I Love Trouble (1948)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

S. Sylvan Simon

Writers:

Roy Huggins (novel)
Roy Huggins (screenplay)

Release Date:

15 January 1948 (USA)

Genre:

Film-Noir | Mystery

Plot:

A wealthy man hires a detective to investigate his wife's past. The detective (Franchot Tone) discovers...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Robbery | Private Detective | Beautiful Woman | Based On Novel

Cast

Franchot Tone	...	Stuart Bailey
Janet Blair	...	Norma Shannon
Janis Carter	...	Mrs. Caprillo aka Jane Breeger aka Janie Joy
Adele Jergens	...	Boots Nestor
Glenda Farrell	...	Hazel Bixby
Steven Geray	...	Keller
Tom Powers	...	Ralph Johnston
Lynn Merrick	...	Mrs. Johnston
John Ireland	...	Reno
Donald Curtis	...	Martin
Eduardo Ciannelli	...	John Vega Caprillo
Robert Barrat	...	Lt. Quint
Raymond Burr	...	Herb
Eddie Marr	...	Sharpy
Arthur Space	...	Sgt. Muller
Sid Tomack	...	Buster Buffin
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
George Bell	...	Elevator Boy (uncredited)
Paul E. Burns	...	Janitor (uncredited)
Claire Carleton	...	Tired Blonde (uncredited)
Lane Chandler	...	Recording Detective (uncredited)
Douglas D. Coppin	...	Lab Man (uncredited)
Louise Franklin	...	Maid (uncredited)
Karen X. Gaylord	...	Betty (uncredited)
John Hart	...	(uncredited)
Mary Adams Hayes	...	Extra (uncredited)
Nan Holliday	...	High School Girl (uncredited)
Martha Montgomery	...	Angel (uncredited)
Roseanne Murray	...	Miss Phipps (uncredited)
Vesey O'Davoren	...	Butler (uncredited)
Garry Owen	...	Gus (uncredited)
Gene Roth	...	Plainclothesman (uncredited)
William Stubbs	...	Dealer (uncredited)
Harry Tyler	...	Warehouse Foreman (uncredited)
Isabel Withers	...	Gracie (uncredited)

Directed by
S. Sylvan Simon

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Roy Huggins		novel "The Double Take"
Roy Huggins		screenplay

Produced by
S. Sylvan Simon	....	producer

Original Music by
George Duning

Cinematography by
Charles Lawton Jr.

Film Editing by
Al Clark

Art Direction by
Stephen Goosson
A. Leslie Thomas		(as Leslie Thomas)

Set Decoration by
Louis Diage
Wilbur Menefee

Costume Design by
Jean Louis

Sound Department
Frank Goodwin	....	sound

Stunts
Mary Adams Hayes	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Ned Scott	....	still photographer

Music Department
Morris Stoloff	....	musical director (as M.W. Stoloff)

Other crew
Earl McEvoy	....	assistant to producer

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation
• Cornell Pictures

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1948) (USA) (theatrical)
• Teakwood Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #12482) | Sweden:15

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Based on a magazine story by Roy Huggins, this movie provided the round-about genesis of the TV series "77 Sunset Strip" (1958) (also created by Huggins). In this movie, 'Franchot Tone' plays LA detective Stuart Bailey, which is same name of detective played ten years later by 'Ephrem Zimbalist Jr.' in the 1958 movie Girl on the Run (1958), which, in turn, was spun off into the 77 Sunset Strip TV series that same year. Oddly, this movie was produced by Columbia Pictures, while subsequent movie and TV series were made by Warner Bros.

Just screened at Noir City 5 in SF - awesome!

A new print of "I Love Trouble" was just screened last night (1/31/07) at Noir City 5, San Francisco's noted film noir festival. (http://noircity.com)

In short, it was amazing. Roy Huggins was very heavily influenced by Dashiell Hammett, but let me tell you he could go toe to toe with the best Hammett had to offer. Every scene was filled with killer lines, right up to the last line of the film (Girl who wants to kiss the protagonist: "I didn't know there'd be a line." Girl who's kissing him: "Honey, this is the end of the line.") Franchot Tone is perfect as the suave but funny private dick who always has a wisecrack, thinks on his feet, and one heck of a set of...nerves.

This is a must-see for any film noir aficionado. Alas, it's not yet on DVD and was never on VHS; if you see it coming on cable, Tivo it, tape it, miss work, skip your vacation, stand up your date, do what it takes as long as you DON'T MISS THIS GEM.

JL