A true independent B movie made by Producers Releasing Corporation and distributed through Pathe Pictures. John Ireland as the bad guy the only actor I'd heard of and then would be hard-pushed to name any credit. He began in A Walk in the Sun, appeared in My Darling Clementine, Raw Deal (also Mann), Red River, Spartacus, The Fall of the Roman Empire (Mann again), Farewell My Lovely (1975)... that's enough John Ireland films. With Sheila Ryan (the nice girl with a clear case of stupidity), Hugh Beaumont (the detective), Jane Randolph (bad girl with a clear case of stupidity), Ed Kelly (the unfortunate). It's not often the bad guy gets the top billing - is his the most interesting character?
Film noir can be a grey area - and I'm only saying that with a cigarette between my lips and a slug of bourbon in my glass. But this probably does qualify. John C Higgins and Gertrude Walker's script has a good femme fatale and a stupid heroine who stupidly falls for the most obvious trick (some bum's getting 'fifty leaves' for his part in this), whilst detective leaves his only witness dangerously unprotected and she's obviously murdered.
To its credit, it's nice and short, running just 70 minutes. Very low budget - the nightclub set looks like a living room and is funny.
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| "Or you could come into the safety of police custody now..." She probably wouldn't have done though... |
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