Customer Reviews

Flamingo Road [VHS]

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Joan Crawford is famous for over-the-top, scenery-chewing performances in acclaimed melodramas like 'Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?', and 'Queen Bee'. However bad her supporting cast (in particular, Queen Bee) one can always count on Ms. Crawford to turn in a convincing, if formulaic, performance. She was a character actor of the first magnitude, and while her on-screen personae rarely varied in tone, the performances in and of themselves are always good, if not excellent.

Far less well-known are Joan's performances in movies that required serious acting capability - the most famous of these is her portrayal of Mildred Pierce, in the movie of the same name. In 'Flamingo Road', Joan turns out another one of her understated and more subdued performances as Lane Bellamy, the down-on-her-luck sideshow girl who attracts the wrong sort of attention from the town's scheming sheriff Titus Semple.

The plot is straightforward - Lane is involved with the unambitious deputy Fielding Carlisle, whom Sherriff Semple has in mind as some sort of Puppet-Governor. She's clearly the wrong sort of girl for an aspiring political figure, and Semple frames her for prostitution, fuelling Lane's desire for revenge. She marries Dan Reynolds, another of Semple's big-business partners, thereby unleashing the fury of Sherrif Semple, with devastating results.

The simplistic plot allows Joan and her magnificent supporting cast to showcase their versatility as actors. Giving particularly strong performances are Zachary Scott as the weak-willed and tormented Fielding Carlisle, and Gladys George as the indomitable Luta-Mae Sanders, a friendly local brothel-keeper who gives Lane a job and a second chance. In his role as the thoroughly despicable Sheriff Semple, Sidney Greenstreet shines, giving a performance to match Joan's own, and creating a villain truly worthy of his comeuppance.

Filmed three years after Mildred Pierce, 'Flamingo Road' re-teams Crawford, Scott and director Michael Curtiz, who, as in Mildred Pierce, relies on understated drama and beautiful camera work to illustrate the innocence and pain that Joan's character endures. Curtiz does an excellent job in this regard, and there are some highly memorable set-pieces in this movie - namely, Lane and Fielding's first encounter, Sheriff Greenstreet's politely violent exchanges with Lane, and the finale - which, thanks to Curtiz's superior talents, hang together beautifully.

This is possibly the most underrated of all Joan's movies, and one with thoroughly deserves a conversion to DVD. In it, Crawford proves she is more than capable of being a flexible actress, and her performance is just one of several excellent performances waiting to be enjoyed in 'Flamingo Road'. Very highly recommended.

"Flamingo Road" is a film that delves deep into the world of politics, on the other side of the politics is Lane Bellamy, played by Joan Crawford. She was working in a dancing act in a carnival that blows through town. When the carnival takes off, Lane stays in town hoping to lead a normal life.... Not if Sheriff Titus Semple, played brilliantly by Sydney Greenstreet, can help it. The sheriff doesn't take to kindly to Lane, and tries to run her out of town. To bad, Field, played by Zachary Scott, is in love with Lane and wants her around. Semple has other plans for Field, like marrying his daughter. Of course, he gets his way, but he also gets something else much later in the film.... This is a great film from the 1940's. I used to watch old movies all the time, and this movie has brought me back into the classic movie watching mode. The acting, the screenplay, the directing....they are all so wonderful. Greenstreet and Crawford are fun to watch on screen together. They had great chemistry together. This movie has a great ending.....WATCH IT!!!!

Joan Crawford continued her melodramtic streak in her third film for Warner Brothers after her Oscar-winning performance in "Mildred Pierce". In "Flamingo Road" Joan plays a carnival dancer who arrives in a small Florida town called Boldon City where she falls in love with a handsome, young man. However, the mayor of the town doesn't think Flamingo Road needs such a girl in it as he believes Lane (the Crawford Character) possesses the morals and the instincts of an alley cat. It is not long before the mayor and Lane butt heads as the mayor tries everything in his power to run the woman out of town.

Crawford was reunited with her "Mildred Pierce" director Michael Curtiz and her co-star from the same film Zachary Scott. Jerry Wald, a longtime Crawford producer on many of her films, produced "Flamingo Road".

The movie was only a modest hit with Joan asserting the movie "just didn't jell". She believed, "I missed and Curtiz missed" and that "this was one of my films that didn't work because of the editing. That can happen you know".

"Flamingo Road" was turned into a short-lived primetime soap opera for NBC in 1980 of the same name that made Morgan Fairchild a household name. In that serial Fairchild played man-hungry Constance while the character of Lane was relagated to supporting status.

The movie saw a VHS release in the late 1990's and came to DVD as part of the second Joan Crawford box set that featured four other Crawford films in 2008. "Flamingo Road" has never been released individually on a separate individual DVD.

I was surprised to find that this was showing yesterday at MOMA here in New York City. I decided to go, as I missed my chance of seeing Joan on the big screen, (I was only 12 when she died), and she had long since stopped making films prior. I owned a copy of this on VHS years ago, but had forgotten most of it.
What was amazing to me was how well the film held up in every way, the characters were a hoot, the funny one-liners ("What are you in for?" "My boyfriend cut himself on a knife I was holding.")had everyone in the theater cracking up, and Joan herself comes across as the big star that she was at the time, and she demonstrates why she lives up to the title of "Hollywood Legend" -
With Modern Films aplenty to choose from, I was happy to see the Theater at MOMA nearly SOLD OUT for this showing. 30 years after her death, Joan Crawford is still loved and respected in New York!

The film is great for so many reasons: the political message it gives is still as relavent today as it was in the 1930s and has the suspence rises in all the right places to make it a gripping film. Joan Crawford performs magnificantly in her role pulling off hardness of character with elements of tenderness and concern. Supporting actors are good but Crawford gets the crown for not only her acting, but her wonderfully sexy smoking technique.
A great film, really enjoyable to watch

I looooove this movie!! This is one of my favorite movies with Joan from the 40's. In this movie she plays, the part of Lane Bellamy, a stranded carnival dancer that takes on a corrupt bigwig after she marries into high society. This is one of those movies that Joan is so famous for. Because her character is incredibly dramatic, very beautiful, smart and too damn bitchy for her own good! The movie is 94 minutes long and originally premiered on May 6, 1949. Of course you know, it's black and white. And the studio that produced it was Warners. Keep Joan alive in your heart and in your memories with this beautiful classic!!

Don't you hate it when they put up an item without a picture! I know I do. Miss Crawford was the most photogenic star and in my humble opinion the most glamorous star in the entire history of Hollywood! She simply deserves better! Don't worry, Joan, your fans will never forsake you! I have gladly added some pics from "Flaming Road!" Just click this link and then click on the thumbnails for larger images!

Why was Miss Crawford such a fascinating and unconventional star...?

Miss Crawford was a first-rate star, who worked her a-s-s off to get to where she was! And, do you know what she did once she got there? She worked 10 times harder...! Joan had the longest and most impressive film career of any star during Tinseltown's famed Golden Age of Cinema! Joan's career lasted 5 decades! And her career proved to be more loyal to her than any lover or husband! Miss Crawford was always known for her fashion-sense, classical beauty and the ability to constantly re-invent herself (half a century before the Material Girl was a household name!)

Joan Crawford started her career in 1925 as a flapper, playing in bit parts as a contract-player for the most glorious studio in town, MGM. She was nothing more than a glorified prop, unbilled in her first film, "Lady of the Night." Soon, Joan was promoted to leading-lady, appearing in such critically-acclaimed pictures as, Harry Langdon's Tramp, Tramp, Tramp, and Lon Chaney's The Unknown. But it wasn't until Joan accepted the role of Diana Medford, in Our Dancing Daughters that she became a bona fide star! By the end of the decade Joan had more than 20 pictures under her belt!

In the 30's when many silent stars were bowing out gracefully, Joan was back with a vengeance! This time Joan was the little shop girl that Depression-Era American ladies (and maybe even some boys, too) could really identify with. Miss Crawford could be seen acting in such famed movies as, "Letty Lynton," Rain, Sadie Mckee, Grand Hotel , and one of my personal favorites, Forsaking All Others . Some of the 25 classics that Joan also made during the 30's include: Dancing Lady, Laughing Sinners, Dance, Fools, Dance, Chained, "No More Ladies," The Gorgeous Hussy, Love on the Run (1936), The Bride Wore Red, Mannequin (1938) and of course one of her most popular ever, The Women !

"No more goddamn shop girls," Joan was once quoted as saying to MGM chief-honcho, Louis B. Mayer. In the 40's Joan yet again came back in another one of her many incarnations, this time as the society matron in such movies as, When Ladies Meet (1941), Reunion in France and Susan & God. In 1942 Miss Crawford donated her entire salary from Columbia's They All Kissed the Bride to charity and then she turned around and fired her agent when he didn't do the same! After 18 years of being a member of the MGM family, Miss Crawford took a huge gamble and decided to branch out, this time working for the actor's studio, Warners. Joan's first film for Warners, was her most famous movie, and it garnered her the Oscar for Best Actress; playing the title role in her defining-film, Mildred Pierce . Joan also made a slew other first-rate pictures during this period, such as: Humoresque, "Daisy Kenyon," and Flamingo Road (1949). Moving to Warners really paid off for Miss Crawford, because she also received her second Academy Award nomination for Possessed, playing the harried Louise Howell! Of course, Miss Crawford had all the time in the world to donate to the war-effort. Joan was often seen at the Hollywood Canteen entertaining our boys; ...how many of today's movie stars get off their pedestals to do this?

The 50's marked a very pivotal time in Joan's illustrious career. Because in the next chapter of her picture resume, she played the determined and strong matriarch in many wonderful dramatic cinematic masterpieces. Such as, Harriet Craig, Queen Bee, "Female on the Beach," The Damned Don't Cry, "Goodbye My Fancy," The Story of Esther Costello and Autumn Leaves. Miss Crawford also received her third Academy Award nomination playing Myra Hudson in RKO's Sudden Fear. And never one to be typecast, Joan made a big splash in Johnny Guitar, playing a tough saloon owner in the wild-west! Also beginning in the 50's, Joan took up the campaign as official spokeswoman for Pepsi-Cola; a coveted role that she enjoyed for more than 18 years!

In the 60's Miss Crawford didn't slow down for a second! Nope! She came out swinging. Joan made the whole country ask in droves, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? . In one of her most well-known pictures ever, Joan played Blanche Hudson, opposite another very talented actress, Ms. Bette Davis, in this gorgeous Warners film! Throughout all the 60's Miss Crawford was known as the "Scream Queen." She stared in such cult-favorites as, Strait-Jacket, Della, I Saw What You Did and Berserk! It was also around this time, that Miss Crawford penned her autobiography, A Portrait of Joan Crawford.

Even in semi-retirement, Miss Crawford still always kept busy during the 1970's. This time she was the Hollywood Legend, and everyone knew it! When the movie studios weren't knocking on her door, she switched to television. In one of her last television appearances, Miss Crawford played the part of Joan Fairchild in ABC's "The Sixth Sense: Dear Joan: We're Going to Scare You to Death." She also wrote her second book, the best-selling My Way of Life. And, Joan always found the time for some of her favorite charities; donating her talent and time to The Muscular Dystrophy Association and The American Cancer Society. Of course, Joan also made time to speak to her good friend and journalist Roy Newquist. Mr. Newquist was actually the only writer that Miss Crawford chose to speak to during the late 70's, and his thoughtful (and unprecedented) interviews with Joan were published in the 1980 book, Conversations with Joan Crawford.

Miss Crawford perished a second time when the majority of the public threw her away and vilified her as a lunatic. But this death was much more painful. Because not only were Joan's films forgotten, but all of the good she did during her lifetime was also completely erased! Could a violent and crazed-alcoholic have accomplished just half of what Miss Crawford did in her life? And, could they have pulled it off with such perfection, like Joan always did? As far as I'm concerned, it's preposterous to think that Miss Crawford would have ever done anything to put her good name or her livelihood on the line. The true Joan Crawford was kind, compassionate and generous to a fault. Joan was a self-made lady who worked for everything she got. She just wanted to keep her head above water in a man's world where women didn't have a voice or a choice. Miss Crawford never for a second forgot where she came from or who she was, and she never for a moment let her beloved fans down! All Joan wanted was for someone to give her a chance and believe in her.

If you're interested in learning about the true Joan Crawford, I recommend watching some of her pictures. Joan has always said that her true biography is on film. As you may know, Joan has a very detailed movie library that may look intimidating at first, since it is so long and impressive. A good place to start is her boxed set , which includes some of her greatest movies. Miss Crawford also has a second set that will be out next year, too. And, I recommend reading Conversations With Joan Crawford, because this book showed the true Joan Crawford. I also recommend these books, as well: A portrait of Joan;: The autobiography of Joan Crawford , Joan Crawford: Her Life in Letters and Joan Crawford, a biography. And there will be a new book about Joan out by Feb. '08, Not the Girl Next Door: Joan Crawford, a Personal Biography; which is supposed be the most accurate and comprehensive biography ever penned!

Shortly before her death, when asked if she would do it all over again, Miss Crawford bluntly said, "It's difficult to answer that question because part of me believes in Predestination - you know, someone up there is pulling the strings, what ever will be will be." In the end, after all has been said about her, Joan was just a person looking for some happiness; she just wanted to make it through the night, no different from the rest of us.

All of Joan's gangster pictures are underrated classics. She made three of them from 1949 to 1952 (Flamingo Road, The Damned Don't Cry, and This Woman is Dangerous). Unfortunately, only Flamingo Road is available on video, but the other two are sometimes shown on AMC. Flamingo Road is a noir classic! It was a big-budget soap opera and one of the biggest box-office successes of 1949, re-establishing Joan's star-power at Warners. It was also popular enough to be remade as a TV-series with Morgan Fairchild during the 1980s. Conceived as a (late) follow-up to Mildred Pierce, it had the same director and the film was almost as good. The plot mainly concerns political gangsters and the importance of love over careers and success. Joan is of course brilliant. The story has it all; entertaining, fun, action-packed, romantic, and dramatic. There is also a wonderful happy ending. However, the best reason to watch Flamingo Road is to hear Joan sing the beautiful theme song, "If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight)," a hit originally written in the 1920s.

Joan Crawford was forty five when she made FLAMINGO ROAD, and had been a star of the first magnitude for nearly two decades. After her award winning role as MILDREN PIERCE, director Michael Curtiz reunited her with Zachary Scott in a role that could have belonged to no other actress. Crawford is Lane Bellamy, a fallen woman from the wrong side of the tracks who yet possesses the grit to crawl from one side of that track to the other. She meets Zachary Scott, a weak deputy who is being groomed as the puppet governor of the corpulent Titus (Sidney Greenstreet), a loathsome behind the scenes manipulator who decides that it would be more fun to sit in the chair of power than to pull the strings of the puppet who actually sits in it. What emerges from the interplay between Crawford, Scott, and Greenstreet is a subtext that suggests that the Willy Stark sterotype of the political boss can never go away. When Crawford sneers at Greenstreet: "You remind me of an elephant that refused to go away. You would not believe the stink its corpse made," the viewer knows that the real battle has little to do with smoke filled rooms of dirty politics and everything to do with the most primal battle of all--a woman who stakes out a wall around the man she loves and will squash any interloping elephant who refuses to acknowledge that.

IF YOU LOVE OLD MOVIES, YOU'LL LOVE THIS VINTAGE JOAN CRAWFORD, SIDNEY GREENSTREET, ZACKARY SCOTT, MOVIE. FROM A CARNIVAL GIRL, WAITRESS, TO A WEALTHY WIFE OF A POLITICAL BOSS, WHO NOW LIVES ON THE MUCH DESIRED FLAMINGO ROAD.

What a marvelous movie. It is great fun to see Joan Crawford match wits and snappy dialogue with Sydney Greenstreet. His characterization is superb evil, and he places his energies into getting rid of Joan Crawford who has newly entered into this quaint (Florida) town. Joan, however, refuses to leave. What fun! It is a pleasure to see the stars take to their roles with such vitality. It is well worth your time to watch and cheer street-wise Lane Bellamy (Joan) take on the evil Titus Semple (Greenstreet) The ending is pure Hollywood, but that is what makes it such fun!