MovieChat Forums > They Drive by Night (1940) Discussion > Ed Carlson too naive?

Ed Carlson too naive?

posted 17 years ago by jeffreylincoln
15 replies | jump to latest

Lana`s lust for Joe is so blatant, how could Ed be so oblivious to her plays for Joe? Even in the scenes where he is sober, he doesn`t have a clue. Hard to believe. Alan Hale`s character is a riot, nevertheless.

[–] walkingf00l 17 years ago

i agree. First off, I love Hale in this movie. But his character was quite ridiculous. How could he not know his wife obviously loathed him? In every scene, she's constantly evil towards him, obviously repulsed by his very touch. I know he was supposed to be the "fall-guy" but they could have made him a little more believable -- or at least made Ida's character a little better at masking her lustful passion for Joe and her intense dislike for her husband.

But still... Alan Hale! Yay! So fun to watch. I can usually watch any movie that features Hale or Frank Morgan in it. Great comedic character actors.

[–] BlondeVixen 17 years ago

Poor ol' laughable, affable Ed. As naive as a child & blinded by adoration for a beautiful wife. He seemed like one of those people that refuses to see anything bad in anyone.

[–] ntampapalms 17 years ago

was that the same Alan Hale who was the skipper in Gilligan's Island?

[–] lbgarcia94 17 years ago

The Alan Hale in this picture is his dad. You can see it in the physical resemblance as well as in the gestures and mannerisms. The father is roughly the same age here as his son was while in Gilligan's Island.

[–] joe_538 10 years ago

An interesting note; James Cagney beat on Alan Hale Sr's character in The Fighting 69th, and punched out Alan Hale Jr. in The West Point Story.

[–] swlabr 9 years ago

You are right. I always thought is was the same Alan Hale in Gilligans's Island. They sure look alike.

[–] walesh_k 10 years ago

In reaction to the first two posts: Audiences weren't considered very sophisticated in that era, powers-that-be thought situations between characters had to be more obvious to movie-goers. I think that may be partly the reason, along with what others have suggested.

[–] Tarasicodissa 17 years ago

Ed Carlson knows that Lana wants him to act more refined and less blue collar. So he interprets her constant nagging in that light.

[–] Jabbapop 17 years ago

I thought he just enjoyed the abuse too much to really notice.

[–] Tarasicodissa 17 years ago

Maybe he came from a house where Mom and Dad bitched at each other all the time. Like the "Honeymooners".

[–] bpress54 11 years ago

Ed Carlsen is boisterous, obnoxious, and stupid. I couldn't stand to be around someone who laughs at his own jokes. And I don't know what all the hoopla is about around George Raft. I've seen him in a few movies and I think he's a very wooden actor.

[–] Howlin Wolf 10 years ago

I think it's a case of 'not looking a gift horse in the mouth'... He can't believe he's with her, so he either ignores the truth or just doesn't see it, because facing up to reality would mean she's taken away from him, for good... There's a reason that men are cuckolds; it's not necessarily that they're dumb, just that the women hold all of the power in the relationship, because they're the ones who care the least.

"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"

[–] gemproof99 10 years ago

Well said. I agree that some men will consciously ignore the signs of rejection yet hold on to a sliver of realism for the public's sake.

[–] Howlin Wolf 10 years ago

"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"

[–] LCella9370 9 years ago

It's not as unbelievable as it seems. Remember that guy who reported his wife missing only to learn that she'd run off with Neal Schon from Journey? You'd think he'd've noticed she was tired of him and their life together and was about to ditch him for someone much harder to get than the traffic manager at her husband's garage, but, noooooooooo . . .