Actually kind of racy for its day, Crawford's character acknowledges the fact of men's more dubious intentions in her interactions as a carny girl with her love interest - the wet behind the ears deputy Sheriff. And Sydney Greenstreet is pure evil as the Sheriff who uses his clout to get his candidates elected.Crawford plays an outsider that we want to root for and she delivers. I like how one of the more slippery characters at first changes into one of the better, moral characters that Crawford eventually falls in love with. When he brings her into the jet set life of Flamingo Road, we feel she had it coming and that she deserves it considering her hard-boiled difficult past and her tough but honest demeanor.Being 1949, the dialogue is a bit hokey and whirlwind romances happen in about 10 second flat, but isn't that how things were (sort of) in the day? Maybe, maybe not.

Flamingo Road is directed by Michael Curtiz and adapted to screenplay by Robert Wilder from his own play of the same name (with Sally Wilder). It stars Joan Crawford, Sydney Greenstreet, Zachary Scott, David Bryan and Gladys George. Music is by Max Steiner and cinematography by Ted D. McCord. When circumstance sees Lane Bellamy (Crawford) stuck in Bolden City, she quickly finds herself embroiled in a love affair and involved in a war with political tyrant Sheriff Titus Semple (Greenstreet).The Moody kind always cause trouble. Southern Gothic - cum - politico melodrama with noirish tints, Flamingo Road gets above average due to high tech credits and a superbly nasty turn from Greenstreet. Essentially the pic is about a girl from the other side of the tracks making her way up the social ladder, but she has to lock horns with a nasty piece of work and battle with affairs of the heart. Flamingo - Affluent - Road! It's strong on narrative terms, the screenplay neatly blending the greed of political posers with almost perverse social wiles. Curtiz (Mildred Pierce/The Unsuspected) and McCord (Johnny Belinda/The Breaking Point) keep it brisk and atmospherically moody, while the impressive Greenstreet - all sweaty, ambiguous and devilish, is surrounded by a more than competent cast of supporting players. What of Crawford? Wisely "requesting" that Curtiz be given the director's job, she's compelling and classically committed to the role. It's true to say she is too old for the character, something which her fans are known to hate reading, while both the actors playing her love interests are almost 10 years her junior - which is a bit of a reality stretch for the era. However, such is her acting ability, she gets you on side quickly, with the makers shooting her in soft focus and the writer giving her good work to use off of the page. A strange movie in some ways, but intriguing and sharp and it's never dull. While the quality on show from both sides of the camera is most pleasing. 7/10

How on earth did Joan Crawford get cast in this film? She was 44 when she made "Flamingo Road", but she looks closer to 54. As Lane Bellamy, a "girl" who develops a romantic interest in Deputy Sheriff Fielding Carlisle (35 year old Zachary Scott), Crawford looks more like Fielding's mother. With a scarf covering part of her face as a harem dancer in a carnival when she first appears, she looks so out of place I almost laughed out loud.The film's theme is class-consciousness in a small town in the American South. The phrase "Flamingo Road" is used as code for "social success"; it's the "avenue of achievement". And in the view of Fielding's mentor, town Sheriff Titus Semple (Sydney Greenstreet), a carnival dancer like Lane is too cheap and tawdry to be considered as wife material for Fielding, whom Titus wants to promote as Governor. As a result, "young" Lane and Sheriff Semple ... clash.Greenstreet is terrific in his role. Love that clipped laugh of his. But he doesn't have much of a Southern accent. Which brings up another point. The story may be set in the South, but you'd never know it from the general absence of Southern accents and the film's visuals. Where are the magnolia trees or palm trees? Where is the Spanish moss? Where is the fried chicken, the grits, the cornbread and catfish? And I don't recall hearing a single country-western song.The film's plot and dialogue are moderately melodramatic. And so too is some of the acting. At one point Lane forcefully slaps one of the characters.In some scenes, the film's B&W lighting evokes a wonderfully moody atmosphere. And all that drama actually leads somewhere, as the potent climax makes for quite a surprise. The animated Gladys George is great as the tough and reality tested roadhouse boss, Lute Mae.Despite the miscasting of Crawford and the lack of appropriate Southern atmosphere, "Flamingo Road" is still enjoyable, thanks largely to the presence of both Sydney Greenstreet and Gladys George, and to a mildly interesting plot and surprise ending.

FLAMINGO ROAD begins with a carnival being run out of town. Tired of life on the road, Joan Crawford stays behind and tries to settle down in this town with the help of the town's deputy sheriff. However, the political boss (Sidney Greenstreet) can't stand Crawford since she's "from the other side of the tracks" and he has plans for the deputy to enter politics. Instead of just telling Crawford and trying to gain her friendship or understanding, he sets her up and sends her to a short stint in the work farm. When she gets out, Crawford is determined not to run but pay Greenstreet back sooner or later. However, Greenstreet is a very wicked and calculating man and spends much of the movie biding his time until the end of the film--where there is a dynamite confrontation between them.This film is a bit of an odd style, as in many ways it's like a trashy Soap Opera combined with Film Noir. The dialog is among the best I have heard and is very Noir-like--so many snappy comebacks and the dialog just crackles. And, fortunately, all the Soap elements are far less predictable than you'd think---as again and again, the characters did NOT do what you'd expect.The bottom line is that this is a quality production with exceptional acting, script and mood throughout. Provided you like older films, it's hard to imagine a person not liking this movie.