A Fever in the Blood

source: A Fever in the Blood

A Fever in the Blood

And this comes from someone who likes Don Ameche and Angie Dickinson....... Bad writing, bad direction, bad acting, bad use of Angie. The ending is a cherry on top of the turd. Just about everyone in the movie has passed, so I will observe the "no speaking ill of the dead" rule. If you happen to catch this on TCM (as I did), assume you will consider it as two hours of unrecoverable life moments. So, if you are home sick, depressed beyond comprehension, drunk, or in need of background noise while you do something more useful, then by all means, watch this. If you have a choice of this flick or hernia surgery, I suggest you fully research the surgery before jumping to any conclusions. The anesthesia and pain killers may make the surgery a better bet.........

Ridiculous melodrama from Warner Bros. and director Vincent Sherman has pipe-smoking judge in Capital City (a miscast Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) setting his political sights on the governorship, but sidelined by dirty doings during a high-profile murder trial in which the district attorney on the case also intends to be governor. Plainly-filmed, poorly-written and acted potboiler full of boring men who take turns ignoring Angie Dickinson, playing the wife of beady-eyed Don Ameche, a windbag senator who eventually wants to run for president. Dickinson, with lacquered blonde hair, has apparently settled for Ameche but still carries a torch for Judge Efrem, now a widower--however, since he seems indifferent to her, always staring intensely off-camera like an eagle, one has to wonder are these two men her only options? Other subplots are introduced and dropped carelessly, while Zimbalist walks through the proceedings like a sexless sleepwalker. *1/2 from ****

"Fever in the Blood," a 1961 film, was directed by Vincent Sherman and starred Jack Kelly, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Herbert Marshall, Jesse White, Angie Dickinson, Carol O'Connor, and Don Ameche. Kelly is a DA, Zimbalist a Judge, and Ameche the current state senator, and they all want to run for governor. A high-profile murder case might be just the ticket, and DA Callahan (Kelly) jumps at the opportunity, with Leland Hoffman (Zimbalist) the presiding judge. You'd think an old pro like Vincent Sherman would have known better than to let these actors play to the top row of the balcony, but the acting for the most part was way over the top, with most actors speaking at the top of their lungs. The result gives the film a very old-fashioned feel. This isn't an A cast, but it is a likable one. A little more subtlety in the direction would have made for a less bombastic presentation.