User reviews

Many films from the mid-forties deal with men struggling to readjust to their civilian lives after their wartime service. NOBODY LIVES FOREVER offers a twist: the hero's pre-war career was as a successful con artist. He doesn't have any trouble getting his job back, but does he still want it? World War II is a source of anxiety and moral confusion in many postwar noirs, but this film (set during the war) suggests that a stint with Uncle Sam can straighten out a crooked guy.

In contrast to the convoluted plots so common in noir, this is a simple story. Just out of the army, Nick Blake (John Garfield) returns to New York to find his girlfriend has given the money he left in her keeping to another man. After clearing up that little business, he takes off for Los Angeles, where he is talked into fleecing a rich widow, Gladys Halvorson (Geraldine Fitzgerald.) Guess what? He falls for her and wants out, but has to deal with his vengeful accomplices. The plot is unoriginal but also foolproof, and the film's leisurely pace and rich characterizations are the primary appeal, evoking a raffish, Runyonesque world. Leading the troupe of colorful character actors is George Tobias as Blake's sidekick Al Doyle, who doesn't do much except tag along for the ride, cracking wise in thick New Yorkese and complaining bitterly when he realizes Nick has "gone overboard for this tomato." Walter Brennan is Pop Gruber, Nick's boyhood mentor in crime, now down on his luck and scraping a living with a telescope, selling "the moon and stars for a dime" and picking the pockets of his drunken customers. Then there's cadaverous, sinister George Colouris as Doc, a has-been con man consumed by jealousy of Nick. Even the smallest characters—from an ex-jockey bellboy to the counterman in an all-night diner who can't stand to hear the words "java" or "pal"—add flavor; they're a great bunch of "cheap, hungry chiselers." Richard Gaines (Jean Arthur's fiancé, Mr. Pendergast, in THE MORE THE MERRIER) is also amusing as Manning, the widow's business manager, whose only interest in life is golf. Only Faye Emerson, as the nightclub singer who betrayed Nick while he was overseas and keeps turning up for vague plot purposes, misfires; she sings well, but she's a little too bony, toothy and disgruntled for a femme fatale.

When someone suggests that after his sabbatical in the army Nick might not be up to conning the widow, he snaps scornfully, "For me that would be like turning over in bed." The same is true for Garfield playing this morally-conflicted-tough-guy role—but he never lets you feel he's just going through the motions. His performance is split between his "Jewish Jimmy Cagney" persona, spitting out lines like, "Come up with a rod and I'll make you eat it," and his sexy romancer mode. When he turns on the charm, his mark starts to melt like a snowman under a sun lamp. (I can sympathize, being a pushover for Garfield myself.) Geraldine Fitzgerald is lovely and gracious, with a frail, childlike innocence guaranteed to soften the toughest guy.

There are some scenes in smoky back-rooms, and a terrific show-down on a misty oil rig, but this noir is really about as dark as chocolate ice cream. It's full of low-key charm, often stemming from the culture clash between the mugs and the ritzy world they invade. Nick belies his pose as a sophisticate by making paper airplanes out of his program during a concert of classical music. ("Don't you adore Bach?" Manning asks, and Al, awoken from a deep slumber, replies, "Bock? Yeah, cold, with a nice big head on it.") Nick is also uncomfortable leading Gladys through a rumba ("A man looks sort of silly doing this") and looks like a fish out of water when she takes him to the mission of San Juan Capistrano. As was the case with Garfield (the former Julie Garfinkle) in Hollywood, it's precisely Nick's streetwise grit and bad-boy charm that win over the classy dame.

NOBODY LIVES FOREVER was the last film at Warner Brothers for both Garfield and Fitzgerald, who were equally thrilled to escape the studio. Garfield went on to form an independent company that produced his finest films, including BODY AND SOUL and FORCE OF EVIL. He and many others had good reason to resent the studio's relentless pigeonholing and the poor material they were sometimes forced to accept; but this farewell film is a reminder of what the factory system had going for it: a reliable output of supremely watchable movies. With its witty script, easy craftsmanship and excellent cast, NOBODY LIVES FOREVER is a prime example of how good an average, formulaic studio product could be during Hollywood's "golden age." It's a shame that, like so much of Garfield's output, this film is so hard to find.

Geraldine Fitzgerald gets the glamor treatment here as a young widow about to be bilked by ex-soldier John Garfield in this post-war film. Both stars give wonderful performances and are ably supported by a neat cast consisting of Walter Brennan, Faye Emerson, George Coulouris, George Tobias, and Richard Gaines. Garfield, an experienced con man, comes back from the war changed. Drawn into a scheme to con a rich widow, he finds himself falling for her instead.

The stars are lovely together, and the film has a rich atmosphere throughout, each setting clearly defining the moment. The nightclub scenes evoke the '40s postwar feeling, the California scenes are bright and sunny, and the scenes on the pier are spooky and dense with fog. A very good film.

Of all the Hollywood writers now associated with classic film noir --among them James M. Cain, Raymond Chandler & Dashell Hammett— the least known and perhaps least appreciated is W.R. Burnett who was responsible for the story and often the screenplay of a number of film crime classics, among them the films Scarface, Little Caesar, High Sierra and Asphalt Jungle. Burnett's dialog is as sharp and tough as the others, and he often displays a finer insight and even greater sympathy for the criminal mind than the others whose stories feature and sometimes romanticize the hard-boiled detective. This excellently directed and photographed film tells the story of a charming con-man, perfectly played by John Garfield, who falls for the widow he is trying to cheat. The petty crooks who people his world played by a superb cast of character actors (George Coulouris, Walter Brennan, George Tobias) are all clearly drawn and don't resemble the usual cliché gang members of other films. Burnett obviously knew this world better than his colleagues.

Nobody Lives Forever (1946)

This is a quirky but good film. If technically a film noir in tone and structure, it largely lacks the darkness of intention in any of the main characters. Part of this comes from the casting—John Garfield is just too sweet a guy to pull off a devious, malicious scammer, and Walter Brennan as the sidekick couldn't appear evil if he tried.

There are some classic noir elements which make the movie fun, like a nightclub (and nightclub owner), a femme fatale (played with restraint by Faye Emerson), and a host of thugs who are convincing (this is Warner Bros. after all). The main plot is a kind of crime romance, where Garfield, an ex-con man playing a returning soldier, has half an intention to go straight but then gets roped into one last big scam. The victim is a rich young widow, and as Garfield goes after his mark he naturally falls in love. The people backing Garfield have a stake in his success and they don't like what's going on—he could just marry the widow and they'd be left in the cold.

So there is a turning of who is against who in the scenario. And this matters, but a lot of the first half of the movie is about the growing romance between the two leads. And it doesn't quite take off. I suppose it was important to make this widow a straight up type, a "good" woman," but casting Geraldine Fitzgerald made sure the chemistry would be restrained. You do want these two very nice people to make it, but it's not spiked with anxiety enough, or dreamy highs enough, to make you quite get swept away.

Where it gets interesting is when the thugs get in the way. The plot takes some terrific twists, and there are some some terrific atmospheric scenes at a pier in the second half of the movie, with large pumps running and the mist rolling by at night. People's better natures are revealed. A tragedy for one man becomes a lesson for our leading couple.

Director Jean Negulesco, though not as well known as a dozen of his contemporaries, made a series of strong, highly dramatic movies after the war that are often worth watching just for their moods. Here he uses legendary cinematographer Arthur Edeson ("Casablanca," "Frankenstein") to make this mood memorable and visually stunning. Throw in the usual high standards of Hollywood, and Warner Bros., at the time and you have a lot of why this movie, whatever its flaws, is still completely absorbing. Well worth watching.

This is a great film about an Ex-Gi named Nick Blake, (John Garfield) who goes back to New York City and gets back with his gal, Toni Blackburn, (Faye Emerson) who is a very attractive blonde gal. Nick soon finds out that the $50,000 dollars he gave her is gone and was given to her new boyfriend. Nick manages to get his money back and heads to Los Angeles and starts his con-artist career all over again. Nick travels with his sidekick, Al Doyle, (George Tobias) who is his bodyguard and good friend. Nick meets up with an old buddy of his named Pop Gruber, (Walter Brennan) who tells him about a very rich woman who is a widow and named Gladys Halvorsen, (Geraldine Fitzgerald). Gladys has a fortune of 2 million dollars and Nick decides to become much closer to this gal. This is when the story gets very involved and you will never be able to figure out how this film will end. Faye Emerson was the wife of famous band leader, Skitch Henderson in real life and she gave a great supporting role. Enjoyed the great acting by veteran actor Walter Brennan and last but least, John Garfield.

Home from service in World War II, roughly handsome hotshot gambler John Garfield (as Nick Blake) tries to reconnect with sexy blonde Faye Emerson (as Toni Blackburn), but learns she's used up his dough, and hooked up with another stud. Discouraged, he moves to Los Angeles, with fawning companion George Tobias (as Al Doyle). There, con artists Walter Brennan (as Pop Gruber) and George Coulouris (as Doc Ganson) persuade Mr. Garfield to bilk $2,000,000 out of wealthy widow Geraldine Fitzgerald (as Gladys Halvorsen). "She's a dish," says Tobias, and Garfield proceeds predictably...

Probably due to its release amid so many other great Garfield films, "Nobody Lives Forever" seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle. It labors somewhat, during the last act, as the production seeks to take full advantage of a moody setting. Still, this is an excellent "film noir" from the forties. A perfect lead, Garfield is magnetically smooth. He receives great assist from Jean Negulesco's stylishly hiccuping direction, Adolph Deutsch's sweet musical score, Arthur Edeson's black-and-white camera, and the usual suspects at Warner Bros. And, the players breathe some nuance into W.R. Burnett's fine script.

******* Nobody Lives Forever (11/1/46) Jean Negulesco ~ John Garfield, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Walter Brennan, Faye Emerson

This is certainly not one of John Garfield's more famous films and it's very possible you have never heard of it or seen it. It is about a con man who finds a rich woman who he intends to swindle. And, due to his smooth and effortless way of lying and ingratiating himself, she soon falls head over heels for the rat! However, despite his supposed heart of stone, he finds that he really does care for the woman and can't bring himself to hurt her. This is a serious problem, as Garfield's cohorts are definitely NOT nice people and he knows they will kill him if he double-crosses them.

This film is a satisfying mix of romance and film noir that deserves a chance.

The first half sets up a promising noir as returning vet and con-man Nick Blake (Garfield) deals with double-crossing sweetie Toni (Emerson) and a civilian life changed by the war. To get better bearings, he relocates to the coast of Southern California, whose miles of sun- drenched, sandy beaches looks like an advertisement for the big post-war migration that was to follow. There he's persuaded to take up his old ways by fleecing a trusting rich widow played by Fitzgerald, only he gets more than he bargained for.

It's a well thought out screenplay (WR Burnett) that provides plausible motivation for most of the many twists and turns-- except for the sultry Toni's sudden presence in California, a padded segment that perhaps justifies the actress's featured billing. The young, ruggedly handsome Garfield is excellent, as usual, and makes a persuasive con artist. Ditto Fitzgerald, whose sweetly innocent beauty could turn any man's head, including Nick's. But especially good is George Tobias in a questionable role for noir of comic relief-- he manages to be both mildly amusing and convincingly tough as Nick's loyal henchman. And, of course, there's the great Walter Brennan as aging con-man with heart, Pop Gruber. Note also the atmospheric dive where Pop hangs out, with its clamorous clientele and a barkeep who really looks like he could handle them— director Negulesco knows how to stock an effective background.

The movie contains many elements of noir, as well as the fine cast. Despite these positive elements, Negulesco's slow, deliberate pacing is more consistent with a romantic or psychological approach than with a crime drama. Consider, the final sequence on the pier and how slow and drawn-out the action is, even draining away some of the intended suspense. Ditto the agonizing wait in the coffee shop—it's colorful with the counterman, but over-done, nevertheless. I agree with reviewers who think the movie ends up straddling several movie categories, without excelling at any. In my little book, the result comes across smoothly, but doesn't combine its parts into anything more memorable than a generally entertaining studio product.

John Garfield & Geraldine Fitzgerald star in this light film noir involving a courtship, a con game & a man trying to get out of the racket from 1946. Garfield has returned from his stint in WWII only to run into his old con artist friends who concoct a ploy for him to woo the pants off some well off dame & then make off w/her fortune. Not as gritty as most noirs are expected to be w/the turnabout of our hero's intentions ultimately letting the air out of this yarn's forward motion but to see Garfield in action (he would die at the age of 39 due to a premature heart attack) is enough to get this film under one's belt. Look for Walter Brennan (kind of odd seeing him in a modern setting rather than in Westerns where he would spend nearly his whole career in) as one of Garfield's crew.

A very usual plot covers this story. A manipulator wants to fleece a wealthy widow but falls for her instead. The problem is that he had made previous commitments with other hoods to take this woman for a ride.

John Garfield is perfect as Nick. He falls for Mrs.Halverson, a wonderful Geraldine Fitzgerald.

The gang is in top form with Walter Brennan as Pop, George Coulouris'Doc is excellent. By the way, for a hood Coulouris speaks very well and in fact sounds like a very educated person in some scenes. George Tobias really provides some comic relief, but in a straight role as Nick's sidekick.

You wonder why the Fitzgerald character can't fall in love with her financial adviser, nicely played by Richard Gaines. The two seem to be a perfect match but I guess there would be no story if that occurred.

Faye Emerson is the dame that Nick had previously hooked up with. She is a real hot number here. Few realize that in real life she had been married to Eliot Roosevelt, FDR's son.

Nobody Lives Forever finds John Garfield as a former Broadway sharpie just discharged from Uncle Sam's Army and sort of at loose ends. He's not sure what he wants to do with himself. Personally I'm kind of surprised he's not taking advantage of the benefits of GI Bill if he's interested in starting over. That's one of the weaknesses of the film.

In the meantime his girlfriend, nightclub singer Faye Emerson has given John the air and taken his money and invested it with her new boy friend Robert Shayne in a nightclub. Disgusted with the way she's two timed him, Garfield and pal George Tobias leave New York and head for the west coast and Los Angeles.

They run into another old time con man Walter Brennan who's now barely scratching a living, but who's heard of big score in the making involving taking recent wealthy widow Geraldine Fitzgerald. The idea is that of another grifter George Coulouris who has no scruples at all about doing what has to be done, but he hasn't got the technique to romance Fitzgerald. That's where Garfield comes in.

Of course he falls for the mark and I think you can see where the rest of this is going. It's not a bad story, but has a few glitches in the script. For one thing when Emerson is reintroduced coming west herself later and setting her to be the one to rat out Garfield's change of heart to the rest, it's clumsily done. Secondly again, not a mention of the GI bill for a returning veteran looking to reinvent himself.

Garfield does make an appealing con man with a conscience and between Fitzgerald and Emerson he was certainly doing all right. Best performance in the film is that of Walter Brennan and given the wide divergence in their politics between Garfield and Brennan, it must have been an interesting set.

Nobody Lives Forever is all right, but it had the potential to be so much better.

I'm a big fan of John Garfield and in this starring vehicle, even if it is almost a conventional noir thriller, with his dash and brio he helps elevate it to a higher level.

He plays a conman named Nick Blake whose modus operandum appears to be romancing gullible females out of their fortunes. As we join the action, he's just been demobbed from the army and returned to New York to claim his share of a night-club investment as well as, so he thinks, the affections of his old girl-friend. As it happens both try to do the dirty on him, but our hero comes away better off, not only having ditched the double-crossing dame but also collected on his debt, with interest.

So he moves out to L. A. where he and his sidekick-chum hook up with an ex-accomplice, Walter Brennan's old-timer. Nick wants to kick back in some luxury and decide his next move and soon enough is lured by another ex-contact, this time an unfriendly one, George Coulouris's Doc, into schmoozing a displaced rich young widow, Geraldine Fitzgerald out of her fortune. Only Nick has the looks and charm to pull off the con but naturally it starts to unravel and thieves fall out when Garfield and Fitzgerald start to fall for each other...

Directed with some panache by Jean Negulescu before he made his soft-soap romances of the 50's, it all climaxes in a darkened beach-house, naturally in the rain. Garfield drives the film with his energy and personality and gets good support especially from the wizened old Brennan and Fitzgerald as the love interest.

Even if not the very pick of his filmography, this is still a very watchable feature and in the compromised, conflicted Blake character, there's ample demonstration of the considerable charisma and charm it seemed to me Garfield brought to most of his movies.

Good early film from director Jean Negulesco, made well before he went all "Three Coins In A Fountain" on us with gloppy, sloppy Technicolor sentimentality. This noir, by contrast, is, of course, in glorious black and white, set in Los Angeles, not Rome, and featuring, in place of true love triumphing at the end, a properly ambiguous denouement wherein the two lovers, standing on a damp, foggy pier in what looks to be Huntngton Beach, muse on such unromantic subjects as, per the film's title, mortality, as well as fate, and while they are talking an old man is dying of gunshot wounds behind them in the bait and tackle shop. Take that, Technicolor!

Also contributing to the film's overall quality is a fine screenplay by W. R. Burnett with sharp, intelligent dialogue that gives us insight into the personalities of several different kinds of con artists as well as a vulnerable widow. And playing these characters is a fine assortment of 40s actors led by John Garfield as the remorseful gigolo and who is ably supported by Geraldine Fitzgerald, an actor I always felt was most under rated, as the widow, Walter Brennan at his best as a seedy, carny type of crook, George Colouris ,of "Citizen Kane" fame, as an aging, resentful gigolo, and Faye Emerson (kind of a poor man's Liz Scott) as the generic bad girl.

So why not a 9 or a 10? Well, the use of backlots instead of location shooting, relatively easy to do when you're filming in LA, struck me as kinda cheesy and the last third of the film sort of gets lost in the plot twists with un necessary stuff set in a diner and a fairly lackluster final shootout on the above mentioned pier that shows that Negulesco was better with mood than he was with action. Give it a B.

Garfield is good with the ladies and uses this talent for his scams.

But when he falls in love with his next intended victim, he wants out, much to the dismay of some of his partners.

Garfield is a somewhat lesser known actor from the old days, but he is often very strong in playing the hot-tempered bad boy with a heart of gold.

I never knew Geraldine Fitzgerald as an actress at all, but she is a lovely character and does a good job here.

The rest of the supporting cast are also well cast, with two in particular standing out, Doc and POP.

In short, a fine, entertaining crime story with a descent plot.

Somewhat Underrated Film-Noir, a Solid Entry, but Not as Cynical or Downbeat as the Best of Pure Noir, but contains a goodly amount of Bad Behavior and Shady Characters.

John Garfield Leads an Outstanding WB Cast with Walter Brennan showing an enormous Range here as an Intelligent, Loyal, Friend of Con-Man Garfield.

The Females are in direct Contrast to each other. Faye Emerson as the Unfaithful and Evil Toni, is Nasty and Unfeeling. Geraldine Fitzgerald as the "Mark", a Widowed Millionaire, Naive, Saintly, and as Warm and Cuddly as a Puppy.

The Strong Script from W.B. Burnett has some Gripping Wordplay with Gangster Grit. "You bring out a gun and I'm going to make you eat it.", Garfield tells George Coulouris as a Sunken Eyed and Bitter Crook on the Skids. He looks like and Acts like a Drug Addict. Maybe that's why His Nickname is Doc.

An almost Spiritual Scene in an Old Mission where Garfield has His Epiphany is Outstanding and Profound. There's Plenty of Mood and Shadowy and Sleazy Sets Populated with Low-Brow, Low-Income Regular Folks and Dregs. The Ending may be Elongated a bit but adds a Damp, Dock-Side Atmosphere to the Conclusion.

Overall, an Overlooked Film that is Rich and Rewarding for Fans of Film-Noir, Garfield, WB Gangster Movies, and Anyone Interested in the Post-War Milieu.

Great noir with a nice heavy is suspenseful from beginning to end. Garfield does one of his best, and most believable films without the corn contained in a few of his other efforts. This one is pretty much serious in the vein of Air Force (another of Garfield's good efforts). The ultimate decision of either carrying off a great scam, or going straight is fairly well detected in advance, but how it is executed is another thing altogether. Good noir.

Returning vet Nick Blake comes back from the war to New York to claim his sizable fortune held onto by main squeeze, lounge singer Toni (Faye Emerson). She's double crossed him however and he has to beat it out of her new boyfriend to get it back. He along with a sidekick then light out for LA where they run into old associate Pop Gruber. Gruber to his regret gets Nick involved in a scam with Doc Gabson to charm a rich socialite Gladys Halverson out of her sizable fortune. Nick and Gabson quarrel over the intended split and the down on his luck Doc is forced to accept the terms. Matters then become complicated when Nick falls for Gladys and wants out of the scheme. Using his own cash he attempts to pay off the gang members but Doc who has been nursing a grudge with Nick kidnaps Gladys and makes exorbitant demands.

Nobody Lives Forever is a rather tame and dull genre piece that starts fast but slowly loses steam before crawling to its suspense drained finish. Director Jean Neglusco establishes the character of Nick and his New York situation quickly and economically with rapid editing and subtle inference fleshing out his background. Once in LA things slow measurably as the con job morphs into romance for Nick and the conflict with Gabson warms up.

John Garfield is effective as the returning GI hardened but not totally disillusioned by what he's witnessed. Geraldine Fitzgerald's Gladys is impassionate and too detached to the danger around her. George Coulouris' Doc Gabson is the film's most interesting character. A petty, jealous has been of a crook relegated to working with two comically inept flunkies he laments the loss of his salad days and shows resentment for all around him with venal flare.

Neglusco never lets this noir get too dark as he plays it safe most of the way with the romantic angle and lighthearted humor that dilutes the drama . Combined with its erratic pacing that makes a shambles of the film's climactic moment Nobody Lives Forever washes out in all directions.

John Garfield gets out of the army. His hand is a bit stiff, but he's anxious to get back to work and Faye Emerson. She's been holding his fifty Gs and running his nightclub. Only she claims she's lost it all. After he forces it out of her new man, Robert Shayne, he and pal George Tobias head up to Saratoga. Then Walter Brennan calls with work in his line. There's a rich widow in California worth a couple of million. Garfield doesn't like the fellows who did the research, but he figures he can clip her and rich, dull boyfriend Richard Gaines for a hundred thousand dollars or more, and keep two thirds of it. But the widow turns out to be Geraldine Fitzgerald, and Garfield finds himself actually in love.

The ending is a bit rushed, but it's a solid script by W. R. Burnett, well directed by Jean Negulesco - there's a lovely sequence in Mission San Juan Capistrano. It's also a lesson in how actors indicated things during the Code; George Coulouris is clearly a junkie. This one sat on the shelf for a couple of years, but I think it was because Warners was trying to get through all the war movies while there was still a little interest in them.

This noir starts with Ex-GI Nick Blake being released from a military hospital and hooking up with his old friend Al. Together they check on his girl, Toni, who has stolen his money, his apartment, his club and hooked up with a new man! So Nick and Al head to California for a little rest and relaxation. They aren't there very long before an old colleague named Doc approaches them with a new job opportunity...it is right up Nick's alley too. There is a wealthy widow who would be the perfect mark named Gladys.

The reason this doesn't work for me is it drags on and I don't buy that Nick really falls in love with Gladys, and then when it finally falls apart (the con that is)...it's 3/4 of the way through the film and only then does it start to feel like a film noir. Oh! And I am not wild about John Garfield, who plays the main character Nick Blake. I did enjoy some of the "California" footage...but otherwise can't recommend too much about this film noir.