The Big Operator
Director: Charles Haas
Year: 1959
Rating: 6.5
Director Charles Haas brings along much of the same cast from The Beat Generation
but adds Mickey Rooney to the mix. Rooney is great. His reputation as an
actor took a hit from his dreadful Japanese character in Breakfast at Tiffany
and I am not sure it ever recovered. But Rooney was Hollywood for so many
years starting way back when he was a kid who impressed Louis B Mayer, through
his musical collaborations with Judy Garland and the long running Hardy family
series. He was in the top 10 popularity polls and box office for years during
the 1940's. And among his eight wives he married a little Hollywood royalty
with Ava Gardner and later Martha Vickers (baby sister in The Big Sleep).
Along the way Rooney became a pretty good actor and as a corrupt venal union
head he spits out charm and venom in equal menace.
This black and white film would have fit nicely into the Warner Brother's
ripped from the headlines films of the previous generation. Corrupt unions
were big news in the late 1950's and here they dig deep into the muck. Little
Joe Braun (Rooney) is as dirty as a cat litter box and is being investigated
by the government. He has one witness knocked off by putting him into a cement
mixer, but two union members see him with the killer (Ray Danton) and he
tries to persuade them to look the other way. One he sets on fire, the other
he kidnaps his boy.
Against expectations, Haas casts Steve Cochran as an average Joe who wants
to keep his job and his nose out of trouble. And really against expectations
Mamie Van Doren is cast as his near perfect wife. Not a bit of her famous
cleavage to be found. As the wife of a union guy living in a small home making
roast beef and potatoes for dinner, she is way too gorgeous but what the
hell. In the cast also are familiar names - Mel Torme as the friend set on
fire, Jim Backus, Jackie Coogan, Vampira, Charles Chaplin Jr and the future
Dennis the Menace Jay North as the son.
Set to a hard driving jazz beat provided by bandleader and arranger Van Alexander
who did the scores for a bunch of films - the film is surprisingly rough
and hard hitting with Rooney growling out his dialogue like a burst of gunfire.
Much better than I expected.
