Demetrius and the Gladiators

This year’s Easter viewing was “Demetrius and the Gladiators” (1954), a more than respectable sequel to “The Robe”, which had come out the year before.

It’s one of the better sequels, in fact, and offers more action and visual splendor than “The Robe.” Now, I’m a big fan of “The Robe”, but I won’t deny that’s it an exceedingly talky film, odd for a film that introduced the splendor of Cinemascope to audiences. As if to make up for the static quality of “The Robe,” the sequel is loaded with action.

“Demetrius and the Gladiators” opens with a recap of the last scene of “The Robe”, where Richard Burton and Jean Simmons are ordered to their deaths by Roman Emperor Caligula. Jean Simmons gives The Robe (the cloth Jesus was wearing when he was crucified) to an onlooker, saying, “For the Big Fisherman.”

Big Fisherman is Peter (Michael Rennie), who returns in this movie. So does Demetrius (Victor Mature), the freed Greek slave who witnessed the crucifixion and is one of Christianity’s first converts, and Caligula (Jay Robinson, even nuttier than in the first film).

Caligula thinks The Robe has magic powers, and has sent spies to look for it and bring it to him. He also becomes convinced he’s a god.

New characters include Caligula’s uncle Claudius (a non-stuttering Barry Jones), Claudius’ wife, the scheming temptress Messalina (Susan Hayward), and Lucia (Debra Paget), a young Christian woman who is in love with Demetrius.

All I can say is if more Christians looked like Debra Paget, the religion would have spread a lot faster than it did. (That will likely add some time in Purgatory for me, but I couldn’t help think it while watching the movie. But then I’ve always had a thing for Debra Paget.)

Demetrius undergoes a crisis of faith when he mistakenly believes Lucia is killed by mauling gladiator Richard Egan. Demetrius becomes not only a champion gladiator, killing his foes left and right in the arena, but the latest lover of Messalina, all before Peter again brings him back to the fold to spread the word of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire.

The production is handsome to look at and there’s all sorts of familiar faces on hand to keep us entertained. One year before winning a Best Actor Oscar for “Marty”, Ernest Borgnine wields the whip as Strabo, the head of the gladiator school. Fox contract players Richard Egan and Anne Bancroft are on hand for a couple of scenes. Future Catwoman Julie Newmar is easily identifiable as a dancer.

A pre-“Blacula” William Marshall is very impressive as Glycon, a king in his own country who is forced into the gladiator ring. Marshall had one of the greatest speaking voices ever and it’s just a pleasure to listen to him.

Censorship requirements of the time meant the fight scenes in the arena weren’t particularly bloody, but I would imagine audiences were still pretty impressed, and considered these scenes something of a novelty. We know them now thanks to “Spartacus” (1960), “Gladiator” (2000) and countless Italian-made spectacles of the 1960s.

But up to then, I don’t think audiences saw a lot of gladiator action. “Quo Vadis” (1951) had arena scenes, but they were mainly limited to Christians being fed to the lions. DeMille’s “The Sign of the Cross” (1932) boasts some of the most salacious and violent arena scenes ever filmed, but when the film was re-issued in the 1940s it was minus many of those scenes.

RKO’s “The Last Days of Pompeii” (1935) had Preston Foster as blacksmith turned gladiator in several exciting scenes, and because the film was constantly re-issued, usually on a double bill with “King Kong” (1933) or “She” (1935), its likely audiences got their gladiator thrills from it.

But “Demetrius and the Gladiators” gave audiences gladiator thrills in color and wide screen. Still, I couldn’t help but notice how small-scaled the arena was. It doesn’t look that big, and its audience seems to be Roman senators, Caligula’s court and members of the Praetorian Guard. I wonder if it was more of a personal arena for the Roman court, rather than one for the populace. Still, the combat sequences are very well done, and by golly, there’s real tigers taunting Demetrius in the arena, unlike those in “Gladiator” where they are obviously CGI.

(Aside: I think “Gladiator” is the worst Best Picture Oscar winners ever. “Cimarron” (1931) or “The Greatest Show on Earth” (1952) usually get the nod, but I’ll take either of those any day over Ridley Scott’s snooze fest, not only dramatically inert, but ugly and cheap looking to boot. End of aside).

The cast is all fine. Susan Hayward looks like she’s having a ball as Messalina, twisting the men in her life around her little finger, scheming and (unknowingly) letting them do all the dirty work for her. She’s a pleasure to watch.

I like Victor Mature as Demetrius, though I think he’s better in “The Robe.” I think he gives the best performance in “The Robe”, even better than Jean Simmons and Best Actor nominee Richard Burton. He’s very sincere in that role and brings a working man’s honesty to the film that helps ground it.

He’s not so subtle in the sequel, but he gives it his all and he’s always fun to watch. He never took himself seriously, but he should have, as he never gave a bad performance, and was, from what I’ve read about him, a pretty good guy off camera.

In the 1950s, my mom worked for a man who served on a submarine with Mature during World War II. He said Mature had no airs or pretensions about him. He thought Mature was one of the greatest guys he ever knew.

We have a family friend who is a huge movie buff and has been collecting autographs for decades. He would obtain the star’s address and send him or her a photo with a stamped, self-addressed envelope, so all the person would have to do is read the letter, sign the picture and return it in the envelope at no expense.

Occasionally, he would not get a response but usually the picture would be returned signed, sometimes with a nice note. He did this with Victor Mature and waited and waited but never got a response.

About a year later an envelope arrived in the mail. Inside was an autographed picture with this inscription: “Dick, Sorry about the delay. Had a fire. Best wishes, Vic Mature.”

Now THAT’s an autograph.

Director of Demetrius was Delmer Daves, who is a great favorite of mine, and who rarely made a film I didn’t like. Even when some are clunkers, like “Parrish” (1961) or “Youngblood Hawk” (1964) they are always watchable.

In “Demetrius and the Gladiators” he and screen writer Philip Dunne nicely balance all of the films themes and situations: violence and piety, court intrigue and torrid romance scenes.

No mention of the film can’t be made without mentioning Franz Waxman’s majestic score. He incorporated themes from Alfred Newman’s score for “The Robe” because he thought so highly of it. Waxman actually resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences when the Music Branch neglected to honor Newman’s score for “The Robe” with a Best Score nomination. (If he thought the Academy was tin-eared then, what would he make of today’s scoring nominees? He would probably flee the country.)

One last thing, and I don’t think I’m giving anything away here with the ending. The Christians have been promised protection by new emperor Claudius as long as they don’t ferment any discord. The film concludes with Peter, Demetrius and new convert Glycon walking through the Roman palace, backed by Waxman’s truly gorgeous choral finale. But Glycon is holding The Robe, and I’ve always thought it interesting that the black character holds The Robe, rather than Peter or Demetrius. A pretty bold statement in that pre-Civil Rights era.

The Robe

I finally got around to watching the new DVD of “The Robe” (1953) and was really surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I’ve always liked the film, mainly due to the glorious Alfred Newman score, but always found it more than a bit plodding and talky.

But Twentieth Century Fox put a ton of money into restoring this historically significant movie (the first Cinemascope offering) for DVD and Blu-Ray release, and the results look spectacular. I felt like I was watching it for the first time and the two hour and 10 minute running time just flew by. I was captivated from beginning to end, even while recognizing its faults.

“The Robe” details the effect the title garment - the robe Jesus was wearing when he was crucified - has on the Roman centurion Marcellus Gallio (Richard Burton) who led the crucifixion. Thanks to the Robe and the early Christians he meets on his journey, he is converted to Christianity and returns to Rome, under the rule of the depraved Caligula (Jay Robinson).

“The Robe” was based on a huge best seller written by Lloyd C. Douglas, a Protestant minister whose books often contained spiritual themes, such as “Magnificent Obsession” and “Green Light.” The novel really struck a chord with World War II audiences, with its message of faith and trust in mankind.

The movie follows the book’s core incidents, though much was obviously left out.

There is much to enjoy while watching “The Robe” but, sadly, the acting is not one of them. Richard Burton earned his second of seven Academy Award nominations and this was one nomination that was not deserved. His magnificent speaking voice is pretty monotone throughout and his facial grimacing and contorting when faced with the magic properties of The Robe are pretty embarrassing now. Jean Simmons who plays Diana, who fell in love with Marcellus when they were children, isn’t given much to do though she looks as beautiful as ever and has a good scene where she denounces Caligula before the gathered Roman court.

Acting chops go to, no kidding, Victor Mature, as the Greek slave Demetrius. Always a very likable actor, Mature gives one of his best performances as the anger-filled slave who sees his life transformed by the events at Calvary.

The other standout performance is Jay Robinson’s gloriously fruity Caligula. Caligula was the maddest of all Roman emperors and Robinson is a joy to watch in each scene. He’s even loonier in the film’s sequel, “Demetrius and the Gladiators” (1954), where he thinks the Robe will give him magic powers.

The film is happily loaded with familiar faces: Dean Jagger as one of the first Christians; Michael Rennie as Peter; Torin Thatcher plays Burton’s father, a Senator who pleads with his son not to incur Caligula’s wrath; Richard Boone makes the most pensive Pontius Pilate imaginable; 1950s science fiction hero Jeff Morrow engages in a pretty good sword duel with Burton; Dr. Pretorius himself, Ernest Thesiger, plays the wise Tiberius; future General Burkhalter Leon Askin plays a slimy tradesman; and an uncredited Michael Ansara plays Judas with great theatricality, aided by some impressive thunder and lightning effects. Also uncredited is Mae Marsh, former leading lady to D.W. Griffin, as the woman who assists Demetrius after he is beaten by the Romans.

For a director unused to the widescreen process, Henry Koster does a good job of positioning his actors within the wide Cinemascope frame, especially in the Calvary sequence and the scene where Burton and other early Christians stage a raid on a Roman prison to rescue Demetrius

Koster will likely never earn praise for his style, but he directed many movies I’m very fond of. There’s always a great deal of warmth that shine from his films. Unlike the stereotypical tyrannical director, I always get the impression that Koster liked people, imperfections and all. He directed several of my favorite Deanna Durbin films, including “First Love” (1939); “Spring Parade” (1940); and “It Started with Eve” (1941). Two of his best loved films that remain popular today are “The Bishop’s Wife” (1947) and “Harvey” (1950). His name also appears on the charming “Come to the Stable” (1949) and the John Philip Sousa biography “Stars and Stripes Forever” (1952). Good movies all, and I think Fox entrusted him with “The Robe” due to the humanity he brought to his projects.

(Koster was also lucky enough to be married to uber-cutie Peggy Moran, a starlet best remembered today for her heroine turn in “The Mummy’s Hand.” (1940). If I was married to Peggy Moran, I’d celebrate humanity too.)

The best part of “The Robe” is the exquisite musical score of Alfred Newman. It’s one of the most famous scores in movie history, and was one of the first scores to have its excerpts re-recorded for LP back in the early 1950s. The score, re-issued several times over the years on LP, cassette tape and DVD, has rarely been out of print. Quite an achievement.

It’s a magnificent score, filled with beauty, lyricism, tenderness and excitement. So many highlights I can’t begin to list them all, but I always liked the exquisite treatment of the love theme as Marcellus’ boat leaves the Roman dock for Palestine and Diana looks at him from the pier. Ironically the film’s most famous theme, the glorious “Hallelujah” chorus at the end, was likely not Newman’s but composed by Austrian composer Ernst Toch for the 1939 film “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”

Toch was a well-known composer in Europe in the 1920s and 1930s who fled his country during the rise of Nazism. He settled in Hollywood where he taught, composed symphonies and also wrote musical scores for movies. Newman was incredibly busy in 1939 and by necessity farmed out portions of his scores to ghostwriters (a common practice then and now). There’s pretty strong documentation that Toch, not Newman, composed the Hallelujah chorus in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” in the scene where Quasimodo swings from the bell tower to rescue Esmeralda from hanging.

Newman liked it and re-used it in his Academy Award-winning score for “The Song of Bernadette” (1944), but it’s given its most lavish treatment for the final scene of “The Robe.” In the 1950s, no other studio orchestra could match the 20th Century Fox Orchestra and Chorus, and they really do the piece justice. We’re talking goose bumps here.

Careful listeners can also hear it played faintly during the climatic scene in “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946) when George Bailey is running and yelling through snowy Bedford Falls on his way home.

“The Robe” was a massive hit for Fox, and resulted in a very entertaining sequel the next year called “Demetrius and the Gladiators.” Victor Mature was back, as was Michael Rennie’s Peter and Jay Robinson’s Caligula. They’re joined by Susan Hayward (as Messalina), Debra Paget, Ernest Borgnine, Anne Bancroft, Barry Jones (as Claudius) and a pre-Blacula William Marshall.

In one of the great injustices in Oscar history, Alfred Newman’s score for “The Robe” was not nominated for Best Score. (See, “Dark Knight” fans, the Oscars have long been known for head-scratching omissions). Composer Franz Waxman was so incensed at this that he resigned from the Academy in protest. The following year when he was given the assignment of “Demetrius and the Gladiators”, he re-used several of Newman’s themes in key scenes and the two shared a title card on the film.

Gerry, the guy I rent movies from in Westmont, Westmont Movie Classics (over 15,000 titles!) tells me “The Robe” is one of his most popular titles, renting out pretty much every weekend. He purchased extra copies to meet demand. More than 50 years later, “The Robe” still continues to entertain and inspire.

I Wake Up Screaming

“I Wake Up Screaming” (1941) is a terrific title for a neat little crime drama. While the DVD release has it under the Fox Noir label, it’s really not a noir in the traditional sense but the theme of obsession, and some of the lighting effects achieved, do point the way toward latter noirs.

The cast is also decidedly un-noir like, though it is an appealing one. Vicky Lynn (Carole Landis) is a waitress in a small New York City diner when she is a approached by slick publicist Frankie Christopher (Victor Mature) who thinks he can turn the beautiful waitress into a star. He accomplishes this but she soon rebuffs his efforts and tells him she has just signed a Hollywood contract. When she is later found murdered, Frankie and her sister Jill (Betty Grable) are the prime suspects. Investigating the case is a police detective named Ed Cornell (Laird Cregar) who seems to have acquired an unhealthy interest in the dead girl.

Mature, Grable and Landis at the time were known for their performances in musicals and comedies, but they adapt to the material just fine. 20th Century Fox knew what they had with their stars, so even in this crime drama they find room for a short scene where Grable dons a bathing suit to show off those famous legs. Grable also shot a scene where, as an employee pushing sheet music and records at a department store, she sings a song called “Daddy.” The scene was wisely cut but it is here on the DVD as an extra. I love watching deleted musical numbers from films and this number was one I thought I would never see. I love DVDs.

Cregar steals the show, as he usually does, as the hulking police detective. Cregar was over six feet tall and weighed over 300 pounds and dominates every scene he’s in. There’s also a first-rate supporting cast, including Allyn Joslyn as a columnist, Alan Mowbray as an actor, both vying with Mature for the affections of Vicky; weasely Elisha Cook Jr. as one of the suspects; Morris Ankrum as a district attorney, and in one scene each, Charles Lane and the great Frank Orth.

Contemporary audiences might look at performances like Mature’s and Grable’s here and laugh them off, saying they are just playing themselves, but that’s not true. Their line readings and expressions are more the adequate and they perform just fine. Not every performance has to be an angst-ridden one to get a story across. What’s more, we like them and don’t want to see them unjustly accused.

The film was directed by H. Bruce Humberstone, who directed several of the better 1930s Charlie Chan titles starring Warner Oland. His lighting effects are interesting and evocative and pave the way for the more dramatic lighting that would occur throughout the 1940s as film noir matured.

I’ve always liked Victor Mature. He was a most likeable actor and had the good sense to spoof himself later in his career in “After the Fox” (1966) and “Head” (1968). In the 1950s my mom worked for a gentleman who served on a submarine with him during World War II. He said Mature was one of the greatest guys he ever knew, just a regular joe who did now want any special attention brought to him. He was equally liked and respected by the rest of the crew as well. A good guy, who never took himself seriously.

The film’s musical scoring is particularly interesting as it incorporates two well-known themes. In 1931 Alfred Newman composed the score for “Street Scene” and re-used the music throughout the 1940s and 1950s for various big city dramas. I think it’s used in “Kiss of Death” (1947), “Cry of the City” (1948) and others too numerous too mention. Long popular with audiences, it received its most spectacular performance as a prologue to “How to Marry a Millionaire” (1955) where the 20th Century Fox orchestra was filmed performing the famous piece to highlight Fox’ new stereo surround recording system.

Oddly, the other piece of music used to denote Cornell’s growing obsession with Vicky is “Over the Rainbow.” It was almost unheard of for a song from a rival studio, in this case M-G-M’s, to be featured in another studio’s production. I would love to hear how this came about, and when I watch the movie again, I will listen to the commentary to see if any light can be shined on this. I can’t think of another instance where this occurred during the studio system.

“I Wake Up Screaming” runs a brisk 81 minutes and is a fine way to spend a cold winter evening.

Rating for “I Wake Up Screaming”: Three stars.