MovieChat Forums > Rear Window (1954) Discussion > Thomas J. Doyle -- Hero

Thomas J. Doyle -- Hero

posted 7 years ago by ecarle (14979)
12 replies | jump to latest

We've speculated at this board about the perversely off-putting qualities of James Stewart as Jeff Jeffries in this film. Its an odd combination of the character being a jerk -- and a bit of a pervert -- even as Stewart's personality makes the character WORSE (his lugubrious voice, his ornery insults of the pretty Grace Kelly, his almost simpering delight in trying to prove Thorwald a killer.)

The "counter balance" to Stewart as Jeff is Wendell Corey as police detective Thomas J. Doyle.

As a matter of suspense, Doyle is meant to be a "bureaucratic bad guy" to Jeff's "rebellious good guy." Doyle is the classic Hitchcock policeman who won't believe our hero, keeps proving him wrong, is dangerously close to helping a killer get away with it.

But it doesn't quite play that way.

Corey as Doyle DOES keep following each and every lead that Jeff provides him with. Corey as Doyle confronts Jeff over his invasion of "a private world over there" as does Stella. (One of Jeff's more obnoxious comments is that his neighbors could easily spy upon HIM - but that's kind of the point. They are more "normal," less voyeuristic, than Jeff.

In the final climactic scenes Doyle -- over the phone, in person -- is very responsive to Jeff, very interested in arresting Thorwald. And when Jeff takes his totally deserved fall at the climax, Doyle is devastated: "I'm sorry, Jeff." Doyle proves John Wayne fast on catching a thrown pistol and aiming it at Thorwald, too.

[–] ecarle (14979) 7 years ago

In short, though Doyle is a "supporting character" and not the star of the film, I've always drifted to his side throughout "Rear Window." He may get in the way of Jeff's proving Thorwald did it, but he never turns down any request to investigate. He makes some great fun OF Jeff:

Jeff: Do you want to solve this crime, or make a fool out of me?
Doyle: Preferably...both.

And, for better or worse, Doyle proves more settled than Jeff. We learn over the course of the film that Doyle, unlike Jeff, is married with children -- and even out taking his wife on a date(with a babysitter for the kids) on the night of the climax. (Doyle rushes to Jeff's rescue wearing the dinner jacket/tux of a man who knows how to give his wife a night on the town.)

We also learn that Doyle and Jeff flew together in the war; there's a photo of Stewart and Corey in their flight attire on the mantel -- so its a friendship that goes back to the great test of a man's soul and flesh. But somehow it feels like Doyle adjusted better to postwar life than Jeff.

Anyway, that's not to say that Stewart doesn't give a star performance in Rear Window, and Stewart earned his stardom with a lot of classics and Stewart won his stardom with some attributes -- looks, voice, height, uniqueness -- that Wendell Corey didn't have.

Still, how "fair" of Hitchcock to throw his supporting guy a more sympathetic role than his star. How perversely Hitchockian!

PS. Though Doyle survives his film, I see attributes in Doyle of Hitchcock's famously doomed private eye Arbogast, coming six years later in Psycho. In both films, the "supporting character guy" rises in importance and charisma against the higher billed stars in the film. Doyle and Arbogast share a certain no-nonsense charm. I suppose Wendell Corey could have played Arbogast; and Martin Balsam could have played Doyle -- but, they are perfect for the roles they DID play.

[–] Doghouse (447) 7 years ago

Doyle was certainly among Corey's more amiable roles, and the character cuts Jeff considerably more slack than he deserved, reflecting, no doubt, their decade-plus-long friendship. When he puts Jeff in his place, he's really quite gentle about it:

"At the risk of sounding stuffy, I'd like to remind you of the Constitution and the phrase, 'search warrant issued by a judge;'" - "You called me and asked for help; now you're behaving like a taxpayer."

When Jeff says, "If you find something, you've got a murderer, and they don't care about a couple of house rules," he would have had it coming if Doyle has chosen to let him have it with both barrels: "ANYTHING I found in there under those circumstances would be inadmissible in court, and then your 'murderer' gets away with it. If that's what you want, what are you bothering ME for?"

The only time he really bristles is at Jeff's crack about "a courtesy card from the police department." How DID they ever stand each other in that plane during the war?

[–] ecarle (14979) 7 years ago

Doyle was certainly among Corey's more amiable roles,

---

Corey made a lot of movies -- but I think its Rear Window for which he will always be remembered. Its his biggest classic.

Note in passing: around the same time, Stewart and Corey were in "Carbine Williams" together. I've read about it, never seen it(though it was on TV a lot when I was a kid), I doubt it will ever be remembered. So THAT time, Stewart and Corey were just doing jobs in a work that would never be seen again. For Hitchcock, they got something very special to do.

---

and the character cuts Jeff considerably more slack than he deserved, reflecting, no doubt, their decade-plus-long friendship. When he puts Jeff in his place, he's really quite gentle about it:

"At the risk of sounding stuffy, I'd like to remind you of the Constitution and the phrase, 'search warrant issued by a judge;'" - "You called me and asked for help; now you're behaving like a taxpayer."

---

Hitchcock told Truffaut -- almost grudgingly -- about Rear Window, "well the dialogue was pretty good" (referring to how the long build-up was kept from being boring), and Doyle got some of the best lines.

Doyle is the spokesperson for legal rights and the Constitution...and also for human decency, when he berates Jeff for invading "that private world over there." Though, hell, the way Hitchcock sets up that private world one can't HELP but see the sexy dancer, Miss Lonelyhearts, the arguing Thorwalds, etc. Its just that Jeff refuses to look away..

----

[–] ecarle (14979) 7 years ago

When Jeff says, "If you find something, you've got a murderer, and they don't care about a couple of house rules," he would have had it coming if Doyle has chosen to let him have it with both barrels: "ANYTHING I found in there under those circumstances would be inadmissible in court, and then your 'murderer' gets away with it. If that's what you want, what are you bothering ME for?"

---

That's some good dialogue you wrote there. I expect Hitchcock avoided this discussion because it would have made Jeff look pretty dumb. Hitchcock -- and other directors -- often kept certain dialogue OUT of a story if it accidentally undercut the story. For instance, in North by Northwest, Cary Grant originally had some lines to say to James Mason in the Glen Cove library that would have more clearly proved he was Roger Thornhill and not George Kaplan. Hitchcock cut them -- no need to "undercut the story."

----

The only time he really bristles is at Jeff's crack about "a courtesy card from the police department." How DID they ever stand each other in that plane during the war?

---

Y'know, I can't remember who says that -- Doyle or Jeff? Doyle would be more justified.

But, likely those men shared near-death together in WWII and saw things Grace Kelly would never see. It probably accounted for Doyle's loyalty to Jeff here.

Moreover, we are told/shown that Jeff Jeffries is a globe-trotting adventurer who put himself in harm's way a lot to "get that photo;" its likely why Grace Kelly loves him over all the rich Fancy Dans she knows in NYC. And now Jeff is trapped in a chair in an apartment he probably barely stays in the rest of the time.

This might account for how ornery he is -- he's TRAPPED.

And perhaps Doyle understands that, too.

[–] movieghoul (213) 7 years ago

[–] ecarle (14979) 7 years ago

As I posted once on the IMDB boards:

Some folks complain that Hitchcock was not a very good director of actors. TO which I say: anyone who can get a funny performance out of Wendell COrey has to be a great director of actors!

---

I think Corey's greatest moment in that regard is when Stewart offers some sort of crazy(but actually true) observation about Thorwald and all Doyle can answer is a flabbergasted:

"Huh??!!"

I laugh every time. Doyle is purposely overacting for comic effect and fromt that cop...it works.

[–] forlorn_rage (163) 7 years ago

You haven't seen 'Holiday Affair,' have you? Corey is actually quite good at subtly inserting comedy into his performances. Didn't take Hitchcock's direction for that.

[–] ecarle (14979) 7 years ago

You haven't seen 'Holiday Affair,' have you? Corey is actually quite good at subtly inserting comedy into his performances. Didn't take Hitchcock's direction for that.

--

A belated return. I have not seen Holiday Affair. Perhaps Hitchcock did -- and saw Corey's skill at comedy.

[–] telegonus (736) 7 years ago

It was lots of fun watching Tom Doyle and his lawyer, Lars Thorwald, in a late Perry Mason episode, this past week. Poor Wendell Corey looked like he was at death's door, sounded drunk half the time even as his line readings were good enough. Thorwald, now a successful L.A. lawyer, dyed is hair black and drives a Lincoln. Pretty good for an ex-costume jewelry salesman. I wonder where he got his law degree. Night school?

[–] ecarle (14979) 7 years ago

Ha, ha, ha.

You know, Rear Window got a very successful 1962 re-release, with, in the "new" poster a little photo of a SMILING, "handsome" Raymond Burr in the corner(with his usual black hair, ala Perry), and the quote:

"Co-starring Raymond Burr, TV's Perry Mason!"

Poor Wendell Corey. He was, however, given the honor this year of being played by another actor (unknown to me) on the TV mini-series Feud, about the Bette Davis/Joan Crawford same.

I think Corey finished out his days on a city council somewhere, too.

PS. The tag line for the 1962 re-release of Rear Window was: "SEE IT! If your nerves can take it after...PSYCHO!"

[–] ecarle (14979) 5 years ago

bump

[–] telegonus (736) 7 years ago

[deleted]