types of movies. Hoagy Carmichael is a first rate supporting character in Celestial O'Brien, a quirky, musical taxi driver. He is right up there with my all-time favorite secondary characters. The rest of the cast is decent, not nearly as strong as the above three, but not weak enough either to really detract from the movie.The overall feel of the movie is superb. The cinematography is generally dark and gritty (as is typical in the genre) and really draws you into the scenes and gets you emotionally involved. The scene where Johnny is searching the ship by himself was especially excellent, it had me on edge the whole time. The director, Marin, really did a first-rate job on the film, and it's worth watching just for the acting and the direction.The story had good points and bad points. The basic plot line is quite good and fairly fresh, considering the usual formulaic plots noir often gives you (not that I mind terribly). Other comments will give you the basic plot outline, so I'll skip it, but let me say that it is, at first anyways, even more interesting than you might think. The problem is, the movie doesn't quite flesh out all of the aspects of it and leaves several loose ends and plot holes. It's really exasperating, and almost made me rate the movie even lower, but I won't spoil the plot here by mentioning the specific holes. It's hard for me to fathom why the movie starts out so strongly and then ends so sloppily! I believe it was based on a play, so perhaps the play script got a bit mangled as they tried to fit it into the feature film/noir mold, or there were budget problems. It is a rather short movie, they certainly had time for more plot and character development.But, all that aside, it is a very solid film that is well acted and directed. Even if though the thought of what it could have been is frustrating at times, the plot still never fails to keep you interested for the length of the film. It probably won't go in my collection, but I would still recommend it to anyone who likes classic movies or noirs to give it a watch.

While the true high point of this film may well be Hoagy Carmichael playing and singing Memphis In June--and let's face it, THAT IS A HIGHLIGHT!--Raft is compelling as the ship's captain who wants to solve the murder of his father, also a ship's captain. Claire Trevor is smooth and devious, and like all the best noir, several characters die. Not available on video, but ABC affiliates with access to Movietime films may show this once a year or so. You had best remember to tape it!