Karlson is one of the few directors who made pictures with an
almost
complete lack of sentimentality, not to mention an enveloping
aura of
violence, real and insinuated. I'm so surprised he's not more
well
known. (But I guess I'm also secretly glad he's more obscure,
now that
anyone can call up the list of the "greatest noirs," and go
down to the
video store. Used to be a time we'd go to revival houses, or
wait up at
all hours of the night to see something -- I discovered many
pictures I
had never heard about this way.)
"Phenix City Story" is probably his most famous movie. (BTW,
the "intro"
was tacked on by the distributors, in an effort to "sell" the
story as
an expose.) My favorite though, is "Kansas City
Confidential," an
incredible heist picture from the fifties, still fresh and
loaded with
twists. It also stars John Payne, my favorite noir actor.
Karlson also
did an amazing job with "Five Against The House," a Vegas
heist picture
...
Karlson also did the original "Untouchables" TV pilot, with
Bob Stack --
another superior view, infamous for its fabulous Walter
Winchell
voice-over. If you've never heard Winchell's voice, I urge
you to check
it out -- no wonder he was such a huge power in the media
back then.
Just recently I watched "Walking Tall," (based on the real
story of
Buford Pusser, an Arkansas sheriff) with Joe Don Baker, one
of Karlson's
later pictures. It was a drive-in and southern hit back in
'73, and is
incredibly brutal, and excellent -- it touches on the racial
issues
going on in the south at the time. I was consistantly shocked
at the
areas of violence this picture delved into. Baker offers a
wonderful
performance, as well.
When people talk about "hard-boiled," Karlson should always
be mentioned
-- he's one of filmdom's greatest proponents of that state of
mind.
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