User reviews

W. Lee Wilder's THE BIG BLUFF will never be a threat to his brother Billy's genre-defining classic, DOUBLE INDEMNITY, but on its own terms it's a nifty little quickie with a good story and a nice trick ending.

When it starts, this film looks so cheap -- I mean, Ed Wood cheap -- you're tempted to hang it up, but stick with it. It improves as it goes along. The writing and cast are perfectly adequate and it's more entertaining than a lot of big budget A pictures.

An unusual feature of this film is a reversal of the usual noir femme fatale dynamic. Here it's a sexy guy, an "homme fatal" if you will, who seduces a rich, love-starved widow.

Maltin's book (2003) doesn't even list this film, but it's included in the inexpensive 6-CD "Ultimate Film Noir Collection", which I recommend for its intriguing line-up of public domain B-picture rarities, which range from junk to cult classic B's (DETOUR, THE HITCHHIKER) to even a couple great ones (Welles' THE STRANGER).

This is an effective noirish suspense drama. The acting, direction, and cinematography are typical of 1950s low-budget productions but there are plenty of good scenes. After a slow start, the plot evolves into a modern morality tale where a scheming villain gets his payback. The print is inferior (Classic Film Noir, Volume 2) but the soundtrack is satisfactory.

John Bromfield delivers a convincing performance as an unscrupulous gold-digging gigolo who seduces and marries a wealthy widow (Martha Vickers) who is seriously ill with only a few months to live. Much to his dismay, the marriage works wonders for her health and she improves so much that he is forced to hatch a diabolically clever plan to murder her.

Of course, things quickly go wrong and lead to a terrific plot twist and surprise ending. Not classic noir, but a decent little movie with redeeming features.

When scheming fortune hunter and erstwhile Latin lover Ricardo De Villa learns that a wealthy but sickly widow has terminal heart disease, he seduces and marries the vulnerable millionairess.

Playing the part of a faithful and doting husband, he carries on a torrid affair with sexy exotic dancer Fritzi Darvel while avoiding the suspicious eyes of her jealous bongo-playing husband.

When his wife's condition seems to go into remission, the impatient De Villa decides on action that will hasten her seemingly inevitable death.

The plot sounds awfully racy but these are the 50s.

This is sort of a film noir and it's worth a watch, despite the very bad prints that are available.

Good story.

Good acting.

Not a bad programmer, nothing new in the con-man department, but with a nifty ironical ending. Con-man Ricardo (Bromfield) romances wealthy heiress Valerie (Vickers) who has a heart condition. Marrying her, he then plots ways of shortening her life. Trouble is Valerie's friend Marsha (Miller) suspects his motives and enlists Dr. Kirk (Hutton) to help track Ricardo who's also keeping company with Fritzie (Bowe) despite her husband. Thankfully, the complications come together at story's end.

Bromfield, looking a little like Clark Gable, knows how to use a cigarette to suggest character traits. He's just slick enough to be persuasive. The ordinarily shrewish Vickers goes against type, her Valerie being a sweet-natured victim; at the same time, little-known Eve Miller shows why she should be better known. And get a load of Rosemarie Bowe (Fritzie) who's got enough steamy allure to melt a polar ice cap.

Oh sure, the overall result doesn't rise above programmer level, but it's done well for a cheap indie. Too bad, however, that director Wilder doesn't or can't invest the filming with more style that would lift the visuals. And, on a niggling note-- this isn't really noir. Specifically, the film's missing such defining features as expressionist lighting, plus a morally ambiguous central character. Ricardo's wicked, but crucially he's not torn between ethical poles. In my book, the results count more properly as a crime drama.

Sibling rivalry can be a dreadful thing; look at Joan Fontaine and Olivia De Havilland. Sometimes, however, it approaches farce. W. Lee Wilder probably should have stayed in New York making purses, but, no, he had to follow his little brother Billy to Hollywood. And in Hollywood, maybe he could have been a passable producer (two early Anthony Mann movies, The Great Flamarion and Strange Impersonation, bear his credit). But, no, he had to direct, showing the world how vast was the disparity between young Billy's talents and his own inadequacies. Billy, long estranged, used to call him `a dull son of a bitch,' and he was being generous: W. Lee isn't merely dull, he's barely competent.

The Big Bluff rehashes a plot that Wilder had used in 1946 for The Glass Alibi. Merry widow Martha Vickers has a bum ticker and only a few months left to live. Off she goes to California with paid companion Eve Miller only to cross paths with slick operator John Bromfield (he brags about business interests in Central America but he's just a gigolo). The prospect of coming into her money at her early death emboldens Bromfield to court and marry her.

But there are obstacles. Her secretary/companion and her physician (Robert Hutton) harbor suspicion of Bromfield's motives. And Bromfield's mistress Rosemarie Stack, half of a sultry nightclub act with her jealous husband Eddie Bee, doesn't cotton to his romancing another woman. But the impatient Bromfield, not content with letting nature take its course, starts tampering with Vickers' pill supply. When, paradoxically, she seems to thrive under his care, he concocts a back-up plan, and the movie jutters along to a twist ending, à la Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

The plot is hand-me-down James M. Cain, done proud by the cheesiness of its direction (it's like a stock-footage festival). Wilder lets his cast get away with the stiffest readings of the literal-minded script (Martha Vickers would never nab many statuettes, but Howard Hawks goaded her into acting as Carmen Sternwood in The Big Sleep). Yet every so often there's a dark glint that keeps one watching: Bromfield and Stack plotting in a shadowy hotel staircase; Bromfield and Vickers toasting with schnapps at Scandia or `lo-balls' at La Rue. Something saves The Big Bluff from sinking to the very bottom of the barrel; it sure wasn't Wilder.

... if they had beefed up the dialogue, replaced the rather wooden actors, and cut the running time from 70 minutes to 50 minutes. It actually has an ironic ending that is worthy of the master of suspense.

You can see where this film is going from a mile away. Valerie Bancroft is a young heiress who has a fatal heart condition. She and her paid companion, Marsha, decamp from New York and go to California for the sunshine and hope that it will improve her life expectancy - she should live a year at the most. While in California, they meet con man Ricardo De Villa. He claims to be a businessman from South America who is using the lull in business to holiday in California. Instead he is broke, wants to run off with the female half of a professional dance team, and does not have the money to do so. Marsha told him about Valerie's heart condition hoping he would cut down on all of the night life with Valerie if he knew. Instead he woos and marries Valerie, hoping that the increase in activity, which she loves, will kill her off early. And even if it doesn't, a year is not so long to wait to inherit Valerie's money. Complications ensue.

Nobody in this film is that bad, but one part is done very badly. That would be the part of the cuckolded ballroom dancing husband, Don. He hardly ever says anything. But he is always looking around corners and either following his unfaithful wife or Ricardo. Another role is done rather hilariously. Don's cheating wife, Fritzie, is always dressed in one of her ballroom dancing gowns no matter what the surroundings. She could be on the beach or in the supermarket and there she would be, conspicuously dressed to the nines.

I would mildly recommend this one.

John Bromfield as a two-timing cad and gold-digger in Los Angeles who aggressively woos a wealthy young widow and socialite visiting from New York City (with a bad ticker!). Once she learns she has less than a year to live, the ailing woman and the gigolo get hitched--but he's having an affair with a married dancer and has promised her that his new marriage won't last long. Compact, appropriately overwrought B-grade potboiler (maybe C-grade) has good performances and an ear for melodramatic dialogue. Producer-director W. Lee Wilder keeps the pace moving on a nothing-budget, and sweet-talking Bromfield (with a natty little mustache) amusingly oozes cocky, masculine self-confidence. ** from ****

The plot of "Big Bluff" is very contrived and hard to believe. A rich lady has a bad heart and has only, at most, a year to live. Despite this, the doctor and the lady's personal secretary BOTH think it's best not to tell her—and keep this from her! Instead, she's told to take a relaxing vacation—and they hope this might prolong her life a few months more. Little do they know that this retreat is the last thing she really needs.

While in Los Angeles, hardly a place to go to relax, she meets with a money-grubbing Don Juan. When she finally does learn she only has a short time to live, she proposes to the Lothario and you know she's in for a rough time with the bum. As to what happens from there, try seeing the film for yourself, though the plot makes little sense—as why would a man want to kill a rich wife who is about to die anyway—especially so early on in the film.

The bottom line is that this film is awfully broad in its writing and acting—so broad that it's hard to believe any of this. The entire film comes off as cheaply made and obvious. It's a shame, as the plot could have been good and the no-name cast could have been better if given a chance. Plus, the direction was shoddy—whenever lines are misspoken or actors talk over each other, the scenes are no re-shot! A few simple re-shoots would have really made the film look better. Because of this, even though the film had a dandy and ironic ending, the overall effect is like a badly directed episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents"—not a real honest-to-goodness movie.

By the way, for you car buffs out there, this is probably the only movie in film history where a guy is being chased by a Nash Metropolitan—perhaps the least threatening and silliest pursuit car in history. In modern terms, this would be akin to a Mini Cooper giving chase!

The only other comment on this film lists a litany of reasons why not to watch it, generally because of unfavorable but irrelevant comparisons to Billy Wilder, the director's brother.

I will give you a reason to watch it; it is effective. John Bromfield makes an effective gigolo and Martha Vickers, while not the most charismatic actress known, does a good job as the object of his affections.

Watch this without taking a lot of baggage in with you and you will be satisfied. It has a nice twist at the end that you may guess, but probably not.

This is quite a decent little crime noir with plenty of scheming and plotting from John Bromfield as "Ricardo De Villa"; a man married to a wealthy woman (Martha Vickers) with a terminal health condition. When her new found marital happiness starts to make things look a little better for the patient, however, the impatient husband and his also married lover decide they need to expedite the process before she finds anything out. The story is quite intriguing, there a few twists and turns and the performances are adequate (not brilliant). I suppose the moral is, if something looks too good to be true, it probably is - and older women need to be wary of gold-digging youngsters with pencil moustaches!

I'm rating it highly because of the plot and the twist at the end. No great acting or great photography or a great story per se but it was clever as it could be. It could have been a classic if this featured well known actors and had a good director. Well worth your time.

Dastardly cad Ricardo (Bromfield) inveigles his way into rich but ailing heiress Valerie's (Vickers) life, despite those around her trying to protect her from his suspected predations. The oleaginous Ricardo secretly has a hotter, younger (but married) squeeze on the side, Fritzie (Bowe), an exotic dancer, and they plan to elope as soon as he can extract the cash from his mark. Although it is fascinating to see Vickers in one of her last movies, initially, the viewer needs to contend with some wooden acting, poorly-written lines badly delivered, and choppy editing; still, things improve as they go along, and some of the sets are pleasing to the eye, there are some wonderful little cross-dissolves, the pace picks up, the lighting becomes a little more noir-like, and the plotting gets a bit more intricate. Overall, it manages to keep one just about engaged esp. Bromfield's performance as an amoral exploiter of the weak; a man who is madly in love with white-hot Fritzie, and schemes, almost admirably, to do whatever he can to create the fantasy life he wants with her. Bowe sears the screen with heat whenever she appears, and her and Bromfield have some real chemistry, which keeps the engine of the story ticking over. Hard to wholeheartedly recommend but a mildly diverting short flick (which never bores the viewer) for a weekday evening.

Just another 1950's era low-budget B movie. Likely at its best as the third or so feature back then, at an all-night drive-in theater . . . where the real action is in the car rather than on the screen. 😁. Anyway, fun to watch so many decades later.

The film essentially begins with an extremely rich socialite by the name of "Valerie Bancroft" (Martha Vickers) who suffers from a heart ailment and is eventually told that she has only about 6 months to live. It's during this time that she meets a suave man by the name of "Ricardo De Villa" (John Bromfield) who proceeds to win her over with his charms. What she doesn't know is that Rickardo is not at all the man he pretends to be. For starters, he is currently having an affair with a married woman by the name of "Fritzi Darvel" (Rosemarie Stack) and he plans on skipping the country with her eventually. However, in order for the two of them to live comfortably he first wants to get his hands on Valerie's money--and he is willing to do whatever it takes. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a solid film noir which manages to entertain well enough in spite of its rather limited budget. Admittedly, none of the actors were exactly top shelf but they performed well enough for the most part and the clever twist at the end makes this picture worth the time spent to view it and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

The main point of interest for me was watching Martha Vickers, who played in one of the greatest semi-noir of all times, "The Big Sleep", with Bogey and Bacall.

The sexy, crazy kitten of that story is, in this tale, the more mature, but equally annoying rich widow Valerie. Valerie has a weak heart and not much of a brain and she's sent to "relax" with female companion Martha, to the unlikely relaxing location of Los Angeles.

There Valerie meets disreputable latin lover Ricardo and promptly falls in love. Given that Ricardo is in it just for the money and hoping to spend the inheritance cash with married lover Fritzie, one can see complications ensuing.

The story drags on in typical B-fashion until the redeeming plot twist at the end.

A generally annoying film from start to finish.

It suffers from a wretched screenplay which is intent on assuming that the audience is either stupid or not paying attention... The acting and direction are stilted and unimaginative and sometimes just don't make sense. The awkwardly inserted stock footage of people water-skiing in Hawaii doesn't help!

The story itself revolves around a rich merry widow in New York with a dodgy ticker and not much time to live... and most of the scenes are focused on a mysteriously ever-present doctor and an overly-protective close chum who cares way too much!

Unfortunately, the victim herself hasn't been told she's on the way out and carries on living her life. She meets a detestable spiv in Los Angeles and incredibly decides to marry him. But this bloke is just after the cash and a silly scene in an art gallery hammers the point home. (For a bloke who is constantly in need of cash infusions, he drives a bloody nice car!)

His real girlfriend (a married dancer at a nightclub) helps him to try and bump off the wife but incredibly 'er indoors seems to be actually getting better! What could have been a brilliant twist at the end is played out with such ham-fisted incompetence that it can be seen charging towards the viewer way before even the cast has time to figure it out.

Dreadful mess.

John Bromfield is a smooth-talking con man in this 1955 B noir The Big Bluff. The film also stars Martha Vickers, Eve Miller, and Robert Hutton.

Vickers is the incredibly wealthy albeit terminally ill Valerie. Learning this, Bromfield sweeps her off her feet and marries her.

Alas, not only does Valerie not die, her condition improves. It was time for her husband and mistress (Rosemarie Stack) make other plans.

How Valerie managed to stay alive was a miracle. Though she is not allowed alcohol or condiments (I guess things like mustard) she smokes. Hubby switched her medication with bicarbonate and has her walk up a massive flight of stairs.

Bromfield made a good conman. Vickers gave the most animated performance. This was actually her return to films, but she wound up doing television until she passed away at age 46.

Robert Hutton has always reminded me of James Stewart. He and Eve Miller are okay.

Rosemarie Stack retired soon after this to be a full time wife to Robert Stack, a marriage that lasted 47 years. She gives a nice, biting performance, and she is gorgeous.

The main problem with this film for me is that it looks cheap. With interesting camera work, good direction, and a decent script, this could have been overlooked.

However, there is a neat twist at the end.

Rich Martha Vickers has a heart condition that is going to kill her soon.... which is just the sort of wife John Bromfield is looking for, as he tells his girlfriend, Rosemarie Stack. And so they are wed, and Bromfield begins skimming money, taking her out night-clubbing, and substituting baking soda for her heart medicine. Miss Vickers is clueless, and her happiness makes it lok like she's recovering according to her doctor, so Bromfield decides a more direct method is needed.

It's a nice idea for a movie, and in the hands f a good writer and director it might hit all the buttons for suspense. Unfortunately it's directed by W. Lee Wilder, whose ability seems confined to his being Billy Wilder's brother, and the pace is sluggish, the line readings disconnected, and the visuals uninteresting.

Wilder, whose brother once called him "dull", directed sixteen shorts and seventeen feature from 1946 through 1972. The half dozen I have managed to sit through have uniformly supported his Billy's assertion. W. Lee died in 1982 at the age of 77.