Tarnished Angels, The (1958)
I watched this Douglas Sirk soap opera based on the William Faulkner novel Pylon (George Zuckerman wrote the screenplay) when it premiered on TCM in March, 2005 because Leonard Maltin’s guide gave it 3 ½ (out of 4) stars. Well, even Mr. Maltin (and/or his associate editors) can't be right all the time. Robert Stack plays a former World War I flying ace who only finds work now in air shows, flying around pylons racing with other pilots like NASCAR drivers do around racetracks. Dorothy Malone plays his too attractive for "his" own good wife, especially with Rock Hudson around. Jack Carson plays Stack's socially dim-witted, too old to still be attractive, longtime friend and mechanic. The three (four with Stack's and Malone's 10 year old son) barely get by financially as they travel the country, with Stack's stunts providing their only means. Hudson plays a reporter in the town they're currently in who finds a "how the mighty have fallen" story in the tension these three adults exude. Robert Middleton plays Stack's former boss, now competitor, and soon to be partner through circumstances he can't avoid. Interesting, but average. None of the character's are particularly credible, and none of the acting performances are memorable either (though Malone is beautiful, even in B&W).
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