(1949)
4
Hans J. Wollstein
If you can get past the idea of a fortysomething Joan Crawford playing a carnival kooch dancer, Flamingo Road is a fine, if somewhat humid, soap opera. Like she had in Mildred Pierce (1945), Crawford portrays the ambitious girl from the wrong side of the tracks, a part she could play to perfection by 1949 -- if, that is, the audience is willing to suspend a bit of disbelief. Warner Bros. did what they could to make the obvious age problem less so, hence the appearance of fellow "old-timers" Gertrude Michael and Alice White as Joan's co-workers, but it still strains credulity when Crawford, as one of "the sultan's favorite" belly dancers, attempts to wow 'em on the midway. Crawford isn't the whole show, of course, there is also: Sidney Greenstreet, a fat spider spinning his corrupt web all over town; Zachary Scott, playing the same weak-willed schlemiel he did in Mildred Pierce; and David Brian, a good actor who could hold his own and often did against powerful dames like Joan and Bette Davis.
cast-crew for Flamingo Road on AllMovie
Flamingo Road (1949)
crew
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Ray Heindorf
- Composer (Music Score), Musical Direction/Supervision
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