Posted on 01/01/2024 5:12:51 PM PST by simpson96
The Suspect is a 1944 film noir set in 1902 London, directed by Robert Siodmak.
Genial shopkeeper Philip (Charles Laughton) has to endure the constant nagging of a shrewish wife (Rosalind Ivan) while he secretly yearns for a pretty young stenographer (Ella Raines). When the henpecking gets to be too much, Philip murders his wife and manages to make her death look like an accident. A ruthless blackmailer (Henry Daniell) and a low-key detective (Stanley Ridges) both discover Philip's secret, and he has to decide which of them poses the more dangerous threat.
The Suspect - 1944 film noir starring Charles Laughton and Ella Raines (full movie)
That was a good movie. Thank you for the reminder.
Charles was a great actor- very unique-
I am in the middle of it now. The interplay between the inspector and Mr. Marshall looks like a precursor to Columbo episodes. Ella Raines does a convincing job of making us believe that such a beautiful young woman would fall for a much older, obese man.
Philip Marshall (Charles Laughton) is a kind, henpecked manager who strikes up a friendship with Mary Gray (Ella Raines), a young stenographer who had approached him looking for work. He gradually finds himself falling in love with her, but keeps the relationship platonic.
Marshall's wife Cora (Rosalind Ivan), who has also alienated their son with her shrewish ways, discovers the affair; when Marshall asks her for a divorce, explaining that they would both be happier apart, Cora refuses and instead threatens a scandal. In order to protect Mary's reputation, Marshall breaks off their relationship and cuts all ties with her; despite his best efforts to reconcile with Cora, their marriage does not improve. Cora later dies after a fall down the stairs at home; it is strongly hinted that Marshall murdered her, although the death appears accidental.
Inspector Huxley (Stanley Ridges) of Scotland Yard suspects that Marshall murdered his wife but is unable to either prove it or establish a motive. Huxley follows Marshall, learning of Mary Gray, and interviews a number of the people in Marshall's neighborhood. When Huxley seeks to interview Mary directly, he is informed that she and Marshall were married earlier that day, making it impossible for Huxley to compel her to testify against her husband. Meanwhile, Marshall's drunken, wife-beating, spendthrift neighbor Gilbert Simmons (Henry Daniell) is interested to learn of the inspector's suspicions, and he relishes the chance to blackmail Marshall, whose respectability he envies. He threatens to invent a story about an argument between Marshall and his wife on the night of her death, which would substantiate that Marshall had killed his wife.
Not suitable for general exhibition.
Bfl
Thanks for the tip on the movie. I enjoyed it. Please ping me if you find another classic on Youtube. Cheers.
But you are a crusty old prospector, so even if your mom objects, you can watch it. 🤣
I liked her with John Wayne in “Tall in the Saddle.”
I may or may not have seen that movie. He made so many, I can’t remember the names of all the movies I saw. 😋
That is one of the benefits of joining the elderly club. You get to rewatch movies.
Yeah, one of the few benefits. You can even watch it again the next day. Perhaps even a week straight. It may look familiar, but you won’t remember much of it, especially the end. 😋
Or even watch it nekkid. Oops, did I say that?
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