Lauren Bacall 1924-2014 – Remembering Blood Alley

Lauren Bacall was always of course a captivating screen presence. In among the tributes to her this week surely room for a moment to remember her 1955 appearance as Cathy Grainger in Blood Alley. John Wayne is a merchant marine captain, rescued from the Chinese Communists by local villagers, only to be “shanghaied” into transporting the whole village to Hong Kong on an ancient paddle steamer.The film is an adaptation of Sidney Fleischman’s novel – Fleischman had been in the Pacific with the US Navy in WW2 and later wrote a number of novels set in the Far East. “Adventure on the danger waters of the Orient!” ran the tagline for the movie.

OK, so it was all filmed in California, large portions on Belvedere Island but still cost a cool US$2mn bucks (plenty gelt at the time). Bacall signed on to work with Robert Mitchum at first, but Mitchum pulled out, Gregory Peck turned it down and Bogart wanted too much money. Eventually Wayne took over the lead. There’s a fair bit of yellowface going on too. Bacall is a medical missionary’s daughter stranded in China after her father is killed by the commies. Sadly the film got a poor reception from the critics who found it a bit laboured despite its “exotic, Oriental setting.” Sadder still for China Rhymers perhaps, the infamous Blood Alley bar strip of Shanghai legend plays no role (the route by sea to Formosa is the Blood Alley of the title). Wayne and Bacall had little if any chemistry together. If you want a Hollywood ‘escape the Chi-commies by boat’ movie then you’re better of with the 1966 Sand Pebbles Steve McQueen movie quite honestly. But still Bacall, as ever, smoulders! You can check out the trailer here.