Too Late Blues (1961)

Director:

John Cassavetes

Writers:

Richard Carr (writer)
John Cassavetes (writer)

Release Date:

28 March 1962 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The Bold Story Of A Man Caught Between Two Strange Loves!

Plot:

Ghost is an idealogical musician who would rather play his blues in the park to the birds that compromise himself...

Plot Keywords:

Jazz | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Bobby Darin	...	John 'Ghost' Wakefield
Stella Stevens	...	Jess Polanski
Everett Chambers	...	Benny Flowers
Nick Dennis	...	Nick
Vince Edwards	...	Tommy
Val Avery	...	Frielobe
Marilyn Clark	...	Countess
James Joyce	...	Reno
Rupert Crosse	...	Baby Jackson
Cliff Carnell	...	Charlie, the saxophonist
Richard Chambers	...	Pete, the trumpeter
Seymour Cassel	...	Red, the bassist
Dan Stafford	...	Shelley, the drummer

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Allyson Ames's first film.

Desperately deserving of a decent DVD release

This is a very good jazz film, bringing the whole era to life, thanks to some superb acting by Bobby Darin (thank you thank you Montgomery Clift for backing out at the last minute) and the stunning Stella Stevens (why was she not a major star?). It certainly is not "the best jazz film ever" as some critics have said - "Round Midnight" and "Bird" are infinitely better films. But it's a quirky one, nonetheless. Darin plays jazz pianist and bandleader Ghost Wakefield (was that not also a make of aeroplane?), who is highly idealistic and loves a mellow, instrumental type of jazz. He falls for floozy Jess Polanski (Stevens) and ends up having to decide whether to continue to play on bandstands to empty parks (save for the birds), and old people's homes and orphanages, or compromise his type of jazz and play instead a more commercial type blues. He clearly makes the wrong decision. The hardest thing about this film for me was that I actually prefer the blues-type jazz he was shunning, as will probably most of the audience of this film, but that is irrelevant to our enjoyment of this film: "Too Late Blues" is a film about a stubborn man who is always "too late", because of his abject stubbornness. But there's more to his character than that: he cuts a rather pathetic and therefore lifelike character throughout, but ultimately his stubbornness is so infuriating that we cannot help but sympathise with the other bandmembers, and Jess, more than with the hero (Ghost). Is this a failure in this film? Perhaps it is. Which is why I cannot agree that it is the best jazz film ever. It is certainly a good one, though; although there could certainly have been a little more music in it. And certainly more of Stella Stevens's singing - if indeed that is her voice ("Girls! Girls! Girls!" is normally credited with being the first film in which Stella Stevens sings, which was the following year....) "Too Late Blues" deserves a decent DVD release ASAP - perhaps with a Stella Stevens commentary. Hope you're reading this, Paramount!