The Petrified Forest

Warner Home Video continues its series of catalog DVD releases with The Pertrified Forest (1936), available both singly and as part of The Warner Bros. Gangsters Collection box set. A glance at the other titles in that set (Little Caesar (1930), The Public Enemy (1931), Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), The Roaring Twenties (1939), White Heat (1949)), raises a fair question: is The Pertrified Forest a gangster movie? Upon consideration, it would seem to be odd-man-out of the group. First, while the other five movies in the set all retain a classic urban setting and contain numerous scenes of shootouts, drive-bys, and elaborate servings of justice, The Pertrified Forest, by contrast, is adapted from a high-minded stage production (by Robert E. Sherwood) and features outlaws only as part of a larger societal assemblage, meant to serve as a microcosm. Set in a remote desert location, the story features Romantic leads (with a capital "R") who ponder weighty issues of society and humanity. In fact, the movie has more in common with a "social problem" film like William Wyler's Dead End (1937). All that said, can anyone name the gangster that Humphrey Bogart plays in Dead End? In The Pertrified Forest Bogart is Duke Mantee, one of the most unforgettable gangster portrayals of the era, and a famous star-making role for the actor, then struggling to make a name for himself after years of small parts on the stage and screen. All of the characters in the Sherwood story discuss the criminal psychology of Mantee, even when he is offscreen. Bogart's menace is palpable and this aspect of the production alone qualifies The Pertrified Forest as one of the most important Gangster films of the 1930s. The film opens in the Arizona Desert, as we meet the staff of a combined gas station/diner: WWI veteran Jason Maple (Porter Hall), his daughter Gabby (Bette Davis), her Gramp (Charley Grapewin), and handyman Boze (Dick Foran). As is more than implied, all of the men in this group are, if not "petrified," at least stuck re-living their past glories as war hero, football star, and local settler. Only Gabby looks ahead and wishes to leave the barren desert for a rich and artistic life abroad. Various outsiders come to the diner: Alan Squire (Leslie Howard) is a European intellectual, self-aware to the point of self-parody. He is wandering the country by foot, and while he is quick to label those around him, he exhibits great charm while doing so. Squire admires Gabby's optimism and cultured enthusiasm (she paints and reads poetry). A high society couple named Chisolm (Genevieve Tobin and Paul Harvey), along with their chauffer Joseph (John Alexander), are taken hostage by notorious gangster Duke Mantee and his gang, on the lam from Oklahoma. Everyone ends up back at the Black Mesa Bar-B-Q, where Mantee controls the situation, but not all of the emotions on display. There is plenty of interesting back story to the production of The Pertrified Forest, which is dealt with at length in the DVD extras. A 15m. featurette called The Petrified Forest: Menace in the Desert and the audio commentary by Bogart biographer Eric Lax both emphasize the crucial part the role of Mantee played in the career of Humphrey Bogart. It seems Warner Bros. signed Howard and Bogart to reprise their roles from Robert E. Sherwood's Broadway play, but while Bogart was en route to California, resident studio tough-guy Edward G. Robinson was given the script to look over. Robinson was being paid for three films a year by Warners whether they were made or not, and he was overdue for a role. Robinson liked the script and was initially enthusiastic. He reconsidered, however, when he realized that the studio planned to tout the Howard-Davis teaming in their publicity. The Robinson angle became a moot point when Howard caught wind of the notion and famously threatened to walk off the project if Bogart was not given the role. Bogart was paid (as a freelancer) $750 a week with a three week guarantee, or about the same as his initial Warner Bros. salary four years earlier. He brought his Broadway wardrobe West to revive his faux-Dillinger look as Duke Mantee. The results, of course, proved to be as sensational as the stage production had been, and resulted in a long-term contract with Warners. The DVD commentary and featurette also highlight the importance of Leslie Howard to the project. Howard wielded power as one of the producers of the Sherwood play, and of course in 1936 he was a major star both in America and Britain. As is not lost on the commentators of this DVD, there is irony in the fact that the type of movie stardom that Bogart would soon represent almost completely supplanted the cultured European leading man image that Howard exemplified. As for Bettie Davis, she had gotten the best notices of her career to that point while teamed with Howard for a prestigious production of W. Somerset Maugham's Of Human Bondage (1934). That film was done on loan-out to RKO Pictures, so Warner Bros. was more than happy to capitalize on the re-teaming of the pair for a home-grown project. (They were reunited for the third and final time in the WB romantic comedy It's Love I'm After (1937), also directed by Archie Mayo). The transfer quality on the main feature is excellent, although there are some problems on the source print, namely slight grain and a few stray lines near what would have been reel changes. The audio contains some crackles but the dialogue is crystal clear, and is a further indication that some of the best restoration being routinely performed today is in this area. Like the other DVDs in the Warner Bros. Gangsters Collection, The Pertrified Forest can be viewed as part of a Leonard Maltin-introduced "Warner Night at the Movies." This entertaining program includes a generous sampling of other 1936 fare, including the trailer for Bullets or Ballots, one of the first films Bogart made under his new post-Petrified Forest contract with Warners (ironically in support of Edward G. Robinson); a Vitaphone musical short called Rhythmitis, featuring lanky hoofer Hal LeRoy; and Friz Freleng's Coo Coo Nut Grove, a spot-gag cartoon with wall-to-wall movie star-as-animal caricatures. An audio-only bonus is a radio adaptation of The Petrified Forest broadcast in January, 1940 on CBS' Screen Guild Players program. It features Bogart and, in the other lead roles, Joan Bennett and Tyrone Power. For more information about The Petrified Forest, visit Warner Video. To order The Petrified Forest, go to TCM Shopping. by John M. Miller

Six of Warner Bros. greatest classic gangster films - starring Hollywood legends Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney and Edward G. Robinson -- will be available on DVD January 25 for the very first time as the Warner Bros. Pictures Gangsters Collection. The six-disc set from Warner Home Video (WHV) will include The Public Enemy, White Heat, Angels with Dirty Faces, Little Caesar, The Petrified Forest and The Roaring Twenties. For more information, visit The Official Site. All six titles have been fully restored and digitally remastered, and are loaded with special features including historian commentaries and new making-of featurettes. Each disc also contains an exclusive "Warner Night at the Movies" segment. Hosted by Leonard Maltin, each bonus feature recreates moviegoer attractions such as newsreels, comedy shorts, cartoons and trailers from the years each film was released. In addition, The Public Enemy DVD contains several minutes of recovered footage not seen in more than 70 years. Major Hollywood studios in the '30s and '40s were each known for their distinctive styles (MGM for its musicals; Universal for its horror films, etc.). Warner Bros. was best known for firmly establishing the genre of gangster films, which were also noted for their socially conscious themes as well as their simple visual look (low key lighting and sparse sets). Nowhere were these elements more prominent than in the films of the Warner Bros. Pictures Gangsters Collection. "We are thrilled to be finally releasing these highly-demanded films in an exciting new DVD collection," said George Feltenstein, WHV's Senior Vice President Classic Catalog. "These are the films that defined our studio in its early years, and which in turn defined the gangster genre. One only has to recall Jimmy Cagney squashing his grapefruit into Mae Clarke's face (The Public Enemy); Cagney yelling "Made it, Ma! Top o' the world!" (White Heat); or Robinson barking, "This is Rico speaking. Rico! R-I-C-O! Rico! Little Caesar, that's who!" to know that these signature Warner Bros. titles represent the genre's best of the best. These films are truly timeless in their appeal, and we insisted on waiting until full restorations were completed before we would bring them to the discerning DVD marketplace. I trust that all the fans will agree it will have been well worth the wait." Details of The Gangsters Collection Films The Public Enemy (1931) The Public Enemy showcases James Cagney's powerful 1931 breakthrough performance as streetwise tough guy Tom Powers, but only because production chief Darryl F. Zanuck made a late casting change. When shooting began, Cagney had a secondary role but Zanuck soon spotted Cagney's screen dominance and gave him the star part. From that moment, an indelible genre classic and an enduring star career were both born. Bristling with '20s style, dialogue and desperation under the masterful directorial eye of William A. Wellman, this is a virtual time capsule of the Prohibition era: taut, gritty and hard-hitting. Contains several restored scenes (deleted from subsequent reissue versions due to enforcement of the Production code) from the original release version of the film, unseen since 1931. Public Enemy DVD special features include: - Leonard Maltin Hosts Warner Night at the Movies 1931 with Newsreel, Comedy Short "The Eyes Have It," Cartoon "Smile, Darn Ya, Smile" and 1931 Trailer Gallery - New Featurette "Beer and Blood: Enemies of the Public" - Commentary by Film Historian Robert Sklar - 1954 Re-release Foreword White Heat (1949) Playing a psychotic thug, Cody Jarrett, devoted to his hard-boiled "ma," James Cagney gives a performance to match his electrifying work in The Public Enemy. Bracingly directed by Raoul Walsh, this fast-paced thriller tracing Jarrett's violent life in and out of jail is among the most vivid screen performances of Cagney's career, and the excitement it generates will put you on top of the world! White Heat DVD special features include: - Leonard Maltin Hosts Warner Night at the Movies 1949 with Newsreel, Comedy Short "So You Think You¿re Not Guilty," Cartoon "Homeless Hare" and 1949 Trailer Gallery - New Featurette "White Heat: Top of the World" - Commentary by Film Historian Drew Casper Angels With Dirty Faces (1938) Off-screen pals James Cagney and Pat O'Brien team up for the sixth time in this enduring gangster classic nominated for three Academy Awards®. Cagney's Rocky Sullivan is a charismatic tough kid from New York's Hell's Kitchen whose underworld rise makes him a hero to a gang of slum punks. O'Brien is Father Connolly, the boyhood chum-turned-priest who vows to end Rocky's influence. Directed by Michael Curtiz (Casablanca), the film also stars Humphrey Bogart and Ann Sheridan. Cagney's role as Rocky earned him the 1938 New York Film Critics Award for Best Actor along with his first Best Actor Oscar® nomination. Angels With Dirty Faces DVD special features include: - Leonard Maltin Hosts Warner Night at the Movies 1938 with Newsreel, Musical Short "Out Where the Stars Begin," Cartoon "Porky and Daffy" and 1938 Trailer Gallery - New Featurette "Angels with Dirty Faces: Whaddya Hear? Whaddya Say?" - Commentary by Film Historian Dana Polan - Audio-Only Bonus: Radio Production with the Film's 2 Stars Little Caesar (1930) "R-I-C-O, Little Caesar, that's who!" Edward G. Robinson bellowed into the phone and Hollywood got the message. The 37-year-old Robinson, not gifted with matinee-idol looks, was nonetheless a first-class star. Little Caesar is the tale of pugnacious Caesar Enrico Bandello (Robinson), a hoodlum with a Chicago-sized chip on his shoulder, few attachments, fewer friends and no sense of underworld diplomacy. Little Caesar DVD special features include: - Leonard Maltin Hosts Warner Night at the Movies 1930 with Newsreel, Spencer Tracy Short "The Hard Guy," Cartoon "Lady Play Your Mandolin" and 1930/31 Trailer Gallery - New Featurette "Little Caesar: End of Rico, Beginning of the Antihero" - Commentary by Film Historian Richard B. Jewell - 1954 Re-release Foreword The Petrified Forest (1936) A rundown diner bakes in the Arizona heat. Inside, fugitive killer Duke Mantee sweats out a manhunt, holding disillusioned writer Alan Squier, young Gabby Maple and a handful of others hostage. The Petrified Forest, Robert E. Sherwood's 1935 Broadway success about survival of the fittest, hit the screen a year later with Leslie Howard and Humphrey Bogart magnificently recreating their stage roles and Bette Davis ably reteaming with her Of Human Bondage co-star Howard. The film presented Bogart with his first major starring role and helped launch his brilliant movie career. The Petrified Forest DVD special features include: - Leonard Maltin Hosts Warner Night at the Movies 1936 with Newsreel, Musical Short "Rhythmitis," Cartoon "The Coo Coo Nut Grove" and 1936 Trailer Gallery - New Featurette "The Petrified Forest: Menace in the Desert" - Commentary by Bogart Biographer Eric Lax - Audio-Only Bonus: Radio Adaptation Starring Bogart, Tyrone Power and Joan Bennett The Roaring Twenties (1939 The speakeasy era never roared louder than in this gangland chronicle directed by Raoul Walsh (White Heat). Against a backdrop of newsreel-like montages and narration, The Roaring Twenties follows the life of jobless war veteran Eddie Bartlett (James Cagney) who turns bootlegger, dealing in "bottles instead of battles." However, battles await Eddie both inside and out of his growing empire. Outside are territorial feuds and gangland bloodlettings and inside is the treachery of his double-dealing associate George Hally (Humphrey Bogart). The Roaring Twenties DVD special features include: - Leonard Maltin Hosts Warner Night at the Movies 1939 with Newsreel, Musical Short "All Girl Revue," Comedy Short "The Great Library Misery," Cartoon "Thugs with Dirty Mugs" and 1939 Trailer Gallery - New Featurette "The Roaring Twenties: The World Moves on" - Commentary by Film Historian Lincoln Hurst