Private Hell 36

"I can't look in the mirror without gagging."
Would make a perfect double feature with DOUBLE INDEMNITY.

A man in NYC is murdered and robbed of $300,000 in marked money. A year later some of the bills start showing up in Los Angeles. Detectives Bruner and Farnum are assigned to follow the money trail. It leads to lounge singer Ida Lupino and eventually tension and backstabbing between the two partners.

It might not be action-packed, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. The acting is top-notch. The story is interesting and hard-boiled. The direction by Don Siegel - who'd later go on to direct DIRTY HARRY- is excellent with numerous scenes shot on city streets and the horse track (I loved watching the crowd and seeing the old cars). Any fan of classic film noir and older crime movies should have this in their collection. If it came out on DVD I'd buy it in a second.

D: Don Siegel (THE KILLERS, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS)

Lilli Marlowe - Ida Lupino (THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT, HIGH...

A Worthwhile Curiosity
Ida Lupino co-authored the screenplay, co-produced the film and is the only reason to get on board with this underproduced and dully directed picture. It is enough. She is alluring and dynamic holding not only the screen but the entire picture together. The supporting cast, Steve Cochran, Howard Duff and Dean Jagger are all more than adequate in their perfunctory way. Dorothy Malone, co-starred but barely in the picture, registers in her brief part as Duff's on-screen wife. The Blu Ray presentation is satisfactory but not more than that.

Director Ida Lupino manages an all-star cast in a cop's ethical drama with Steve Cochran & Howard Duff
This film is almost an independent production for RKO. Two cops take some stolen money and hide it in a trailer that becomes their "private hell #36." One cop is a family man and wants to return it to the police. The other is a bon vivant and wants to spend it on Lupino. Which way will it go becomes the dilemma! A nice, neat little noir from a promising woman director.

Dr. Ronald Schwartz, Manhattan

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