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Last week's Movie Quiz winners

Hollywood doesn't make many deal-with-the-Devil movies any more, which is odd, since the old adage is "Write what you know." It's also odd that the best of the bunch, last week's quiz movie The Devil and Daniel Webster, hasn't been remade a dozen times, because it's the kind of classic they love to ruin.

So far, only Jennifer Love Hewitt has challenged the magnificent Walter Huston in the role of Mr. Scratch (or, in Jennifer's case, just "The Devil"). I don't need to see her interpretation to know that it's nowhere close to the scenery-licking performance of Huston's as he reels in the soul of a money-grubbing young farmer. Co-star Edward Arnold wasn't in Walter's league as an actor, but his inherent stuffiness worked well for the character of Daniel Webster, patriotic windbag.

(By the way, the role of Mr. Scratch was also played by none other than Michael Berryman, on an episode of Michael Landon's turgid-angel TV show, Highway to Heaven. I didn't see it, but I'm sure all it lacked was Jennifer Love Hewitt.)

I knew I'd be amused as always by Huston, but re-watching the film, I was impressed by the performance of James Craig as the protagonist, Jabez Stone. He does a good job of playing the change in the character after his devil's bargain has been sealed. This is also the other great Simone Simon movie (Cat People, of course, being the other). Here she plays a part that is basically Hell's own whore, and she looks fantastic.

I liked the way the movie's mood goes from folktale to fantasy to horror movie, and some of the spooky scenes (well-directed by William Dieterle) must have influenced Roger Corman and Mario Bava. The supporting cast is filled with great golden-age Hollywood regulars, and there isn't a pretty one in the bunch (especially Jane "Ma Joad" Darwell), making the later scenes with their ghostly, distorted faces seem genuinely eerie.

So congratulations and a second chance to the following quiz winners: Hank Parmer, Wayne Palmer, Joe Rosenberg, E. Yarber, Christina O'Sullivan, and Kevin Musolino.

Posted by Steve Monaco at February 20, 2006 12:50 AM

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