After their acclaimed and successful Columbia Noir series, Indicator has raided the Universal vaults to bring us Universal Noir #1. Taking the films chronologically, The Web (1947), starring the incomparable Vincent Price, opens proceedings.
Andrew Colby (Price) hires tough, struggling attorney Bob Regan (Edmund O’Brien) to be his bodyguard. Colby states that a former employee, Leopold Kroner just released from prison for embezzlement, has threatened him. Regan is forced to kill Kroner in defence of Colby. However, Regan begins to suspect that Colby has used him as an unwitting assassin.
The Web, whilst nothing remarkable, is an entertaining thriller. This is mainly due to the seasoned cast. Vincent Price was an expert at playing suave villains long before horror claimed his soul. Edmund O’Brien is as dependable as always; Ella Raines could give Lauren Bacall stiff competition, and the ever-reliable William Bendix is subtly convincing as the shrewd detective. They elevate what could have been a very mediocre affair to something that’s enjoyable enough to watch.
Director Michael Gordon (grandfather of Joseph Gordon-Levitt) keeps the film taught and nicely paced. The final scene is particularly tense before the final witty remark closes things out.
Larceny (1948) features John Payne as con man Rick Maxon. He sets out to swindle a wealthy widow (Joan Caulfield) by convincing her to finance a memorial to her dead war-hero husband. Instead, he slowly falls in love with her.
Director George Sherman manages to tease out a credible performance out of crooner-turned-actor John Payne. Screenwriters Herb Margolis, Lou Morheim and William Bowers provide plenty of great dialogue, particularly to Shelly Winters’ character. Dan Duryea, who was an expert at playing sleazy bad guys, is criminally underused in Larceny. Whilst not a bad film, it most certainly would have benefitted from more Duryea.
Kiss the Blood Off My Hands (1948) is set in post-war London. Bill Saunders (Burt Lancaster), inadvertently kills a man in a pub brawl. Fleeing the police, he hides out in the apartment of lonely nurse Jane Wharton (Joan Fontaine). Jane recognises that the former soldier is traumatised from his experiences as a POW, and she finds him work delivering medical supplies. Unfortunately, racketeer Harry Carter, who witnessed the killing, blackmails Bill into working for him.
Despite the film’s title, it is not as lurid as you might expect or hope. Except for the brutal flogging that Bill endures for assaulting a police officer. Apparently, this was a court-sanctioned punishment in the UK until 1948. Director Norman Foster had directed numerous Charlie Chan and Mr Moto movies in the 1930’s so was accomplished at orchestrating the many physical action scenes in this movie. Russell Metty’s cinematography is also used to stunning effect. Burt Lancaster gives a standout performance as a former POW suffering from PTSD, and Robert Newton is a joy to watch as the scenery-devouring Harry Carter. Despite these plus points, the film itself is more melodrama than noir, but it is still interesting viewing.
Abandoned (1949) is a hard-hitting (for its time at least) expose of illegal baby profiteering. Paula (Gale Storm) is determined to locate her sister, only to find her in the morgue. With the help of reporter Mark Sitko (Dennis O’Keefe), she discovers her sister delivered a baby. In so doing, they uncover a ruthless gang that sells newborn babies and kills the mothers who complain.
Director Joseph M Newman takes to the streets with Abandoned, which gives the film a documentary-like feel. Of all the films in this collection, this feels the most noirish. It has the tough plot, painting with light and shadow cinematography, and startling violence. Despite the film’s age, this will prove to be an uncomfortable viewing experience for parents. Lives are seen as nothing more than commodities to be bought and sold and, if troublesome, disposed of no matter how young they may be.
Deported (1950) tells the story of Vic Smith (Jeff Chandler), a gangster who is deported back to Italy as an undesirable citizen. He soon becomes involved with an Italian black-market ring and falls in love with the beautiful widow Countess Christine di Lorenzi.
When Universal merged with International to become Universal-International, they were determined to produce more prestigious movies. As Deported was set in Italy, it was filmed in Italy to make it as authentic as possible. It’s unfortunate, then, that we are expected to believe that Vic is originally from Italy when he doesn’t utter a single word in Italian. Deported was directed by Robert Siodmak, who made classics such as The Killers, Criss-Cross, and The Spiral Staircase. Deported is not a classic. The locations are great, but the Italian characters are nothing more than spaghetti-consuming cliches. Another problem is that much of the film is a travelogue, with the only things of any significance occurring at the beginning and the end.
Finally, we have Naked Alibi (1954). A Chief of Detectives is fired for police brutality. That doesn’t stop him from trying to get evidence on the man suspected of killing three of his officers.
Russell Metty once again shows off his cinematography skills to startling effect, and Gloria Grahame sizzles as bar singer Marianne. Those are the best things about Naked Alibi. It’s not that it’s a bad film, it’s just very pedestrian. Director Jerry Hopper paints by numbers, and Sterling Hayden sleepwalks through the role of the angry policeman, a role that he had performed many, many times.
As with Columbia Noir Indicator provide a bountiful bevvy of extras. There are audio commentaries for all the films featured. There’s also the welcome addition of the radio adaptation of The Web starring Price. Vincent Price’s daughter Victoria talks about her father, and there are video essays about Gloria Grahame, Robert Siodmak and Dan Duryea. Also included are three short films, an archival recording of Joan Fontaine discussing her career, the theatrical trailer for Kiss the Blood Off My Hands and image galleries.
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