Poor old Jean Peters, who gets socked in the jaw by Richard Widmark (then he steals from her handbag again in a neat touch), then gets nastily assaulted and shot in the back by Richard Kiley. Quite violent for its day. Starts with intriguing wordless pickpocketing set-up. In fact, three-time loser Widmark goes through her bag no less than four times in all.
Some nice camera moves and lighting from Joe MacDonald, though at least two of his focus puller's close ups of Ms Peters are noticeably out.
Music - Leigh Harline.
Thelma Ritter ("I need to keep making a living so I can die") was Oscar nominated and delivers a moving final scene, but Peters is very good also and Q thinks Ben Nye's makeup should get a mention. (It's Fox, so there are no Westmores involved.)
Peters was also in Niagara the same year. After marrying Howard Hughes she disappeared from view and thus life imitated art (Citizen Kane). She was also one of the Three Coins in the Fountain.
And we loved the sandwich board "Handsome Mens Suits".
Lots of New York location in punchy, direct Fuller drama, which really ends too happily for a noir (Peters seems to recover from her injuries incredibly easily, for example).
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