Visiting Film Noir: The Dark Corner

1946 Film Noir
From 20th Century Fox
Directed by Henry Hathaway

Starring
Lucille Ball
Clifton Webb
William Bendix
Mark Stevens
Kurt Kreuger
Cathy Downs
Reed Hadley

It is one of those delicious little noir nuggets that makes me so happy that I love movies as much as I do.  I first saw it, I think, in the 70's and immediately wondered how in the hell it missed my detection.  Gorgeously filmed in dark and dusky black and white with stunning lighting and use of shadows, it is a shining tribute to film noir in this regard.

Part of my surprise that I took so long for the film to get my attention is that I loved Lucille Ball in dramas and loved Clifton Webb in absolutely everything but especially dramas.  If there is any regret regarding these two actors here, it is that they have no scenes together.  

It is directed by Hollywood veteran Henry Hathaway who made journeys into noir that paid off handsomely for him... Johnny Apollo, The House on 92nd Street, Kiss of Death, Call Northside 777 and Niagara.  They paid off handsomely for filmgoers as well.

Noir's great tradition of mystery and crime-solving also includes its share of confusion in laying out plot points.  One comes to almost look forward to that as noir enthusiasm grows.  This film is not so much a whodunit as much as it is about how and when the hero is going to catch the bad guy.  We the audience become aware of who the villain is way before the hero does.  More on this shortly.

Mark Stevens plays a private eye, new at his vocation, and working in Manhattan.  He is stubborn, impulsive and thinks he's a real tough guy.  He has just gotten out of prison on a two-year manslaughter charge of which he is innocent.  He was also set-up by his ex-partner, Kurt Kreuger.  Stevens finds he'd being tailed by guy in a white suit (William Bendix).  Our hero beats the bejesus out of White Suit to get him to say who put him up to following him.  Stevens is surprised to hear the name of his former partner, who railroaded him once and is apparently up to no-good again.  But why?

Much of the story has Stevens roaming New York in search of his quarry.  We give everlasting thanks that he not only has his secretary, Lucille Ball, in tow, but it is through her assertiveness that he gets out there and discovers where Kreuger is and what's behind his move.  

We learn, before Stevens does, that Kreuger is conducting some business with art dealer Clifton Webb and is in a secret relationship with Webb's young wife, Cathy Downs.  At first glance we might ask why are we being introduced to these people?  Ha, why indeed.

Before we read the end, most of the lead characters have gone on to their great rewards but before that happens, it's a fun story that's not difficult to figure out but a delight to watch unfold.  

That old taskmaster Hathaway put his talented cast through its paces with excellent results.  The acting, with one exception, is highly polished.  Unfortunately, for some it was an unpleasant working experience.  Hathaway always seemed to need someone to pick on on his film sets and it was often an actress.  Here, it was Ball.

She was having serious marital problems during the filming and was also feuding with MGM, her home studio.  Her moods left her less than vivacious and Hathaway accused her of drinking at which time battle lines were drawn.  I can't say as I gave my best performance, she has said.   Hmmm, okay, if she says so, but it is still a winning star turn to me.  She is a secretary in love with her boss and will do anything to help him prove he's being framed again.  Her role is the very heart of the whole piece.

Another problem was Webb was disgruntled with Downs playing his wife.  He never said exactly what the problem was but he did offer that he was hardly the only one having issues with her.  While later in the year she would have the title role in the successful My Darling Clementine, she didn't have much of a career in films or in general.  

I was really crazy about Webb as an actor.  The fussy, effete, know-it-all always commanded my complete attention.  I marveled at his stream of facial business, imperiousness and whipsaw command of language.  For someone of his second lead stature at that time, if he's not playing the hero, then he's the villain.  It's as simple as that.   He is not going to play an incidental character in a murder mystery.  

This was the third film of Webb's popular second career as an actor, the one that started with Laura in 1944 but it was his second film released.  At that time his sinister, murderously obsessive Waldo Lydecker, in Laura could not be forgotten.  So the best thing to do was to more or less revive it for The Dark Corner which is what happens.  No complaint here since I think Webb was the best at what he did.

I do complain, albeit mildly, about Mark Stevens.  I wondered back in the day whether he took acting seriously.  Where were the emotions?  Everything was delivered in a monotone.  He certainly captured the market on bland.  I've always considered he made it to the limited extend he did as a Fox contractee mainly because the big-named actors were off fighting while Stevens stayed home with a bum back.  Of course the war was just ending as this film was in production.  I suspect Fox must have been a bit discouraged with him because although he is the central character, the actor is fourth-billed, which seems a bit of a slap in the face.

William Bendix was always good in noirs... never the brains, occasionally the brawn and often the bozo.  Of course, he is one who meets his end and it is a goodie.

Kurt Kreuger was born in Germany, raised in Switzerland and lived in the states for most of his adult life and made American movies and worked in television.  A good-looking blond, he naturally seemed to look like he was always up to something nefarious which served him well in villain roles.

Despite what's been said about Cathy Downs, she pulls it off as a sweet-faced, rich wife who is a bad girl at heart... oh so needed in a noir.

Ball is given some of the film's best dialogue, most of which she bounces off Stevens.  Several writers were employed and the story was given a different ending from the magazine story on which it was based.

But again, there's that lighting and the shadows, both shadows on the wall and the shadows of people.  There's a favorite scene of one man hitting another over the head, completely done by seeing only their shadows.  Another time is of Webb on a stairwell, pointing a gun at Stevens, and what is seen is a shadow across all of Webb's face except his mouth which is spitting out menace.  I get chills when I see this kind of photography in film noirs.  Joseph MacDonald wheeled his cameras through finely-crafted sets and along the wet, dark streets of New York.  The camera angles he manages are beautifully realized.  Why didn't he win an Oscar?

A special nod goes to Cyril Mockridge who oversaw the music.  The film's theme is haunting and so appropriate for dark noir films.  The use of much other music of the time is quite nostalgic heard today.

We are going to manage some more noirs as we get along.  We'll hit up a couple of biggies but I must say I prefer the B noirs or The Dark Corner which I consider an A-.   Here, have a peek at it:

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