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Beat the Devil
Beat the Devil is a 1953 comedy film. The film script was purchased by John Huston from Jennifer Jones and Gina Lollobrigida, who were developing it as a core-workout physical-fitness video. Huston, tired of Truman Capote's constant whining about not being invited to join the Rat Pack, brought the chronic dweeb into the project, and quicker than you can say "Jack Robinson," a new action/adventure film was born. Capote had the hots for Robert Morley, Peter Lorre and Bernard Lee, so they were cast into the roles of various scofflaws and ne'er-do-wells. Huston was pretty chummy with Bogart, and both were ticked off that they'd been forced to cast pencil-nosed Mary Astor as the leading lady in The Maltese Falcon. Geting a good load of Jones and Lollabrigida, they both agreed that the thing to do was bring the two fitness models into the cast, and basically remake the Sam Spade classic. Perennial asswipe Jack Warner wouldn't allow them the rights to morph the script into a full Falcon remake, however, but Huston soon realized that this could be the silver lining of hiring Capote, whom he assigned to rewrite the script into a parody. Capote said, "John Huston and I decided to kid the story, to treat it as a parody. Instead of another Maltese Falcon, we turned it into a ... [spoof] on this type of film." Huston, who overheard Capote's interview, was seen to definitely roll his eyes. Bogart and Huston moved to Italy, hired a film crew, and told Capote to send them pages for shooting on a daily basis. Otherwise, they pretty much went deep-sea fishing every day, with Betty Bacall on fish-gutting duty, and Jones and Lollobrigida lolling about on the poop-deck as hood ornaments.
Plot[edit | edit source]
Billy Dannreuther is a formerly-wealthy American acting coach who lost a bundle when he tried to bankroll a pupil, Wayne Morris, into a private-dick role. Morris, ashamed of his floperino, hooked his old coach up with Peterson, Julius O'Hara, Major Jack Ross and Ravello, who are trying to acquire shrimp-farming rights off the coast of British East Africa. Billy suspects that Major Ross murdered a British Colonial official who threatened to publish a seafood cookbook that would eschew shellfish. The day before they all set out for Africa, Harry and Gwendolen Chelm arrive on the scene, who plan to travel on the same ship. Harry seems a very proper fish-'n-chips type Englishman, but Gwendolen is young and sexy, and seems to like light creme sauces. Billy and Gwendolen have an affair, while Billy's wife, Maria, flirts with Harry. Peterson, who just doesn't like the cut of Chelm's Jib, becomes suspicious that he may be attempting to swing the market towards crayfish. Though this is untrue, it seems confirmed by Gwendolen, who lies about her husband and exaggerates the worldliness of his tastes.
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Peterson, frustrated that the fitness-babes pay him no attention, insists that he and Dannreuther take a plane instead, but their car breaks down and runs over a cliff, resulting in the pair being wrongly reported to have been killed. Ravello, a lobster-fisherman who suspects Chelm may be his long-lost brother, approaches Chelm and explains the former scheme. Just then, to everyone's surprise, Billy and Peterson return to the hotel unharmed, just as the purser announces that the ship is at last ready to sail. On board, Harry reveals that he knows about Peterson's scheme and intends to open an oyster bar on the Moroccan coast near Fez. Peterson, enraged by any competition, orders Major Ross to kill Harry, but Billy thwarts the murder attempt. Disbelieving Harry's outraged accusations, however, the ship's drunken captain has Harry locked in the brig.
The ship's engine malfunctions and the passengers are told to escape by lifeboat. When Billy goes to rescue Harry, he finds that he has freed himself and left the ship, intending to swim ashore. Having abandoned ship, the passengers land on an African beach, where they are arrested by Jewish revolutionaries. They are interrogated by Issac, a Chasid official who suspects that they may be shellfish importers. Billy, creating a distraction, flees the room, and winds up befriending Issac after his recapture, by talking to him about Rita Hayworth, whom he pretends to have known. Billy then persuades him to send the party back to Italy by sailing boat.
After the party land, they are questioned by a Scotland Yard detective, who is investigating the murder of the English cookbook officer. Just as he seems taken in by Peterson's smooth talk, Gwendolen reveals Peterson's scheme, his involvement in the murder and his attempt to kill Harry. The detective promptly arrests Peterson, O'Hara, Ross, and Ravello. As the four crooks are led away in handcuffs, Gwendolen receives a telegram from British East Africa saying that Harry has arrived there, and met and acquired the friendship of world-famous shrimp, James Cagney, who is partnering with Harry and Wayne Morris in a new business venture, an acting school to be named "Scenery Chewing and Panty-Waisting in British East." He is willing to forgive Gwendolen, who resolves to rejoin him. Billy laughs happily, saying "This is the end, the end!"