Johnny Angel **** (1945, George Raft, Claire Trevor, Signe Hasso) – Classic Movie Review 5255

Director Edwin L Marin’s excellent 1945 film noir crime thriller stars George Raft as Johnny Angel, a sea captain who solves his father’s murder, finds who hijacked and stole his dad’s boat cargo of gold bullion, saves damsel in distress Paulette Girard (Signe Hasso) and cleans up a ring of enemy agents.

With Steve Fisher and Frank Gruber’s screenplay based on Charles Gordon Booth’s novel Mr Angel Comes Aboard, this is a tough, well-plotted mystery. The script gets moody, suspenseful direction by Marin, with expert acting all round and Claire Trevor makes an ideal femme fatale as ‘Lily’ Gustafson.

This is a small RKO Radio Pictures movie that was a surprise hit, but a deserved one. Bewilderingly, the skill and allure of its three stars Raft, Trevor and Hasso are totally undervalued, but can be readily appreciated.

Hoagy Carmichael appears as Celestial O’Brien and his songs add allure and authentic Forties atmosphere.

Also in the cast are Lowell Gilmore, Marvin Miller, Margaret Wycherly, J Farrell MacDonald, Mach Gray, Ernie Adams, Leyland Hodgson, Don Brodie, Ann Codee, Virginia Belmont, Marc Cramer, Wade Crosby, James Flavin, Russell Hopton, Carl Kent, Eddie Hart, Eddie Lewis, Jason Robards Sr, Charles Sullivan, Bryant Washburn, Bill Williams, Chili Williams, Theodore Rand, Al Murphy and Kernan Cripps.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5255

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