The Tattered Dress

By far the best few minutes in The Tattered Dress occur in its swift, provocative prologue. In filthy-rich Desert Valley, California, there's an illicit tryst (where a bodice actually gets ripped); a fight between the adulterous blonde and her jealous husband; and the stalking and slaying of the popular young man who cuckolded him. When a hotshot mouthpiece from New York rolls into town to defend the killer, on the grounds that he was only avenging his wife's rape, it promises to be down-and-dirty fun, like Anatomy of Murder a couple years later.

No such luck. The trial is but a plot point, winning lawyer Jeff Chandler not only an acquittal for his client but the everlasting enmity of the town sheriff and political boss (Jack Carson). Chandler finds himself framed for bribing a juror and ill-advisedly chooses to defend himself. To his side rushes Jeanne Crain, playing that most thankless of roles, the loyal ex-wife. Though there's some welcome noirish violence, the movie has aspirations to being a big courtroom drama where Chandler fights for his reputation, his self-respect, and "principle."

Turning Chandler into the central character proves a colossal miscalculation. He can't begin to impersonate a legal legend who's been compared to Clarence Darrow; though he sweats and strains to work up a full head of steam in his flat, wide skull, he convinces only the jurors -- never us viewers.

Elaine Stewart, as the trampy trophy-wife, and Gail Russell, as the bribed juror, get tossed aside, as does Crain. Only Carson emerges unscathed; once again, as in a long line of supporting roles, he uses his affable, average-joe persona to hide the ruthless schemer inside. When Chandler turns the ripped dress of the original trial into a metaphor for the "tattered" garb of the blind statue of Justice, it's clear that this movie is giving itself airs because it has nothing else to give.

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.

There seems to me as a writer and critic to be a bad tendency among U.S. reviewers to confuse their emotional and unaccountable reactions with information. For instance, I regard Jeff Chandler as a very good classical actor; I assert this because he has the vocal power, sufficient emotional voltage and the high intelligence to play characters in the distant past, future, positions of nobility and professions.  But I also claim to be able to tell among his strongest portrayals, and those which were less successful. In "A Tattered Dress", for instance, the dress referring to the robes which cloak the naked female statue of justice, I believe Chandler has one of his most fascinating parts in this film by anyone's standards.  And one of his best successes.He plays a lawyer who was refused employment as a poor student once he had been admitted to the bar in the Depression era; to overcome this injustice, he began taking clients who were criminals, who could pay him. In the years since then, he has become a famous and deeply- hated lawyer, because of those criminals whom he represents. The fascinating twist to this Jack Arnold directed noir is that he wins his original case. A husband had been accused of having killed his wife's lover, after she has come with "a tattered dress'. Then, thanks to collusion between the town's average-guy closet-dictator sheriff, and those supporting him, the lawyer finds himself accused of having bribed a juror during the case. His estranged wife returns to stand by him; he elects to be defended by the best lawyer he knows, himself. and this proves to alienate the townsfolk even further. He shakes the juror's testimony, but he must resort to a magnificent last defense, equating the tattered dress with justice itself that is thwarted, to plead his case as a human being who has been wronged more than he has wronged anyone. he is acquitted, which leads to a strongly-written climax and ending. This is a well-made and well-directed thriller; besides veteran Arnold's direction, this B/W drama features original music by Frank Skinner and Henry Mancini, fine cinematography by Carl E. Guthrie, outstanding art direction by Alexander Golitzen and Bill Newberry, set decorations by John P. Austin and Russell A Gausman. The very good costumes were the creation of J.A. Morely, Jr., with makeup being the work of Bud Westmore. Among the cast, Jeff Chandler's work as the lawyer accused is award level and memorable, varied in tone and nuanced. Others who brought to life George Zuckerman's finely-crafted script, drawn from a novel included Jack Carson as the sheriff, Jeanne Crain as the lawyer's wife, Gail Russell as the juror in question, Philip Reed as the husband, plus talented Edward Andrews Elaine Edwards, George Tobias, Edward Platt, Alexander Lockwood, Paul Birch, Edwin Jerome and William Schallert. This is a film that must be judged I assert by what it is, not what any observer wished it might have been. It is a very powerful indictment of U.s. societal justice as long ago as the 1930s; and of the citizens of a representative town who allow their prejudices to interfere with their judgment. Similar movies had been made, in the same era as this, about other democratically-elected governments and their statist countries, such as England and France. But the content of this scorching indictment of postmodernist truth-twisters and their all-too-willing victims is a very United States story, and one coming from the H.U.A.C era as well. A very strong film.

It is, after all, 1957, the badly ripped garment of the title, reveals only that Elaine Stewart has been the victim of a sexual assault by Floyd Simmons and that she is clearly in.... distress.

Fuming hubby, Phillip Reed, soon settles the issue, with the hapless Simmons winding up on the wrong end of a bullet. Cue for the timely entrance of whip smart, fast talking defence lawyer, Jeff Chandler. A crumbling marriage to Jeanne Crain aint gonna stop HIM from winning a case. In another life he could have made his fortune selling refrigerators to Eskimos and is given a wide berth by any donkey that values its hind legs!

Sharp as a tack, he turns sharp as a cushion sheriff (Jack Carson) into mincemeat on the stand, winning both the battle of the gabble and the gavel plus an acquittal along the way. Barely half way through and this sultry drama, with it's poolside culture resembles an undress rehearsal for 'Anatomy of a Murder'....until...

The bewildered Chandler is framed, accused of bribing juror, Gail Russell and the previously intimidating lawyer finds himself the victim of intimidation from the small, closely knit community. Meanwhile, the chunky, chirpy sheriff begins doing evil by numbers; from the giveaway glint in the eye, to bully boy lover, to murderous menace. All carried out with a superficially nonchalant, 'Who me?' persona, which cuts no ice with the astute Chandler for one second.

Shot in Cinemascope and undeniably voguish, this Rock'n'Roll era noir appears to be consciously anticipating the sixties, but much of the intended impact is lost in a wordy, sluggish execution, culminating in Chandler's soul bearing speech. An inordinate outpouring of Shakespearian proportions. What had the potential to be a taut, tense thriller, becomes an unduly padded, plodding, ponderous and over indulgent triumph of style over substance.

When hired gun New York lawyer James Blane (Jeff Chandler) is brought in to Desert View, Nevada to defend Michael Reston and his vampy wife Charleen (Phillip Reed & Elaine Stewart) on murder charges, he finds himself accused of jury tampering. Blane, a less than exemplary role model with a dubious past, must fight over local prejudice and the town's political power-broker Sheriff Nick Hoak (Jack Carson) to prove his innocence. With the help of his estranged wife Diane (Jeanne Crain)Blane works to unearth the town's secrets and unravel the crime.

"The Tattered Dress" is one of the many medium budget releases cranked out to fill growing demand in the 1950's created by the expansion of the drive-in movie. Universal International Pictures was a major player in that space. Universal International was able to assemble casts of slightly off the A-list and presumed over-the-hill stars into some very good movies. "The Tattered Dress" is one of those. The cast of this movie is excellent. After watching a few movies with Elaine Stewart it's hard to understand why she never quite made that transition to major stardom. She had a screen presence as did Gail Russell who carries her part off to perfection in one her last big screen appearances.

Since this movie shows up in Film Noir titles it will get criticism from purist Noir Fans, which is unfair to this movie. By 1957 visually classic Film Noir Movie was a thing of the past. "The Tattered Dress" is a 1950's style, slightly salacious, crime melodrama. The style of this movie lies somewhere between The Postman Rings Twice and Peyton Place. Taken for what it is, "The Tattered Dress" is 93 minutes of decent entertainment.