No Orchids for Miss Blandish (film)

No Orchids for Miss Blandish (US re-release title Black Dice) is a 1948 British

Miss Blandish (Linden Travers), a sheltered heiress, is targeted for a simple robbery by a cheap thug who ultimately involves two groups of rival gangsters, their goal being her diamond jewelry worth $100,000. The robbery is botched when Riley (Richard Nielson) kills her bridegroom, Foster Harvey after Harvey had just knocked down Riley, dislodging his gun. Bailey then knocks out Miss Blandish. While Bailey and Riley put Miss Blandish into the car, Johnny picks up Riley's discarded gun, shooting Riley dead. Bailey shoots Johnny dead from his driver's seat. Bailey drives away with Miss Blandish, leaving two dead bodies in his wake. Bailey meets up with two members of the Grisson gang. The three would-be robbers decide to kidnap Miss Blandish for ransom instead (her father is worth $100 million).

The three original kidnappers are killed, and Blandish ends up the captive of the Grisson gang. Her father puts a private detective on the case. The Grisson gang, led by Ma Grisson (Lilli Molnar), intends to collect the ransom and kill Blandish rather than take the risk of releasing her. Meanwhile, Slim Grisson (Jack La Rue) and Blandish fall in love and plan on running off together.

Blandish sends the diamonds to her father with a note saying she is in love with Slim, but he refuses to believe it. Ma Grisson is shot by rival gangsters when she cannot get Slim to the phone. The police surround the cabin where Slim and Miss Blandish are holed up and gun Slim down, "rescuing" the kidnap victim and returning her safely home. She throws herself from her balcony over the loss of Slim.

Cast

• Jack La Rue as Slim Grisson
  • Gene D. Phillips of
    Loyola University of Chicago wrote he was "modeled after Popeye" of the William Faulkner novel Sanctuary.^[5] La Rue previously played Trigger, the equivalent of Popeye in The Story of Temple Drake.^[5]
• Hugh McDermott as Dave Fenner
• Linden Travers as Miss Blandish
• Walter Crisham as Eddie Schultz
• MacDonald Parke as Doc
• Danny Green as Flyn
• Lilli Molnar as Ma Grisson
• Charles Goldner as Louis, Headwaiter
• Zoe Gail as Margo
• Leslie Bradley as Ted Bailey
• Richard Neilson as Riley
• Frances Marsden as Anna Borg
• Michael Balfour as Barney
• Bill O'Connor as Johnny
• John McLaren as Foster Harvey

Production

Phillips wrote that "It is a matter of record that [the source novel] was heavily indebted to Sanctuary for its plot line."^[6]

Jane Russell was sought for the leading role.^[7] The part was eventually played by Linden Travers.

The film was meant to be the first of eight films shot in Britain that were set in America. James Minter was the executive behind the idea.^[8]

Censorship

The British Board of Film Censors requested that a 45-second kiss be reduced to 20 seconds. They also requested a scene be reshot where a character was beaten to death, which cost the producers GBP £3,000.^[9]

Reception

The film caused enormous controversy upon its release, because of the high levels of violence that had got past the British film censors. Though made with a largely British cast, it was set in New York, with the actors often struggling with their American accents.^[10]

No Orchids for Miss Blandish received strong criticism for its treatment of violence and sexuality.

Later critics have been equally dismissive, though for different reasons. Leslie Halliwell described No Orchids for Miss Blandish as a "hilariously awful gangster film...one of the worst films ever made".^[13] Leonard Maltin in Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide states No Orchids for Miss Blandish "aspires to be a Hollywood film noir and misses by a mile".^[17]

A number of cinemas refused to show the film.^[18]

The film broke box office records in Britain in territories where it was not banned.^[19]

Other versions

Another film based on the novel is The Grissom Gang by Robert Aldrich (1971).

See also

• List of films considered the worst

References