User reviews

Tom Tryon stars with Carol Ohmart, Elaine Stritch, James Gregory, Jody Lawrence, Edward Lewis, and E. G. Marshall in "The Scarlet Hour," a 1956 film directed by Michael Curtiz.

Tryon plays Marsh (E. V. Marshall even though E. G. Marshall is in the movie) a hunky employee of a real estate firm who is having an affair with the boss' wife Pauline (Ohmart). One night, while parking in a secluded spot, they overhear a man (Lewis) plotting the robbery of $320,000 worth of jewels from a nearby house.

Pauline sees this as a way to leave her husband Ralph Nevins (Gregory) - she wants Marsh to do the robbery and steal the jewels from the criminals. Then they can go away together.

Things don't go as planned. First, Marsh is totally against doing it. Then he decides he will. Meanwhile, Nevins is suspicious of both of them. Pauline has given herself an alibi as she is out with friends -- but Nevins, in a rented car, follows her from the club.

Marsh gets the jewels but the robbers shoot at him as he escapes. Pauline, meanwhile, has tangled with her husband, who winds up dead from a gunshot wound, supposedly from the robbers' crossfire. In the fight with Nevins, Pauline drops a bracelet her husband had designed for her.

It all becomes a tangled mess with suspicion for the murder falling on Marsh, Pauline, and even Nevins' secretary Kathy (Jody Lawrence). And Pauline, alone in her big house, becomes desperate.

Good movie with beautiful singing by Nat King Cole performing "Never Let Me Go," and Broadway star Elaine Stritch early in her career as a friend of Pauline's.

Three small points - Billy Gray is listed in the film, but I didn't see him; and I swear that the cops were talking about Pauline's bracelet at one point, although it was the crooks who picked it up - I could be wrong.

The third thing only a few will notice. When Marsh walks into the boss' office, Kathy is transcribing from a reel to reel tape to her typewriter. Gregory, on tape, was speaking at a normal speed. You cannot transcribe what a person says as they talk without a foot pedal to stop and catch up, the ability to slow down the tape, or if the person is speaking slower than normal. I can attest to that having spent 40 years transcribing and typing well over 100 words a minute. It's a pet peeve of mine, as is recording someone and putting the recorder on the other side of the room or in your purse.

Ohmart was "introduced" in this film. She was a sultry blonde with a beautiful figure and a sexy voice. She worked until she retired in the '70s.

The handsome Tryon had a decent career in films but wound up a highly successful author. Jody Lawrence had a spotty career. Of interest, her stepmother took in a foster child, Norma Jean Baker (Marilyn Monroe) and Lawrence and Monroe actually roomed together briefly.

Well worth seeing, not up there with the great Curtiz films but certainly very good.

Warner Brothers 30s 40s director Michael Curtiz was well past his prime when he made this lower tier work rich in both mood and atmospherics for Paramount. Grazing in Billy Wilder Double Indemnity territory it lacks the first string line-up of Stanwyck, MacMurray and Robinson but the second team acquits itself well enough to make this a pretty suspenseful piece.

"Marsh" Marshall (Tom Tryon) and his boss's wife Pauline are having some illicit recreation at a local lover's lane when they overhear three men planning a major heist. Pauline, the spine in the relationship concocts an idea to rob them after they pull the job. The pliable Marsh (mellow?) blinded by Pauline's sexiness and passion reluctantly goes along.

Well paced Scarlet Hour runs on deception and betrayal with plenty of double cross along the way weaving in the thieves subplot to the major theme of the adulterous leads seamlessly as fatale Pauline must manipulate three men to her grand plan.

Tryon and Ohmarht are fine if inconsistent at times while a supporting cast of hang dog looking pros (James Gregory, EG Marshall, Edward Binns, Elaine Strich, Rene Aubuchon, James Lewis) add sober gravitas.

Special mention goes to the camera work of Lionel Liddon who keeps us in the dark (a majority of the film takes place in the evening) with some bold chiaroscuro compositions that up the noir tenor and elevate Scarlet Hour to an impressive overachiever.

Revered director Michael Curtiz (The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Sea Wolf, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Casablanca) could tackle successfully just about any genre. In this late film of his (he also produced, the last of only five films where he got that credit), he brings home a typical noir plot (at least on the surface) of a love sick dupe of a man who gets dragged into a crime scheme by a manipulating femme fatale. But there is more going on than is immediately revealed. Pauline (Carol Ohmart) is unhappily married to real estate tycoon Ralph Nevins (James Gregory). She is carrying on a hot affair with her husband's top seller, "Marsh" Marshall (Tom Tryon). He is head-over-heels for her but Pauline wants a monetary cushion before leaving her husband. While necking in a car on a mountain road one night, the couple overhears some men plotting a jewel robbery at a nearby home of some rich people who are on vacation. Against Marsh's better judgment, he agrees to pull a hijack and rob the robbers. What could possibly go wrong? Well first, there is a jealous husband who is on their trail. And what about the secretary back at the office (Jody Lawrance) who seems to have a Thing for Marsh? What does she know? And who is the well-dressed gentleman who planned the robbery in the first place? Interesting script full of surprises from three credited writers including Frank Tashlin, better known as a director of comedy films. The only element I feel that could have been bettered are the lead players. This was the film debut of both Ohmart and Tyron. Ohmart attempts to put a little fire into her character even though she can't quite get there. Tryon, on the other hand, even though his career lasted into the 1970s based on his square-jawed classic leading man looks, was always a pretty dull actor. Supporting players Jody Lawrance, James Gregory, and Elaine Stritch show us how it should be done. Recommended late noir from the late output of an important classic film director.

I really don't understand why this Michael Curtiz film is so hard to find. And since so many years. A rather good film noir, in the Warner Bors tradition, except that this time it was produced by Paramount Pictures. And like some other late Curtiz's films, there are no really great stars in this movie. Actors as we could have seen in B pictures. But this is definitely not a B picture.

The usual topic of the triangle: Wife, husband and lover. The gal wants to get rid of her husband with the help of her lover. Characterization, music score, sets by night, everything is very interesting in this authentic and - I repeat - rare gem. Don't miss Nat King Cole singing "Never Let Me Go". A charming movie which reminds me my childhood.

But it is not a masterpiece although.

The Scarlet Hour is directed by Micahel Curtiz and written by Rip Van Ronkel, Frank Tashlin and John Lucas. It stars Carol Ohmart, Tom Tryon, E.G. Marshall, Elaine Stritch, Jody Lawrance and James Gregory. Music is by Leith Stevens and cinematography by Lionel Lindon.

It has been a hard to locate film noir for may a year, which when you consider it's directed by such a titan of classic cinema comes as a surprise. The plot dynamics are very familiar to noir fans, and coming as it does late in the original film noir wave it does lack a bit of freshness, but there's little deviations in the shenanigans of the principals to at least give this its own identity.

We essentially have an abused wife (Ohmart) having an affair with one of her husbands (Gregory) employees (Tryon). They plan to run away together but need money to do so. As it happens, during one of their love sessions in a parked car they over hear crooks planning a jewelry robbery and she convinces her man to hold up the thieves so as to take the jewels for themselves. In true noirville form this becomes a road to nowhere and danger lurks on every corner, with dodgy alibis, unrequited passions and a few twists and turns to keep the narrative perky.

This is no shoddy production either, it comes out of Paramount and the presence of Curtiz shows you that the studio wasn't merely making a contract filler. Though the absence of chirascuro from Lindon is a shame, we do get some nifty sequences such as violence enacted that we only see via shadows. There's moments of humour as well, while there's also a musical surprise as Nat King Cole turns up to croon Never Let Me Go. Cast are fine, Ohmart has classic fatale looks and legs from heaven, but her character trajectory is a little muddled in the writing. Tryon plays the dupe competently, Lawrance sparkles in a secondary role, as does the scene stealing Stritch.

I'd stop at calling this a hidden gem, as some other amateur reviewers have, though it does rather depend on how many other similar noirs you have seen previously. This doesn't come close to Double Indemnity, The Postman Always Rings Twice or Thérèse Raquin, but that doesn't stop it being a good film, because it is and for sure it's well worth noir fans tracking it down. 7/10

The noir plotting is nothing new here but some added ingredients and twists serve to keep this engaging till the end, A rich dame wants to lose her husband for her broke lover and schemes her way to get it manipulating every male in her vicinity - she's desperate, spiteful, jealous, mean and seductive - and her charm works, until it doesn't. The plot is slightly convoluted but everything comes together well in the end (though it is a tad abrupt). Plenty of tension and angst throughout and very serviceable acting from this quite large cast. Watch out for Nat King Cole singing at a nightclub. Better than expected - enjoyable and recommended.

Carol Ohmart and Tom Tryon are having a little rendezvous on a deserted road, when they overhear three guys plotting to knock over a house and steal $350,000 worth of jewelry. Since Ohmart is trying to ditch her husband (James Gregory), she eventually concocts a plan to rob the burglars, and suckers Tryon into it. The plan almost comes off … except that Gregory suspects the two are getting it on, and follows them. Tryon holds up the burglars, but as he makes his escape, the two burglars fire at him. Meanwhile, as Ohmart waits for Tryon in the getaway car, Gregory confronts her. Ohmart shoots him, and lets Tryon think the burglars hit him by accident. Of course, things slowly unravel from there, and there is also a neat twist involving the owner of the jewels.

There is some talent involved – Michael Curtiz directed, and keeps the pace moving fairly well. The supporting cast is good, and features Elaine Stritch as Ohmart's friend, and E. G. Marshall and Edward Binns as a couple of detectives. Richard Deacon has a bit as a jeweler. David Lewis (who played Edward Quartermaine for so many years on "General Hospital") makes his film debut. As a bonus, Nat King Cole appears and sings "Never Let Me Go." Tryon is acceptable in his role, but that's about it. Ohmart, who was wonderfully treacherous as Vincent Price's wife in House on Haunted Hill, looks great, but her voice is a little too monotone to suit me.

One of the screenwriters is billed as Rip Van Ronkel. Apparently he didn't want to use his real name, Rupert Stiltskin.

Emil Zola isn't a guy you normally associate with screenplays, but this 19th century writer penned a story that's often been reworked by other writers into best selling books and movies. James M. Cain's novel "The Postman Always Rings Twice" was essentially the Zola story reworked into a contemporary setting. And, "The Scarlet Hour" is essentially the same notion. All these stories are about an adulterous wife who is bored by her husband and ultimately ends up killing the husband. This is only half the story...the other half is how the killer falls apart psychologically and ultimately pays the price for their infamy.

When the film begins, Pauline (Carol Ohmart) is having an affair with Marsh (Tom Tryon). Little does the husband (James Gregory) know that his most trusted employee is his wife's lover! Ultimately, the wicked wife convinces the lover to participate in a robbery in which they'll steal from the husband...and the husband is killed in the process. After, Marsh is pretty cool...but Pauline is a mess at times and definitely the weak link in the plan. This is interesting, because before SHE was the cool one...the femme fatale...yet now she's going to blow it unless she cools it and fast.

So is this variation on the old story any good? Yes, though I think the story does suffer a bit in the way the wife acts throughout the film. I mentioned above how cold and dangerous she is. After all, the plan is hers. But then she gets a bad case of nerves...which, considering the first portion of the film really is not consistent nor does it make a lot of sense. This does not ruin the film...it's just a strike against it. As far as the rest of it goes, it's enough of a reworking that it still is interesting and worth your time. Well made...just not super-original.

"The Scarlet Hour" is an outstanding surprise for noir fans : directed by Michael Curtiz in 1956, it is so rarely seen. And it deserves to be rediscovered on DVD.

Carol Ohmart uses Tom Tryon to get rid of her husband. And there are so many tricks and twists growing violently crescendo all through the movie, you get stuck on your seat. That crescendo is brilliantly enlightened by Lionel Lindon ("Quicksand"), each frame being in perfect adequacy with all the events and accidents.

Frank Tashlin is another great talent of this forgotten jewel. He is a specialist of comedies, "The Girl Can't Help It" and Jerry Lewis movies. "The Scarlet Hour" is his only participation to film noir. The second screenwriter is John Meredith Lucas, the foster son of Michael Curtiz, who had written Dark City in 1950.

"The Scarlet Hour" must be one day available on DVD.

A bit too long and a bit too talky, there's nothing that you haven't already seen before in 'The Scarlet Hour', but that's half the fun.

Newcomers Tom Tyron & Carol Ohmart are backed by a slick production packaged with routine excellence by old pros producer-director Michael Curtiz & cameraman Lionel Lindon and backed by a solid supporting cast of familiar faces, some of them (notably Elaine Stritch and Richard Deacon) noticeably younger looking than you're used to seeing them...

E.V. "Marsh" Marshall (Tom Tryon) is an up-and-coming sales manager for the Ralph Nevin (James Gregory) real estate empire but little does Ralph know that his top employee is having an affair with his slinky wife "Paulie" (Carol Ohmart). Parked in a lover's lane one night, Marsh and Paulie overhear plans for a quarter million dollar jewel heist and high tail it out of there but it does plant a seed. Paulie's husband beats her and she wants out but she came from the tenements and doesn't want to go back so she begs Marsh to help her break free by ripping off the jewel robbers...

There's twists and turns galore in Michael Curtiz' suspense-filled '50s noir that for some reason remains unsung. This was no B-movie, either; it's a Paramount film in VistaVison produced and directed by an Academy Award winner with a sure hand for this sort of thing from a story by Frank Tashlin, of all people. The film "introduces" Tom Tryon, Carol Ohmart, and Jody Lawrance and although none of them went on to major stardom, Tom and Carol had respectable second tier careers. Ohmart was a very sexy lady with the kind of cruel beauty that lent itself well to femme fatale roles and handsome Tom conveys "conflicted" convincingly. Elaine Stritch (her feature film debut, as well) adds heart as Paulie's floozy friend from the old days before she married well and E.G. Marshall's on hand as the investigating police detective. Nat King Cole croons "Never Let Me Go" in the Crystal Room of the Beverly Hills Hotel. Recommended.

A real ungainly mess of a film noir crime drama. Worth watching just to see how crucial casting and the actors approach makes to these kinds of movies. I love film noirs and am willing to forgive the sometimes lapses in logic and plot when you get juicy melodrama, good cinematography, music and smart attitude from the players. All the things that make noir great. This is just awful. Where to begin? Caroll Ohmart, as the scheming wife, is asked to do so many outlandish things and change her character's emotions contradictorily so many times I just felt sorry for her. Meryl Streep couldn't have pulled this off. She's far better, and seems to be having more fun, as a similar scheming wife a few years later in "The House on Haunted Hill". Tom Tryon is a hunk but seems completely out of his depth here. But again, I fault the screenplay which requires him to change his mind on whether he loves Carol or Jody Lawrence so many times. Poor Jody acts more like his mother and keeps inviting him over for "stew". Tom and Jody say "stew" so many times I started to wonder if it was a euphemism for something else. Her character is a total drag and is a total killjoy. There is a somewhat suspenseful scene where a crucial plot point is revealed. Think about her character in relation to this and later in the movie when it comes up again. It makes absolutely no sense at all! Normally I don't get hung up on these kind of inconsistencies but the whole time, I was aware of the screenplay just pushing the characters around willy nilly with absolutely no consistency to their characterizations and actions. The less said about the Laurel and Hardy comic relief thieves the better. Was Curtiz asleep on the set when they filmed their scenes? The only person I cared about was David Lewis as the criminal mastermind undone by the absolute stupidity of the rest of the characters. I was actually hoping he would get away with it and Carol and Tom would go to jail. A youngish Elaine Stritch as Carol's best friend, is delightful to see as always but she's in a completely other movie in terms of tone and performance. In "The Scarlet Hour" I fear director Curtiz actually thinks he's making a significant, moving drama about people's relationship that happens to included crime elements which is the totally wrong approach given the screenplay and what happens. Sometimes, outrageous plotting can work in a film noir. "Too Late for Tears" is a great example of a completely nutty plot with whiplash changes in character but the movie moves so fast and the entire cast sells the hell out of it, especially Lizabeth Scott that you're completely entertained. In fact, why don't you just go rent "Too Late for Tears" instead of "The Scarlet Hour"?

A surprisingly tough piece of pulp fiction from an unlikely source. Michael Curtiz made "The Scarlet Hour" in 1956 but it wasn't really a success, perhaps because its leads, newcomers Carol Ohmart and Tom Tryon, weren't really up to the job. She's the unhappily married younger wife of James Gregory and he's Gregory's right-hand man with whom she's having an affair. The convoluted plot has them overhearing some gangsters planning a robbery so she talks Tryon into robbing the robbers so she can get away from her husband.

Basically it's a B-Movie and its "Double Indemnity" style plot isn't new but it exerts a tawdry fascination and as well as Gregory there's a good supporting cast that also includes Elaine Stritch and E.G. Marshall not to mention Nat King Cole singing 'Never Let Me Go'. If it's not in the top-drawer of crime movies there are enough twists and turns to give it an edge over some others in the genre and Curtiz's direction is, for the most part, pretty faultless. It's just a pity about Ohmart and Tryon.

Carol Ohmart is married to James Gregory. That, certainly doesn't bode well. She's also carrying on a passionate affair with Tom Tryon. THey decide to steal a wealthy woman's jewelry and run away. When Gregory is killed, everything starts to unravel.

Michael Curtiz' movie looks like what might have happened had Douglas Sirk tried to make a film noir.It's set in the wealthier, newer parts of Los Angeles, where the sod hasn't been [;anted around the Danish Modern houses, I was surprised at how standard and derivative it was, with scenes that suggested Double Indemnity. Perhaps that's a matter of familiarity with Curtiz' post-Hungarian career; in his memoirs, Harry Carey Jr. writes of going to see John Ford movies with his father, who complains endlessly of shots and sequences reused from movies in the 1910s. Those movies are gone,unlike Curtiz' sources for this movie, so Ford's possible copying from his earlier work (which would make him an auteur) are not apparent to us.

What's most interesting to me,however, is the cast, including newcomers Tryon, Miss Ohmart, Nat King Cole singing one song, and Elaine Stritch, also in her first movie, playing Miss Ohmart's older-but-wiser friend. Also E.G. Marshall and Edward Binns as the cops on the case. It's all mechanically handled as the story of lust, betrayal and thievery comes apart efficiently. I don't think Curtiz could make a poor movie.

Paramount makes an obvious attempt to groom Carol Ohmart as the next Barbara Stanwyck, but this effort, of course, falls flat on its face. No one could replace Barbara Stanwyck. Curtiz uses all his great skills as a director and there is also a fine script to work with the actors, but they fumble the ball. Tom Tryon is a good-looking man, but gives a very wooden performance in this one. He eventually became a much more accomplished actor later in his career. Elaine Stritch also failed this high-priced screen test. Neither Stritch or Ohmart ever made a dent in film afterwards. Of the two, Ohmart was interesting as an actress, but did not have leading lady gravitas. Still worth viewing to see a good script and good direction.

Carol Ohmart and Tom Tryon are having a little rendezvous on a deserted road, when they overhear three guys plotting to knock over a house and steal $350,000 worth of jewelry. Since Ohmart is trying to ditch her husband (James Gregory), she eventually concocts a plan to rob the burglars, and suckers Tryon into it. The plan almost comes off ... except that Gregory suspects the two are getting it on, and follows them. Tryon holds up the burglars, but as he makes his escape, the two burglars fire at him. Meanwhile, as Ohmart waits for Tryon in the getaway car, Gregory confronts her. Ohmart shoots him, and lets Tryon think the burglars hit him by accident. Of course, things slowly unravel from there, and there is also a neat twist involving the owner of the jewels.

There is some talent involved - Michael Curtiz directed, and keeps the pace moving fairly well. The supporting cast is good, and features Elaine Stritch as Ohmart's friend, and E. G. Marshall and Edward Binns as a couple of detectives. Richard Deacon has a bit as a jeweler. David Lewis (who played Edward Quartermaine for so many years on "General Hospital") makes his film debut. As a bonus, Nat King Cole appears and sings "Never Let Me Go."

Tryon is acceptable in his role, but that's about it. Ohmart, who was wonderfully treacherous as Vincent Price's wife in House on Haunted Hill, looks great, but her voice is a little too monotone to suit me.

One of the screenwriters is billed as Rip Van Ronkel. Apparently he didn't want to use his real name, Rupert Stiltskin.

Michael Curtiz had quite a few successes in his directorial career: Casablanca, Adventures of Robin Hood, Sea Wolf, Captain Blood, Mildred Pierce, Night and Day all are so well known that they obscure to some extent a true gem like THE SCARLET HOUR.

David Niven famously quoted Curtiz's order on the set as the title to his first autobiographical book: "Bring on the empty horses!" By which he meant the riderless horses. There is nothing empty about THE SCARLET HOUR. It opens with infidelity by a married woman, causing the couple to hear someone's plans to steal $350,000 from a house in Baja California, and it ends suitably openly.

I admire Curtiz's courage in going ahead with this project despite the unknown leads. In fact, the female lead, Carol Ohmart, debuts as Pauline in THE SCARLET HOUR. She is a dish, too (the camera lovingly films her curvaceous figure and long legs) and she certainly has no hangups about cheating on her rich hubby - accomplished performance from James Gregory - corrupting her standup lover, and seeking revenge on the secretary, Kathy, who catches lover Marsh's eye with her honesty and unambiguous love.

Marsh, played convincingly by Tom Tryon - also debuting, though that is not mentioned in the credits - is a well-meaning fellow who wants to do the right thing but is blinded by his love for the gorgeous Pauline. To complicate matters, Pauline decides that $350,000 is exactly what they need to elope and have a good life elsewhere on the planet. Unbeknown to the lovebirds, hubby Gregory suspects something and gets himself in the line of fire, whereupon police duo E. G. Marshall and Edward Binns arrives on the scene with a bang, almost stealing the show with their sharp inquisitiveness.

As Marsh puts it, Kathy is the sole clean character in this remarkably crisp and logical script, further buoyed by extremely competent cinematography from Lionel Lindon, and Curtiz's exacting and intelligent direction.

I recommend THE SCARLET HOUR to anyone interested in film noir.

Desperate housewife wants to run off with her lover, and to get the much-needed cash they rip off a couple of jewel thieves. The jealous husband gets wise to their scheme and tries to beat his wife into submission. In the scuffle his gun goes off, killing the wife-beater. Welcome to Noir Country. This movie starts off promisingly enough, but ultimately disappoints. The main problem are the two leads, who just aren't engaging enough to root for. Especially Tom Tryon as the hapless lover is just not up to it, being weak-willed and spineless from the get-go. Me, i would not organize a kids party with this drip, let alone a jewelry heist. Carol Ohmart is a shade better, but again fails to engage much sympathy. In fact the best performances are by Elaine Stritch and Scott Marlowe as the fun-loving friends of the estranged couple. David Lewis is also suitably menacing as the brains behind the robbery gone wrong. A lot of possible suspense is also prevented by the fact that, as in most 50's thrillers, the police is always just one step behind the culprits. So it's just a matter of time before everybody gets their rightful punishment. ( Phew, that's a relief!) If you're a noir addict like me you might give this one a once-over, but probably once will be more than enough.

This is a superb film noir directed by Michael Curtiz, which has never been officially reissued in video or DVD format. The film introduces three new lead players, Carol Ohmart, Ton Tryon, and Elaine Stritch, who here all appear in their first feature film. This was clearly a conscious decision by Paramount to try and create new stars. They took an excellent script and entrusted the project to the capable hands of Oscar-winner Michael Curtiz, who is of course most famous for directing CASABLANCA (1942). Carol Ohmart is the femme fatale. She has a low dusky voice and moves, speaks and acts like Barbara Stanwyck. Stanwyck was twenty years older than Ohmart, and perhaps it seemed time to try and reinvent her. Ohmart does an excellent job and there is nothing to complain of about her performance except for one thing, and that is that she did not possess the natural magic of a true star. In this film she is highly effective, but we are not entranced. What is there that makes one woman spellbinding and another not? We will never know the answer. Young Tom Tryon as the earnest, love-crazed male lead is very good, though at that age he looked a bit weird, and he was much more effective and better looking when he was older and had developed a bit of gravitas, as for instance in THE CARDINAL (1963). Elaine Stritch is given a substantial supporting role, and she makes the most of it, stealing plenty of scenes (though apparently without meaning to do so) and showing what stuff she is made of, as the decades which followed have proved. Michael Curtiz does his usual excellent job of directing, and the story really does have some surprises and twists. This is no B picture, it is the real thing. Ohmart is a gold-digger who has married a rich older man (played by James Gregory) for whom she has no affection whatever. But then, her affection is reserved for herself. She does however have a mad passion for Tryon, and must have him. 'I want you,' she says to him repeatedly, like a Roman Empress deciding to conquer Cilicia before the week is out. They can't keep their hands off each other, and their mouths are glued together and they simply can't tell whose arms are which. A slight problem! Tryon works for the husband. Also, the boss's secretary, played with doe-eyed devotion by Jody Lawrance (who retired from acting only 12 years later at the age of 38, and died aged only 55 in 1986), is hopelessly in love with Tryon, who does not notice. This film is notable for an appearance by the singer Nat King Cole, who sings an entire song, 'Never Let Me Go' (composed specially for this film), standing and smiling in a nightclub into which Ohmart briefly goes before slipping out on one of her sinister errands of passion. The film begins with Ohmart and Tryon sitting in an open convertible on a warm summer night on the hills overlooking the lights of Los Angeles. They have been necking passionately and suddenly two other cars drive up nearby, which do not see them. Men get out of each car and a rendezvous takes place, in which a jewel robbery is planned, and the couple overhear all the details. Who is the mysterious and genteel man who is organising it? Later in the film we get a real shock when we find out who he is. (No, it is not Ohmart's husband. Try again. Give up, you could never guess.) Ohmart wants to run away with Tryon, who 'has no money' (at least not enough for her), so she browbeats him into robbing the robbers and taking the $350,000 worth of jewels from them as 'running away money'. When Tryon protests, Ohmart ruthlessly scorns his comparative poverty, and says 'I've been poor before.' But of course, this being a film noir, things go terribly wrong. And go on going wrong. And go on going even more wrong. And everything becomes impossibly tense, so that sweat practically breaks out upon the celluloid itself. And then more surprises come, and yet more tension. The screenwriter has no mercy on us. And Ohmart is relentless, as greedy and passionate as Stanwyck in DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944), a role on which she clearly modelled her own performance. This really is a good one. I would say don't miss it, but first you have to find it, and that is even more difficult than solving the plot. Type it into Google with the word 'buy'.

Just Michael Curtiz on direction lifts this movie in another level, if not had a lame screenplay downgrading the offering, the leading cast aside Carol Ohmart as scheming girl that trapped her lover in her net, Tom Tryon has an ambiguous character that later states as victim, he didn't fooled anyone looking his decision to steal a Jewelry's thief, a decent man doesn't go to far, said that let go to the plot.

Pauline Nevins (Carol Ohmart) a well married girl with an older wealthy business man Ralph Nevens (James Gregory) has been a hot affair with the young Marsh (Tom Tryon) a manager of own Boss Ralph, during the hidden meeting in a hill, they randomly hear a plan to stolen the Jewelry on safe from a mansion nearby during the absence of their owners on vacation, the greedy Pauline suggests to Marsh steal the booty aiming for she sets free from unhappy marriage and both runaway with a good 350 thousand dollars in jewelry to live on overseas.

The faltering Marsh accepts under pressure of Pauline, however his clever husband Ralph is aware that something is wrong and decides follow the couple at crime spot in order debunk the unfaithful wife and the double crossing employer, in the meantime that Marsh stolen the goods of the stealers, Ralph and Pauline struggles inside the car, Ralph got a gun that on fight he was deadly shot, the couple vanish at once, Ralph lies down on the ground when the police arrives at crime scene, aftermaths Marsh handles bad with guilty, whilst Pauline is nervous breakdown by Police's pushing concerning the sudden husband murder and mainly by Marsh stop talking her all along, worst the mastermind of the robbery reaches Pauline asking for their jewelry back or someone will be harshly punished.

Apart the offbeat screenplay, also appears the famous singer Nat King Cole on a Night Club singing a song in an off-topic acting, letting at first glance a felling of promotion a singer than anything else, bad move, also Marsh is upset blaming himself, just right now he sees how he was rigged for a woman that seemed so kindly, totally wrong Pauline often displayed an ambitious woman easily perceived in her arranged sad marriage for financial purposes and status, all involved in this net of betrayal and stealing and murder are rotten, sadly the gorgeous Carol Ohmart didn't go so far as star on Hollywood.

Thanks for reading.

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First watch: 2023 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5.