Directed by Edward Dmytryk
1944/USA
RKO Radio Pictures
Repeat viewing
#173 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
[box] Lindsay Marriott: I’m afraid I don’t like your manner.
Philip Marlowe: Yeah, I’ve had complaints about it, but it keeps getting worse.[/box]
This fun early noir is based on the novel Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler. The title was changed because studio executives worried that the film might be taken for a musical given Dick Powell’s starring role.
Marlowe (Dick Powell) is approached by thug Moose Malloy (Mike Mazurki) to locate an ex-girlfriend named Velma. Shortly thereafter, Lindsay Marriot hires Marlowe to accompany him to a remote spot to buy back a jade necklace that had been stolen from a lady friend. Marriot is murdered before the trade is made and Marlow is knocked out. The next day, Ann Grayle (Anne Shirley) leads him to the owners of the necklace, her father Mr. Grayle and his wife Helen (Claire Trevor). A series of twists and turns leads to the solution of both the missing-person and the murder case.
Philip Marlowe meets Moose Malloy
I think of this as “noir light” since it is short on the characteristic doom. All the actors do well in their parts. Claire Trevor makes a great femme fatal and Powell is particularly good at delivering Chandler’s sarcastic hard-boiled dialogue. It’s hard to believe that he’s the same guy that played the tenor in all those Busby Berkeley musicals. This is just a very entertaining detective story.
Trailer
Yippeee……another of my favorites. There is not a loser in this cast, even Mike Mazurki who is the perfect Moose. (I never could figure that Clair Trevor would have been attracted to him even in her other life). Poor Dick Powell gets punched around something fierce in this film and never warbles a note. I have seen this more times than I can count and it is a joy each time I watch it.
I think Claire would go for anybody who would do her dirty work!
Glad to hear it holds up. Great layered image with Marlowe’s reflection!
The cinematography for this one is pretty innovative.
I really like this one. I’ve heard critics who bash Powell’s performance here, but I utterly disagree with them. He’s surprisingly on the nose. This one is tons of fun, for sure!
Powell’s performance is transformative for sure. I think Chandler preferred Bogey’s Marlowe but I think Powell is as good in a different way.
I had such a great time watching this one. Dick Powell was a huge surprise and they manage the difficult balance between comedy and noir suspense very elegantly.
I think Dick Powell was a very, very smart guy. He had to be to reinvent himself like that and then go on to become a hugely successful TV producer. I love Murder, My Sweet, too.