Road House (1948)

Road House (1948)

starring Ida Lupino, Cornel Wilde, Celester Holm, Richard Widmark

directed by Jean Negulesco

95 minutes

Lily Stevens (Ida Lupino) takes a job singing at Jefty's, a nightclub/bowling alley. She was hired by the Jefty (Richard Widmark) but it is Pete Morgan (Cornel Wilde), the manager, whom she has to deal with. Pete tries to get rid of her, he thinks she costs too much, but Jefty insists that he keep her.

Jefty makes Pete teach Lily how to bowl. Both are resistant but over time they get to know each other better and fall in love, while Jefty is away on a hunting trip. Jefty returns from the hunting trip having decided that he is going to marry Lily. She has expressed no interest in him and is shocked by the news.

Pete tries to tell Jefty that he and Lily are planning to get married but Jefty doesn't want to hear it. Pete and Lily try to leave town to get married but Jefty frames Pete for stealing money from him. Pete is arrested, put on trial, and found guilty.

Things get worse when Jefty talks the judge into placing Pete on parole, under Jefty's supervision, instead of sending him to prison. Jefty still has not given up on getting Lily to marry him. Pete and Lily's lives become more unbearable and lead them to consider criminal actions in order to escape Jefty's control.

Thoughts

Celeste Holm plays Susie, the cashier at Jefty's, who has eyes for Pete even though he seems to treat more as a sibling than a potential romantic partner.

This is a very good movie, despite the abrupt ending. It started off a little slow but once it kicked into hight gear, once Jefty came back from his hunting trip, it really took off. Richard Widmark's plays Jefty as the unhinged, self-centered, big fish in a small pond that he is. Ida Lupino plays Lily as a very opinionated sort of person who doesn't like to be pushed around and doesn't hesitate to tell people how she feels. These two characters and the way they are played are a big part of what made this movie so riveting to watch.

I saw this movie as part of the 2023 Noir City DC film festival.