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| James Craig and Signe Hasso |
DANGEROUS PARTNERS (1945). Director: Edward L. Cahn.
Colorized.
After a plane crash Carola Ballister (Signe Hasso) discovers that one of the passengers, Kingby (Edmund Gwenn), has in his possession four wills naming him the beneficiary of one million dollars each. Carola teams up with shady lawyer Jeff Caighn (James Craig of Flying G-Men) and the two form a shaky partnership, even after learning that one of the people leaving money to Kingby has been murdered. The couple set out to contact the other three people and hope they will hand over to them the bonds that are in their possession, but Kingby has no intention of sitting still for this ...
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| Signe Hasso and Edmund Gwenn |
Dangerous Partners is, frankly, a confusing and unsatisfying bit of film noir, although it has some good moments and good acting. Leading man Craig is notable as the lawyer, but Signe Hasso doesn't really make the most compelling of femme fatales. Part of the problem is her odd looks; the rest is a performance that never really comes alive, although she is competent. The picture is stolen by Edmund Gwenn, playing against type as a nasty and murderous Nazi. Audrey Totter and Mabel Paige also have small roles. Throughout the movie we come to know Jeff and Carola as rather unpleasant people, so their abrupt switch to relative decency at the end -- especially where Jeff is concerned -- isn't very convincing. Director Edward L. Cahn never manages to build up much suspense. Cahn also directed the zesty
Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake. Photographed by Karl Freund.
Verdict: Half-baked film noir. **1/4.
Verdict:
Too bad...I always like Gwenn and Papa Freund was a genius. (Sorkin should have given him a role in Being the Ricardos since he was the cinematographer who brought Desi's vision of a filmed series into reality and is responsible for those wonderfully crisp, movie-quality black and white prints, which ensured the series' longevity.)
ReplyDeleteKeep warm and bundled up, Bill, I heard that storm is going to be something else! (In Florida here, and we're expected to be down to the 30s but sunny...)
-Chris
I did all my shopping two or three days ago and today I'm staying warm with pizza! You're absolutely right about Freund's contribution to "Lucy's" longevity. Hope it stays nice and sunny in Florida despite the cold.
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