Mystery History - Sterling Hayden

It's the birthday of Sterling Hayden, born March 26, 1916 in Montclair, New Jersey. He gained his fame as an actor in westerns and dark film noir roles. But he also wrote a novel with a nautical theme that reflected his love of the sea. He once said he acted just to pay the bills so he could sail. Yet he appeared in some of the greatest heist movies of the 20th century. His own larger than life adventures would have made a first rate adventure film.

Sailing was his first love. He dropped out of school to sign aboard a ship as a teen. By the time he was 22 years old he had sailed around the world several times and served as captain on a trip to Tahiti.

His good looks and 6' 5'' frame helped him get a contract with Paramount Pictures. He appeared in a couple of pictures, but when World War II broke out, he joined the Marines. His knowledge of sailing made him invaluable to the OSS (the precursor to the CIA), which used him to run arms to Yugoslavian partisans fighting the Nazis. As an undercover agent, he set up rescue teams for allied pilots in enemy territory, actions that would have earned him a German firing squad had he been caught. Instead he earned several commendations, including the Silver Star.

After the war he returned to Hollywood and made some of the most memorable films of the postwar era, including The Killing, Crime of Passion, The Asphalt Jungle, and Dr. Strangelove. But he always returned to the sea.

He published two books, an autobiography (Wanderer) and a novel (Voyage). Both were well received by critics and the public. One man, Jim Beaver, even credited Hayden's autobiography with changing his life as a writer and actor. And that's something to write about.

"I've always wanted to sail to the south seas, but I can't afford it." What these men can't afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of 'security.' And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine - and before we know it our lives are gone."

- Sterling Hayden

Mystery History - The Asphalt Jungle

It was on May 23, 1950 that American moviegoers got their first glimpse of The Asphalt Jungle. Based on the novel by W. R. Burnett, it tells the story of a criminal mastermind who assembles a team of second-class hoods to pull off a fabulous jewel heist. It featured a cast of top notch talent, including Marilyn Monroe in her first film role, though it was a minor one, as the mistress of slimy attorney Alonzo Emmerich. Sterling Hayden played Dix Handley, a muscle man. James Whitmore, his friend and co-conspirator, played Gus.

Sam Jaffe portrayed the recently released Erwin Riedenschneider (referred affectionately to in the movie as "Doc" by his associates). He's the mastermind with the plans for the jeweler they intend to rob of a million dollars in precious gems. He brags that he could "sell the plans on the open market for a hundred thousand dollars" but he prefers to execute it himself, so he can get a bigger take (spoken like a true capitalist).

All of the men have hit rough patches in their lives and hope this final heist will be their way out of the criminal life. Dix is even hoping to use his share of the loot to buy back his family farm so he can retire and raise horses among the blue grass of Kentucky. This is the dark side of the American Dream.

The planning before the heist is brilliant and every attention is given to detail. Doc and his bookie financier, Cobby, even conduct interviews for the men they will need, as if they were part of a corporation. They need a safe-cracker, a getaway driver, and a strong arm man (a hooligan). This is the kind of planning most criminals can't be bothered with anymore. Criminals today just aren't the men their fathers were...hard working, organized men who take a professional pride in their work.

Yet despite being led by the best in the business, things start to go wrong. Even though they pull off the caper, one of the gang is shot while escaping. A crooked policeman is hot on their trail and may turn legit by arresting one of the gang just to save his job. And worst of all the lawyer who has arranged to fence the jewels is planning to double cross them and keep the haul for himself. One by one, the gang fall victim to greed, betrayal or bad luck. Even Doc is betrayed by his own weaknesses when he is spotted in a restaurant by two policeman when he lingers too long while watching a pretty girl dance to a jukebox.

The brilliant John Huston directed the film and it was nominated for four academy awards, including Best Director, though it lost. The film's realistic look at the criminal underworld and dark vision have come to define film noir and set a high standard for the pictures that followed. Few movies have surpassed it in the genre.