Let No Man Write My Epitaph

"Let No Man Write My Epitaph" is one of those movies I randomly started watching because I thought it had an interesting title, but quickly realized it's a neglected classic. It has a great cast, each turning in a great performance, a gritty story and beautiful black and white neo noir style. Ella Fitzgerald sings in this movie! It's based on a novel by a Black writer from Chicago who I hadn't heard of, but originated the phrase "Live fast, die young, and have a good-looking corpse." (Willard Motley wrote that in "Knock on Any Door," also made into a movie, and this is a sequel of sorts to that, following the family of the main character in that book).

James Darren is the lead in this one, playing the son of a guy, Nick Romano, who got the electric chair for killing a cop in "Knock on Any Door." That movie, and this, are both concerned with how environment and society shape a person's fate. For Nick Romano, it seemed inevitable that he would end up a criminal. For Nick Jr., it seems like everything is conspiring against him in the same way, except he has an incredible talent for piano and aspires to play at the conservatory. I really liked this and related to it. People with normal lives have absolutely no idea how much you have to overcome to find any kind of success or stability, even if you have exceptional skill. It's not preachy or didactic, it's just real and gritty while still being a tense and watchable drama. Shelley Winters is amazing as Nick Jr.'s mother, and Ricardo Montalban is also great as the sleazy guy who gets her addicted to heroin. Burl Ives is an alcoholic ex-judge trying to be a good person. You will love Burl Ives in this. He's a force of nature. There are lots of down-and-out characters, and most of them are rooting for the success of the aspiring pianist. Including Ella Fitzgerald as Flora! It's so good. I'm sorry I wasn't familiar with it before.

James Darren and his movie mom Shelley Winters were both excellent in Let No Man Write My Epitaph.