Take One False Step *** (1949, William Powell, Shelley Winters, Marsha Hunt, Dorothy Hart, James Gleason) – Classic Movie Review 11,727

‘Who was the last man in Cathy’s life?’ The goodish 1949 film noir crime thriller Take One False Step stars a stalwart William Powell and and a sexy young Shelley Winters. 

‘Who was the last man in Cathy’s life?’ ‘Is there a ‘Cathy’ in your past?’

Director Chester Erskine’s 1949 Universal Pictures black and white film noir crime thriller Take One False Step is adapted from the novel Night Call by Irwin Shaw and his brother David, and stars William Powell and Shelley Winters.

Better not take out an old flame as married college professor Andrew Gentling (Powell) does, or you too could be chased by the law when she disappears, apparently murdered. None too plausible, is it?

But the cast and crew of this goodish mystery movie don’t take one false step. The tone is mostly lighthearted but with dark undertones and odd bursts of violence. Powell gives a stalwart turn and a sexy young Winters is ideal playing the old flame, Catherine ‘Cathy’ Sykes.

In his second film (after his debut in Criss Cross, 1949), Tony Curtis, aged 24, has an uncredited bit part as a hot-rod driver.

Chester Erskine produces, directs and helps to write the screenplay with Irwin Shaw.

William Powell in The Thin Man.

The cast are William Powell as Professor Andrew Gentling, Shelley Winters as Catherine ‘Cathy’ Sykes, Marsha Hunt as Martha Wier, Dorothy Hart as Helen Gentling, James Gleason as Captain Gledhill, Felix Bressart as Professor Morris Avrum, Art Baker as Dr Henry Pritchard, Sheldon Leonard as Detective Pacciano, Howard Freeman as Dr Markheim, Houseley Stevenson as Dr Montgomery Thatcher, Paul Harvey as A K Arnspiger, Francis Pierlot as Professor Herbert Watson, Jess Barker as Arnold Sykes, Mikel Conrad as Freddie Blair, Marjorie Bennett, Minerva Urecal, Paul Brinegar, Frank Cady, Helen Crozier, Charles Flynn, Sandra Gould, Herbert Heywood, Tommy Ivo, George Lynn, Charles McAvoy, Ralph Peters, Jack Rice, Jim Toney, Harland Tucker, Dorothy Vaughan and Tony Curtis as a hot-rod driver.

Take One False Step runs 94 minutes.

It is shot in black and white by Franz Planer, and is scored by Walter Scharf.

It is made by Universal Pictures and was released by Universal Pictures on 14 August 1949.

 © Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,727

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com