The Man with the Golden Arm

Frank Sinatra, as "Frankie", has just gotten out of a drug treatment program and returns to his squalid Chicago haunts. Unable to land a job as a musician he resumes as dealer in a smalltime floating poker game. Being back in the world that first led him to addiction eventually claims him again. Eleanor Parker is a pathetic figure as his wife, pretending to be crippled for the sole purpose of making Sinatra stay by her side. Kim Novak is the sexy downstairs neighbor who helps him kick the habit for a second time. This stark and powerful drama gave Frank Sinatra one of his signature roles as the junkie whose aspirations are constantly submerged in an agonizing addiction. Preminger's choice of another "taboo" subject (drug addiction) demonstrates his courage in taking on the Hollywood establishment of the 1950's. The film, set to a memorable jazz score by Elmer Bernstein, is a tough, gritty story about a world peopled by losers and loners. (Ignite Films)