The Arnelo Affair (1947)

Director:

Arch Oboler

Writers:

Jane Burr (story)
Arch Oboler (writer)

Release Date:

13 February 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

It was just a "flirtation" until it became an "affair"!

Plot:

Anne Parkson (Frances Gifford) feels neglected by her lawyer-husband Ted (George Murphy), so she falls...

Plot Keywords:

Character Name In Title

Cast

John Hodiak	...	Tony Arnelo
George Murphy	...	Theodore 'Ted' Parkson
Frances Gifford	...	Anne Parkson
Dean Stockwell	...	Ricky Parkson
Eve Arden	...	Vivian Delwyn
Warner Anderson	...	Det. Sam Leonard
Lowell Gilmore	...	Dr. Avery Border
Archie Twitchell	...	Roger Alison (as Michael Branden)
Ruth Brady	...	Dorothy Alison
Ruby Dandridge	...	Maybelle, Parkson's Maid
Joan Woodbury	...	Claire Lorrison
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Frank Wilcox	...	McKingby (scenes deleted)

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #11993, General Audience)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

predictable B film

Frances Gifford gets mixed up in "The Arnelo Affair," a 1947 film also starring George Murphy, John Hodiak, Eve Arden and Dean Stockwell. In fact, the film was on TCM as part of Dean Stockwell's birthday. He certainly was an adorable little boy.

Gifford plays Anne Parkson, the neglected wife of a successful attorney, Ted Parkson (Murphy). One night, Ted brings home a shady client, Tony Arnelo (Hodiak), who owns a nightclub. Arnelo has an immediate attraction to Anne and, upon learning that she has dabbled in room design, he invites her to decorate his club. Of course, he couldn't care less if his club ever gets decorated or not. Though Anne hasn't yet said "yes," he gives her a key to his place after their first meeting and invites her back the next day at 2. She arrives the next day and is confronted by an actress-girlfriend of Tony's. Tony slaps the woman and the frightened Anne runs away, the compact that her husband gave her falling out of her purse. The next day, she sees in the paper that the woman has been killed. In exchange for the compact and a letter he later steals, Tony wants Anne.

This is a good-looking film, with beautifully tailored mens suits on Hodiak and Murphy and smashing clothes for Gifford and Eve Arden, who owns her own dress shop. And that's about it. The dialogue is totally predictable - when Anne asks her husband to go away with her, the words were out of my mouth 30 seconds before she said the line. The attractive Gifford is a bore and gives no shading to her role at all. MGM never could figure out what to do with Laraine Day - why didn't she make this? Murphy has a pleasant way about him and Hodiak is okay, but frankly, Dean Stockwell as Anne's son steals that show. That's not saying much. Eve Arden is good but wasted.

The music is overpowering, and the pacing is slow. "The Arnelo Affair" needed a strong actress in the lead, better dialogue and faster pacing. Without those elements, it's pretty dull.