Rating: - Phantom Lady Cast
The Jive Club Pianist was not Freddie Slack but Paul James Parks, who shortly thereafter was drafted into WWII and was in an entertainment unit which performed throughout the African Theatre.
Rating: - Predictable
Phantom Lady involves a man (Alan Curtis) who goes out one night to a bar, spends an evening at a theater with a woman whose name he does not know, and comes home to find his wife has been murdered. This woman and the other people that saw him are his only hope of being saved from the electric chair, but someone has paid the bartender, the jazz musician, and the dancer to claim they saw no woman. The man's secretary (Ella Raines) begins to search for the truth along with a friend of her boss (Franchot Tone)
This film carries all of the staples of film noir but it does not offer anything original or exciting. The characters are very standard, the dark lighting somewhat forced, and the story reveals itself at a particular pace.
The actors are certainly talented, particularly Raines who is not only beautiful but shows a knack for realism. Tone is somewhat of a ham in his role, though he tries ... Read More
Rating: - Noir crime thriller
German born director Robert Siodmak displays his talent in creating an underrated film noir mystery "Phantom Lady". The wet and shadowy streets of New York provide an effective backdrop to the somber mood created by the film. The acting performances enhance the sense of foreboding manifested by this well conceived plot.
Unhappily married engineer Scott Henderson played by Alan Curtis opens the film by sitting disturbedly at a bar having been stood up by his wife. He offers to share his theatre tickets with a woman wearing a very distinctive hat played by Fay Helm, he met at the bar. She, also obviously upset, agrees provided that they remain nameless to each other. They depart after enjoying the show.
When Curtis arrives home he's met by a group of detectives owing to the fact that Curtis' wife Marcella has been found strangled. Chief inspector Burgess played by talented supporting actor ... Read More
Rating: - A Well Done Noir
A fellow is jailed for killing his estranged wife, but he actually had been at a bar, picked up a woman and took her to a show. Except that the cops don't believe him because everyone says they never saw him with the woman. His secretary, Ella Raines, is determined to find the phantom lady, with the help of his best friend and a detective.
Nice jobs by Franchot Tone as the best friend and Thomas Gomez as the detective, and a great job by Elisha Cook Jr as a strange drummer who takes Raines to an after-hours jazz club. I've always liked Tone and think he was a very good actor. And as the years went by he became even better.
This is a solid noir with a couple of unusual, surreal scenes. One of these days I hope someone brings it out on DVD
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- Phantom Lady Cast
- Predictable
- A Well Done Noir
