"China" (1943) with William Bendix, Alan Ladd and Loretta Young

William Bendix is a favorite old black and white actor of mine. Known largely for playing  tough guy roles, as well as in other fims, he is legendary. Two of my favorites are "A Dark Corner", opposite Lucille Ball and Clifton Webb. Or in this film, "China", with Alan Ladd, where the two adopt a young Chinese girl orphaned by the Japanese.

In this film Alan Ladd is often credited as being the template later used for the character of Indiana Jones, complete with leather jacket and hat. In addition to his costume,  Alan Ladd plays a character named David Jones, further cementing the connection.

With William Bendix at his side, the two confront obstacle after obstacle as mercenaries in war torn China on the eve of Pearl Harbor. Also of note are that Sen Yung, Richard Loo and Soo Yong are just some of the actual Asian actors who played roles in this film. And not as stereotypical typecast characters, but as dedicated heroic guerillas fighting the Japanese.

You will also remember Bendix as the tough guy from Brooklyn in just about every World War Two classic war film. Always out front, and always the most likely to be killed while defending a buddy.

A pal of James Cagney he played the bartender in Cagney's early self produced adaptation of the play "Time of Our Lives", which also starred James Barton, Ward Bond and Broderick Crawford.  In that  film all of the actors played off type roles.

Produced by Cagney's brother Bill and starring his kid sister Jean, it lost the $250,000  which was spent to make it. Cagney, an avid theater lover and good "hoofer", put his money into this one simply because he thought the play, by William Saroyan,  hadn't been given a fair shake by the critics.

Bendix was also known for his early TV sitcom "Life of Riley", on which he reprised the character he played for several years before it's successful transition to TV. The series was so well loved by all age groups that the character of Riley was even turned into comic bar star in 1958.

He even played "Babe" in the film, "The Babe Ruth" Story". And, he also played baseball for real, in a way. He'd been a bat Boy as a teenager for the Yankees as a teenager in the 1920's He wasxfired for not getting Ruth all the hotdogs he was wanted before that days game began and worked as a grocer in the1930's.

One of his other well known roles was in "The Glass Key", which featured Brian Donlevy, Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake in the leads. He drew real notice in Alfred Hitchcock's "Lifeboat", in which he played "Gus",  a wounded and dying American sailor.

But my all time favorite Bendix role is in the film, "Macao" as an undercover NYC police detective opposite Robert Mitchum, who plays a broke and wandering ex Naval Officer  who cannot go back to America due to having killed someone. With Jane Russell as the female lead, doing her own singing live, on the soundstage, that film rocks.

He is also in his element in the film, "Crashout",  as the head of a prison break by 6 men. No long intro leading up to it, the film starts immediately with no flashbacks, and moves all the way to it's inevitale conclusion.

Crisply preserved, many of his films are available at my favorite price of free, on You Tube. I love bringing these film out by voice command on my tablet, and then "casting" them to my  TV,  in my case, a 49" Roku. Modest but great for they type of films i enjoy most. Black and white.

"Owd Bob" with James Cromwell (1998)

We have all seen James Cromwell act in a score of movies. Sometimes you might not recognize him. He looks the same, but his thespian abilities sometimes make him unrecognizable to the audience. It’s called acting. Not the type you expect from Bogart, or even DeNiro; though both are fine actors. It’s just that they are almost always playing an extension of their own personalities. Not so with Mr. Cromwell.

In this touching story widower Adam MacAdam; played brilliantly by James Cromwell; finds himself with custody of his grandson, David. The boy is on a trial visit for the summer from America, where his parents were recently killed in a car crash.  MacAdam is skeptical of the whole idea, but agrees to it out of a sense of duty, rather than love for the boy, whom he has never met.

The old man raises sheep and sheepdogs. The dog’s job it is to keep the sheep moving and grazing, as well as protect them from any predators. The complication occurs when an unknown dog; believed to belong to old man MacAdam; begins killing sheep. Tradition; and local law; hold that when a dog kills a sheep the owner of the dog must “put him down.” But MacAdam insists that the culprit is not his dog Zac, and refuses to submit to putting him down.

David finds comfort in the company of a neighboring family; the Moores; who also raise sheep and dogs. Keith Moore; played by Colm Meaney; is the son of old man MacAdam’s biggest rival, and though the elder Moore is dead, old man MacAdam has never forgiven him and carries the grudge forward to the younger Moore. In addition, Owd Bob, the dog belonging to Moore, was sired by a dog that had killed sheep before and was put down. In the mind of old man MacAdam, Owd Bob is the likely culprit.

As David becomes close with the Moore’s daughter Maggie; played by Jemima Rooper; friction erupts between David and his grandfather. When her mother dies the two become even closer and David moves in with the Moore’s while he awaits assignment to a foster home. There is no way that the boy and his grandfather can ever bridge the divide caused by past events which occurred before David was even born. The old man is just too stubborn and bitter.

As the people on the island lose patience with the dog that is killing their sheep, they gather as a group and demand that Keith Moore put his dog down, thinking that the culprit is Owd Bob. David knows differently and tries to stop them, but they are all as stubborn as the old man; including Mr. Moore, who is even willing to put his own beloved dog down without looking too hard for the truth.

I will not tell you how this film ends; only that the end will have quite an impact upon you. This is a film which will make you think about all the times in your life that you may have been wrong and judged things too harshly, too soon. It is also a film about taking responsibility for those mistakes and healing broken bridges.

Beautifully filmed on the Isle of Man; tightly directed and well-acted by all; this is the film of which Mr. Cromwell should be the most proud. All of his other performances; as brilliant as they are; pale in comparison with the depth of emotion it must have taken to play this role. His performance here stands as a monument to his long and varied career.

Directed by Rodney Gibbons and written by Sharon Buckingham and Harry Alan Towers, this film has been delighting audiences since it was first released in 1998. It will undoubtedly stand the test of time.

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Lakefront Restaurant at the Hilton Hotel

Sue and I had dinner at the Lakefront Restaurant last night. The restaurant is in the Hilton Hotel at J.M. Keynes Drive in the University area of Charlotte. Cody, our server, was delightful and accommodating in all respects.

I had the Sea Bass with capers and olives and sautéed Spinach. Sue had a Beef Tenderloin and we both shared an Arugula salad which was exceptionally well made.

There is a new Sous Chef, Mike Hancock, in the kitchen now. Cody bought him out to say hello so that we could compliment him on the cuisine.

Hotel restaurants don't always receive the credit they deserve. People take them for granted, figuring, "well I'm staying here so I may as well eat in the hotel."

Sue and I have eaten at the Lakefront before, but even we tend to forget about it often when we are wondering where to eat. And then when we do eat there we wonder why we don't do so more often.

With Mike in the kitchen; and Cody seeing to our comfort in the dining room; we will be back again sooner than later. Thanks Mike and Cody for a wonderful dining experience.