Burt Lancaster and Yvonne De Carlo can’t seem to catch a break in “Criss Cross”

Criss Cross (1948) is an American film noir directed by Robert Siodmak that plunges the audience into a dark, fatalistic world of obsessive love and impending disaster. The story centers on Steve Thompson (Burt Lancaster), a man who returns to Los Angeles trying to leave his past behind. He takes back his old job as a driver for an armored car company, a symbol of the honest, steady life he hopes to maintain. However, Steve can’t shake his deep, lingering obsession with his beautiful and volatile ex-wife, Anna (Yvonne De Carlo).

Despite his family’s and friends’ warnings about Anna’s manipulative nature, Steve inevitably crosses paths with her again, immediately reigniting a passionate but doomed romance. The situation is complicated by the fact that Anna is now married to Slim Dundee (Dan Duryea), a local gangster and nightclub owner. Steve’s renewed relationship with Anna forces him into a dangerous love triangle, quickly pushing him away from his attempts at a clean start and back toward the corrupting influences of the criminal underworld. This relentless attraction to a woman who is demonstrably bad for him sets the stage for the escalating tragedy.

As the plot unfolds, Steve becomes trapped in a tangled web of deceit and double-crosses, where no one—not Anna, not Slim, and certainly not Steve himself—can be completely trusted. The film masterfully builds a sense of inescapable doom as the intricate plan for the heist is set in motion. Criss Cross is a powerful, stylish examination of human weakness, desire, and betrayal, showcasing how a single, consuming obsession can irrevocably lead a man down a path to his own destruction.

Yvonne De Carlo and Burt Lancaster

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.

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).

Yvonne De Carlo (1922 – 2007) was a Canadian-American actress, dancer, and singer whose career spanned six decades across film, television, and stage. She first rose to prominence in the 1940s and 1950s as a Hollywood film star, gaining recognition in lavish Technicolor productions like Salome, Where She Danced (1945) and often being cast in exotic or adventurous roles, including her notable turn in the film noir Criss Cross (1949). Her film career peaked when she played Sephora, the wife of Moses, in Cecil B. DeMille’s epic The Ten Commandments (1956). She gained renewed fame with a new generation of fans in the 1960s for her enduring role as Lily Munster, the glamorous matriarch, in the popular CBS sitcom The Munsters (1964–1966).

Dan Duryea (1907 – 1968) was an American film, stage, and television actor. He is best known for his character roles as villains, but he had a long career that included a variety of lead and second lead roles. Duryea graduated from Cornell University in 1928. In his senior year, he was the president of the college drama society. Duryea went to Hollywood in 1940 to play Leo Hubbard in The Little Foxes, a role he created on Broadway. He established himself in films noir, costarring in classics like Scarlet Street (1945), Criss Cross (1948), and Too Late for Tears (1949).

 

Criss Cross trivia

• Reunion of Noir Veterans: The film reunited director Robert Siodmak and star Burt Lancaster, along with composer Miklós Rózsa, all of whom had previously collaborated on the highly successful 1946 film noir classic, The Killers. The two movies share the thematic elements of a doomed protagonist drawn back into crime by a manipulative woman.
• Uncredited Star Debut: A very young and uncredited Tony Curtis makes a brief appearance in the film. He can be spotted as an extra dancing with Yvonne De Carlo’s character, Anna, in the lively nightclub scene at “The Round-Up.”
• Los Angeles Location as a Character: Criss Cross was shot extensively on location in the Bunker Hill neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles. This area, known for its steep hills, Victorian architecture, and rundown boarding houses, was a popular setting for classic film noirs, and its gritty, precarious atmosphere adds to the movie’s sense of fatalism. Much of the architecture seen in the film was later demolished in the 1950s and 60s due to redevelopment.
• Novel Adaptation: The film is based on the 1934 novel of the same name by Don Tracy. While the novel provided the core plot, the film adaptation, scripted by Daniel Fuchs, amplified the key elements of film noir, including the complex flashback structure, the fatalistic voice-over narration, and the overwhelming sense of doom.

 

Click HERE to watch the movie on the Internet Archive.

Click HERE to join the online discussion on Monday, November 24, 2025, at 6:30 p. m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you’ll receive a link with an invitation to join the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. The Nature of Obsession and Fate: The film utilizes a flashback structure that essentially reveals the ending in the very first scene. How does knowing Steve Thompson's ultimate fate from the beginning affect the audience's viewing experience? Does this structure amplify the fatalism and obsessive nature of his choices, or does it simply reduce the suspense?
2. The Archetype of the Femme Fatale: How does Anna (Yvonne De Carlo) embody the classic film noir archetype of the femme fatale? Is she truly evil and manipulative, or is she also a victim of her circumstances and the limited opportunities available to women in her environment? How does her character compare to other famous film noir women?
3. Moral Compromise and the American Dream: Steve Thompson returns to Los Angeles determined to live an honest, working-class life, but his desires quickly derail him. How does the film comment on the idea of the American Dream or the possibility of redemption? At what point does Steve cross the moral line, and is his downfall inevitable regardless of his choices?
4. Style and Setting in Noir: The film makes extensive use of location shooting in the atmospheric, now-demolished Bunker Hill neighborhood of Los Angeles. How do the movie's visual style—specifically the use of low-key lighting (chiaroscuro), shadows, and gritty urban settings—reflect and enhance the themes of desperation, moral corruption, and entrapment in the story?

James Stewart searches for “Winchester ‘73”

Winchester ’73 (1950) is an American Western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart, Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea, and Stephen McNally. Others in the cast include Millard Mitchell, Charles Drake, John McIntire, Will Geer, and Jay C. Flippen. The film also includes early screen appearances by Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis, credited as Anthony Curtis.

At the beginning of the film, Lin McAdam (Stewart) is searching for Dutch Henry Brown (McNally). The two have a score to settle.

In Dodge City, Kansas, Lin enters a shooting contest and wins a Winchester 1873 rifle. At the boarding house where Lin is packing, he is ambushed by Dutch who steals the rifle. Dutch rides away with two other men, making Lin’s anger toward Dutch burns even brighter. Lin’s quest to settle his score with Dutch becomes even more urgent than before.

James Stewart and Millard Mitchell

Anthony Mann (1906 – 1967) was an American director. Mann got his start in film working as a talent scout for David O. Selznick. He later became an assistant director, assisting Preston Sturges on Sullivan’s Travels (1941). Mann went on to direct a variety of low-budget, but successful films at Republic, RKO, and Eagle-Lion studios. The Furies was Mann’s first A picture. After The Furies, Mann went on to direct many successful westerns including Winchester ’73 (1950), Devil’s Doorway (1950), Bend of the River (1952), and The Naked Spur (1953).

James Stewart (1908 - 1997) was an American actor whose career spanned almost five decades and 80 films. Stewart often portrayed the ideal of the average American who was decent and honest. Stewart signed a seven-year contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer where he appeared in a variety of supporting roles in B and A pictures. It wasn’t until he was loaned out to Columbia Pictures to costar in Frank Capra’s You Can’t Take It With You (1938) that his home studio began to take notice. Still, his best roles were on loan to other studios including Mr. Smith Goes to Washinton (1939) at Columbia again and Destry Rides Again (1939) at Universal. M-G-M eventually cast him in The Philadelphia Story (1940) where he won the Academy Award for Best Actor which cemented his reputation as a leading man and star. From there he went on to make The Shop Around the Corner (1940) and The Mortal Storm (1940). After serving in the United States Army from 1941 - 1945, Stewart returned to Hollywood where he continued as a popular leading man. During the 1950s, Steward made two films with director Alfred Hitchcock which are considered two of the director’s best films: Rear Window (1954) and Vertigo (1958). Vertigo was voted the greatest film ever made by Sight & Sound in 2012.

Shelley Winters (1920 - 2006) was an American actress whose career in film began in 1943 and continued into the 2000s. Some of Winters’s film roles include A Double Life (1947), The Great Gatsby (1948), Winchester 73 (1950), and A Place in the Sun (1951) for which she was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award. Winters was in demand throughout the 1950s having four films in release in 1955 including Night of the Hunter. She won a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for The Diary of Anne Frank (1959). She won her second Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in A Patch of Blue (1965). Besides her film work, Winters starred on Broadway and was a frequent guest star on popular television series and made-for-TV movies.

Dan Duryea (1907 – 1968) was an American film, stage, and television actor. He is best known for his character roles as villains, but he had a long career that included a variety of lead and second lead roles. Duryea graduated from Cornell University in 1928. In his senior year, he was the president of the college drama society. Duryea went to Hollywood in 1940 to Leo Hubbard in The Little Foxes, a role he created on Broadway. He established himself in films noir costarring in classics like Scarlet Street (1945), Criss Cross (1948), and Too Late for Tears (1949).

Stephen McNally (1911 - 1994) was an American film, stage,  and television actor. He is mostly remembered for his roles in westerns. McNally often played the bad guy like his portrayal of Locky McCormick in Johnny Belinda (1948). McNally earned a law degree from Fordham University Law School. During the 1950s, he started working in television starring in popular series like Wagon Train, Riverboat, Rawhide, 77 Sunset Strip, The Virginian, Fantasy Island, Starsky & Hutch, Charlie’s Angels, The Rockford File, and  Police Story.

Winchester ’73 trivia

• This film is credited with reigniting James Stewart’s career after a series of unsuccessful films after returning from World War II.
• James Steward received a percentage of the film’s profits instead of a set salary. He’s the first actor to have negotiated this kind of deal which is now quite common.
• This was the first pairing of director Anthony Mann and James Stewart. They went on to make seven more films together.
• James Stewart spent a lot of time practicing a lot with the rifle so he would look like an authentic westerner.
• As part of film’s promotion, Universal Studios conducted a contest to find rare Winchester 1873 rifles. The contest helped create an interest in antique gun collecting.

 

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

 

To join the discussion on June 19, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and link to join the discussion on Zoom.

 

Discussion questions

1. Some people consider this film one of the best Westerns of all time. Would you agree with that assessment?
2. In 1950, this was a James Stewart the public had never seen before. Did his performance surprise you? What do you think audiences were thinking in 1950 when they saw this film?
3. When the relationship between Lin and Dutch was revealed were you surprised?
4. Shelly Winters felt her character could have been left out of the movie and nobody would have noticed (or cared). Do you agree?
5. Stewart and Mann really worked hard to capture the authenticity of the old West. Do you think they were successful?

A walk down "Scarlet Street" with Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, and Dan Duryea

Scarlet Street (1945) is a film noir directed by Fritz Lang, produced by Walter Wanger, cinematography by Milton Krasner, and starring Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, and Dan Duryea.

With the critical and box office success of The Woman in the Window (1944), director Lang once again directed Robinson, Bennett, and Duryea in another film noir thinking lighting would strike twice and it did.

Joan Bennett in Scarlet Street

The plot revolves around Christopher “Chris” Cross (Robinson), a shy and reserved cashier for a retail store. In his spare time, he paints to help him forget his dull life and loveless marriage with Adele (Rosalind Ivan). Walking through Greenwich Village he witnesses Kitty March (Bennett) being roughed up by Johnny Prince (Duryea) and proceeds to knock Johnny out with his umbrella. Chris is enamored with Kitty and the two go out for drinks. While together, Chris is somewhat vague about his profession and his financial situation. Based on the way Chris talks about art, Kitty suspects he’s a rich and famous artist. When Kitty tells Johnny about her encounter, Johnny cooks up a plan to swindle Chris of his “fortune.”

Edward G. Robinson paints in his bathroom in Scarlet Street.

If The Woman in the Window was all a dream, Scarlet Street is a nightmare. Much darker than its predecessor but with similar ironic twists and turns to keep you guessing till the end.

Scarlet Street was a nominee for Best Feature Film at the 1946 Venice Film Festival.

Fritz Lang (1890 – 1976) was an Austrian-German-American director. Lang is the director of the silent film classic Metropolis (1927). After serving in World War I, Lang worked for a time as an actor in the theater and then worked as a writer at Decla Film in Berlin. Lang’s first talking picture was M (1931) a story about a child murderer. Due to his growing renown, Joseph Goebbels offered him the position of head of the German film studio UFA in 1933. Lang emigrated to Paris and then to the United States in 1936. Lang worked for all the major studios, making twenty-three feature films in the United States. Some of Lang’s films include Scarlet Street (1945), The Big Heat (1953), and While the City Sleeps (1956).

Milton R. Krasner (1904 – 1988) was an American cinematographer. He is best known for his work at 20th Century-Fox where he filmed such classics as All About Eve (1950) and The Seven Year Itch (1955). Other notable films he photographed include Scarlet Street (1945), The Dark Mirror (1946), The Egg and I (1947), The Farmer’s Daughter (1947), Bus Stop (1956), An Affair to Remember (1957), Bells Are Ringing (1960), Sweet Bird of Youth (1962), How the West Was Won (1962), Love with the Proper Stranger (1963), and The Singing Nun (1966). Krasner won an Academy Award for his work on Three Coins in the Fountain (1954).

Robinson and Bennett

Edward G. Robinson (1893 – 1973) was an American actor of the stage and screen. Robinson is a true star from Hollywood’s Golden Age where he starred in the gangster classic Little Caesar (1931), Kid Galahad (1937), Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939), The Sea Wolf (1941), Double Indemnity (1944), and Key Largo (1948). Robinson was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 1973 but was never nominated for a competitive Oscar.

Joan Bennett (1910–1990) began her film career during the early sound era. A natural blonde, Bennett dyed her hair as a plot device in the film Trade Winds (1938). As a brunette, Bennett projected a sultry persona that had her compared to the brunette beauty, Hedy Lamarr. During this period she starred in two costume epics. She played Princess Maria Theresa in The Man in the Iron Mask (1939) and Grand Duchess Zona of Lichtenburg in The Son of Monte Cristo (1940). Bennett was one of two finalists for the role of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939), along with Paulette Goddard. She had a very successful collaboration with the director Fritz Lang. With Lang, she starred in the classics Man Hunt (1940), The Woman in the Window (1944), and Scarlet Street (1945). Bennett acted on stage and on television where she became a pop culture icon playing Elizabeth Collins Stoddard on the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows (1966-1971).

Dan Duryea (1907 – 1968) was an American film, stage, and television actor. He is best known for his character roles as villains, but he had a long career that included a variety of lead and second lead roles. Duryea graduated from Cornell University in 1928. In his senior year, he was the president of the college drama society. Duryea went to Hollywood in 1940 to Leo Hubbard in The Little Foxes, a role he created on Broadway. He established himself in films noir costarring in classics like Scarlet Street (1945), Criss Cross (1948), and Too Late for Tears (1949).

Below is the link to the movie on YouTube. Please use this link; there are several prints uploaded to the channel, but this one is the best one available.



Join us on Zoom for a discussion of this film on July 7, 2020, 2020, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Check below for meeting links.

Stephen Reginald is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Discussion of "Scarlet Street"
Time: Jul 7, 2020 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/74072831028?pwd=REdjTU00bERyc1BMVCs2a2FnMExjUT09

Meeting ID: 740 7283 1028
Password: 9NLZi9

Questions for discussion:
1. Does Joan Bennett’s Kitty March have anything in common with Alice Reed from The Woman in the Window?
2. How similar is Edward G. Robinson’s Christopher Cross with his characterization of Richard Wanely?
3. What about Dan Duryea? Was his characterization similar to the one in The Woman in the Window?
4. What classic film noir elements, based on your understanding of the genre, did you notice?
5. Was the ending a surprise to you? Was it a satisfying ending?
6. Of the two films: The Woman in the Window and Scarlet Street, which one do you think is the better film?

Fritz Lang’s “The Woman in the Window” starring Edward G. Robinson and Joan Bennett

The Woman in the Window (1944) is an American film noir directed by Fritz Lang, produced by Nunnally Johnson, and starring Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Raymond Massey, and Dan Duryea.

The plot centers on a mild-mannered college professor Richard Wanley (Robinson) who meets Alice Reed, (Bennett) while staring at a painting in an art gallery window. He soon realizes that the woman was the model for the painting. What started out as an innocent night out for a few drinks turns into a night of murder and blackmail.

How will  Professor Wanley and Alice get out of the mess they’ve gotten themselves into?

Joan Bennett and Edward G. Robinson

Fritz Lang (1890 – 1976) was an Austrian-German-American director. Lang is the director of the silent film classic Metropolis (1927). After serving in World War I, Lang worked for a time as an actor in the theater and then worked as a writer at Decla Film in Berlin. Lang’s first talking picture was M (1931) a story about a child murderer. Due to his growing renown, Joseph Goebbels offered him the position of head of the German film studio UFA in 1933. Lang emigrated to Paris and then to the United States in 1936. Lang worked for all the major studios, making twenty-three feature films in the United States. Some of Lang’s films include Scarlet Street (1945), The Big Heat (1953), and While the City Sleeps (1956).

Nunnally Johnson (1897 – 1977) was a journalist, screenwriter, producer, and director. He worked for many years as a writer at 20th Century-Fox before he co-founded International Pictures in 1943 with William Goetz. Johnson was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay in 1940 for The Grapes of Wrath. Johnson wrote, produced, and directed The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956) and The Three Faces of Eve (1957). As a writer-producer, he is responsible for The Gunfighter (1950), My Cousin Rachel (1952), and How to Marry a Millionaire (1953). Johnson’s last credited screenplay was for The Dirty Dozen (1967).

Milton R. Krasner (1904 – 1988) was an American cinematographer. He is best known for his work at 20th Century-Fox where he filmed such classics as All About Eve (1950) and The Seven Year Itch (1955). Other notable films he photographed include Scarlett Street (1945), The Dark Mirror (1946), The Egg and I (1947), The Farmer’s Daughter (1947), Bus Stop (1956), An Affair to Remember (1957), Bells Are Ringing (1960), Sweet Bird of Youth (1962), How the West Was Won (1962), Love with the Proper Stranger (1963), and The Singing Nun (1966). Krasner won an Academy Award for his work on Three Coins in the Fountain (1954).

Edward G. Robinson (1893 – 1973) was an American actor of the stage and screen. Robinson is a true star from Hollywood’s Golden Age where he starred in the gangster classic Little Caesar (1931), Kid Galahad (1937), Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939), The Sea Wolf (1941), Double Indemnity (1944), and Key Largo (1948). Robinson was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 1973 but was never nominated for a competitive Oscar.

Joan Bennett (1910–1990) began her film career during the early sound era. A natural blonde, Bennett dyed her hair as a plot device in the film Trade Winds (1938). As a brunette, Bennett projected a sultry persona that had her compared to the brunette beauty, Hedy Lamarr. During this period she starred in two costume epics. She played Princess Maria Theresa in The Man in the Iron Mask (1939) and Grand Duchess Zona of Lichtenburg in The Son of Monte Cristo (1940). Bennett was one of two finalists for the role of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939), along with Paulette Goddard. She had a very successful collaboration with the director Fritz Lang. With Lang, she starred in the classics Man Hunt (1940), The Woman in the Window (1944), and Scarlet Street (1945). Bennett acted on stage and on television where she became a pop culture icon playing Elizabeth Collins Stoddard on the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows (1966-1971).

Dan Duryea (1907 – 1968) was an American film, stage, and television actor. He is best known for his character roles as villains, but he had a long career that included a variety of lead and second lead roles. Duryea graduated from Cornell University in 1928. In his senior year, he was the president of the college drama society. Duryea went to Hollywood in 1940 to Leo Hubbard in The Little Foxes, a role he created on Broadway. He established himself in films noir costarring in classics like Scarlet Street (1945), Criss Cross (1948), and Too Late for Tears (1949).

Below is the link to the movie on YouTube. Please use this link; there are several prints uploaded to the channel, but this one is the best one available.



Join us on Zoom for a discussion of this film on June 30, 2020, 2020, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Check below for meeting links.

Stephen Reginald is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Discussion of "The Woman in the Window"
Time: Jun 30, 2020, 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/71665496130?pwd=ZDdveDhIN1ZCcjNSSGRDNTE2SHhBQT09

Meeting ID: 716 6549 6130
Password: 7yG9D2

Questions for discussion:
1. Noir or not? Does this film fit your idea of film noir?
2. Did you notice any noir visual clues?
3. Was Edward G. Robinson credible as a middle-aged college professor?
4. Any significance to the name Wanely? Why do you think professor Wanely decided to read “The Song of Solomon.”
5. Joan Bennett wasn’t your typical film noir “dame.” What sets her apart from some other femme fatales in other films noir? Were you curious about Bennett’s profession?
6. Fritz Lang is considered one of the best directors of film noir. From what you know about Lang, do you agree? What makes his style unique?
7. Did you like the ending? Was it a surprise or expected?

Trivia: Look for Robert Blake at the beginning of the film. He plays Robinson’s young son. Blake wasn't credited in the movie.

Screening of "The Little Foxes" at Daystar Center July 24

The Little Foxes (1941)

Where: Daystar Center, 1550 S. State Street, Room 102

When: July 24, 2018

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Hosted by Stephen Reginald

During the turn of the 20th century in the Deep South, the Hubbard family is fighting for control of a cotton mill predicted to earn them millions. Bette Davis stars as Regina who is more calculating and crafty than her brothers. Directed by the legendary William Wyler, The Little Foxes was nominated for 9 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

General Admission is $5. $3 for Students and Seniors.

Have some Joe and Enjoy the Show!

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.

Join the Chicago Film club; join the discussion

Twice a month we screen classic films and have a brief discussion afterward. For more information, including how to join (it’s free), click here. The Venue 1550 is easily accessible by the CTA. Please visit Transit Chicago for more information on transportation options.

Stephen Reginald is a freelance writer and editor. He has worked at various positions within the publishing industry for over 25 years. Most recently he was executive editor for McGraw-Hill’s The Learning Group Division. A long-time amateur student of film, Reginald hosts “Chicago Film Club,” a monthly movie event held in the South Loop, for the past two years. Reginald has also taught several adult education film classes at Facets Film School, Chicago.