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| Angie Dickinson and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. |
The films open with Judge Leland Hoffman asking his friend, District Attorney Dan Callahan, to be his running mate as he seeks his party's nomination for state governor. Callahan declines and we later learn the reason is because he plans to run for the same nomination. Callahan goes to see Senator Alex Simon, a powerful state politician, to gain his endorsement. It turns out that Senator Simon plans to vacate his Senate seat and seek the governor's office, too!
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| Jack Kelly as Callahan. |
For most of its running time, A Fever in the Blood is an effective political drama that examines the ethics of its three protagonists. As the plot unfolds, motivations become murky and even the most moral of the trio begins to question his actions. Many of its themes are still timely, such as the effect of press coverage on the trial and, indirectly, the gubernatorial race. In one of my favorite lines, a political strategist notes of D.A. Callahan: "Celebrities write their own tickets."
Still, A Fever in the Blood almost collapses under the weight of its extraneous subplots. The final half-hour includes a hit-and-run accident in which a child is killed, the death of a major character, the capture of the real murderer, and an unbelievable ending at the state convention.
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| Jesse White as a police detective. |
Incidentally, the title is a reference to the passion felt by those who seek the power and influence of a major political office.
Here's a clip from A Fever in the Blood. You can view it full-screen on the Classic Film & TV Cafe's YouTube Channel. You can also stream the entire movie at warnerarchive.com.
Since nobody else mentioned it ...
ReplyDeleteThis was the feature film debut of Carroll O'Connor, playing a powerful newspaper publisher in the State, with considerable clout in the Party.
For much of the previous decade, O'Connor had been working on TV, live and filmed, in New York and Hollywood.
When he made A Fever In The Blood, O'Connor was thirty-seven years old, but his character was supposed to be 15-20 years older. It was a smallish part, but O'Connor made an impression - at least that's what I thought when I watched Fever this morning in order to write this.
Interesting side note:
Years afterward, when Carroll O'Connor produced and wrote his version of The Last Hurrah for TV, he engaged Vincent Sherman, who directed him in this movie, to perform that task in the new TV-movie.
Funny follow-up:
When the TV Last Hurrah aired, one of the better-known "critics" panned it, singling out Vincent Sherman as one of those new-fangled TV directors who go from camera 1 to camera 2 and back. (That isn't a direct quote, which is why I italicized it.)
This "critic", who had won major awards for his TV columns, was unaware that Vincent Sherman had directed features for Warners, going back to the '30s, and that the new Last Hurrah was shot as a movie, with one camera.
And that's why I never trust TV critics ...
Nothing beats a well-done political drama and, despite the last half hour, this one sounds worth it. Thanks for the tip re: Warner streaming.
ReplyDeleteThought this was a terrific thriller with the emphasis on the D.A. and judge rather than the accused and the politicial aspect. Tons of twists and turns. Unlike yourself, I felt it had gathered enough steam to hold up all the subplots.
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