Kreuzverhör

"The Tattered Dress" is an excellent mystery and crime story that will keep one on the edge of her or his seat from halfway through to the end. And, what a tremendous cast of top actors of the day. The leads all gave great performances - Jeff Chandler as James Blane, Jeanne Crain as his wife, Diane, and Jack Carson as Sheriff Nick Hoak. And a supporting cast of well known actors who also shine - George Tobias as Billy Giles, Gail Russsell as Carol Morrow, Edward Platt as Ralph Adams and Edward Andrews as Lester Rawlings head up that bunch.

I don't recall ever having seen this film as a teenager when it came out, or on late night movies after that. The plot is very original and very interesting. The only fuzzy thing about this is the portrayal of the murder case that big city attorney James Blane wins in getting his wealthy client, Michael Reston (played by Phillip Reed) acquitted. The film just has Blane cross examining the sheriff and pretty much making a fool of him. The next thing is a jury verdict of innocent. But that then opens onto the meat of this movie when Blane is served with a summons for a grand jury trial.

Anyone who enjoys good mystery films should like this one from way back in the middle of the 20th century. Here are a couple of favorite lines from this film.

Michael Reston, "You sound like a prosecutor." James Blane, "Another acute observation. You're cleverer than I imagined."

Charleen Reston, "I'll pick you up at the courthouse at eleven." James Blane, "Slight correction - I'll see you in court Monday morning."

Big-shot trial lawyer Jeff Chandler gets a client off for a murder in Nevada. The murdered man had been a friend of sheriff Jack Carson. Carson frames Chandler for bribing a juror. When the attorney Chandler and long-suffering ex-wife Jeanne Crain hire begins to talk about plea deals, Chandler fires him and conducts his own defense.

It's directed by the under-rated Jack Arnold, who is best remembered for some fine, subtext-laden monster movies of the era. With Chandler's dramatic, rumbling voice, however, it turns into a well-told soap opera, with undertones of danger from Carson, who is very good in his part. I'm afraid I was put off by the slovenly-lawyered courtroom scenes, in which attorneys accepted hearsay evidence without a whimper, and verdicts that seem unlikely. Other cast members include Edward Platt as a reporter whose job seems to be to follow around Chandler, George Tobias as a not-too-funny comic, Gail Russell as the woman who accuses Chandler of bribery, and Elaine Stewart as a rather dumb blonde.

The Tattered Dress is a very under rated film that I wish would be broadcast more often. I saw it many times during the sixties and seventies and haven't seen it for years. But the performances do stand out.

The one who stands out the most is Jack Carson. This is no doubt his best screen dramatic performance. Carson usually was cast as amiable blow hard types who usually meant well, but could be very dense. In The Tattered Dress as the mean sadistic sheriff he really should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor in this one.

Jeff Chandler plays a high price defense attorney who's come to Carson's town to defend a married couple accused of a murder that has generated national headlines. Chandler is usually well paid for his services and this is no exception.

While there Chandler makes the acquaintance of Carson. Carson's a local celebrity himself, his former gridiron exploits locally helped him first get elected sheriff. However Chandler's a real national celebrity and Carson fawns all over him.

What happens though is that Carson gives Chandler a confidence that when the trial comes, Chandler uses to impeach Carson's testimony and make him a figure of ridicule on the stand. Because of that his clients get acquitted.

Carson exacts his revenge by framing Chandler on a jury tampering charge and uses every avenue to close any loopholes Chandler might find as his own defense attorney.

The Tattered Dress is one of Jeff Chandler's best films, but as good as he is, Jack Carson gives us his career performance. He's an incredible study of pure evil in power. A person totally unable to deal with others professionally. Chandler was an attorney advocating for his clients, admittedly not a pair of the noblest creatures on earth, but in the final analysis was just doing his job. Carson can't separate that out. I've known some and worked for some people like that in real life. Bad when they get into positions of authority.

Elaine Stewart and Philip Reed are Chandler's wealthy clients who take a powder on him when he gets in a jackpot. Jeanne Crain is Chandler's estranged wife who still stands by him and Gail Russell in one of her last film roles is the woman who accuses Chandler of jury tampering. They all fill their roles nicely, but a special mention should go to George Tobias, a comedian who Chandler got off on a murder charge himself, but at the cost of his career. He serves as a gopher/confidante to Chandler and has a tragic end.

I truly wish The Tattered Dress was out on VHS or DVD. It's a terrific story that is well acted and written. Absolutely a must see for fans of Jeff Chandler and Jack Carson.

THE TATTERED DRESS has so many fascinating elements within it that it deserves to be elevated to the class of forgotten, but major, works. Jack Arnold's direction of a potentially overly-melodramatic plot manages to sidestep most of the problems, but it is the acting that is most memorable. The film's beginning uses Elaine Stewart to enormous advantage. She may have had a short film career, but you could not take your eyes off her when she was on screen (THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, SKY FULL OF MOON, HAJJI BABA, etal). She had quite a bit of talent that never saw stardom, partly because of a dog attack that left her out of the biz for a while. GAIL RUSSELL is superb...totally wonderful... in a supporting role, and the scene in which she breaks down in the courtroom deserved a Nomination. And how splendidly she handles the line about drinking!! JACK CARSON is cagey and sneaky and superbly threatening. In the lead, JEFF CHANDLER, as a lawyer, is always convincing. Low-keyed, you can tell when his character is confronted with an insurmountable problem. JEANNE CRAIN has little to do as his wife, but she is always lovely to watch. Catch this underrated film. It's worth searching for.

The first 20 minutes are quite vivid and garish, and Elaine Stewart is lovely and electrifying as the well-married tramp. Later it bogs down in pompous courtroom scenes that magnify Jeff Chandler's tendency toward two-note delivery. Note: The review in TV Guide slams Jack Arnold, implying that he's a poor director and that the "Incredible Shrinking Man" was a poorly-directed film. (!?!) Hey! Please study your film history! Take it from someone who thinks that 50's pop culture is important, that it is reflected in almost everything we think, do, and watch today, from the cars that we drive to the presidents that we elect! Jack Arnold was a master, and the films (and TV shows) that he directed have been a major influence.