Sudden Fear (1952 David Miller)

Still at RKO. Miller is not an immediately recognisable name: however he did make Lonely Are the Brave and Midnight Lace. Lenore Coffee and Robert Smith adapted Edna Sherry's 1948 novel, apparently with some help from star Joan Crawford, who's in her slightly manic phase.

We know that jilted actor Jack Palance is up to no good after marrying Joan when his sexy girlfriend on the side Gloria Grahame turns up, and there's a great scene at a beach house with impossibly dangerous stairs that we know is going to feature in the finale - it doesn't. Then a dictaphone called a Super Scriber (and some sound effects) reveal the plot to Crawford who understandably has a bit of a meltdown (inadvertently destroying the evidence). It's where she knows he plans to kill her, and has to pretend she knows nothing, that gives the film its wonderful dramatic irony - and what will she do? Leads to suspenseful last half.

Shot by Charles Lang on deserted San Francisco streets, with an urgent, jazzy score from Elmer Bernstein (one of his very first).

Both Crawford and Grahame had unhappy ends - see Eddie Muller for more info.