The Spider ** (1945, Richard Conte, Faye Marlowe, Kurt Kreuger, John Harvey, Martin Kosleck, Ann Savage) – Classic Movie Review 4350

Richard Conte stars as a private detective caught in a web of crime after the death of mind-reader’s assistant The Spider Woman.

Director Robert Webb’s 1945 American 20th Century Fox black and white crime mystery film noir The Spider, a remake of directors William Cameron Menzies and Kenneth MacKenna’s 1931 film noir suspense thriller The Spider, is claustrophobic and intricate enough, if only moderate. But overall it is a fairly entertaining, interesting and suspenseful low-budget programmer, with plenty of plotting to ensure attention for just 63 minutes.

Richard Conte plays Chris Conlon, the New Orleans ex-cop private detective paid by a female client to try to find her long-lost sister, who has disappeared, supposedly murdered. He is then accused of murdering his blackmailing business partner Florence Cain (Ann Savage).

The client turns out to be mind-reading prestidigitator Delilah ‘Lila’ Neilsen, alias Judith Smith (Faye Marlowe) – that’s a sleight-of-hand artist or magician – a mind-reader’s assistant, who then plans to reveal the identity of the killer by stage trickery. The sister, who could pass as her twin, was billed as The Spider Woman, part of the phony spiritualist act with spider sets and costumes. Conlon is then is pursued by both the police and by the mystery killer. Kurt Kreuger plays Ernest, alias the magician The Great Garonne.

On the screen with a script by W Scott Darling, Jo Eisinger and Irving Cummings Jr, it loses its entrancing theatrical effect that it had as a 1928 hit stage play by Foulton Oursler and Lowell Brentano. But it is a decent mystery story, Conte gives a compelling performance, and the good cast and Glen MacWilliams’s black and white noir-style images help to keep you watching.

Also in the cast are Kurt Kreuger as Ernest alias Garonne, John Harvey as Burns, Martin Kosleck as Mikail Barak, Mantan Moreland as Henry, Walter Sande as Detective Lieutenant Walter Castle, Cara Williams as neighbour Wanda Vann, Charles Tannen as Detective Tonti, Margaret Brayton as police records clerk Jean, Ann Savage as Florence Cain, Harry Seymour as bartender Ed, Jean Del Val as hotel manager Henri Dutrelle, Odette Vigne as Mrs Dutrelle, Ruth Clifford as tenant Mrs Gillespie, James Flavin as Officer Johnny Tracy, William Halligan, Lane Chandler, Charles Tannen, Harry Seymour, and Eddie Hart.

The Spider is directed by Robert Webb, runs 63 minutes, is made and released by 20th Century Fox, is written by W Scott Darling, Jo Eisinger and Irving Cummings Jr (additional dialogue), based on a play by Foulton Oursler and Lowell Brentano, is shot in black and white by Glen MacWilliams, is produced by Ben Silvey, and is scored by David Buttolph and Emil Newman (musical director).

It was released in the US on December 1945. 20th Century Fox is remaking the original made by Fox Film Corporation.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 4350

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Ann Savage (1921–2008).