The Garment Jungle (1957)

Strong and Moving!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Once hailed as the successor to Ingrid Bergman, Gia Scala never grasped hold of the opportunities that were given to her. A beautiful girl born in England to an aristocratic Italian family, she came to America in her teens and was immediately pounced on by Hollywood. Universal felt she was going to be a star of the future and groomed her in language instruction (her Italian accent was very heavy). Other studios were interested and for the next few years she alternated between Columbia and MGM. "The Garment Jungle" was her first for Columbia and contained her most sensitive performance. She proved she could have been a big star as she tackled the demanding role of Theresa, the fiery young wife of union leader Tulio Renato (Robert Loggia). Lee J. Cobb could always be relied on to give explosive performances and this film starts with a bang with a heated conversation between Walter Mitchell (Cobb) and his partner who wants to bring in the unions and rid Roxton Fashion House of Artie Ravidge's (Richard Boone) protection racket which is calling all the shots. Within minutes he is dead - victim of a faulty elevator or was he murdered? For all his tough, blustery exterior Walter just doesn't connect the stand over goons who surround him with the murders and beatings that begin to happen. That is left to his son, Alan (Kerwin Matthews) who walks right into the middle of the conflict, wants to follow his father into the garment trade but also sees what his father cannot - that by disallowing the unions into the factory, the gangsters are given free reign. The movie then follows the son as he tries to learn the truth and meets passionate union official Tulio and his beautiful wife Theresa.Taken from a series of explosive articles by leftist columnist Victor Riesel, I think Kerwin Matthews is up to the job, of the son who has instant sympathy with the under paid piece work machinists. By the end Walter has finally realised the damage done by turning a blind eye to the stand over men and their tactics but it is up to the women to save the day. Walter's mistress Lee Hackett (Valerie French) has kept the ledgers which show every protection payment and Theresa, on her own initiative, tries to out run the gangsters in her effort to get the books to the police station.One scene that will stay with me is when Alan and Teresa go into a diner and in a very tender moment, Theresa attempts to breast feed her baby then retires to another booth where she can do so in quiet. It is a beautiful scene, sensitively realised by director Vincent Sherman. It was while on a promotional tour of the movie that Gia learned her beloved mother had cancer - she never really recovered from the shock and her life and career were never the same.

Like many of these 'expose' dramas, this one is overblown, pedantic, and makes it's point with a sledgehammer. Add to that the bland and boring (not to mention unattractive) Kerwin Matthews and you have a result that tries too hard to make it's point. Cobb is mercifully somewhat understated in what could have been another 'blowhard' role, and Boone is suitably sleazy (as are his henchmen). The only woman of any depth is actually the great Celia Lovsky (playing an Italian?) as Loggia's mother. In general a disappointing misfire. Perhaps it would have been better left in Aldrich's hands as Sherman was a 'Hollyweed product' at best.

Terrific film in the genre of "On the Waterfront." This one involves efforts to unionize the dress industry and the violence by mobsters hired by bosses to thwart the unions from getting a hold on the workers.Lee J. Cobb is perfect as the role of the garment boss who has paid for years to keep the union out of his business. When his partner is murdered by gangsters when the former is willing to sign on with the union, this occurs just in time as Cobb's son, well played by Kerwin Matthews, arrives from Europe on the scene and is willing to learn the business. He soon realizes why his father has kept him out and when an organizer for the union is murdered, he becomes totally sympathetic with the union movement as well as the widow (Gia Scala) of the slain organizer.The picture captures the woes of garment workers and the mobsters who were hired to keep them out.It is to be noted that the garment industry always had a history of difficulty with labor. Many of these places were in violation of National Labor Board rules and were continuously fined for abusing workers.This is a picture of rare quality with solid acting performances by a terrific cast.The film should especially be viewed by all the anti-union activists out there.

I was lucky enough to see a VHS-transfer copy of this, and despite the poor quality, I can recommend this as a top-notch Crime/Mob/Racket thriller. Not exactly noir, but shares many many similar qualities - fast pace, seedy NY locations, opening voice-over etc. Think 'Phenix City Story' and you won't go far wrong - though this is actually even better than that. As usual, Lee J. Cobb is outstanding. And it seems strange to see Cobb here, in such an unashamedly 'leftish' film, after the trouble he had with HUAC earlier in the decade. There's not one mention of the 'C' word, though "anti-communism" would undoubtedly have been the cover for the Mob's anti-union activities... This is only one of very few films I can think of from Hollywood with a pro-Union message - and I doubt if it could even have been made during the height of the McCarthyite witch-hunt. Find it, watch it, enjoy it. And then join your local trade union, organise to keep the mobsters and agitators out.