Jefty Robbins (Richard Widmark), owner of a popular road house, hires a sulky chanteuse named Lily (Ida Lupino), clearly to entertain him as well as his customers. Jefty's manager and best friend Pete (Cornel Wilde) is reluctant to add yet another of “Jefty's girls” to the payroll, but is told in no uncertain terms, "this one is different." This creates instant mutual hostility between him and Lily. But when she actually does make a big hit with the customers, repulsion turns to mutual attraction, and the two fall in love. Jefty is enraged and devises a maniacal plan of revenge. First he frames Pete and gets him convicted of grand theft. Then he convinces the judge to parole Pete into his custody. Finally, Jefty engineers a series of sadistic mind games, pushing the lovers to the breaking point, which naturally leads to a noir-style movie climax. All three actors are terrific, and Lupino, who went on to become one of filmdom's first female film directors (she directed, among others, the nour classic THE HITCH-HIKER), sings passably, and looks a whole lot better than passable!
ROAD HOUSE (1948)
Jefty Robbins (Richard Widmark), owner of a popular road house, hires a sulky chanteuse named Lily (Ida Lupino), clearly to entertain him as well as his customers. Jefty's manager and best friend Pete (Cornel Wilde) is reluctant to add yet another of “Jefty's girls” to the payroll, but is told in no uncertain terms, "this one is different." This creates instant mutual hostility between him and Lily. But when she actually does make a big hit with the customers, repulsion turns to mutual attraction, and the two fall in love. Jefty is enraged and devises a maniacal plan of revenge. First he frames Pete and gets him convicted of grand theft. Then he convinces the judge to parole Pete into his custody. Finally, Jefty engineers a series of sadistic mind games, pushing the lovers to the breaking point, which naturally leads to a noir-style movie climax. All three actors are terrific, and Lupino, who went on to become one of filmdom's first female film directors (she directed, among others, the nour classic THE HITCH-HIKER), sings passably, and looks a whole lot better than passable!
