PAYMENT DEFERRED WEiRD FILM STARRING

[BERIGAN]

Now on tcm in other words! Sorry I forgot they were running all these Maureen O'Sullivan films, and this is a strange one! Laughton gets pretty hammy, but damn, there is something creepy about this 1932 film...saw it years ago on TNT when they ran old films..... a review from allmovie...which gives away the plot if you care(Or even if you don't!)

In this adaptation of Jeffrey Dell's play, Charles Laughton recreates his stage role as a seemingly meek bank clerk. To make good his debts, Laughton ingratiates himself with his wealthy Australian nephew (Ray Milland), then poisons the lad and buries the body in his garden. Using the money the nephew had on his person, Laughton invests wisely and becomes rich himself. He rapidly goes to seed, deserting his wife (Dorothy Peterson) for a "woman of the world" (Verree Teasdale) and drinking himself into unconsciousness. Laughton's distraught wife figures out the extent of her husband's crimes, and grimly arranges for Laughton to accidentally kill her—with enough circumstantial evidence planted to convict the husband of murder. Payment Deferred was a particularly vivid experience for supporting actor Ray Milland, who watched in amazement as Charles Laughton got away with some of the ripest "ham" ever seen on film. — Hal Erickson

Edited June 12, 2003 by BERIGAN

[Guest Mnytime]

If anyone knows ham acting it's Ray Milland.

Though Laughton does ham it up in this film, which he has a habit of doing in a good amount of films.

You would have thought Milland's character would have caught on to Laughton from the way he was holding that glass when giving it to Milland. Never mind Laughton attempting to drink from his own glass through his nose. lol

If I recall Laughton makes 30,000 Pounds, which the best I can make out based on 1948 figures since I can't find 1932 figures is about 120,000 US. In today's money that is 1.6 Million U.S.. And his wife is concerned about him being fired when she first hears about him making the money. lol

Edited June 12, 2003 by Mnytime

[brownie]

A little respect for Charles Laughton, please!!

Any man who directs only one film and makes a masterpiece of it should

get nothing but praise. Talk about creepy? just watch Robert Mitchum in

Laughton's 'The Night of the Hunter'.

[Guest Mnytime]

The Night of the Hunter is a true classic. My mother who saw it when it first came out of course gets goose bumps just from hearing the music from this film. She doesn't even need to see the screen to know which film it was. She told me that after seeing it she never liked Mitchum again. lol

She won't take a shower with the door closed after seeing Psycho. lol

What's funnier is that Janet Leigh who was in the film is the exact same way to this day. lmao

Laughton was a great actor but he still hamed it up in his lessor films.

By the way, Spike Lee stole the scene where Mitchum discuss the tatoo of love and hate on each hand for Do The Right Thing for the scene with Radio Raheem.

Though Mitchum's Love and Hate are Tatoo's on his hand and has them wrestling and Radio Raheem has Rings of Love and Hate and they are boxing.

Edited June 12, 2003 by Mnytime

[JohnJ]

I recently watched 'Witness for the Prosecution' on T.V. and thought Charles Laughton was superb. Great movie too.