The Dark Corner
Encyclopedia
The Dark Corner is a 1946 film noir
directed by Henry Hathaway
and starring Lucille Ball
, Mark Stevens
and Clifton Webb
. The film is an example of a classic film noir and features a rare dramatic role for Ball.
Bradford Galt (Mark Stevens
) suspects someone is following him and maybe even trying to kill him. With the assistance of his spunky secretary Kathleen (Lucille Ball
), he dives deep into a mystery in search of answers.
Galt turns the tables on the man following him (William Bendix
), who claims to be a private eye named Foss, hired by Galt's sworn enemy, a corrupt lawyer named Tony Jardine. In the meantime, Jardine has begun having an affair with the much-younger wife of Hardy Cathcart (Clifton Webb
), a wealthy art-gallery owner.
It appears that Jardine is setting up Galt to take another fall. But it turns out Foss is not a private eye but a thug named Stauffer, secretly working for Cathcart. He ambushes Galt, knocking him out with ether, then murders Jardine and places a bloody poker in Galt's hand.
Kathleen has fallen in love with Galt, so she aids him in covering up the crime and in trying to find out who's behind it. Cathcart, rather than pay off Stauffer, pushes him through a window to his death.
It appears Cathcart has thought of everything, but just as he is about to eliminate Galt at the art gallery, someone else arrives to ruin Cathcart's diabolical plan.
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
directed by Henry Hathaway
Henry Hathaway
Henry Hathaway was an American film director and producer. He is best known as a director of Westerns, especially starring John Wayne.-Background:...
and starring Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
, Mark Stevens
Mark Stevens (actor)
-Career:Born Richard William Stevens in Cleveland, Ohio, he first studied to become a painter before becoming active in theater work. He then launched a radio career as an announcer in Akron, Ohio....
and Clifton Webb
Clifton Webb
Clifton Webb was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for his Oscar-nominated roles in such films as Laura, The Razor's Edge, and Sitting Pretty...
. The film is an example of a classic film noir and features a rare dramatic role for Ball.
Plot
Ex-con turned private investigatorPrivate investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
Bradford Galt (Mark Stevens
Mark Stevens (actor)
-Career:Born Richard William Stevens in Cleveland, Ohio, he first studied to become a painter before becoming active in theater work. He then launched a radio career as an announcer in Akron, Ohio....
) suspects someone is following him and maybe even trying to kill him. With the assistance of his spunky secretary Kathleen (Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
), he dives deep into a mystery in search of answers.
Galt turns the tables on the man following him (William Bendix
William Bendix
William Bendix was an American film, radio, and television actor, best remembered in movies for the title role in the movie The Babe Ruth Story and for portraying clumsily earnest aircraft plant worker Chester A. Riley in radio and television's The Life of Riley...
), who claims to be a private eye named Foss, hired by Galt's sworn enemy, a corrupt lawyer named Tony Jardine. In the meantime, Jardine has begun having an affair with the much-younger wife of Hardy Cathcart (Clifton Webb
Clifton Webb
Clifton Webb was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for his Oscar-nominated roles in such films as Laura, The Razor's Edge, and Sitting Pretty...
), a wealthy art-gallery owner.
It appears that Jardine is setting up Galt to take another fall. But it turns out Foss is not a private eye but a thug named Stauffer, secretly working for Cathcart. He ambushes Galt, knocking him out with ether, then murders Jardine and places a bloody poker in Galt's hand.
Kathleen has fallen in love with Galt, so she aids him in covering up the crime and in trying to find out who's behind it. Cathcart, rather than pay off Stauffer, pushes him through a window to his death.
It appears Cathcart has thought of everything, but just as he is about to eliminate Galt at the art gallery, someone else arrives to ruin Cathcart's diabolical plan.
Cast
- Lucille BallLucille BallLucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
as Kathleen - Clifton WebbClifton WebbClifton Webb was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for his Oscar-nominated roles in such films as Laura, The Razor's Edge, and Sitting Pretty...
as Hardy Cathcart - William BendixWilliam BendixWilliam Bendix was an American film, radio, and television actor, best remembered in movies for the title role in the movie The Babe Ruth Story and for portraying clumsily earnest aircraft plant worker Chester A. Riley in radio and television's The Life of Riley...
as Stauffer, alias Fred Foss - Mark StevensMark Stevens (actor)-Career:Born Richard William Stevens in Cleveland, Ohio, he first studied to become a painter before becoming active in theater work. He then launched a radio career as an announcer in Akron, Ohio....
as Bradford Galt - Kurt KreugerKurt KreugerKurt Kreuger was a Swiss-reared German actor. Kreuger once was the third most requested male actor at 20th Century Fox. He starred with, among others, Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart.-Life and career:...
as Anthony Jardine - Cathy DownsCathy DownsCathy Downs was an American film actress.Born in Port Jefferson, New York, Downs began her film career with a small role in The Dolly Sisters and the following year played the title role in My Darling Clementine...
as Mari Cathcart - Reed HadleyReed HadleyReed Hadley was an American movie, television and radio actor.Reed Hadley was born Reed Herring in Petrolia in Clay County near Wichita Falls, Texas, to Bert Herring, an oil well driller, and his wife Minnie. Hadley had one sister, Bess Brenner. He was reared in Buffalo, New York...
as Lt Frank Reeves - Constance CollierConstance CollierConstance Collier was an English film actress and acting coach.-Life and career:Born Laura Constance Hardie, in Windsor, Berkshire, Collier made her stage debut at the age of 3, when she played Fairy Peasblossom in A Midsummer's Night Dream...
as Mrs. Kingsley - Eddie HeywoodEddie HeywoodEddie Heywood was a jazz pianist who was popular in the 1940s. His father, Eddie Heyward, Sr. was also a jazz musician from the 1920s. Heywood, Jr...
as Himself - Molly LamontMolly LamontMolly Lamont was a British film actress.Lamont was born in Boksburg, Transvaal, South Africa. She began her career in British films in 1930 and for several years played small, often uncredited roles...
as Lucy Wilding (uncredited) - Ellen CorbyEllen CorbyEllen Corby was an American actress. She is most widely remembered for the role of "Grandma Esther Walton" on the CBS television series The Waltons, for which she won three Emmy Awards...
as Maid (uncredited)
Memorable quotes
- "There goes my last lead. I feel all dead inside. I'm backed up in a dark corner, and I don't know who's hitting me." (Galt)
- "I can be framed easier than "Whistler's MotherWhistler's MotherArrangement in Grey and Black: The Artist's Mother, famous under its colloquial name Whistler's Mother, is an 1871 oil-on-canvas painting by American-born painter James McNeill Whistler. The painting is , displayed in a frame of Whistler's own design, and is now owned by the Musée d'Orsay in Paris....
". (Galt) - "How I detest the dawn." (Hardy Cathcart)
See also
- List of film noir
- List of American films of 1946
- Lucille Ball filmography and television workLucille Ball filmography and television work-Filmography:Lucille Ball appeared in movies and television from 1933 until 1989.-Features:Selected List*The Bowery *Broadway Through a Keyhole *Blood Money *Roman Scandals *Moulin Rouge...