Phantom Lady (1944)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Robert Siodmak

Writers:

Cornell Woolrich (novel)
Bernard C. Schoenfeld (screenplay)

Release Date:

28 January 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Mystery

Tagline:

IT'S UNIQUE...suspense...mystery...drama!

Plot:

Unhappily married Scott Henderson spends the evening on a no-name basis with a hat-wearing woman he picked up in a bar...

Plot Keywords:

Hat | Secretary | Murder | Prison | Bar

Cast

Franchot Tone	...	Jack Marlow
Ella Raines	...	Carol 'Kansas' Richman
Alan Curtis	...	Scott Henderson
Aurora Miranda	...	Estela Monteiro (as Aurora)
Thomas Gomez	...	Inspector Burgess
Fay Helm	...	Ann Terry
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Cliff Milburn
Andrew Tombes	...	Mac - Bartender
Regis Toomey	...	Detective Chewing Gum
Joseph Crehan	...	Detective Tom
Doris Lloyd	...	Madame Kettisha
Virginia Brissac	...	Dr. Helen Chase
Milburn Stone	...	District Attorney (voice)

Also Known As:

Condemned to Hang (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Portuguese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #9827) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Although Franchot Tone is given top billing in this film, he does not appear for the first 45 minutes.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During an overhead shot in the sequence where Kansas trails the bartender through a deserted street after he gets off work, the actors are clearly connected waist-to-waist by a thin wire--most likely so that the actress stayed an exact number of feet behind the actor to ensure both were in focus during what was apparently a tricky camera set-up.

Quotes:

Mac: Yes, Miss?
Carol Richman: Pinch-bottle and water.

Movie Connections:

References Swiss Miss (1938)

Soundtrack:

Chick-ee-Chick

You're not in Kansas anymore!

Scott Henderson, the engineer that employs Carol Richman, as his assistant, makes a point to call her "Kansas", whenever he speaks to her. It shows us that Carol, effectively played by Ella Raines, is supposed to be a babe in the woods, as far as the Manhattan of the 40s was concerned. Only a woman, from out of town, would follow the shady bartender to a solitary elevated subway. Even then, only a naive girl could undertake such an adventure.

Robert Siodmak directed this film noir very well. He shows a flair for infusing the story with a lot of raw sex that was surprising for those days. How else could we justify the way the drummer in the orchestra of the musical, where Scott takes the mysterious woman with an unusual hat, makes such an overt pass at a lady on a date? The drummer played with high voltage by Elisha Cook Jr. doesn't hide his desires for any of the ladies who sat in the front row of the hit musical where he plays. It was a real explicit invitation, first to the "phantom woman" of the story, Fay Helm; afterward, Cliff the drummer, insinuates himself very openly to Ella Raines who goes to the theater disguised as the mystery dame her boss had taken originally.

This is a film that will hook any viewer from the beginning. There are things not explained in it, but it holds the one's interest throughout. The killer is not revealed until the end.

Ella Raines with her expressive eyes was an under estimated actress. She holds her own against much more experienced actors. Franchot Tone, a New York stage actor, working in Hollywood, never found in this medium the fame he deserved. He is effective as the accused man's best friend. On the other hand, Alan Curtis, comes across as a man, who when framed, accepts his fate and is saved only by the tenacity of the woman who secretly loved him. Thomas Gomez, as the inspector Burgess, is an asset to the film as a detective who has his doubts the police had caught the man who committed the crime.

This movie will not disappoint.