User reviews

This fine "B" film project is basically a psychological film, in the category of the many 1940s and 50s films that were made to explore depth-of-character and motivation. The idea their producers had was to go beyond the inspector calling and assembling suspects in the drawing room to detail who'd done a murder; in the newer mysteries, emphasis was placed upon gradually discovering clues and lines of inquiry, upon revealing actions, pretenses, questionings and complex relationships. This "modern" peeling away of layers of truth relating to an old crime's influence often works brilliantly in my judgment, especially in this movie, Not the least of this unpretentious and beautifully- photographed work's accomplishments is its avoidance of Freudian and false notions that so often muddy attempts to understand individuals' characters in film; Freud applies only to totalitarian societies. Here the investigator is in fact a beautiful woman, very intelligently played as insurance expert and woman-in-love by Betsy Drake. The object of her interest is a man who may or may not be crazy, well-portrayed by Robert Young. He has been suffering a series of accidents or breakdowns that are ruining his life; he has begun to doubt his own sanity. But she insightfully feelss someone is trying to wreck his career and his hopes for happiness. Their search for the perpetrator of the acts being done against him help them to unravel the mystery of his late wife's death and the secrets of the usual nasty small United States town and its equally small-minded citizens (a favorite target of intellectuals in the period, genuinely or not). The director was James V. Kerns, the cinematographer Hal Mohr, whose work was outstanding also. The cast apart from the attractive and bright leads was comprised of Morris Carnovsky, Jean Rogers, Steven Geray, Shirley Ballard, John Sutton and Florence Bates, all well-cast and in top form.. This film was an attempt to do on a low-budget what "Spellbound" had been able to accomplish; the house architect Young designs is outstanding modern architecture; the music by Bernard Nussbaum and the Tschaikovsky excerpts used are I believe add to the atmosphere very nicely. And the relations between characters, acerbic or warm, are unusually well-realized in dialogs and blocking.. This is a true sleeper, with its roots in "The Fountainhead"; and one that deserves much more attention that it has ever received; many elements of an intriguing mystery-noir storyline are quite successfully filmed here indeed.

The Second Woman (AKA: Ellen) is directed by James V. Kern and co- written by Mort Briskin and Robert Smith. It stars Robert Young, Betsy Drake, John Sutton, Florence Bates, Morris Carnovsky and Henry O'Neil. Music is by Joseph Nussbaum and cinematography by Hal Mohr.

Architect Jeff Cohalan (Young) is a troubled man, after the mysterious death of his fiancée in a car crash, he has been acting strangely and lives a lonely life at the Hilltop House he designed for his bride to be. When he meets Ellen Foster (Drake), things perk up as he becomes attracted to her. But he is constantly plagued by bad luck, something which doesn't go unnoticed by Ellen, who suspects that Jeff may not be the victim of paranoia, but of something sinister perpetrated by outside forces…

The Coast of Kings.

If you can get away from the looming presence of such great films like Gaslight and Rebecca, then James Kern's movie holds some Gothic noir rewards. The house at the centre of tale is a modern development, which is a shame as it goes against the coastal atmosphere lifting up from the Carmel-On-Sea location that was used for these parts of the film, but otherwise there's a strong brooding mystery bubbling away throughout. As the bizarre instances of misfortune start to mount up on Jeff Cohalan, with director Kern showing a good appreciation of pacing, it builds up a menacing head of steam and then unravels a better than adequate denouement.

Vivian, Vivian, Vivian…

Young and Drake inevitably tug at a romantic thread, but they make for an engaging couple and Drake especially gets her teeth into a female role of intelligent substance. John Sutton files in for some decent caddish quotient and Bates and O'Neil add some professionally elder support. Mohr's (Bullets or Ballets/The Lineup) photography is the key, consistently at one with the psychological beats of the plotting, his lighting compositions make the film seem far more higher in production value than it was.

A tale of memory lapses, pet bothering, depression, ugly real estate, dastards and romance, is nicely cloaked by ominous coastal atmospherics and Tchaikovsky! 7/10

Robert Young is one seemingly unlucky guy in "The Second Woman," a 1950 film also starring Betsy Drake, Morris Carnovsky, John Sutton, Florence Bates and Henry O'Neill. This was probably a 'B' noir; like "Shining Victory" and "The Uninvited," it is reminiscent of "Rebecca" - in fact, the beginning narration is basically a paraphrase of "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderlay." This film even goes so far as to have Florence Bates playing Drake's aunt; she was Mrs. DeWinter's employer in "Rebecca." Drake is Ellen Foster, a young woman en route by train to visit her aunt when she meets her aunt's attractive neighbor, Jeff Cohalon (Young). He's built a fantastic house that, her aunt informs Ellen, no one has ever been in. He built it for his bride-to-be, and she was killed in a car accident before the wedding. Since then, several people - his almost father-in-law, Ben (O'Neill), to whom Jeff is like a son, and a psychiatrist, Dr. Hartley (Carnovsky) have been concerned about Jeff. He seems absent-minded and moody. Then strange things begin to happen to Jeff - he has to shoot his horse when it breaks its leg apparently while in its stall; his dog dies; the color on a painting he owns suddenly fades; and roses he brings into the house die immediately. Ellen, who works with actuarial tables, is darn suspicious - there is too much bad luck, and either Jeff himself or someone who wants him destroyed is behind it.

"The Second Woman" is a decent film with good, if unexciting, acting. Robert Young made several noirs in the '40s, and he did them well - you really don't know here if he's sinister or if he's a victim. Drake is a bland costar. Carnovsky, O'Neill, Sutton and Bates give good support. Sutton strikes the right note as a man who hates Jeff.

Like dozens and dozens of post-World War II, there is an emphasis on psychology. Considering what our soldiers went through in World War II, it's not surprising that it was a hot topic. Here the big word is paranoia. But as anyone will tell you, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean someone's not out to get you.

This interesting psychological drama has a number of strengths that more than make up for the low-budget look and a few minor flaws. The story is full of tension and dramatic possibilities, and things are built up nicely, with the flashback opening and a number of the plot elements frequently reminding you of "Rebecca". It's not really on a par with that story, or with the Hitchcock film version, but it has the same kind of psychology-driven story that takes some skill to tell.

Robert Young plays a talented architect whose life and mental stability have been troubled by a recent tragedy. Young is well cast, since in his earlier years he came across well as this kind of character, who is likable but whose behavior raises a lot of questions. Betsy Drake was an interesting choice for the female lead, emphasizing sincerity, intelligence, and loyalty rather than the glamour and mystery that often characterize noir heroines. Florence Bates also works well as the aunt of Drake's character, though it would have been nice to see the script give her more to work with.

The past and present are tied together in an interesting and unpredictable plot. A more carefully scripted climactic sequence, bringing everything out in a more deliberate manner, would have topped it off even better. But even so, it remains among the better B-movies of its genre, and it makes for an hour and a half of good drama.

A better-than-average psychological thriller, The Second Woman blends aspects of Rebecca and Gaslight into a savvy, neo-Gothic style (there's even an ultramodern, Manderley-like pile of memories high above the crashing ocean; it, too, ends in conflagration).

Robert Young plays a young architect who can't wriggle out from under a jinx. The night before their wedding, a car crash claimed the life of his fiancée, for whom he'd built the cantilevered "house with wings." Now it's a mausoleum where he broods to the Tchaikovsky on the sound track. Lapses of memory and moody episodes undermine his work. His horse, his dog, even his prize rosebush die mysteriously. He's sinking, an object of pity and, increasingly, apprehension.

Into this slough of despond comes a guardian angel (Betsy Drake), an intelligent and independent insurance investigator who falls for him, as he for her. (She's something of an anomaly in film noir, where all the brains and spunk usually go to the wicked women.) She supplies Young with the resolve to solve the puzzle when he ceases to care.

There are weak points as well. The suicide attempt that opens the movie makes scant sense when it's later explained; the character set up as a villain emerges, at least partly, as a red herring; and the formidable Florence Bates disappears into a bland "also-starring" role. And constantly referring to past events in a low-key, almost abstract way lays poor preparation for the ending, where they prove central. Still, The Second Woman keeps you puzzled, and the Gothic trappings work their spell. Less film noir than mystery, it's nonetheless a good, old-fashioned one.

It's opening speech tries far too hard to evoke associations with 'Rebecca' (it even features one of the original cast), and it also shoehorns in references to 'Suspicion' and 'Spellbound'. But it actually works perfectly own on it's own terms - with a bit of postwar psychology thrown in and Tchaikovsky on the soundtrack - and ironically harks forward towards later Hitchcocks (notably 'North by Northwest') with it's hero and heroine meeting cute on a train and the hilltop Frank Lloyd Wright-style house that serves as a backdrop to some of the drama.

A chicly attired Betsy Drake - ironically Mrs Cary Grant at the time - provides an attractive and robust female lead.

The Second Woman is a stylish mystery thriller staring second tier leads Robert Young and Betsy Drake and directed by second tier director James V. Kern. But there is nothing second rate about the finished product. This movie is visually and dramatically stimulating from beginning to end.

Young plays an architect brooding over the death of his fiancé in an auto crash in which he was the driver the previous year. After a series of apparent accidents, including a suspicious injury to his horse and a fire at his house, it appears that either someone is out to get him, or he is actually doing destructive things to himself because he is a dangerously off-his-nut paranoiac. The local doctor (Morris Carnovsky) believes the latter. His newly acquired girl friend (Drake), who works in statistical studies for an insurance company, turns detective to prove it is the former. The mystery unfolds at a leisurely pace at first but gradually builds tension with surprising twists and turns of the plot. As with any good thriller, you begin to suspect everyone. A brooding, almost Gothic mood is maintained by Joseph Nussbaum's haunting Tchaikovsky-based score and Hal Mohr's alternately dark and luminous black and white cinematography. Frequent shots of the surf crashing on the lonely rocks of the Central California shore help set the forlorn ambiance. Kern's direction is precise, dialog is intelligent, editing smooth. Young and Drake are charming, and they get expert support from Carnovsky, Henry O'Neil, Florence Bates, and John Sutton.

The Second Woman successfully blends elements of mystery, noir, Gothic, and romantic melodrama. Though released in July 1950, its sensuous style and feel seem to belong more to the l940's than to the 'fifties. But when decades are accounted properly, the year 1950 is actually the last year of the decade we nickname "the forties". In any case it was made near the end of an era. Due to collapse of the studio systems, death and retirement of key personnel, adverse changes in public taste, and other factors, by the end of the 1950's they would no longer be able to make pictures as classy and entertaining as The Second Woman.

Top entertainment from Hollywood's Golden Era.

An architect in Carmel believes he's been jinxed with bad luck after being at the wheel the night his fiancée died in an auto accident; since then, his horse breaks a leg, his dog is poisoned, a painting in his house has been tampered with, blueprints go missing...and then, his beautiful house overlooking the cliffs burns to the ground! A female insurance analyst staying with her aunt takes a liking to the man and helps him solve the mystery behind his many 'accidents.' Low-budget, if elaborately plotted, variation on "Gaslight", written by Mort Briskin and Robert Smith (who also co-produced), benefits from the casting of Robert Young as the victim. Young is so smooth and natural as an actor--and also an imposing question-mark when he needs to be--that this wild-card scenario takes on dimensions simply by his presence alone. As the young woman who loves him (or, perhaps, underdogs in general), Betsy Drake is an odd one: you can't get a reading on her. Drake matches up well with Young; they share a polite, friendly rapport, and she's convincing playing amateur detective (she's rather like a grown-up Nancy Drew, or a girl scout leader), but I'm not so sure she was meant for romantic leading roles. The screenwriters wait until the finish line to reveal their plot--and it's quite a story! The supporting performances are mostly wooden, the narrative moves too early into flashback-mode, and the outcome may strike many viewers as ridiculous. Still, the locations are pleasant and Young and Drake are certainly watchable. ** from ****

Intriguing psychological thriller which reflects the forties zeitgeist when psychonanalysis was the craze (see "spellbound" " the dark mirror" "secret beyond the door"...)Because he feels responsible for the death of his fiancée in a car crash ,Jeff is brooding .And he's a victim of strange incidents (he has to shoot his horse whose front leg is broken, his dog is poisoned ) ;"it cannot be a coincidence " says Helen (who plays the role of Ingrid Bergman in "spellbound" although she's not a shrink ) .When the unfortunate man's house is burnt , all coincidence must be ruled out:

Is it a self-inflicted retribution ("he wants to be punished for what he's done) ,as the friendly doctor says , warning Helen and her aunt who accomodates him after the fire against a man who may become dangerous :he destroys everything he likes , and he loves you!

Or is there a criminal mind behind these strange events : hence a whodunit side: is it Ben,the late fiancée's father who treats Jeff like his own son?Keith the philanderer? Or the doctor himself ?

The screenplay sustains suspense throughout and the ending makes sense ; Robert Young as a brooding wistful man down on his luck and Betsy Drake, as headstrong energetic Helen come up to scratch.

The Second Woman is about the story of a mysterious man who lost his wife in an accident and now believes that someone wants to do him harm. A girl who likes him wants to help him but she is led to believe that his fears are caused by a mental illness...

Interesting plot, very good acting, but the result as a whole is poor in many ways. The story is too simplistic, or rather, presented in a simplistic way (even though there is a couple of interesting plot twists). For example, people say they love each other after only two meetings. I don't want to reveal anything else, but you 'll see what I mean if you watch the movie. "Come on, it was the fifties!", you may think. Yet I 've seen quite a few films from that era and I know that some don't seem so dated nowadays.

Something that disturbed me was that some scenes were shot pitch dark, making it almost impossible to watch what was going on. Ok, it's a film-noir but this one is too noir at some points... :o)

Overall, the Second Woman is not a masterpiece of that era, but no trash either. Watch it if you have nothing else to do...

What this b&w noir has going for it is the scenic grandeur of the central California coastline. The roiling sea and rocky outcrops, along with the ultra-modern (circa 1950) cliff house, provide an unusual backdrop to this psychological drama. Bad things keep happening to architect Jeff (Young) for no apparent reason, starting with the highway death of his wife. Enter Ellen (Drake) who seeks to uncover the mystery, though the finger of guilt begins to point at a grieving Jeff who may now be unhinged.

Both the script and the staging are excellent until the climax, which should have been reconsidered from both ends, especially the ludicrous gunshot that seemingly takes minutes to register. Drake's an appealing actress and projects intelligence in the part. At the same time, she's unusual for a decade that emphasized buxom sex-goddesses, which she definitely is not. She and Young do make a well-matched screen couple. However, Young's performance is rather strange. I don't know if he was reaching for a particular effect, but his low-key demeanor never changes despite the many provocations. Unfortunately, it borders on both the boring and the implausible.

Nonetheless, it's an intriguing mystery and a real treat for the eye thanks to cinematographer Hal Mohr. Also, I can't help noticing that Harry Popkin produced this film, along with the noir classic DOA (1950) and such imaginative B-movies as The Well (1951) and The Thief (1952). I expect it was he who insisted on the scenic locations for this film, proving that noir need not be confined to gritty urban settings. Anyway, I think it's fair to surmise that Popkin was a producer, unlike many, who understood the artistic side of movie-making. It shows here.

Michael Curtiz directs Robert Young and Betsy Drake in an American style Rebecca like movie where we find Robert Young being saved from the gasoline fumes of a running motor in a locked garage by Drake and her aunt Florence Bates. We then get a flashback and why Young is in such a desperate straight that he would resort to suicide.

The flashback takes place over a two year period where promising architect Young has had such a streak of bad luck and unfortunate and unhappy events that it reminded me of that old song from HeeHaw, "if it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all". Gloom, despair and agony on Robert Young.

It begins with his intended bride Shirley Ballard being killed in an automobile crash the day before the wedding. After that Young does meet Drake and they could get something going, at least Drake would like to. But Young keeps having all these terrible events occur, his house burns down, his dog is poisoned, his horse suffers a broken leg in its stall, etc., he doesn't want for anyone else to get close.

Of course its all no accident and there's no real suspense in terms of who's behind it all. I will say there is an interesting coda after the confrontation between Young and his tormentor, but you'll have to see The Second Woman for that.

Rounding out the cast is Morris Carnovsky, Henry O'Neill, and John Sutton in the role of the George Sanders like cad. The Second Woman holds up well after 60 years and fans of today will like it.

I am always pleasantly surprised when I come across old gems like The Second Woman and find them to be as good and entertaining as some of the feature films of the same period. The Second Woman stars a convincing Robert Young as an architect who has recently lost his wife in a highway accident. Young plays - on the surface perhaps - a tormented man who has lost connection with everything but his job. He broods at the house he built for his wife whilst gazing at an abstract picture of her and cares only for the company of his horse and dog until - that's right, until the second woman arrives in his life - Betsy Drake visiting her aunt down the road. well, to spin a long tale somewhat short, Young and Drake fall in love, Young loses almost everything he loves in life, and Drake must discover if Young and his recent misfortunes are the product of someone else's had or the result of Young's paranoia. The tension, plot twists, red herrings, and cast of characters are intriguing and most entertaining though the resolution and much of the exposition about an attempted suicide are really quite ludicrous. Director James V. Kern ably manages to inject enough realism to make the engine of this story work as the two key performers - Young and Drake - also lend it credibility. The end was out of nowhere but I didn't mind because I had such a good time getting there. Lots of film noir elements abound, and I loved the scenes of the modern house all by itself on the coast. Morris Charnovsky is very creepy as a doctor convinced Young is a paranoiac, Henry O' Neill does a good job as Young's boss, Florence Bates a nice touch as drake's aunt, and John Sutton plays a worm with the best of them.

There are parallels to other movies which have been alluded to in other reviews, so I won't bore you with that.

The problem with this movie (for me) is that it starts off moody and depressing and stays that way for the entire run time.

The classical music, clunky pacing and stilted screenplay all work hard to bring you down! There's no glamour, no humor and really nothing to connect the viewer with anything real. The new love affair between Robert Young and Betsy Drake is clinical and distant, till the final scene. Nothing about their relationship seems genuinely emotional or affectionate.

You can also add the rather preposterous sequence of events and the silly way everything gets tied up at the end, to the list of reasons not to take this film seriously.

After watching this I came away thinking that this film was trying too hard to be other films that were a similarly themed and that came out at around the same time.

The only real positive is the tremendous cast.

I really enjoyed this film. It has a fairly believable premise. I do have a little trouble with the self-sacrifice angle and the idea of taking things to the grave that could be dealt with, but it has lots of suspense and a cool ending. Robert Young is carrying around a secret. He is being daily harassed by someone. His dog is killed, his house is burned, his horse is harmed (to the point where it needs to be destroyed), and his livelihood (as an architect) is being compromised. He meets a young woman who makes him happy, but she can't convince him to come clean. There is a plot to portray him as psychotic (actually paranoid), He seems to have some handle on everything but won't say what it is. There is excellent cinematography. The pacing is quite good. I have to admit I never suspected what was going on. It's a captivating film. The acting is quite good. Oh, yes, as I see these films, I have seen the presence of Jimmy Dodd who was the head Mousketeer on the old Mickey Mouse Club show of the fifties. His acting portfolio is rather extensive though unimpressive.

This curious psychological mystery movie is definitely NOT film noir. In fact, there is nothing noir about it. The sets, cinematography, editing, and direction are quite ordinary and lack the dynamic tension characteristic of film noir.

Robert Young is convincing as a jinxed architect who experiences a string of what seem to be accidents and bad luck. Eventually, he realizes that somebody is trying to ruin his life by framing him as a dangerous psychotic.

Betsy Drake is miscast as a goody-two-shoes character who falls in love with Young and helps to extricate him from the frame. Unfortunately, she has even less sex appeal than Mary Poppins and there is no chemistry between them. As a result, their romantic scenes are totally unconvincing.

The rest of the cast deliver generally competent performances. The storyline reflects the public interest in psychotherapy in the 1950s but there are several scenes such as Young's fake suicide attempt and the denouement that are simply unbelievable. Not a great movie but worth watching for Young's performance.