Tonight we watched a stunner of a Noir, "Phantom Lady"(1944) starring Ella Raines, Franchot Tone and Alan Curtis. I found it in a search for "TCM Vault" pictures. Man, I'm tellin' ya, this one starts right off and never lets up. The opening scene could be the first line of a joke: "A man walks into a bar".....
The man is the handsome Alan Curtis. He walks in (it'a actually a bar & grill) and takes a seat at the counter, next to a lady wearing a stylish but rather ostentatious hat. Curtis says hello and tries to strike up a conversation, but the lady is as quiet as her hat is loud. She's upset about something and wants to keep to herself. Curtis is feeling down too, and after a drink he pulls two tickets from his pocket for a Broadway show (parallels to last night's "Manhandled"). "I know you don't know me", he says, "but I'd hate for these tickets to go to waste. Would you consider going with me"? Unlike the men in "Manhandled", Curtis is a gentleman. He just wants some company for the night. The woman agrees to go with him, on the condition that he not ask her name, or any probing questions. She generally doesn't want anything but superficial conversation. This is fine with Curtis, so they head to the show and have a good time.
While they are there, however, a coincidence takes place. The Cuban dance star they are watching (played by the singularly named "Aurora") just so happens to be wearing the exact same hat as the quiet and mysterious lady accompanying Curtis. Aurora also has a creepy looking drummer (Elisha Cook Jr., who specialised in playing creeps) who keeps making eyes at the mystery lady. She and Curtis don't take these things much into account, though. After the show ends, Curtis drops the lady off at her apartment. He makes a half hearted attempt to get her name, to ask her for a nightcap, all to no avail. So he says goodbye and heads home.
Only to find the police waiting for him because his wife has been murdered.
I told you this movie wasn't fooling around. Curtis swears he didn't do it, and to us it's obvious he's telling the truth. But the lead detective (played by Thomas Gomez, a great character actor) isn't so sure. He puts the screws on Curtis, gets him to admit he was in a bad marriage. Before too long, Curtis is in a courtroom charged with murder, and by the half hour mark he's on Death Row, awaiting the Electric Chair. Now it's time for the picture to really start. Did I mention they weren't fooling around?
Enter Ella Raines, a stone cold knockout of an actress who plays Curtis' secretary "Kansas". Curtis is an engineer by trade. Prior to his arrest he had a professional relationship to Kansas, his nickname for her because it's her home state. She's as forthright as he is, young though totally pro and very loyal to her boss. She knows he isn't capable of murder, so right then and there she takes it upon herself to prove his innocence. Now we are off to the races. Raines begins by stalking the bartender at the joint where Curtis met the Hat Woman on the night of the murder. The bartender has told the cops that he saw Curtis that night, but doesn't remember any woman. Ella Raines knows he is lying, so she sits at the bar and stares him down, then follows him home to try and get the truth out of him. I can't reveal if she is successful or not, but after dealing with the bartender, she heads over to the theater where Aurora the Cuban dancer is playing to another packed house. Raines goes to her dressing room to ask if she remembers the Hat Lady, who was sitting in the front row with Curtis on the night in question. Even though it was a couple of months ago by this time, Aurora should remember because she had quite a fit that the lady was wearing a hat identical to hers. Aurora is a prima donna who takes pride in the uniqueness of her style. On that night, she'd excoriated her designer for making a duplicate of the hat, and had asked for the woman and Curtis to be removed from the theater (they were not).
But now, when confronted by Ella Raines about her memory of the Hat Woman and Curtis, Aurora denies ever seeing her, denies knowing anything about another hat. Raines is getting frustrated by now, so she bursts in to the dressing room of the creepy drummer. He was leering at the Hat Lady all night, but now he claims he never saw her either.
What's going on here? How could none of these people remember a lady who's hat caused such a commotion and who stood out like a peacock on that night? Raines knows something is up. They're all lying, but why? She has eighteen days to save Curtis before he goes to the Chair. Justice was swift in those days, even if they had the wrong guy. Probably especially if they had the wrong guy!
Raines knows it's a long shot, but she isn't gonna give up the quest, because not only is she loyal to Curtis, she's in love with him. Luckily for her, by the halfway mark, she has an ally in Gomez the detective. Though he arrested Curtis he's had a change of heart about his guilt. It's just a hunch, but he thinks someone else is responsible. He agrees to help Ella Raines find the real killer.
No sooner do they team up than the creepy drummer is murdered, in the same way as Curtis' wife. Now they know for certain Curtis is innocent, but they need proof, and time is running out. Enter a third ally : Franchot Tone, a great early actor. He plays a sculptor, a longtime friend of Alan Curtis. Side note - here we have another parallel to "Manhandled", the wealthy sculptor character. Anyhow, Tone has been in South America, working on a piece. When he got the news about Curtis, he flew to New York immediately. He too is intent on proving his old friend's innocence. Tone has money and means. When he arrives the investigation moves into high gear. That's all I can tell you because anything else I might say would be a potential spoiler. But run don't walk to Netflix or your local Libe to check out "Phantom Lady", one of the best Noirs I've ever seen! It's got twists and turns galore, a great performance from Ella Raines (who should've become a big star) and fantastic support from Tone, Curtis and Gomez, as well as the always reliable (and always creepy!) Elisha Cook Jr. The black and white photography is dark and menacing, and there are even a couple of spectacular sets, such as the train depot that looks like something out of "Metropolis". I had never heard of this film, nor Ella Raines, but I'm gonna give 'em both my highest rating : Two Gigantic Thumbs Up. This is one you can't miss, so see it, see it, see it. ////
Elizabeth, I saw your post a little while ago and was reminded of what a great series the Red Dress photos were, and are. Also such a great idea on your part. But really, each photo has a different feel, and you did such a perfect job with the compositions. Sometimes it's good to go back and look at a project after some time has passed, to see how it affects you after the immediacy wears off. In this case, the effect has gotten even stronger I think. I've never seen another series quite like it. I like the poetry you added to the picture you posted a little while ago. It's quite beautiful and adds to the feeling generated by the photograph. I have to ask......did you write it? :):)
I ask because it reminds me of the old days, and for me the feeling is still the same. oxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
That's all I know for today. I'm gonna head up to Aliso for a quick hike. I'll see you tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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