Lady in the Lake (1947)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Robert Montgomery

Writers:

Steve Fisher (screenplay)
Raymond Chandler (novel)

Release Date:

14 April 1947 (Sweden)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Romance

Tagline:

Another Sizzling Murder Mystery by RAYMOND CHANDLER!

Plot:

The camera shows Phillip Marlowe's view from the first-person in this adaptation of Raymond Chandler's book...

Plot Keywords:

First Person | Publisher | Detective | Fistfight | Femme Fatale

Cast

Robert Montgomery	...	Phillip Marlowe
Audrey Totter	...	Adrienne Fromsett
Lloyd Nolan	...	Lt. DeGarmot
Tom Tully	...	Capt. Kane
Leon Ames	...	Derace Kingsby
Jayne Meadows	...	Mildred Haveland aka Muriel Chess
Dick Simmons	...	Chris Lavery
Morris Ankrum	...	Eugene Grayson
Lila Leeds	...	Receptionist
William Roberts	...	Artist
Kathleen Lockhart	...	Mrs. Grayson
Ellay Mort	...	Chrystal Kingsby
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eddie Acuff	...	Ed, the Coroner (uncredited)
Charles Bradstreet	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
David Cavendish	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Wheaton Chambers	...	Property Clerk (uncredited)
Roger Cole	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Frank Dae	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Jack Davis	...	Policeman (uncredited)
John Webb Dillon	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Ralph Dunn	...	Sergeant (uncredited)
Budd Fine	...	Policeman (uncredited)
John Gallaudet	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Sherry Hall	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Cy Kendall	...	Jailer (uncredited)
Ann Lawrence	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
George Magrill	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Bert Moorhouse	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Sandra Morgan	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Thomas Murray	...	Policeman (uncredited)
William Newell	...	Drunk (uncredited)
James Nolan	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
William O'Leary	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Frank Orth	...	Floyd Greer (uncredited)
William McKeever Riley	...	Buster, Young Party Guest (uncredited)
Ellen Ross	...	Elevator Girl (uncredited)
Nina Ross	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Fred Santley	...	Charlie, Party Guest (uncredited)
Fred Sherman	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Florence Stephens	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
George Travell	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Laura Treadwell	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Kay Wiley	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Robert Williams	...	Detective (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert Montgomery

Writing credits
Steve Fisher		(screenplay)
Raymond Chandler		(novel)

Produced by
George Haight	....	producer

Original Music by
David Snell
Maurice Goldman		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Paul Vogel		(director of photography) (as Paul C. Vogel)

Film Editing by
Gene Ruggiero

Art Direction by
E. Preston Ames		(as Preston Ames)
Cedric Gibbons

Set Decoration by
Edwin B. Willis

Makeup Department
Jack Dawn	....	makeup designer
Sydney Guilaroff	....	hair designer: Miss Totter

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Dolph Zimmer	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Thomas Theuerkauf	....	associate set decorator

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director

Special Effects by
A. Arnold Gillespie	....	special effects

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Irene	....	costume supervisor

Music Department
Maurice Goldman	....	choral director
Wally Heglin	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1947) (USA) (theatrical) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)
• Silver Screen (2007) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Canada:PG (video rating) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #11803)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The entire movie plot unfolds from lead Robert Montgomery's point of view, thus creating a rarity in film: the principal character is never seen on-screen except as a reflection in mirrors and windows.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Lieutenant DeGarmot is punched and he hits the floor, we can see the taped marks on the floor used for the actors.

Quotes:

Derris Kingsby: You want the facts, don't you?
Philip Marlowe: When it comes to women, does anybody really want the facts?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

Soundtrack:

Jingle Bells

experimental failure

This movie could only interest a film historian. The camera shows the point of view of the lead character, Marlowe. This is a technical failure: deadened pans and zooms, no physical contact with other characters, no outdoor scenes.

With clever self-reference, writer Raymond Chandler has Marlowe try his hand at pulp detective fiction -- based on his own experience, of course. The publisher's executive assistant, A. Fromsett (overplayed by Audrey Totter), expresses interest in the manuscript, to draw Marlowe into looking for the publisher's missing wife. Soon we are up to our camera lens in blonde bombshells, drawling thugs, crooked cops, and dead bodies.

This could be an intriguing story. Unfortunately, Robert Montgomery, playing the lead (appearing in mirrors and editorial commentary), also directs. He has a tin ear for dialogue, a glass eye for scenery, and a peg leg for pacing.

Those looking for an entertaining Marlowe crime drama should try "Farewell my Lovely", "The Big Sleep", or "The Long Goodbye".