IT CAME FROM THE BOTTOM SHELF!

Back in Noirvember last year, the boutique home video label ClassicFlix released a new restoration of the 1953 movie adaption of Mickey Spillane’s pulp detective novel, I, the Jury. Their Special Limited Edition 2-disc package was the label’s first foray into the 4K UHD and 3D Blu-ray markets. It was an exceptional home video release, which made my 2022 “Picks of the Year” list. Now ClassicFlix is back with their second 4K UHD release, and it’s another Mickey Spillane adaptation. Let’s see how their Limited Edition, 4K UHD/BD Combo release of The Long Wait (1954) stacks up.

I should state at the outset (as I did with the prior release) that I’m not a fan of Mickey Spillane. I went through a pulp fiction phase in my late teens and early twenties, in which I read all of Raymond Chandler, most of Dashiell Hammett, and a lot of James M. Cain, Jim Thompson, Craig Rice, Norbert Davis, Horace McCoy, Fredric Brown, etc. (all of which I loved). Then I sampled Mickey Spillane, and I found his prose so lousy I couldn’t get through the first chapter of one of his books. It wasn’t the fact that his books were lurid and vulgar that bothered me. I just found that the fragmented way he assembled sentences and paragraphs was (for me) virtually unreadable. That said, I’ve enjoyed the film adaptations of Spillane’s Mike Hammer novels I, the Jury (1953) and Kiss Me Deadly (1955), so I was willing to give The Long Wait a fair shake.

Even though The Long Wait is based on a standalone book that doesn’t feature the character of detective Mike Hammer, I found the movie to be very much of a piece with the movie adaptations of I, the Jury and Kiss Me Deadly. There’s a good reason for that. British producer Victor Saville purchased the rights to several of Spillane novels, and all three films were products of his production company, Parklane Pictures. In addition, the brutish lead character played by Anthony Quinn is not far removed from Mike Hammer (because Spillane didn’t have great range as a writer).

The Long Wait concerns a drifter named Johnny McBride (Quinn) who suffers complete amnesia after a fiery car accident. When an acquaintance spots a photo of the amnesiac in the town of Lyncastle, Johnny travels to the hamlet to investigate his past. Upon arriving, he discovers that he is wanted for murder and the theft of $250,000 from the bank where he used to work. The cops are on Johnny’s case, but they can’t pin the rap on him, because McBride’s fingerprints were burned off in the accident. McBride comes to believe that he is innocent of the crimes, because others, including the local mob boss (played by Sam Fuller regular Gene Evans) and the bank president (Charles Coburn) discourage him from digging too deep. The crux of the solution depends on McBride’s ability to find an old girlfriend, Vera West, who he believes knows what really occurred. Unfortunately, that won’t be easy, because Vera has undergone plastic surgery and is living under an assumed name.

The plot of The Long Wait is absolutely ludicrous, involving a number of tired clichés, such as amnesia, concealment through plastic surgery, and gun silencers — all of which behave differently in the movies than in real life. It also makes no sense that Quinn’s character can unravel the tangled mystery, as his investigative techniques consist mainly of punching whoever is standing in front of him (again, shades of Mike Hammer). However, the silliness of the plot is more of an asset than a detriment. It simply adds to the fun, and the film is fun.

While The Long Wait doesn’t have the 3-D gimmick of Parklane Pictures’ previous Mickey Spillane adaptation, I, the Jury, I found the later film a more enjoyable movie on the whole. Not only is the plot cuckoo bananas; Anthony Quinn is a much more charismatic leading man than Biff Elliot. Best of all, Victor Saville (who directed this film in addition to producing it) makes some interesting directorial choices. The climatic confrontation between Anthony Quinn and Gene Evans is especially well staged. Saville uses a near empty soundstage (probably a cost-cutting measure) and uses four actors, a couple of props, and shafts of light to produce striking geometric compositions. It’s Wellesian (Orson, that is) in the best possible way.

For a film with an innocuous title like The Long Wait (Blanks for the Memory would have been better), this brisk-paced action flick turns out to be surprisingly fun and inventive. It’s a well made (if preposterous) noir mystery that squeezes a lot of atmosphere from a low budget. Even if (like me) you abhor Mickey Spillane’s prose, you might find The Long Wait to be a wild ride well worth taking.

USA/B&W-94m./Dir: Victor Saville/Wr: Alan Green and Lesser Samuels (based on the novel by Mickey Spillane)/Cast: Anthony Quinn, Charles Coburn, Gene Evans, Peggie Castle, Mary Ellen Kay, Shirley Patterson, Dolores Donlon, Barry Kelley, James Millican, Bruno VeSota, Jay Adler, John Damler, Frank Marlowe, Lawrence Dobkin

For Fans of: If you love Kiss Me Deadly (1955) or film noir in general, you will find plenty to like in The Long Wait (1954).

Video: Over the past few years, ClassicFlix has become one of the most reliable boutique video labels for fans of classic cinema. While the quantity of their releases has been low, the quality has been outstanding. Their The Long Wait Special Limited Edition 4K UHD/BD Combo is their second foray into the 4K Ultra HD, and it’s a near-flawless presentation of a lesser-known title that wouldn’t normally receive this kind of love. The image has great contrast, appropriate film grain, and sharp detail. I only viewed the 4K UHD disc, but the same transfer is provided on the included Blu-ray disc for those that have not yet upgraded to a 4K UHD player.

The DTS-HD mono audio is also solid. Dialogue, music, and sound effects are clear (though you may wish you couldn’t hear the atrociously bad opening credits song). Finally, optional English subtitles are provided for the feature.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Audio commentary by Mike Hammer continuation writer Max Allan Collins (Road to Perdition), co-author of Spillane – King of Pulp Fiction (with James L. Traylor): This is a entertaining overview of the production and people involved, presented by an author who has much more love for Spillane than I do.
• Image Gallery with rare scene stills

Streaming: At the time of this review, The Long Wait (1954) was unavailable to stream on any of the major subscription services. It was also unavailable to download as a digital rental or purchase.

More to Explore: ClassicFlix previously released the Mickey Spillane adaptation I, the Jury (1953) on 4K UHD disc. You can find my review of that release HERE. In addition, the gold standard of Mickey Spillane adaptations is Kiss Me Deadly (1955), which is a great film, despite its source material.

Trivia: Abbott and Costello fans will recognize one of the hit men in The Long Wait as Lou Costello’s brother-in-law Joe Kirk (best known as Mr. Bacciagalupe in Season 1 of The Abbott and Costello Show).

For More Info: You can read Mickey Spillane’s original novel The Long Wait, but I wouldn’t recommend it.