The Daredevil (1940)

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Movie
German title The daredevil
Original title Boom Town
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1940
length 119 minutes
Rod
Director Jack Conway
script John Lee Mahin
production Sam Zimbalist
for MGM
music Daniele Amfitheatrof
Franz Waxman
camera Harold Rosson
cut Blanche Sewell
occupation

The Daredevil (Original Title: Boom Town ) is an American adventure film from 1940 with a star cast consisting of Clark Gable , Claudette Colbert , Spencer Tracy and Hedy Lamarr . Directed by Jack Conway . The film follows the tradition of the productions San Francisco and Der Werkpilot , in which Tracy and Gable played rivals for the love of the heroine.

action

Betsy Bartlett is actually the oil prospector Square John Sand in the word. But when she sees his partner Big John McMasters, she immediately falls in love with him. You and Big John get married. First of all, Big John and Square John cannot quite agree on who should own the newly developed oil field. You flip a coin and Square John wins. Soon after, Big John succeeds in becoming an oil tycoon. He starts an affair with the glamorous Karen Vanmeer, which ruins his business. Betsy is waiting at home with her little son in her arms. In the end, Big John realizes where his real happiness and real friends are. He starts a new life with Square John and Betsy.

background

Hedy Lamarr's US debut got her off to a spectacular start in 1937 through a loan-out with her appearance in Algiers alongside Charles Boyer . The film was a huge hit at the box office and Lamarr became famous as the Most Beautiful Woman in the World . Almost overnight, brunette became the fashion color for all Hollywood stars. A short time later, the previously blonde Joan Bennett dyed her hair in a publicity-effective manner à la Lamarr and also copied Lamarr's middle parting. In addition, Hedy Lamarr practically single-handedly made hats en vogue again, after women's fashion had previously tended to dispense with this fashionable accessory. Her two subsequent films, I Take This Woman and Lady of the Tropics, flopped at the box office, regardless of the financial resources and personal influence Louis B. Mayer invested in his attempt to make Hedy Lamarr the studio's biggest star. Before Lamarr followed the fate of Luise Rainer , however, she saved her career by appearing in The Daredevil . She herself called the role of Karen Vanmeer small, but hearty ( not big, but gutsy ) and the perfect opportunity to prove her talent ( A perfect vehicle for me to prove my ability . )

Still, filming wasn't easy for Lamarr, who suffered from the constant assaults and insults from Spencer Tracy . Tracy was notorious for verbally and occasionally physically abusing his female co-stars. Joan Crawford was able to tell a song from her own experience about Tracy's vulgarities, which she had to suffer during the time together at Mannequin . Even a star like Irene Dunne , known for her impeccable lifestyle and profound religiosity, suffered countless verbal humiliations while filming A Guy Named Joe . For Gable and Tracy it was the third collaboration after San Francisco and Der Werkpilot , in which Tracy always loses the girl and Gable played the more exciting role. Gable and Claudette Colbert , who also suffered from Tracy's attacks, had already played side by side on It Happened in One Night in 1934 .

Theatrical release

The production cost of 1,614,000 US dollars corresponded to the budget for such a prestige production at MGM. At the box office, The Daredevil proved to be a resounding success. In the USA alone, the film grossed the very high sum of 3,664,000 US dollars. In addition, there was an additional $ 1,365,000, which corresponded to a cumulative total of $ 5,029,000, an extremely high value for the time. The studio's profit was accordingly exorbitant at $ 1,892,000.

Awards

At the Academy Awards in 1941 , the film received nominations in the following categories:

  • Best camera (black and white)
  • Best visual effects

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