Phantom Lady ****½ (1944, Franchot Tone, Ella Raines, Alan Curtis, Thomas Gomez, Aurora Miranda) – Classic Movie Review 2257

Director Robert Siodmak’s 1944 movie is a thrilling mystery drama from the ace crime writer Cornell Woolrich. Alan Curtis plays Scott Henderson, an unhappily married man convicted of murdering his selfish wife when he’s been enjoying a one-night stand with an unknown woman (Fay Helm) he met and picked up in a bar. When he returns home, he finds his wife strangled and he is arrested.

Ella Raines stars as his faithful beautiful secretary Carol  ‘Kansas’ Richman, who sets out to try to prove her boss didn’t commit murder and risks her life to try to find phantom lady Helm, with only her hat as a clue.

The Phantom Lady is all a film noir should be – tense, taut, creepy and atmospheric -and the suspenseful tale unwinds like a tightly-coiled spring. It doesn’t need big stars to be a real winner. Franchot Tone is top billed as Curtis’s buddy Jack Marlow. The little known Raines really impresses in an eye-catching star turn, Siodmak’s direction is beautifully crafted and cinematographer Woody Bredell’s images are very striking.

Also in the sterling ensemble cast, Thomas Gomez is the detective Inspector Burgess, Aurora (sister of Carmen) Miranda plays a chanteuse called Estela Monteiro who sings ‘Chick-ee-Chick’, noir favourite Elisha Cook Jnr plays Cliff and Regis Toomey is Detective Chewing Gum. Also in the cast are Andrew Tombes (bartender), Joseph Crehan (Detective Tom), Doris Lloyd, Virginia Brissac, Milburn Stone and Jay Novello.

Producer Joan Harrison was Alfred Hitchcock’s secretary and script-reader and produced his TV shows in the 1950s.

Bernard C. Schoenfeld provides the fine screenplay from the work of Woolrich, who wrote the novel under his pseudonym as William Irish.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2257

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