Showing posts with label Jane Wyatt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jane Wyatt. Show all posts
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| Endangered family: Jane Wyatt, Dick Powell and Jimmy Hunt |
Insurance man John Forbes (Dick Powell) has a loving wife, Sue (Jane Wyatt) and an adorable little boy (Jimmy Hunt), but he's restless and bored, and feels he's in a rut. He goes to see Mona Stevens (Lizabeth Scott) in hopes of getting back some of the gifts her embezzling boyfriend Bill (Byron Barr) bought her with stolen loot, and the two are attracted to one another. This infuriates the bulky private eye "Mac" (Raymond Burr), who has an unrequited -- and dangerous -- infatuation with Mona, leading to melodramatic complications. The acting from all is fine in the movie -- Raymond Burr pretty much walks off with the picture -- but the trouble is its completely unimaginative presentation. The only really memorable scene is when the menacing Mac comes to the dress shop where Mona is a model and forces her to show off some sexy numbers for him. Speaking of which, this is directed by the numbers. Barr had a supporting role in Double Indemnity and was also in Follow That Woman and others.
Verdict: Good performances but still kind of blah. **1/2.
"You are a swine, Stephen."
Struggling writer Stephen Byrne (Louis Hayward) makes a pass at a pretty maid, Emily (Dorothy Patrick), and winds up accidentally killing her, then gets his lame, bookkeeper brother, John (Lee Bowman), to help him cover up the crime and put her body in the river beside his house. Meanwhile the mystery over the disappearing maid provides enough publicity for Stephen to capitalize on for his writing career, but his wife, Marjorie (Jane Wyatt), finds his new success a little ghoulish. Then Emily's body is found and one of the brothers is arrested .,. With moody, beautiful photography from Edward Cronjager, a fine score by George Antheil, and a memorable lead performance by Hayward, House By the River is one of Lang's best pictures. Wyatt is quite good, Bowman also good [if not on Hayward's level], and we even get Ann Shoemaker as a friendly neighbor and Kathleen Freeman as a party guest. Jody Gilbert also scores as John's housekeeper, Flora. In the Lang canon, this falls somewhere between the awful Secret Beyond the Door ... and the excellent Clash By Night.
Verdict: Brooding, well-done suspense film that just misses being a real classic. ***.