- Actors: Ida Lupino, Celeste Holm, Richard Widmark, Cornel Wilde, O.Z. Whitehead
- Directors: Jean Negulesco
- Writers: Jean Negulesco, David Hertz, Edward Chodorov, Margaret Gruen, Oscar Saul
- Producers: Darryl F. Zanuck
- Format: Black & White, Colour, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
- Language English
- Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
- Region: Region 1 (US and Canada DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3 - 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: Unrated (US MPAA rating. See details.)
- Studio: 20th Century Fox
- DVD Release Date: 2 Sep 2008
- Run Time: 95 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B001CC7PM6
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 21,003 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
**** is over-generous by any rational measure, but such a well-acted little film noir has to command respect, and since it also has a little bit of ambition above its station, **** it just about is.
The film has been described as a weepie-cum-thriller, but melodrama is a bit nearer the mark. We have here a love triangle - Richard Widmark's road house owner, Cornel Wilde's house manager and Ida Lupino's hired pianist/"singer" (her bullfrog voice bears as much resemblance to singing as does Rex Harrison's in My Fair Lady). A loves B who loves C, and big buddies A and C inevitably fall out, leading to a show-down. All simple enough, not to say unoriginal, except that the picture declines to settle comfortably into the cliche of all characters motivated by cynicism as the femme fatale works her wicked spell.
The absence of distracting sub-plots mean that the focus falls throughout on our trio plus Celeste Holm's cashier. Though Widmark's malevolence is signalled from pretty erly on, he's a bit more than a cardboard villain and they no simple injured lovers. The friendship between him and Wilde prevents them from settling matters, even when the law intervenes. There is a constant ambivalence in their relationship that rings true. Nor is Ida Lupino simply a victim; in the first half she's a feisty, tough cookie, experienced in fending off would-be lovers and envious women alike. She also has a vulnerability which lifts her character out of the mundane. It's a great pity that after halfway her part becomes underwritten and conventional; she takes a back seat as the alpha males slug it out, a diminished figure as the implausibilities grow.
The outdoor scenes away from the roadhouse are a rather clumsy mix of back-projection and backlot artifice, with the Fox tank featuring more than once, partly to show off Lupino's proto-bikini. But what makes the picture really watchable is the acting of her and Richard Widmark. He is typecast as a half-crazy villain at this early stage of his career, but he's never quite the same twice. His Nordic pale complexion and lopsided grin are seductively creepy. She acts her socks off in the first half, whether she's acting tough, playing ten-pin bowls like a blonde spider or seducing her man in tight white shorts, and it's strange that the script had her freewheeling in the second half.
No masterpiece, but considerable pleasure to be had from solid film-making and two fine actors.
The film has been described as a weepie-cum-thriller, but melodrama is a bit nearer the mark. We have here a love triangle - Richard Widmark's road house owner, Cornel Wilde's house manager and Ida Lupino's hired pianist/"singer" (her bullfrog voice bears as much resemblance to singing as does Rex Harrison's in My Fair Lady). A loves B who loves C, and big buddies A and C inevitably fall out, leading to a show-down. All simple enough, not to say unoriginal, except that the picture declines to settle comfortably into the cliche of all characters motivated by cynicism as the femme fatale works her wicked spell.
The absence of distracting sub-plots mean that the focus falls throughout on our trio plus Celeste Holm's cashier. Though Widmark's malevolence is signalled from pretty erly on, he's a bit more than a cardboard villain and they no simple injured lovers. The friendship between him and Wilde prevents them from settling matters, even when the law intervenes. There is a constant ambivalence in their relationship that rings true. Nor is Ida Lupino simply a victim; in the first half she's a feisty, tough cookie, experienced in fending off would-be lovers and envious women alike. She also has a vulnerability which lifts her character out of the mundane. It's a great pity that after halfway her part becomes underwritten and conventional; she takes a back seat as the alpha males slug it out, a diminished figure as the implausibilities grow.
The outdoor scenes away from the roadhouse are a rather clumsy mix of back-projection and backlot artifice, with the Fox tank featuring more than once, partly to show off Lupino's proto-bikini. But what makes the picture really watchable is the acting of her and Richard Widmark. He is typecast as a half-crazy villain at this early stage of his career, but he's never quite the same twice. His Nordic pale complexion and lopsided grin are seductively creepy. She acts her socks off in the first half, whether she's acting tough, playing ten-pin bowls like a blonde spider or seducing her man in tight white shorts, and it's strange that the script had her freewheeling in the second half.
No masterpiece, but considerable pleasure to be had from solid film-making and two fine actors.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Road House manager Pete (Cornell Wilde) falls in love with singer Lily (Ida Lupino) brought to entertain customers by Road House owner Jefty (Richard Widmark). However, Jefty has his own interest in Lily and intends to marry her. While Jefty is away getting a marriage license, Pete and Lily become involved and decide to go away together. Well, once Jefty discovers this, he is not happy and plans revenge against the pair and it's a good revenge, which leaves the pair only one real choice..........they make a run for it.......
Throughout the film, I felt a little sorry for Susie (Celeste Holm) as she is made out to be Pete's girlfriend but her feelings seem to be papered over. She gets a bum deal in this film. She even covers for her boyfriend's philandering with Lily once Jefty returns to claim Lily for his wife. There is some snappy dialogue between Susie and Lily and Lily and Pete and the most memorable line for me is delivered by Jefty on his entrance. He greets pal Pete with a cheeky delivery of the line "Hey, you son of a gun" on meeting Pete and Lily in the Road House office.
The cast do well with Richard Widmark being my favourite, despite being 4th billed. Ida Lupino sings a few songs with her gravelly voice and we have been pre-warned that she may not be much good at singing, so the outcome is not too bad. Overall, it's an interesting and enjoyable film with memorable scenes including every time Widmark appears and an interesting sparring between Lupino and Wilde while he is teaching her to bowl. You don't need to see a bedroom but you get the gist....
Throughout the film, I felt a little sorry for Susie (Celeste Holm) as she is made out to be Pete's girlfriend but her feelings seem to be papered over. She gets a bum deal in this film. She even covers for her boyfriend's philandering with Lily once Jefty returns to claim Lily for his wife. There is some snappy dialogue between Susie and Lily and Lily and Pete and the most memorable line for me is delivered by Jefty on his entrance. He greets pal Pete with a cheeky delivery of the line "Hey, you son of a gun" on meeting Pete and Lily in the Road House office.
The cast do well with Richard Widmark being my favourite, despite being 4th billed. Ida Lupino sings a few songs with her gravelly voice and we have been pre-warned that she may not be much good at singing, so the outcome is not too bad. Overall, it's an interesting and enjoyable film with memorable scenes including every time Widmark appears and an interesting sparring between Lupino and Wilde while he is teaching her to bowl. You don't need to see a bedroom but you get the gist....
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
37 reviews
59 of 60 people found the following review helpful
Lupino Unbound
28 Dec 1999
Jean Negulesco was an also-ran among golden-age directors, but he fired on all cylinders in this late-forties piney-woods noir. Richard Widmark is a giggling psycho who owns, what else, a Road House somewhere near the Canadian Border; Cornel Wilde is his all-American man Friday. Into the mix comes Lupino, a tough "shantoozie" who becomes the apex of a sick triangle. The talk is hard-boiled and freighted with innuendo (in the style of the times). Worth the price of admission is Lupino singing "One more for my baby (and one more for the road)" in her burnt-toast voice, while sitting at a white piano gouged with burns from her smouldering cigarettes. This movie was made for viewing on the late, late show.
51 of 55 people found the following review helpful
The mating season
29 Jun 2001
ROAD HOUSE sets a dark mood with plenty of night scenes. I'm usually turned away from a film having too many night scenes. Half the time you can't tell who's who and what's they doing. Nothing unclear in ROAD HOUSE. Director, Jean Negulesco, deserves a gold star for handling the lighting in those scenes. I give another gold star to Celeste Holm, the girl that you want for a "friend." The plot gets down to the simply fact of the mating season. I was a little concerned that Widmark's evil propensity wasn't foreshadowed during the earlier stages of the film, but it was acceptable to believe that he just flipped his cork. The best part of the movie was perky Ida Lupino's torch song singing effort beginning with "Set 'em up Joe," and "Again." The soundtrack was marvelous.
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
"It was always Jefty...or us."
17 Dec 2004
This underated film noir classic has three great stars of the genre: Richard Widmark, famous for his psychotic laugh, Ida Lupino, who was always perfect as the sultry femme fatale, and Cornel Wilde, who despite being very talented never became the big star that he should've been. Other reviewers have already gone over the plot, so I won't bother. Along with the three stars, there's great support from Celeste Holm, who you might recognize from the classic "High Society". Ida Lupino is hotter than ever in this great tale of lust and revenge! Ever since I first saw Richard Widmark's classic and sadistic performance in "Kiss of Death" I've been a big fan, and once again he plays the villian to perfection! Cornel Wilde gives a great performance as a man torn between his love for a woman and his loyalty to his best friend. This classic was made during the "golden years" of film noir, the late 40's, and it has stood the test of time. Hopefully, we won't have to wait too much longer before Fox releases this (along with the other Richard Widmark film noirs) on dvd.
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