Michael_Elliott Torch Song (1953) ** (out of 4) Notorious musical about Broadway star Jenny Stewart (Joan Crawford) who is pretty much evil to anyone she meets. She's very demanding and doesn't really care about another human's feelings but she gets a taste of her own medicine when blind pianist Tye Graham (Michael Wilding) stands up to her. TORCH SONG isn't very well-known to the majority of people out there but over the past decades it has built up a rather strong cult following and after seeing the film it's very easy to see why. This here is certainly one of the strangest films that you're ever going to see and it's weirdness is something that's usually used for horror and exploitation movies. You certainly don't expect to see this type of camp in a musical and certainly not with someone like Crawford. It's worth noting that this was Crawford's return to MGM after a ten-year period and it was also her first Technicolor film since the awful 1939 film THE ICE FOLLIES OF 1939. With that said, it looks like the studio would have came up with something better as I really don't know what anyone was thinking with this picture. On a technical side the entire thing looks rather cheap and ugly at times. This is especially true during the "Two-Faced Woman" sequence. The most notorious aspect is seeing Crawford in blackface but just look at how poorly shot this sequence is. When the camera moves in on Crawford coming out it appears as if the camera is moving on an incredibly bumpy road. Another problem is that the over-the-top performance of the actress certainly isn't among her best. Crawford was a genius at playing women who needed to be put in their place but she's just too wild here and quite often we're given some rather unintentionally funny scenes. I thought Wilding was the best thing about the picture as he was very believable in the role but what happens at the end was just too much. Gig Young and Harry Morgan are also on hand. TORCH SONG is going to appeal to those who enjoy bad movies as there's enough strange moments here to really make it stand out.

evanston_dad After she reached a certain age, Joan Crawford was always at least a little bit scary in the best of circumstances. But never have I seen her scarier than in a scene late in "Torch Song" immediately after she's performed a song in black face(!), tears off her wig to reveal a shock of bright orange hair, and snarls at the camera.And so we have "Torch Song," the kind of movie the term "guilty pleasure" was coined to describe, in which Crawford plays Jenny Stewart, stage diva who wakes up to the fact that she's destined for bitterness and loneliness because of her difficult, controlling ways. Crawford is terrific, as always, and makes the film riveting even though hardly anything of note happens.Michael Wilding plays the blind pianist who takes over as Crawford's accompanist when her other one quits and who makes Crawford aware of her selfish, petulant attitude. Marjorie Rambeau won an Oscar nomination for her brief performance as Crawford's salty mother.Grade: A-

nycruise-1 Second time I've seen it.So many don't things add up I can't imagine this movie wasn't concocted as some sort of payback by some former-flunky-turned-Hollywood-producer out to "get back" at Joan.The color styling is offputting - garish in way unlike any other movie of its time.Joan ends up cast as a variant of her "Harriet Craig" character: controlling, bitchy, chewing every one and everything (like cigarettes) up, then spitting them out. (I guess they should have named the character "JENNY Craig"???)She just comes off looking completely ridiculous.Oh - that blackface number - "Two-Faced Women" - very curious. Referred to as "The Finale" by the show's stage manager, it bears the marks of some awful editing/re-shooting.When they are first scrambling to take places, the chorus looks like they're decked out in coal-black face makeup (the burnt-cork of the old minstrel performers). Then Joan starts the number and looks similar.Strangely, after she makes her way down to the male members of the chorus, she lightens up (on her makeup - NOT her hammy-acting), while they seem to have lost theirs. For the rest of the number, the blackface seems to have disappeared on the guys, lightened up considerably on the girls (I think one female may even be a real African-American), then at the close of the number suddenly everyone darkens down. Finally, when Joan tears off her wig in frustration at Ty's departing despite her "wonderful" rendition of "Two-Faced Woman", she sports not only dark makeup but rhinestones on her eyebrows. The orange hair that sprouts out from under her black wig - disheveled as it is - makes her look like a troll doll from the 1970s (Joan was ahead of her time?). Oddly enough, her "look" seems a color complement to the getup Faye Dunaway put together for "Mommie Dearest":black- vs. white-face, orange vs. dark hair. It is in no way complimentary - it looks absurd, not dramatic, and I'm sure she was completely unhappy when she saw the result on screen (I think even audiences in the 1950s during the first-run of this trainwreck must have laughed at her bizarre appearance.)Someone has also mentioned the "all-male" plus one party thrown by Jenny. Jeez - it's filled with gay entendres - but the strangest aspect of all is the fact that a genuine African- American actor is at the piano, apparently singing but in reality dubbed by professional dub artist Bill Lee.From what I can tell, very little original music was written for this piece - a very curious decision considering MGM had all the song-writing talent they needed.One dance rehearsal uses a Fred Astaire song from "Royal Wedding", in another instance a dropped number intended for Cyd Charisse in "The Bandwagon" (the aforementioned "Two- Faced Woman" blackface) gets a second attempt at life here via Joan (it dies an ignoble death unfortunately).I just can't believe anyone was serious regarding this production - except the actors, in particular poor Joan who was desperate to regain her former crown at her old studio.

MarieGabrielle who loved Joan Crawford. Such an amazing era. The Technicolor oranges and aquas, Joan is a bit over the top but if you are an avid fan this will cease to matter.She is the strong Jennie Stuart, chanteuse and Broadway star who minces no words. She meets her match with Michael Wilding, a blind war veteran who plays piano. He is a sympathetic gentle character who also has Dutchess, a boxer seeing-eye-dog to keep him company. At first she is resistant to his music and dislikes him because he is not intimidated by her. He seems to know her character very well. Strong, but scared of getting close to people.The music is haunting and reminiscent of a gentler, romantic era. Joan is herself and then some, and eventually discovers the reason she cannot make an impression on the pianist. There is a nice twist to the end. Overall a do not miss for Crawford. 9/10.