A Film Noir with a Chicago Connection | Nightmare Alley

If you are a lover of classic film noir don’t miss Nightmare Alley a 1947 film starring Tyrone Power and Joan Blondell,  with Colleen Gray as Molly directed by Edmund Goulding. You can watch it right here and now.

A talented circus con man reaches for the stars and takes a big fall. His big con leads him to Chicago “the city on the make” where he hopes to take advantage of some of the “Lake Shore and Lake Forest set.” There is also a mention of the Rogers Park Boat Club. The film includes a few short but fun scenes of a cab ride down State Street on the way to Englewood Station  which was located at 63rd and State. The driver says it’ll take about half an hour which seems about right especially if he was going directly south on State from downtown as depicted in the movie.

The Chicago connection is minimal and not particularly germane to the story except that Stan (Tyrone Power) and company are circus performers presumably working the Midwest. Keep in mind that Baraboo, Wisconsin a few hours north of Chicago was essentially “circus central” at one time and the original jumping off point for the famed Ringling Brothers Circus.

Thanks to our  friend Chris Marshall for suggesting Nightmare Alley. He has a connection to the world of magic and illusion which I am certain is partially what intrigued him about this film. Chris’s grandfather was Jay Marshall a nationally known Chicago based magician and owner of Magic, Inc. on north Lincoln Avenue.

Film noir can devolve into hokum but this particular 20th Century Fox cautionary tale is well written with an interesting twist, well acted with a talented cast.

One of the features of film noir typically shot in black and white is the “artistic” look, dark shadows, silhouettes and overall menacing mood. This movie’s cinematographer Lee Garmes (born in Peoria, Illinois) spent half of his career working in silent film which I am sure informed his approach to this production.

Another feature of the genre is the femme fatale, in this case portrayed by the lovely Helen Walker as psychiatrist Lilith Ritter. According to Wikipedia shortly after making Nightmare Alley she was involved in a real life nightmare which might have served as part of a film noir plot of its own. On December 31, 1946  she gave a ride to three hitchhiking soldiers. The car hit a divider and flipped over, killing one passenger and causing serious injuries to the other two who subsequently brought a civil suit totaling about a quarter million dollars  against her. Walker was also up on manslaughter charges for the death. The criminal charges were dismissed after Walker’s attorney was able to block assertions that she was driving drunk. The two plaintiffs were arrested on unrelated charges. One was fingered as a suspect in an armed robbery and arrested. The other admitted to a 1944 narcotics charge and was also arrested.

In regard to the story it is interesting to note that in Jewish folklore “Lilith” is the first wife of Adam said to have been made of the same clay. Later she abandons Adam as she is not interested in being subservient to him. It is then that Eve is created from Adam’s rib. In this case it can be said that Lilith and Stan are “two peas in a pod.”

A remake written and directed by Guillermo del Toro starring Leonardo DiCaprio was planned to start shooting in 2020 but has been postponed due to COVID-19.

If you are interested to know some more about Chicago film history check out our interview with the author of “Hollywood on the Lake” or our article about Chicago’s silent film history.