DOA and The Sweet Smell of Success

‘DOA’ and ‘The ‘Sweet’ Smell of Success’ (‘Sweet’) both are excellent examples of the public’s perception of jazz in the 1940s-1950s. This was the period in which modern jazz, the ‘white’ upper-class derivative of the 1920s hot jazz of the night clubs, had taken hold of music halls. The music was not only the language of the night club but was being performed within more ‘respectable’ establishments as well. The interesting thing about these two films is the fact that they remind the viewer of the street-level beginnings of the genre. Despite the fact that jazz had become more acceptable for the viewing public, it was still associated with a particular class of people and the vices prevalent within that segment of society.

This is apparent in the films’ perception of whites and blacks in relation to jazz. Although DOA and ‘Sweet’ offer opposite views of whites in respect to the genre -- in DOA, the white protagonist, Frank Bigelow, is an outsider and spectator of the world of jazz and in ‘Sweet’, the white protagonist, Steve Dallas, is an insider and participant in that world -- the value statements are similar. Whites in both films appear to be tainted by their associations with jazz, which in turn seems to envelope them in its web of influence.

Bigelow, for example, is portrayed as a very out-of-place figure at the jazz bar. The sinister undertones and frenzy of the music during the scene give the impression that Bigelow is surrounded, caged by savagery and lewdness. It is during this scene that he receives the fatal drug that kills him. The association of the jazz scene with vice is overt as Bigelow arranges to meet an upper class woman, who behaves like a beatnik, later for non-committal entertainment. The people who have invited him to the bar are lewd, drunken, and out of control. Even the close-up shots of the musicians are presented at odd angles which exaggerate their features as they play, making the entire spectacle foreign and menacing. Even as he retreats from the suffocating environment, he is indelibly marked by that brush with jazz as the poison works through his body. Subsequent references to shady characters in the underworld of big crime seem to point back toward the jazz bar. Hence, the message is that whites are tainted by the jazz scene.

For Dallas in ‘Sweet’, there are similar connotations. As a guitar player, he is an active participant in a jazz band. Although playing itself does not result in danger, his association with the genre makes him unfit for marriage to JJ’s sister. Consider that JJ represents the white power within the country and popular opinion. The relationship between Dallas and Susan appears to suggest a type of miscegenation, intermarriage of the races which was frowned upon during this time period. Although Dallas is physically white, his occupation is reminiscent of African-Americans. He does not speak the vernacular but it is apparent that his individual decisions are limited due to his association with a jazz band, even to the point that he must secretly court Susan and kiss her behind the building in an alley. Could this film be propagating the idea that it is preferable to be a goon than be associated with a black-dominated field? In the end, of course, the girl chooses to stay with the jazz player but the ending also suggests a shaky existence for them. JJ doesn’t lose his power over the press or public opinion--only over the youth, hence the next generation. Whether JJ will continue harrassing the jazz player with allegations of drug abuse--which, as portrayed by the film’s law enforcement, seems a common malady of the genre--or whether he will continue to keep Dallas from acquiring a job is unseen. In a way, the film appears to validate the jazz player -- notice all jazz players are white though -- but it also reveals the shame still prevalent during the time period of being associated with a black profession.

Several key elements of the films include the positioning of powerful figures within the narratives. The powerful whites in both pictures are spectators of jazz: the man who poisons Bigelow and controls his every breath sits and listens at the bar and JJ is often at the club. His every command is obeyed even in the choice of musical numbers, revealing the limitations of the jazz musicians. Both films appear to juxtapose those controlled by jazz and those who control jazz. People who participate in jazz (Dallas) or fall under its spell (Bigelow) are forever entangled in its snare, resulting in heartache and vice. Those who are powerful enough to sit back and orchestrate the medium--JJ--remain untainted although they may have personal failings.

Another key to both films is the power of visual perception. In DOA, there are many instances where Bigelow appears to hallucinate. It is not framed by the fade in and fade out, but rather is suggested by the myriad of images. This is especially apparent in the bar scene where the frenzy of the music coincides with the rapidity with which the screen changes to different viewpoints. It reveals a dizzying spectacle, somewhat resembling a drug trip. In ‘Sweet’, the power of perception is used by Susan to manipulate the two most powerful and dangerous men in her life. What appears as a suicide scene to one man -- Sid Falco -- transforms into a rape scene in the eyes of JJ as he views Sid cradling the body of Susan after he ‘rescues’ her from jumping. The twisting of these perceptions by JJ in his dealings with Sid and Susan also merits attention. When reporting Sid, JJ appears convinced that it was an attempted rape, but he quickly refers to it as a suicide as he tries to keep Susan from leaving. The fallibility of perception and the numerous ways one instant can be interpreted appears to be important to the tone of the film since the jazz musician is, likewise, one person viewed through many different lenses. By the upper class whites, Dallas is viewed as a threat to Susan’s purity and place in society--a character whose involvement in drugs (although this is staged by Sid and JJ) is viewed as part of his profession. By Susan and the sentiments of the narrator/director who controls viewer perceptions, Dallas represents the small American man who attempts to stand up to big business and corrupt popular opinion. These nuances of perception are what make ‘Sweet’ a success as an indicator of the ever-shifting interpretations of blacks, jazz, and culture in the 1940s-1950s.