Flaxy Martin *** (1949, Virginia Mayo, Zachary Scott, Dorothy Malone) – Classic Movie Review 7,551

The solid 1948 Warner Bros film noir gangster movie Flaxy Martin stars Virginia Mayo as the gold-digging showgirl Flaxy Martin, and Zachary Scott as the honest young lawyer who falls for and protects her. 

Director Richard L Bare’s 1948 thriller film Flaxy Martin stars Virginia Mayo, who is cast exactly to type as the unscrupulous, greedy gold-digging showgirl Flaxy Martin, and Zachary Scott against type as Walter ‘Walt’ Colby, the honest young lawyer (though admittedly he does start out working for the mobster Hap Richie) who falls for and protects her, in this solid Warner Bros film noir gangster movie.

Complications arrive when a girl is murdered, with Flaxy the number one suspect, but Colby takes the rap and is jailed for 20 years. However, Colby escapes on his way to jail and is found by Nora Carson (Dorothy Malone) whom he falls for when shelters him. Hap Richie (Douglas Kennedy) sends a gunman to get him…

Flaxy Martin is only second-drawer crime film, maybe, but it is pure pulp fiction, thoroughly well crafted both as a script and as a movie, and involvingly acted by its strong B-movie cast, ironing out most of the wrinkles. David Lang’s screenplay is based on his story Smart Money.

Also in the cast are Tom D’Andrea as Sam Malko, Elisha Cook Jr as Roper, Helen Westcott as Peggy Farrar, Douglas Kennedy as mobster Hap Richie, Jack Overman, Douglas Fowley, Buddy Roosevelt, Monte Blue, Frances Morris and Jack Cheatham.

Flaxy Martin is directed by Richard L Bare, runs 86 minutes, is made and released by Warner Bros, is written by David Lang, based on his story Smart Money, is shot in black and white by Carl Guthrie, is produced by Saul Elkins, and is scored by William Lava.

It was released on 15 February 1949 in the US.

The cast are Virginia Mayo as Flaxy Martin, Zachary Scott as Walter ‘Walt’ Colby, Dorothy Malone as Nora Carson Tom D’Andrea as Sam Malko, Helen Westcott as Peggy Farrar, Douglas Kennedy as Hap Richie, Elisha Cook Jr as Roper, Douglas Fowley as detective Max, Monte Blue as detective Joe, Jack Overman as Caesar, Max Wagner as Charles McMahon, Buddy Roosevelt, Frances Morris and Jack Cheatham.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7,551

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Virginia Mayo (born Virginia Clara Jones; November 30, 1920 – January 17, 2005).