Ella Raines searches for the "Phantom Lady"

Phantom Lady (1944) is an American film noir directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Franchot Tone, Ella Rains, and Alan Curtis. This was Siodmak’s first film noir, a genre he would be closely identified with throughout his career. The film was produced by Joan Harrison (her first). She was the first female executive at Universal Pictures. Harrison started out in the film business as Alfred Hitchcock’s personal assistant. She would be closely related to Hitchcock professionally and personally for her entire career.

After an argument with his wife on their anniversary, Scott Henderson (Curtis) meets an unhappy woman at a bar in New York City. Scott convinces her to go to a stage show with him. The woman refuses to tell Scott anything about herself including her name. At the show, Scott notices that the leading lady, Estela Monteiro (Aurora) is wearing the same hat as his mystery date.

When Scott returns home, he is greeted by the police, including Inspector Burgess (Thomas Gomez). Scott’s wife was strangled to death with one of his ties. As the number one suspect in his wife’s murder, Scott is convicted and sentenced to death.

Carol Richman, (Raines) Scott’s loyal secretary tries to prove his innocence. Carol is secretly in love with Scott. She goes undercover trying to find the Phantom Lady and the real killer.

Will Carol get to the truth before it’s too late?

Fay Helm and Alan Curtis

Robert Siodmak (1900 – 1973) had a very successful career in Hollywood and is best known for his thrillers and films noir. He signed a seven-year contract with Universal and directed The Killers (1946), the film that made Ava Gardner a star. He worked with some top movie stars during Hollywood’s Golden Age, including Deanna Durbin, Gene Kelly, Burt Lancaster, Dorothy McGuire, Yvonne de Carlo, Olivia de Havilland, and Barbara Stanwyck. Often compared to Hitchcock in his prime, he never got the recognition that the Master of Suspense did, but most of his films hold up remarkably well and are worth watching.

Franchot Tone (1905 – 1968) was an American actor. He was a leading man in the 1930s and early 1940s. Tone was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Midshipman Roger Byram in Mutiny on the Bounty (1935). Tone was also a star on the Broadway stage and was a founding member of the Group Theatre. Tone signed with M-G-M in 1933 and was immediately cast in several pre-Code films including Today We Live (1933) with Gary Cooper and Joan Crawford, Midnight Mary (1933) with Loretta Young, and Bombshell (1933) with Jean Harlow. He starred with Harlow again in Suzy (1936) which also featured Cary Grant, billed below Tone who was the bigger star at the time. In 1935, Tone married Joan Crawford. They divorced in 1939; they made seven films together. As his film career declined, Tone continued to appear on stage and television. 

Thomas Gomez, Ella Raines, and Franchot Tone

Ella Raines (1920 – 1988) was born in Washington State where she studied drama at the University of Washington. Howard Hawks spotted her in a college production and signed her to a contract. Right out of the gate, she starred in some big movies, including Preston Sturges’s Hail the Conquering Hero and Tall in the Saddle (both 1944) where she shared equal billing with John Wayne. As her movie career declined in the 1950s, Raines worked in series television starring as Janet Dean, Registered Nurse (1954-55). She appeared on the cover of Life magazine twice, once in 1944 and in 1947.

Alan Curtis (1909 – 1953) was an American film actor. He began his career as a model before becoming an actor. His good looks brought him to the attention of Hollywood where he started appearing in films in the late 1930s. He had film roles in Hollywood Cavalcade (1939), High Sierra (1941), and Buck Privates (1941). One of his most prominent roles was in the film noir classic Phantom Lady (1944). Curtis starred as Philo Vance in two films in 1947. Although never a major star, Curtis worked in film until his untimely death in 1953. He was 43 years old.

Phantom Lady trivia

• Top-billed Franchot Tone doesn't show up until 45 minutes into the film.
• The Phantom Lady is referred to as Miss Terry (mystery).
• The date on the court stenographer's pad is August 6, 1943. August 6th is Ella Raine's birthday.
• This was the film debut of Victoria Horne (the woman who copied the hat).

To watch the film on YouTube, click the link below.

To join the discussion on November 28, 2022, 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. The year 1944 was a great year for film noir—Double Indemnity, Murder, My Sweet, Laura, Christmas Holiday, Gaslight, Ministry of Fear, and The Lodger. Christmas Holiday was directed by Robert Siodmak. How do you think Phantom Lady stacks up against these other classics?
2. What are some of the elements that make Phantom Lady a film noir?
3. Joan Harrison was the first female producer at Universal; do you think the film has a female point of view?
4. What did you think of the jam session with Elisha Cook Jr. on drums?
5. Did you have a favorite scene or piece of dialogue?
6. There was a notable piece of artwork in Franchot Tone's apartment-studio. Did you notice it?
7. Were you surprised by anything?

Burt Lancaster leads with "Brute Force"

Brute Force (1947) is an American film noir directed by Jules Dassin and starring Burt Lancaster, Hume Cronyn, and Charles Bickford. The film also stars Yvonne De Carlo, Ann Blyth, and Ella Raines. The screenplay was by Richard Brooks, the cinematography was by William H. Daniels, and the music was by Miklos Rozsa.

After returning from solitary confinement, Joe Collins (Lancaster) plans his escape from Westgate Prison, along with some of his fellow prisoners. Along with his plans for escape, are his plans to get even with Captain Munsey (Cronyn) the sadistic chief of security.

Jules Dassin (1911 – 2008) was an American film director. He got work as an assistant director at RKO and then moved to M-G-M where he directed short subjects. Dassin directed the film noir classics Brute Force (1947), The Naked City (1948), and Thieves’ Highway (1949). He was blacklisted because of his once being a member of the Communist Party so he left the United States for Europe where remained for the rest of his life. He was married to Greek film actress Melina Mercouri.

Burt Lancaster (1913- 1994) was an American actor and producer. He won a Best Actor Academy Award for his performance in Elmer Gantry (1960). Lancaster made his film debut in The Killers (1946). After the release of that film, he was on his way as a leading man, starring in quick succession Desert Fury (1947), Brute Force (1947), Variety Girl (1947), I Walk Alone (1947), All My Sons (1948), and Sorry, Wrong Number (1948). Other popular films starring Lancaster include The Flame and the Arrow (1950), Jim Thorpe All-American (1951), From Here to Eternity (1953), The Rose Tattoo (1955), and Birdman of Alcatraz (1962).

Hume Cronyn (1911 - 2003) was a Canadian film and stage actor, as well as a writer. He and his wife Jessica Tandy often worked together on stage, film, and television. Cronyn's first film role was in Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt (1943), which began a long working relationship with the famed director. Cronyn appeared in Hitchcock's Lifeboat (1944) and worked on the screenplays of Rope (1948) and Under Capricorn (1949). In 1944 he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar in The Seventh Cross. Other Cronyn films include The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), Sunrise of Campobello (1960), and  Cleopatra (1963).

Charles Bickford (1891 - 1967) was an American actor who is best remembered for his supporting roles in films like The Farmer's Daughter (1947), Johnny Belinda (1948),  A Star is Born (1954), and The Big Country (1958). Bickford was nominated for three Best Supporting Actor Academy Awards between 1943 - 1948. During the 1950s and 1960s, Bickford staring appearing on television on shows like Wagon Trian, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, and The Virginian.

To watch the film on YouTube click the link below.

To join the discussion on March 21, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you'll receive an invitation and link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Why watch this film?

• We see a superstar in the making, Burt Lancaster in only his second film role.
• One of director Jules Dassin's best films.
• There are several actors who made their film debuts and went on to long careers in film and television including Howard Duff and Whit Bissell.
• We get to see Ann Blyth play sweet and innocent after playing the daughter from hell in Mildred Pierce.

Brute Force trivia

• Inspired by an incident at Alcatraz in 1946. A riot at the prison lasted for two days.
• The film was considered shocking in its day due to the on-screen violence.
• The movie the prisoners watch is The Egg and I, starring Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray which was released the same year as Brute Force.
• Film debuts of Whit Bissell and Howard Duff.

Discussion questions:

1. What was your overall impression of the film?
2. This was Burt Lancaster's second film; what did you think of his performance?
3. Was Hume Cronyn believable as the sadistic Captain Munsey?
4. Did anything about the film surprise you?
5. Did this film check most of the film noir boxes?

Margaret Sullavan, Ann Sothern, and Joan Blondell “Cry ‘Havoc’”

Cry ‘Havoc’ (1943) is an American World War II drama directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Margaret Sullavan, Ann Sothern, and Joan Blondell. The film features a strong supporting cast that includes Fay Bainter, Marsha Hunt, Ella Raines, Frances Gifford, Connie Gilchrist, and Diana Lewis.

The film focuses on 13 American women, two Army nurses, and 11 civilians. The setting is a field hospital during the Battle of Bataan where the Japanese forces are bearing down on the Philippine peninsula. Lt. Mary “Smitty” Smith (Sullavan) and her superior officer, Capt. Alice Marsh (Bainter) struggle to tend to the wounded with meager supplies and limited staff. They manage to round up nine women civilian refugees fleeing Manila, all from various backgrounds. Pat Conlin (Sothern), a waitress, immediately takes a dislike to Lt. Smith. Grace Lambert (Blondell) is a burlesque queen who helps relieve the tension with her talent to entertain the group.

With hope dwindling and casualties mounting, the women do their best to keep things together emotionally while carrying out their duties.

As the Japanese get closer and closer to the field hospital, will the women be able to escape with the withdrawing American troops?

Publicity still featuring the main cast

Richard Thorpe (1896 - 1991) was an American film director who had a long career at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer where he was under contract. He was the original director assigned to The Wizard of  Oz (1939) but was fired after two weeks of shooting. The studio didn’t think Thorpe captured the fantasy that they were looking for. Thorpe survived that unfortunate event and went on to direct most of the major stars under contract at M-G-M including Robert Taylor, Joan Crawford, Esther Williams, Hedy Lamar, Gene Kelly, Wallace Beery, William Powell, Jane Powell, Ava Gardner, and Elizabeth Taylor. Some of Thorpe’s popular films include The Crowd Roars (1938), Two Girls and a Sailor (1944), Thrill of Romance (1945), A Date with Judy (1948), Ivanhoe (1952), The Prisoner of Zenda (1952), and The Knights of the Round Table (1953). He also directed Elvis Presley in Jailhouse Rock (1957) and Fun in Acapulco (1963).

Margaret Sullavan (1909 - 1960) was an American stage and film actress. Sullavan made only 16 movies but her place as a legend of classic Hollywood is secure. She starred in some of the most popular films of the 1930s and 1940s including Three Comrades (1938), The Mortal Storm (1940), and The Shop Around the Corner (1940). She was unhappy working in Hollywood and she retired from film in 1943. Other popular films starring Sullavan include The Good Fairy (1935), So Red the Rose (1935), The Shopworn Angel (1938), and Back Street (1941). Sullavan was married to the legendary director William Wyler (1934 - 1936) and screen legend Henry Fonda (1931 - 1933).

Ann Sothern and Margaret Sullavan

Ann Sothern (1909 - 2001) was an American actress who worked on the stage, radio, film, and television. Sothern’s most commercially successful film role was as Maisie Ravier in a series of films while she was at M-G-M. Maisie, a Brooklyn showgirl was based on the short stories by Nell Martin. Films in the series include Congo Maisie (1940), Gold Rush Maisie (1940), and Up Goes Maisie (1946). The character was so popular that Sothern played the character on the radio in The Adventure of Maisie (1939 - 1947) series. At M-G-M, Sothern starred in the film version of Panama Hattie (1942) opposite Red Skelton, which was a box office success. In 1949, she starred in A Letter to Three Wives which brought her great reviews but did little to advance her career. In 1953, Sothern starred as Susie MacNamara in the television series Private Secretary, (1953 - 1957) and the next year starred in The Ann Sothern Show (1958 - 1961). Sothern continued working on stage, screen, and television. Her last film role was in The Whales of August (1987). For her role in that film, she earned her only Best Supporting Academy Award nomination.

Ella Raines and Diana Lewis

Joan Blondell (1906 – 1979) was an American actress who was a top movie star during the 1930s and early 1940s. Later in her career, she became a popular character actress. Some of Blondell’s early films include The Public Enemy (1931), Gold Diggers of 1933, Dames (1934), and Stand-In (1937). Later in her career, she gave notable supporting performances in The Blue Veil (1951), The Cincinnati Kid (1965), Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971), and Grease (1978).

Why watch this film?

• The movie features several strong female characterizations from Hollywood’s Golden Age.
• It depicts World War II through the eyes of women serving at an Army field hospital.
• The film was made during the War so the outcome was uncertain.
• Features the work of studio contract director Richard Thorpe.

Cry Cry ‘Havoc’ trivia

• Joan Crawford and Merle Oberon were considered for lead roles that eventually went to Margaret Sullavan and Ann Sothern.
• This was the second film role for actress Ella Raines.
• Sullavan and Fay Bainter starred together in The Shining Hour (1938)
• The film was based on a play starring Carol Channing and Ann Shoemaker.
• It features Robert Mitchum in one of his earliest film roles.

To watch the film on YouTube, click the link below.

To join the discussion on Zoom May 25, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you’ll receive an invitation a link to the meeting.

Discussion questions:

1. What did you think of the ensemble cast?
2. Did it remind you of any other films you've seen?
3. What did you think of the three star leads: Margaret Sullavan, Ann Sothern, and Joan Blondell?
4. Do you think the film was an accurate portrayal of nurses on the battlefield?

Randolph Scott and Ella Rains traverse “The Walking Hills”

The Walking Hills (1949) is a modern American western directed by John Sturges and starring Randolph Scott and Ella Raines. The cinematography was by Charles Lawton Jr. (The Lady From Shanghai, 3:10 to Yuma). The stars are supported by William Bishop, Edgar Buchanan, Arthur Kennedy, Josh White, and John Ireland.

Nine men of different ages and backgrounds, search for a lost treasure supposedly lost in the shifting sands of Death Valley. One of the men is a detective looking for a fugitive who may or may not be among the treasure seekers. To complicate matters further, a woman named Chris Jackson (Raines) joins the group where she attempts to sort out her feelings between Dave Wilson (Bishop) and Jim Carey (Scott), two men she had relationships with in the past.

Will the search for the lost treasure unite the seekers or turn them against each other?

Randolph Scott, William Bishop, and Ella Raines

John Sturges (1910 - 1992) was an American film director. He started his career in Hollywood in 1932. During World War II, he worked on training films and documentaries for the United States Army Air Forces. After the war, Sturges made a string of B movies before establishing himself as an A-list director. He had great successes with Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), The Magnificent Seven (1960), and The Great Escape (1963). Other films he directed include The Old Man and the Sea (1958), The Halleluja Trail (1965), Ice Station Zebra (1968), and The Eagle Has Landed (1976).

Ella Raines, Randolph Scott, and director John Sturges (back to us)

Randolph Scott (1898 - 1987) was an American film actor whose career spanned over three decades. Scott started out in silent films in some uncredited roles and on the advice of Cecil B. De Mille, he performed on stage at the Pasadena Playhouse where Hollywood took notice. In the early stages of his career in the 1930s, Scott acted in comedies, musicals, and adventure films. He established himself as a dependable leading man in the 1940s but achieved his greatest success in the late 1950s starring in a string of popular westerns directed by Bud Boetticher including Seven Men from Now (1955), 7th Cavalry (1956), and Ride Lonesome (1959). During this period, Scott was a top box office draw often ranking in the top ten.

Ella Raines (1920 – 1988) was born in Washington State where she studied drama at the University of Washington. Howard Hawks spotted her in a college production and signed her to a contract. Right out of the gate, she starred in some big movies, including Preston Sturges’s Hail the Conquering Hero and Tall in the Saddle (both 1944) where she shared equal billing with John Wayne. As her movie career declined in the 1950s, Raines worked in series television starring in Janet Dean, Registered Nurse (1954-55). She appeared on the cover of Life magazine twice, once in 1944 and in 1947.

The Walking Hills trivia:

1. Regarded as a film noir western along with Pursued (1947) and Blood on the Moon (1948)
2. Filmed in the Alabama Hills of California and Death Valley National Monument. Sturges would revisit this location for Bad Day at Black Rock.

To watch the film on YouTube click on the link below.

To join the discussion on May 4, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation to join the discussion with a link to the meeting on Zoom.

Discussion Questions:

1. Did this film remind you of any other films you’ve seen?
2. What do you think motivated the characters in their quest?
3. Was the love triangle between Scott, Bishop, and Raines believable? Did it add to or take away from the narrative?
4. Did you have a favorite character actor?
5. Were you surprised by the ending? Was it satisfying or disappointing?

Focus on Josh White (1914 - 1969)

Joshua Daniel White was an American singer, guitarist, actor, and civil rights activist. He sang blues, country, gospel, and social protest songs. In 1931, he moved to New York where he found success on Broadway, radio, and film. He also expanded his musical repertoire to jazz and folk songs.

In the 1940s, White shared the stage with Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Burl Ives, and the Golden Gate Quartet. His tours with Led Belly were enormously successful and White was tagged the “Joe Louise of the Blues Guitar.” His recording of “Sucking Cider Through a Straw” was a million-selling record, the first by an African-American male artist. Other artists including The Andrew Sisters and Bing Crosby recorded cover versions.

Unfortunately for White, he was caught up in the anti-communist Red Scare during the 1950s. He was labeled a communist which hurt his career.

Interestingly, White’s character in The Walking Hills is that although his part is small, he is an equal partner with his white cohorts. In some ways, his character acts as a Greek chorus for the film. During the late-1940s, Hollywood was starting to grapple with racism and the depiction of people of color on the screen. In this film, the subject of White’s race is never brought up. Not the case with the Native American character Cleve, however, who is maligned by Chalk the character played by Arthur Kennedy.

White’s legacy in music runs deep. He was considered a mentor to Lena Horne, Eartha Kitt, and influenced a generation of singers including Pete Seeger, Elvis Presley, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles, and Harry Belafonte.

“The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry”—Film Noir Set in New England

The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry (1945) is a film noir directed by Robert Siodmak. The plot revolves around Harry Quincy (George Sanders) a bachelor who supports his two sisters Lettie (Geraldine Fitzgerald) and Hester (Monya Macgill). The younger sister, Lettie, is self-centered and needy and doesn’t want her brother to marry and leave her. When Harry begins a romance with Deborah Brown (Ella Raines) things get complicated.

Geraldine Fitzgerald, George Sanders, and Ella Raines

Director Siodmak once again directs a wonderful cast in one of the most unusual and controversial films noir released in the 1940s. Sanders has one of the best roles of his career and he isn’t playing a sophisticated cad, a role he practically patented. As “Uncle Harry,” Sanders plays an aging bachelor stuck supporting his two sisters in the old family mansion. The Quincy family was one of the town’s most prominent families, but we learn through the film’s opening scenes that they lost most of their money during the depression. Harry works in the local mill, designing patterns for the fabrics they produce.

When Deborah, a young designer from New York arrives at the mill, she and Harry instantly hit it off. They eventually plan to be married, which doesn’t sit well with the self-centered Lettie. Will love prevail or will Lettie’s scheming ruin Harry’s life and a chance at happiness?

Like Charles Laughton in Siodmak’s The Suspect, Sanders gives one of his most subtle and layered performances in The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry. His Harry is innocent, naïve, and sweetly charming. When was the last time anyone described a Sanders characterization as innocent? Sanders reveals an acting range that he was rarely ever to express on screen and it’s wonderful to see.

Fitzgerald as Lettie has one of the best roles of her career as the younger sister who manipulates her brother and abuses her older sister, Hester, all the while pretending to be a paragon of virtue and respectability.

Raines as Deborah finds herself once again ably directed by Siodmak, having starred in The Suspect the year before. As a young career woman, she exudes confidence and femininity. It’s no wonder Harry is attracted to her; she’s the opposite of his needy sisters.

Robert Siodmak (1900 – 1973) had a very successful career in Hollywood and is best known for his thrillers and films noir. He signed a seven-year contract with Universal and directed The Killers (1946), the film that made Ava Gardner a star. He worked with some of the top movie stars during Hollywood’s Golden Age, including Deanna Durbin, Gene Kelly, Burt Lancaster, Dorothy McGuire, Yvonne de Carlo, Olivia de Havilland, and Barbara Stanwyck. Often compared to Hitchcock in his prime, he never got the recognition that the Master of Suspense did, but most of his films hold up remarkably well and are worth watching.





George Sanders (1906 – 1972) was a British film and stage actor who also had a fine singing voice. Hollywood was looking for a villain to star opposite a young Tyrone Power in Lloyd’s of London (1936) and Sanders more than fit the bill. His performance in that film would forever stamp him as a sophisticated bad guy. Before his acting career, he worked in the textile industry, which must have helped him with his role in The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry. In the 1960s, Sanders played Mr. Freeze in the Batman (1966) television series.

Geraldine Fitzgerald (1913 – 2005) was an Irish stage and film actress. Fitzgerald’s film debut was Dark Victory (1939) starring Bette Davis. That same year she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress as Isabella Linton in Wuthering Heights. Fitzgerald’s movie career was hampered by her battles with studio management at Warner Brothers, where she was under contract. The role of Lettie in The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry was one of her best screen performances.

Ella Raines (1920 – 1988) was born in Washington State where she studied drama at the University of Washington. Howard Hawks spotted her in a college production and signed her to a contract. Right out of the gate, she starred in some big movies, including Preston Sturges’s Hail the Conquering Hero and Tall in the Saddle (both 1944) where she shared equal billing with John Wayne. As her movie career declined in the 1950s, Raines worked in series television starring as Janet Dean, Registered Nurse (1954-55). She appeared on the cover of Life magazine twice, once in 1944 and in 1947.


Join us on April 21 at 6:30 p.m. Central Time for a discussion on Zoom. To watch the movie on YouTube and for information on joining the discussion on Zoom, click here.


Questions for discussion:

1. Noir or not? The setting for The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry is a small New England town, not your typical noir setting. What do you think and why?
2. Does this film have a femme fatale? If yes, who is she?
3. What did you think of George Sanders and his characterization? Have you ever seen him in a role like this?
4. Geraldine Fitzgerald is an interesting character. What did you make of her? Did you sympathize with her in any way?
5. Ella Raines’s character was a real contrast to the other two female characters (Harry’s sisters). She’s independent and confident in her own skin.
6. Joan Harrison produced this movie. She started out as Alfred Hitchcock’s secretary. Do you think the fact that this movie was produced by a woman gave the film a different perspective on the genre?
7. What did you think of the ending? Was it satisfying? Explain.

“The Suspect”—Film Noir Set in Merry Old London

The Suspect (1944) directed by Robert Siodmak (Criss Cross) is a film noir set in London at the turn of the twentieth century. It stars Charles Laughton and Ella Raines.

The movie is set in early 20th-century London, but notice how Ella Raines is
dressed in 1940s glamor in this lobby card art.

Laughton plays Philip Marshall, a kindly gentleman married to an insufferable woman (Rosalind Ivan). So insufferable is she that their adult son leaves the house because he can’t stand living under the same roof with his own mother! After his son leaves, Philip occupies his son’s room, refusing to share space with his wife.

Marshall is a respectable accountant and well-liked by all who know him. When a young stenographer named Mary Gray (Ella Raines) comes to him looking for a job, Marshall is smitten with her. They begin a chaste affair, but this is film noir so nothing ends well, right?

Ella Raines (in period costume) with camera assistants Robert Lazlo and Frank Heisler and cinematographer Paul Ivano on the set of The Suspect

Siodmak’s direction is crisp and he gets a great performance out of Laughton and the other cast members. Laughton's character is completely sympathetic and I found myself decidedly on his side during the whole movie. Henry Daniell plays Gilbert Simmons, Marshall’s wife-beating drunkard of a neighbor, a role he plays to perfection. Daniell made a career out of playing these kinds of villainous characters. He was the evil Reverend Brocklehurst in Jane Eyre (1943) the year before.

Robert Siodmak (1900 – 1973) had a very successful career in Hollywood and is best known for his thrillers and films noir. He signed a seven-year contract with Universal and directed The Killers (1946), the film that made Ava Gardner a star. He worked with some of the top movie stars during Hollywood’s Golden Age, including Deanna Durbin, Gene Kelly, Burt Lancaster, Dorothy McGuire, Yvonne de Carlo, Olivia de Havilland, and Barbara Stanwyck. Often compared to Hitchcock in his prime, he never got the recognition that the Master of Suspense did, but most of his films hold up remarkably well and are worth watching.

Charles Laughton (1899 – 1962) had a long career on the stage and in Hollywood. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Henry VIII in The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) and was nominated for two other Best Actor Oscars for his performances in Mutiny on the Bounty (1933) and Witness for the Prosecution (1957). His performance in The Suspect is considered one of Laughton’s most natural screen performances, which is credited to director Siodmak, a close personal friend of the actor.

Ella Raines (1920 – 1988) was born in Washington State where she studied drama at the University of Washington. Howard Hawks spotted her in a college production and signed her to a contract. Right out of the gate, she starred in some big movies, including Preston Sturges’s Hail the Conquering Hero and Tall in the Saddle (both 1944) where she shared equal billing with John Wayne. As her movie career declined in the 1950s, Raines worked in series television starring as Janet Dean, Registered Nurse (1954-55). She appeared on the cover of Life magazine twice, once in 1944 and in 1947.




Join us on Zoom April 14 for a discussion of The Suspect at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Click here for details on how to participate. It’s free!

Some questions for discussion.
1. From what you know about film noir, do you think this film fits that category? Why or why not?

2. Does The Suspect have a femme fatale? If it does, who is she?

3. What is the first crime committed in the film?

4. Was the London setting believable to you? Was it important? Could it have worked set in America during the same time period?

5. What about the ending? Was it what you expected?

Here’s the press caption to the photograph above: Clark Gable came to Joan Bennett and Walter Wanger’s party at unique Sportsman’s Lodge with Ella Raines. At the table were Greer Garson and Richard Ney. The whole valley turned out for Walter’s opening of “Canyon Passage” at the Studio Theater, the biggest crowd in months, but only about 50 attended the dinner preceding the premiere.

Canyon Passage was released in 1946 starring Dana Andrews, Brian Donlevy, and Susan Hayward. It was filmed in Technicolor, which was rare in those days for a western. Producer Walter Wanger and movie star Joan Bennett were husband and wife at the time.


*Original blog post said that Ella Raines was discovered by Howard Hughes. This is incorrect, it was Howard Hawks.

Preston Sturges series: Screening of “Hail The Conquering Hero” September 13 at Daystar Center

Preston Sturges series: Hail The Conquering Hero
Where: The Venue 1550 at the Daystar Center, 1550 S. State Street, Chicago, IL
When: September 13, 2016
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Hosted by Stephen Reginald

Hail the Conquering Hero (1944) is a satirical comedy/drama about Woodrow Lafayette Pershing Truesmith (Eddie Bracken). Woodrow who wants to be a Marine like his father “Hinky Dinky” Truesmith who died a hero in World War I. After only a month, Woodrow is discharged from the Marines due to his chronic hay fever. Disappointed and embarrassed, Woodrow pretends to be fighting overseas while secretly working at a shipyard in San Diego.

Eddie Hodges, Ella Raines, William Demarest

By chance, Woodrow meets six Marines who just returned from the Battle of Guadalcanal in a local tavern. He buys them a round of drinks and discovers that Master Gunnery Sergeant Heffelfinger (William Demarest) served with Woodrow’s father in the 6th Marines in World War I. The Marines concoct a scheme to save Woodrow from embarrassment by telling his mother that he has received a medical discharge. The seemingly harmless deception gets completely out of control when Woodrow is given a hero’s welcome in his hometown.

Woodrow, never comfortable with the deception, is at the breaking point when his girlfriend Libby (Ella Raines), who he told not to wait for him, is engaged to the mayor’s son. Will Woodrow be able to tell the truth without destroying his family’s reputation? Will his hometown reject their “hero?”

This was Sturges’s last movie for Paramount. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay. You’ll be happy to discover folks from the Preston Sturges stock company including Raymond Walburn, Franklin Pangborn, and Esther Howard.

In 2015, the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry, finding it “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Before the movie, grab a cup of coffee from Overflow Coffee Bar, located within the Daystar Center. You can bring food and beverages into the auditorium; we even have small tables set up next to some of the seats. General Admission: $5 Students and Senior Citizens: $3.