The Second Woman

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.

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.

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.