Town Without Pity

Recently saw the above-mentioned movie, with Gene Pitney singing the title song. The sound of his histrionic, hormone and Clearasil laden voice sent me into uneasy memories of early adolescence. For some reason, I assumed he was British, but no! Apparently he was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and grew up trapping muskrats and minks, according to his website. The nasty sax and guitar driven introduction to the song is enough to make me feel like I'm about to commit a mortal sin if I haven't already. Also I just love the way he twists the word "bad" into something that sounds, well, bad.

 

The movie is a Kirk Douglas vehicle with Robert Blake chewing the scenery in a supporting role. It raises many interesting questions about capital punishment, sex, hypocricy, the law, and the way ugliness hates beauty. It's worth a look.