Another day, another movie that appears to defy categorization. Of course, there is no good reason why anyone ought to feel it is necessary to categorize a movie, but it is a pastime that we film fans like to indulge in. Mister Cory (1957) does not comfortably wear any of the labels I’ve seen hung on it, not that there are many people who have actually commented on the film one way or another. It has been referred to variously as a crime picture, a drama, even as a film noir. I guess there are elements of all those genres and styles to be found there, but none of them are entirely satisfactory. Perhaps one could call it a Blake Edwards film. However, I’m not sure I would be able to define that either, certainly not for something coming at this early stage of his career as a director/writer. So what is it? There is a hint of The Great Gatsby about the setup, it maybe even casts a glance in the direction of Dreiser’s An American Tragedy (and Stevens’ adaptation A Place in the Sun), and there is too a touch of the humor that Edwards brought to so many of his films. If anyone can produce a convenient label out all that, I salute them. Frankly, I’m happy enough to just think of it as a good movie that is not as well known as it might be.
The first view of Cory (Tony Curtis) is of a young man making his way along a heaving sidewalk in Chicago, one of those tenement slums where all human life is to be found, the kind of place where hope can all too often wither or where the seeds of all-consuming ambition can take hold. Cory is a man with ambitions, and the first steps towards realizing them are going to see him keep right on walking out of the neighborhood he grew up in. They carry him out of the city to one of those exclusive lakeside resorts where only those with blue blood, deep pockets and an Ivy League education can afford to lunch and lounge with poise. Now Cory may not have any of the usual qualifications to hang out in such environs, but he does have poise, even if his is borne of audacity. He’s hired as a busboy, right down at the bottom of the pecking order. However, he has no intention of remaining in that lowly position and employs a combination of cunning and chutzpah to hobnob with the cream of society and keep an eye on the main chance. To be precise, he has set his sights on Abby Vollard (Martha Hyer), an ice cool society blonde, and for a time it looks as though he might just pull off the deception and bag the prize he so craves.
However, that would be too simple and dramatically, not to mention ethically, unsatisfying. No, a tale requires a twist if it’s not to become too predictable. So, with his imposture revealed and his scheme shattered, Cory is forced to move on. He does so, and moves far and wide, returning to his roots in a way as he falls back on the skills as a gambler he acquired early in life. All of which segues into the second part of the story, the rise of Cory as a slick and smooth front for Ruby Matrobe (Russ Morgan), a big man in the Chicago underworld. With money no longer an object, prestige and deference (even from those who once demanded the same of him) his constant companions, he would appear to have fulfilled his ambitions. Yet there is still the ever present itch that he yearns to scratch – Abby. That he is now in a position to woo her successfully is complicated by both the need to conduct the business and romantic equivalent of a high wire act. Her long time fiancé (William Reynolds) is the son of a man with significant political clout, capable of delivering a knockout blow to Cory’s backers and by extension to Cory himself. And then there is the sneaking suspicion he begins to have that maybe Abby’s now grown up sister Jen (Kathryn Grant) is the one he should have been pursuing.
Mister Cory was adapted from a Leo Rosten novella, which Tony Curtis bought the rights to and had Blake Edwards adapt for the screen. It has a classic “rise and fall” structure that makes for good drama. There is a lot of emphasis placed on the nature of ambition, the old exhortation to be careful what one wishes for never being far from the surface, as well as other maxims regarding all that glitters and so on. This is all very well, but not that compelling at the same time. On the other hand, the movie is on much firmer ground when it posits the theory that human nature is immutable, rendering notions of grasping ambition, social climbing, and all the deceit and falseness that tend to accompany those wraiths redundant. At the heart of the story is the belief that running away from one’s true self, denial of one’s nature in essence, is a doomed enterprise. Sooner or later, this dawns on pretty much every character. It can be seen in Charles Bickford’s veteran gambler, a man who intuitively knows when the game has grown stale. Cory may be one of the last to fully grasp this, though it does grow on him gradually; there is a terrific scene where, with success won, he wanders back to the old neighborhood where he grew up, strolling down the middle of the empty nighttime street, gazing at the building he was born in, the locations that spelt loss and tragedy and the places he learnt his trade. Lost in the cool solitude of reminiscence, surrounded by the echoes of voices long gone and words drifting across time, his past and present knit together in a moment that marks the beginning of his acceptance of self.
Curtis deftly captures the many facets of the character, the roguish charm that never really deserts him, the drive concealed behind this, and the awareness that all the polish and front is simply that, a veneer that does nothing to shrink the distance between the one-time street urchin and the elegantly clad dream merchant he has cast himself as. Again, I’m drawn back to that scene I mentioned above, so much of the character is encapsulated in it after all, with Russell Metty’s camera tracking the lone figure via a crane shot that shifts from cool objectivity to intimacy and serves to highlight the contrast between the slick facade Cory has adopted and the grimy background that produced him. With the lens focused on his troubled features, it’s clear to see that he hasn’t traveled so very far. Martha Hyer was an actress who flirted with true stardom yet never quite broke through. Around this time she had roles in some good movies – Battle Hymn for Douglas Sirk, and she earned an Oscar nomination for her work in Minnelli’s Some Came Running. The part of Abby called for someone who was able to convey chilly snobbery in tandem with a weakness for slumming and hypocrisy, which Hyer gets across successfully.
Kathryn Grant graced some fine films throughout the 1950s and she brings a liveliness that is quite infectious to the part of the younger Vollard sister. Playing the third arm of a romantic triangle frequently proves to be something of an unrewarding task, but William Reynolds takes it on manfully and achieves a degree of pathos as the flawed fiancé. The reliably crusty Charles Bickford brings dry humor coupled with down to earth wisdom to the table and acts as a stabilizing influence on his often hot-tempered protégé. Another interesting piece of casting is band leader Russ Morgan as the Chicago hood, something which sounds like an odd choice but which ends up working out just fine. Finally, a word for Henry Daniell, a man whose long career saw him regularly playing highly cultured villains. He brings great suavity to his work here, insisting on good manners and propriety at all times, the very personification of moral rectitude. And then he gets to deliver a genuinely killer punchline to wrap up the climactic confrontation in the casino.
Mister Cory has had DVD releases in France, Spain and Italy, and I strongly suspect all of them will be using the same source. I have the Italian release, which presents the movie in the correct ‘Scope ratio. It’s a colorful if rather soft transfer though and the images I’ve added above should give some idea of how it looks. I would love to see this film get a brush up because it really deserves better treatment. I hadn’t seen it before and I’ve never heard anything much about it either. Every year brings a few new discoveries for me and I feel this movie rates as the most enjoyable and worthwhile of them so far in 2023.
Riding the High Country 
A Curtis film I’ve never seen. Sounds worth a viewing. Thanks for highlighting it.
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Yes, I’d not heard anything about it myself prior to viewing the film so I’m not expecting a stampede of people telling me it’s one of their favourites from Curtis, or Blake Edwards for that matter. Do check it out if you get the chance as I found it rewarding and enjoyable.
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“Every year brings a few new discoveries for me and I feel this movie rates as the most enjoyable and worthwhile of them so far in 2023.”
That’s a considerable accolade from you, Colin. I very much enjoyed your well-written review of this not-very-well-known film apparently.
I have to say that Tony Curtis has never been caught in my radar much over the years. I thought he was a terrific foil to Jack Lemmon in SOME LIKE IT HOT and tended to think of him in that sort of light role. In the last couple of years though I have sort of ‘discovered’ him and bought a number of the films he made for U.I. throughout the 1950s, finding a versatile actor capable of considerable nuanced playing.
One of the films I bought was MISTER CORY and I think I must have the Italian release also (can’t put my hand on it to confirm) as it is in a respectable ‘scope ratio.
Curtis has risen considerably in my estimation now. Bickford I have never known to be less than riveting to watch. Martha Hyer had the potential for bigger stardom, I feel also, but she married producer Walter Mirisch and stepped back from her acting career somewhat.
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All I do is call them as I see them, Jerry. This one basically hit the spot for me.
Regarding Curtis, I’ve found myself watching a fair few of his films this year, and not necessarily the comedies such as he seems to have become more closely associated with over time. It hasn’t been what I’d term a conscious decision, it just happened that way, but I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen so far and I imagine I’ll be viewing a few more in the months ahead.
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Superb in THE DEFIANT ONES sparring verbally with Sidney Poitier. Tough film, tough watch – but very good.
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A slightly noir-tinged 1957 Tony Curtis crime movie well worth seeing is The Midnight Story. He gives a fine performance. An excellent dramatic actor in my opinion.
I much prefer Curtis in serious roles. Some Like It Hot is a movie I intensely dislike.
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I have it in mind to look at The Midnight Story</strong> some time soon, for the involvement of Gilbert Roland as well as Curtis.
I don’t think I’ve seen many people profess a strong dislike of Some Like it Hot before. For what it’s worth, I think it’s great.
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Dee, I think that we will have to agree to disagree on SOME LIKE IT HOT(filmed 1958, released 1959).
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Jerry, I think the other way around, Lemmon was a foil to Curtis, who is without question, the leading man in Some Like It Hot.
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I take your point, Barry, but Lemmon always takes my attention with his performances. They were great together and Curtis’ take-off of Cary Grant was spot-on.
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Yes, even when Lemmon was billed lower at that time, he generally grabbed my attention too.
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I think Hyer married Hal Wallis rather than Mirisch, right?
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Yes, as was mentioned in an earlier post Hyer was indeed married to Hal Wallis.
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Only saw that after, didn’t mean to repeat the info.
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No connection with the famous poem? https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44982/richard-cory
I’d always wondered. Edwin Arlington Robinson’s simple and dramatic text was a high school standard in the 1960s. I don’t know if they still read it today.
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I have no idea if there is any connection, John, that’s an interesting bit of food for thought.
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John, I find this possible connection interesting. Who knows? Novella writer Leo Rosten was probably aware of Edwin Arlington Robinson’s 1897 poem when he wrote his “Cory” novella, which was published in the November, 1948 issue of COSMOPOLITAN magazine.
Also, there is the Paul Simon & Arthur Garfunkel song “Richard Cory” from their album SOUNDS OF SILENCE(1966), which was based on Robinson’s poem.
https://www.bing.com/search?q=simon+%26+garfunkel+richard+cory+lyrics&form=ANNTH1&refig=bdb7e7e762ec46c8b724a96145499af4&sp=1&lq=0&qs=NM&pq=simon+and+garfunkel+lyrics+of+richard+cory&sc=10-42&cvid=bdb7e7e762ec46c8b724a96145499af4
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Jerry-I feel a total heel for mentioning this
especially as it’s you but Martha Hyer married Hal B Wallis
not Walter Mirisch….sorry buddy.
MISTER COREY is one of several Universal CinemaScope Color
films on the missing list (to my knowledge) others being JOHNNY DARK
and THE PURPLE MASK although the latter was released by Universal
France as a 4×3 and Angela Lansbury seemed to think it was the worst
film ever made-which it wasn’t.
I’m pretty sure Kino Lorber will release both Corey and Dark
or that new..ish German imprint (HaneSound) that seem to like unearthing
unreleased Universal pics-BTW Colin I don’t know if the Euro releases
you mention are “official” releases-well at least they are DVD only I think.
Walter-
And I feel a total heel for doing this to you Colin, and again forgive the hijack
but I’d like to round off the dialog I had with Walter on the last thread.
Walter,and anyone else interested I highly recommend the Film Detective
release (DVD & Blu Ray) of A LIFE AT STAKE.
There’s a nice short piece on Ida Lupino’s “Film Makers” who picked up
A LIFE AT STAKE and a superb commentary on the politics and wrangling
on making “Termite Art”
For all the films cheapness, for me it stands up to multiple viewings.
It shows Paul Guilfoyle had real talent as a director (the thing was shot in
a week) and it’s a shame after toiling several tears in television he finally
got his major studio break but passed away before he could move onto
bigger projects; rather like Fred F Sears.
I will be interested to view other Guilfoyle TV episodes.
I would also like to see Guilfoyle’s first feature CAPTAIN SCARFACE written
by Charles Lang I guess their friendship went back to when they were
B actors together.
I have seen in theatres (in the 60’s) the Lang penned THE BAD AND THE
BEAUTIFUL (The Magnificent Matador) and why has that not been released
in all it’s Color & CinemaScope glory.
Like our wretched Government when I got out of bed today I thought
just who can I annoy today! 🙂
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So easy to check on Imdb of course but for some reason I’ve been under the misapprehension re Mirisch all these years! What a nit! Thanks for your kind let-down, John.
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John, the Italian releases may well be of dubious provenance,like Spain things are not as strict there. I’d be very happy if those Curtis films got nice Blu-ray editions in Germany or somewhere similar.
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Colin, you nailed it early on, it is an upbeat take on The Great Gatsby. Curtis would have been fine in a dramatization of it, unfortunate that it did not happen.
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On the positive side, I’m rather pleased with what we did get from Curtis in this production.
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I’m a big Blake Edwards fan (and Curtis) but never seen this one. It must have been his third feature as director I think? He was a bit of a magpie his whole career but was just on the cusp of breaking through with his two giants hits, PETER GUNN and OPERATION PETTICOAT. Must see it. Thanks for giving this such a detailed look. Have you read Rosten’s Hyman Kaplan books? I think they may really tickle you.
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No, I’ve not read any of the Hyman Kaplan stories but what I have heard about them does make them sound fun.
regarding Edwards’ early work, I’d love to have someone to officially release the Richard Diamond series with a pre-The Fugitive David Janssen. I know episodes can be found online, but they are not in the beast of shape.
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I’ve seen a few episodes of that Richard Diamond PI series and I was very impressed. But yes, the copies available online are in deplorable shape.
I like that series a lot more than The Fugitive which gets annoyingly preachy at times. David Janssen’s best work as an actor was of course much later, in Harry O.
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True, not seen that show in a very long time. Edwards’s original radio version is available though.
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I’ll have to make an effort to check out the radio version. Powell was a great all round talent.
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Here you go:
https://archive.org/details/OTRR_Richard_Diamond_Private_Detective_Singles
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Good man! Thanks for that.
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Back in the mid 60s we were living up in northern British Columbia. Needless to say we stayed indoors during the winters. Every Sat there was a movie program called THE MILLION DOLLAR SHOW. I recall sitting with mom to watch Mister Cory. Mom was a big fan of Curtis. Being only 10 years old I was of course bored senseless inside 20 minutes. Now that I understand story and acting better, now would be the time to take it in. So needless to say on the must see list it now goes. Too bad mom is gone because it would have been a hoot to take it in with her.
Thanks for the reminder, Colin.
Gordon
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That’s a nice memory to have, Gord. I hope to get to take the movie in again. Aside from the DVDs mentioned, it can of course be viewed online via the usual sites.
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In my neck of the woods (Southern California) it was the MILLION DOLLAR MOVIE I believe aired weekly. The theme song was the memorable whistle rendition of ‘THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY’ composed by Dimitri Tiomkin.
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Which is the only likable and lasting first class element in the film despite its great success.
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I seem to recall that everywhere we lived there was similarly named MILLION DOLLAR this or that LOL. In the early 70s we were living just over the Canada-USA border and the American station in Bellingham Wash, called their afternoon film Worth a Million. (It was seldom worth 10 bucks)
Gordon
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Colin, I think you have written an excellent write-up of MISTER CORY(filmed 1956, released 1957). I first recall viewing this movie on Memphis, Tennessee’s WREC Channel 3 LATE MOVIE in 1974 and again a couple of years later, but haven’t viewed it since. I remember liking the movie quite a lot. I’ve been a Tony Curtis fan since back in the day and I still am. I enjoy Curtis’ performances in both drama and comedy. I think he is a really good actor, and he was a huge star force at the movie box office from 1953-1965. Curtis finished in the top ten at number six in 1960 and number nine in 1961. Not bad for a poor kid from the Bronx. I think that’s probably why he identified so well with the character of Mister Cory.
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Yes Walter, I would have thought that Curtis’ background helped him get into the character of a poor guy with a powerful ambition. The latter half of his career saw him making some poor choices, or just being limited to unpromising parts, which hurt his reputation as an actor. Now that we have some distance and the consequent ability to assess his work more objectively it would be nice to think some re-evaluation might occur and that the earlier performances from his prime years will again be what he’s remembered for.
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Always liked Tony’s “40 Pounds of Trouble” ( remake of “Little Miss Marker”). Good cast including Phil Silvers and nice locations – Lake Tahoe and Disneyland.
A coincidence that Tony also appeared in the later remake of the same Damon Runyon story, with Walter Matthau and Julie Andrews.
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Not seen that, but I think I’d like to.
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Tony Curtis’s performances in the 50s stand up incredibly well.
He was also superb in the wonderful 1971 action-adventure TV series The Persuaders. Teaming him with Roger Moore was a masterstroke.
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Friday was the start of The Calgary Stampede and Rodeo. The world’s biggest outdoor event. A million and a half visitors from around the world are expected over the 10 days. Various rodeo events like Chuckwagon races, and bull riding etc keep the crowds coming.
Gord
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Time to break out the 35 year-old cowboy hat (black of course) for the last day of the rodeo. My cousin is sharing out his company tickets to the family. These are not even top end price tickets at $180 a piece. Front row tickets can go for $1000 or more. The last time I actually paid for tickets they were in the $45 range a couple decades ago. If one has never seen the finals it is really quite the show!
Gord
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Hope you have a good time and enjoy the spectacle.
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A fantastic experience and one I would love to do. But at those prices?!
Have a blast, Gord.
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Hope you have an amazing good time, Gord – have always thought of you as a white hat!
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Just seen that Kino have announced yet another film noir trio. This latest volume comprises three movies all featuring Edward G Robinson:
Vice Squad (1953)
Nightmare (1956)
and the elusive and most welcome Black Tuesday (1954) directed by Hugo Fregonese.
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What a good trio, especially Vice Squad which I rate very highly.
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Colin, Tony was superb in Boeing Boeing! Jerry Lewis and Thelma Ritter, as always dependable co-starred.
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I’ve never seen that, Chris. It’s a title I’m familiar with and have heard of, but that’s all.
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Colin-
It’s wonderful news regarding the Robinson Noir triple
and like you I welcome the release finally of BLACK TUESDAY.
I guess Kino have more or less run the course of the Universal Noir
titles although I live in hope that UNDER THE GUN and THE STORY
OF MOLLY X may surface.
BLACK TUESDAY is very rare and only available in horrible quality.
It was the second of Leonard Goldstein’s independent productions after
breaking away from Universal and Fox-Panoramic.
I always thought BLACK TUESDAY was a “lost” movie-obviously not.
With STRANGER ON HORSEBACK (released after Mr Goldstein’s
untimely passing) things boded well for this new imprint although
Mr Goldstein’s business partner Robert L Jacks did carry on the tradition.
of interesting medium budgeted Westerns and Noirs.
I live in hope STRANGER ON HORSEBACK gets the restoration it so
richly deserves.
Another United Artists title on the missing list and greatly sought after
is Siegel’s BABY FACE NELSON which would fit beautifully into a Noir set.
With, basically only Kino and Imprint feasting at the Paramount/Republic
trough I hope kino turn their attention to some of the Paramount Noirs
(post 1949-Universal own those) like SHORT CUT TO HELL and HELL’S
ISLAND as well as the avalanche of Republic titles-too many to name
as well as several tasty Allied Artists titles Republic own-(SECURITY RISK-
PORT OF HELL-FINGER MAN-THE COME ON ) several not really Noir
but who cares these films are ultra rare and need to be seen.
Kino’s Noir triples can be picked up on Amazon UK for around £30
which means £10 a film which is fine by me.
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I think Black Tuesday was recently shown at some retrospectives in the US so it was a good bet a disc would appear at some point.
I do think I’ll have to invest in a multi-region BD player at some stage as there are a lot of very tempting titles that I don’t know will show up in Europe.
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At least you are young enough to play the waiting game
at my age I refuse to wait for must have titles.
I’ve never seen any of the three films in this set and I’m looking
forward to NIGHTMARE as it’s co written by Cornell Woolrich.
Maxwell Shane was a prolific writer and only directed a few films
THE GLASS WALL is outstanding in my opinion and it’s themes ever
relevant today.
Arnold Laven a solid journeyman director.
These Kino Noir sets are very good value and if you shop around
work out at about £10 a title which you would be hard to find cheaper
in Europe.
Often in these sets there is one “clunker” but not so this time.
Regarding Fregonese I recently caught ONE WAY STREET which I’ve
only seen previously in horrendous quality-I enjoyed it very much.
This is very odd but I could have seen Joel McCrea in the James Mason
role especially when the film moves South of the Border.
SADDLE TRAMP is certainly McCrea’s finest Universal Western and
where may I ask is the Blu Ray of that?
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