Rhonda Fleming & Arlene Dahl as sisters, one good & one dangerous, and each are “Barely Scarlet!”

Barely Scarlet,
a latter day movie noir from ’56, groups starlets Rhonda Fleming and Arlene Dahl
as sisters, with John Payne because the mister who makes their heartbeats flutter.  I at all times received Fleming and Dahl combined up, extra
for what that they had in frequent than any actual resemblance: crimson hair and creamy
pores and skin; born two years aside with lengthy lives (Fleming, 97 & Dahl, 96); six
marriages; profitable enterprise careers; and everlasting glamour.

The celebrities of 1956’s “Barely Scarlet”: Arlene Dahl, John Payne, and Rhonda Fleming. Fleming’s good sister has good motive to look involved!

A
genial main man for a lot of the ‘40s, John Payne grew to become a dour movie noir or
western hero in his ‘40s, very like Dick Powell. Barely Scarlet is loosely primarily based on a James M. Cain novel, Love’s Beautiful Counterfeit. The film
performs like a mashup of Cain’s Mildred
Pierce and lots of crime noirs the place the hero, like Payne’s Ben Grace, will get
his palms soiled enjoying either side to the center. On the political facet, Ben
tries to butter up a neighborhood hero who’s working for workplace. On the flip legal facet
is “Solly” Caspar, a thug whose mood turns out to be useful, and who Ben tries to
deal with him with care, with combined outcomes.

The above tawdry tagline just about sums up the stakes of 1956’s “Barely Scarlet.”

The
opening of Barely Scarlet reminds
me of a Douglas Sirk cleaning soap opera. Every member of the love triangle will get their very own
dramatic close-up. The nice sister-bad sister trope was one among Hollywood’s
favourite movie plots. The nice sister was a bit shady on this movie, regardless that
Rhonda Fleming performs June Lyons extra like a lamb. Frankly, the ladies’s angle is
extra entertaining than the gangster noir, the plot of the anti-hero in over his
head with gangsters has been accomplished 100 instances earlier than. The large shoot out
finale includes the 4 leads, with dangerous sister Dorothy Lyons shedding her grip,
good sister June struggling nobly, dangerous boy Ben dying nobly, and Solly taking pictures
everybody in sight.

The opening titles of 1956’s “Barely Scarlet” remind me of a Douglas Sirk cleaning soap!

Rhonda Fleming’s June Lyons arrives to choose up troubled sister from jail, in 1956’s crime noir, “Barely Scarlet.”

Arlene Dahl as Dorothy Lyons, simply sprung from her cage, in 1956’s “Barely Scarlet.”

John Payne as Ben Grace, jail paparazzi, in “Barely Scarlet.”

Rhonda Fleming’s sis later sees Ben Grace’s expertise at capturing these particular moments,  in 1956’s “Barely Scarlet.”

Rhonda
Fleming does effectively sufficient as the great sister, who appears a bit
self-rationalizing, and a very profitable
secretary to her sugar daddy boss. Fleming is glam always—even her nightgown
straps have rhinestones on them! Rhonda seems gorgeous in her tailor-made
secretary apparel and a va-va-va-voom doll in her informal put on. Then there’s the
dangerous sister, performed by Arlene Dahl. A precursor to Kitten with a Whip, Dahl’s Dorothy Lyons does every little thing however roar. “Dor”
blames her troubles on her sister, but at all times depends on June to bail her out.
Dorothy is excessive since she embodies the entire three “O’s”: Klepto,
nympho, and psycho! An ex-con simply out of jail, as quickly as Arlene opens her
mouth, each tawdry line is an accusation or an insinuation. I stored wishing for
Eleanor Parker’s dramatic chops! The camp worth comes from Dahl’s misguided
efficiency of deranged Dorothy. Her enjoying jogs my memory of Lucy Ricardo
pretending to be a vamp. Each sisters fall instantly in love with weary John
Payne, which appears ludicrous. A minimum of the loopy sister has an excuse for her
lack of judgment, however Fleming’s June, with a cake job and silver daddy
boss—what’s up, sister? Even when Dahl’s alone, she’s posturing and purring.
When she steals a pearl necklace, Dahl’s doll drapes them over her head,
jutting out her jaw and emoting like Norma Desmond as Salome. The scene the place
Dorothy is utilizing a again scratcher like a intercourse toy is an amusing eyebrow raiser.
Arlene is attractive in the identical overt means that Jennifer Jones and Bette Davis performed
in King Vidor’s Duel within the Solar and Past the Forest. What’s fascinating is
that Rhonda Fleming received one among her large breaks in 1945’s Spellbound, the place she performed—yep—an unhinged nympho!

Arlene Dahl’s a campy scream as unhinged sister “Dor” in 1956’s “Barely Scarlet.”

Arlene Dahl’s psycho sister is an actual cutup in 1956’s crime noir, “Barely Scarlet.”

The
director of Barely Scarlet is Allan
Dwan, who has a faithful following of followers, with reference his 50 yr historical past in
Hollywood, with some 125 movies to his credit score. And Dwan lived so long as his
main girls—96. The gorgeous colour and visuals, the musical rating, and beautiful
main girls are well-utilized by this outdated professional right here. Barely Scarlet is mainly a B film upgraded to a B+ due to
Dwan’s strong model and the star watching.

John Payne as dangerous boy Ben Grace at all times seems like he has a headache, in 1956’s  “Barely Scarlet.”

Hey, eyes up right here, John Payne! Rhonda Fleming upstages Payne in “Barely Scarlet.”

John
Payne acted till the mid-70s and whereas Fleming and Dahl had been simply of their
early 30s, their finest days onscreen had already handed, in keeping with ‘50s
Hollywood knowledge. Nevertheless, all three stars grew to become profitable enterprise individuals,
as they phased out of full-time performing, but often carried out onstage and in
tv, to their followers’ appreciation. Barely
Scarlet could also be campy, however it’s extremely colourful enjoyable.

When the main girl brushes her hair silently, one thing’s up! Rhonda Fleming in 1956’s colourful noir, “Barely Scarlet.”

Arlene Dahl was thought of one among Hollywood’s nice beauties within the Nineteen Fifties, seen right here in 1956’s crime noir “Barely Scarlet.”