Similarly to some noirs made after World War II, this film's main character is a returning serviceman. Here it's John Garfield as Nick Blake. The twist is that Blake was a con man before the war and entrusted $50,000 to his former flame, Toni Blackburn (Faye Emerson). Just like the Burt Lancaster character Frankie in I Walk Alone who was away from his former life for quite awhile (as an inmate, not a soldier), both returned to the scene of their past life seeking money that was owed to them. Both films involved clubs; but whereas Frankie was initially outfoxed by his rival, here Blake makes it clear that he's no slouch and gets his fifty G's back from Toni's newly minted lover, club owner Chet King (Robert Shayne), after he roughs him up. What's more Toni is not much of a femme fatale to be feared after Blake slaps her in the face, making it clear he was not happy with how she acted while he was away in the war.
Blake decides he wants to take a long vacation and announces to his sidekick buddy Al (George Tobias) that he has no intention of pulling off any more cons. Tobias as Al proves to be the comic relief throughout the film. Blake decides to leave NYC and head for Los Angeles. There Doc Ganson (George Coulouris), a sleazy con with a chip on his shoulder who has seen his better days, gets wind of a wealthy widow whom he would like to con out of $2 million (worth a lot more than that in today's dollars obviously). Ganson must eat crow and acknowledge he's no longer a stud and must conscript Blake's old pal, Pop Gruber (Walter Brennan), to try and convince Blake that he should get back in the con game, telling him that there was no guarantee his money would last forever (Pop did this earlier back in New York with Blake, but unsuccessfully).
Gruber, who really can't stand Ganson, agrees to hook him up with Blake, who then accepts the challenge of trying to con the widow. I suppose the break into the second act is when Blake meets the widow, Gladys Halvorsen (Geraldine Fitzgerald), along with her financial advisor Charles Manning (Richard Gaines). Predictably, Blake ends up falling in love with Halvorsen. He concludes that Toni is nowhere in the same league as the classy Halvorsen and is drawn to her intense romantic demeanor. Halvorsen apparently is attracted to "bad boys" like Blake and the two opposite personalities just end up falling for one another. There are two scenes which show how different they are: Blake takes Halvorsen to a prizefight and then he attends a classical music concert with her.
But it's at an old church where the two actually fall in love completely. For Blake, the church reminded him of how different and difficult it was being in the war (he recounts memories of visiting a bombed out church) and as a result, recognized that he was a changed man. Blake told Halvorsen that one of the big reasons he liked her so much was that she was a "good listener."
The actual con involved Blake gaining the trust of Halvorsen and Manning and then convincing the financial advisor to invest in a bogus salvage company Blake kept touting. Meanwhile Ganson became inpatient with how slow things were going and attempted to strong arm Blake into changing the terms of their original agreement (Ganson and his cronies were to get only one third of the take). Blake easily rebuffed Ganson, gaining hold of his firearm and making clear he was still in charge.
Before a somewhat predictable climax, Manning did a little research on his own and alerted the DA's office that Blake was trying to con Halvorsen. The DA could not charge Blake after he called off taking money from Manning. While taken aback by Blake's deception, Halvorsen came around and found Blake even more attractive (the "bad boy" syndrome remains in full effect!).
There isn't much to say about the denouement here. Halvorsen is kidnapped by Ganson and his thugs and they end up holed up in a shack in a deserted part of town, demanding a ransom. You can guess that Blake saves her. However there are two casualties: Pop is shot by Ganson but before expiring ensures that he is able to finish off Ganson too. The title of the film refers back to Pop's advice that life never remains the same and we all grow old, with nothing lasting forever. The same fate of course applies to the unlikeable Ganson.
The acting here is solid all around along with some neat cinematography and noirish sets. Nothing Lasts Forever is certainly no masterpiece and is predictable in spots as well, but it is indeed watchable for at least one solid viewing.
Blake decides he wants to take a long vacation and announces to his sidekick buddy Al (George Tobias) that he has no intention of pulling off any more cons. Tobias as Al proves to be the comic relief throughout the film. Blake decides to leave NYC and head for Los Angeles. There Doc Ganson (George Coulouris), a sleazy con with a chip on his shoulder who has seen his better days, gets wind of a wealthy widow whom he would like to con out of $2 million (worth a lot more than that in today's dollars obviously). Ganson must eat crow and acknowledge he's no longer a stud and must conscript Blake's old pal, Pop Gruber (Walter Brennan), to try and convince Blake that he should get back in the con game, telling him that there was no guarantee his money would last forever (Pop did this earlier back in New York with Blake, but unsuccessfully).
Gruber, who really can't stand Ganson, agrees to hook him up with Blake, who then accepts the challenge of trying to con the widow. I suppose the break into the second act is when Blake meets the widow, Gladys Halvorsen (Geraldine Fitzgerald), along with her financial advisor Charles Manning (Richard Gaines). Predictably, Blake ends up falling in love with Halvorsen. He concludes that Toni is nowhere in the same league as the classy Halvorsen and is drawn to her intense romantic demeanor. Halvorsen apparently is attracted to "bad boys" like Blake and the two opposite personalities just end up falling for one another. There are two scenes which show how different they are: Blake takes Halvorsen to a prizefight and then he attends a classical music concert with her.
But it's at an old church where the two actually fall in love completely. For Blake, the church reminded him of how different and difficult it was being in the war (he recounts memories of visiting a bombed out church) and as a result, recognized that he was a changed man. Blake told Halvorsen that one of the big reasons he liked her so much was that she was a "good listener."
The actual con involved Blake gaining the trust of Halvorsen and Manning and then convincing the financial advisor to invest in a bogus salvage company Blake kept touting. Meanwhile Ganson became inpatient with how slow things were going and attempted to strong arm Blake into changing the terms of their original agreement (Ganson and his cronies were to get only one third of the take). Blake easily rebuffed Ganson, gaining hold of his firearm and making clear he was still in charge.
Before a somewhat predictable climax, Manning did a little research on his own and alerted the DA's office that Blake was trying to con Halvorsen. The DA could not charge Blake after he called off taking money from Manning. While taken aback by Blake's deception, Halvorsen came around and found Blake even more attractive (the "bad boy" syndrome remains in full effect!).
There isn't much to say about the denouement here. Halvorsen is kidnapped by Ganson and his thugs and they end up holed up in a shack in a deserted part of town, demanding a ransom. You can guess that Blake saves her. However there are two casualties: Pop is shot by Ganson but before expiring ensures that he is able to finish off Ganson too. The title of the film refers back to Pop's advice that life never remains the same and we all grow old, with nothing lasting forever. The same fate of course applies to the unlikeable Ganson.
The acting here is solid all around along with some neat cinematography and noirish sets. Nothing Lasts Forever is certainly no masterpiece and is predictable in spots as well, but it is indeed watchable for at least one solid viewing.