Cover Up (1949)

I first came across "Cover Up" way back in 1949 when it appeared at a Saturday afternoon matinée yet, on first release! This 13-year-old was most impressed. I found the characters intriguing and the murder mystery plot both thrilling and ingenious. All elements in fact were handled with considerable finesse by director Alfred E. Green and his cast of seasoned players. The ingrown small-town setting seemed ideal for both its noirish atmosphere and its ability to provide a conflict between the local citizens, anxious to keep small-town affairs within the community, and outside insurance investigator, Dennis O'Keefe, equally anxious to bring the true facts to light. Script-wise, the investigator's zeal seemed a little unconvincing, but I let it pass, otherwise we would have no story. O'Keefe's opposite number in the plot is William Bendix, who plays the local sheriff with just the right blend of suppressed antagonism and official non-helpfulness. And then, caught in the middle, we have the lovely heroine, Barbara Britton. All told, a satisfying thriller with only one discordant note in the chain-smoking O'Keefe who no longer seems such an admirable hero in our present society. (The Geneon DVD release rates at least 9/10).

An Odd and Bland Crime Movie with a Christmastime Atmosphere Never Quite Manages to be Remarkable in Any Respect, but a Somewhat Pleasing Non Entity in an Era of Film-Noir. Many a Fan has been Hoodwinked by the Title and Ad Campaign. Its Hokey at Times and the Tone Wavers from Investigation to Invitation to Small Town, Post War Complacency.Worth a Watch, but Hard-Boiled Types will be Disappointed. Lacking in Style and Pedestrian in Presentation. Most Cast Members are Either Bubbly Female Types or Straight from Central Casting. The Father is Soft Spoken and is the Prime Suspect and has a Robotic Resonance. The Love Interest, Barbara Britton, Falls Abruptly for the Out of Town Investigator, Chain Smoking Dennis O'Keefe.William Bendix does His best with some Lame Dialog and Presents Much Mystery to the Character and Dora Marinade as the Housekeeper Upstages Everyone. Overall Not Bad but Not Much of Anything Worth Noting.

Another nice discovery for me: a pretty good thriller which, though not exactly a film noir, features two staples of the genre – Dennis O'Keefe and William Bendix – in top form. Their rapport throughout is quite delightful and this, along with the equally refreshing charms of leading lady Barbara Britton and the distinct Christmas flavor of its small-town setting, creates an overall mood of warmth not easily found in murder mysteries! The plot (whose insurance-investigation angle clearly derives from Billy Wilder's DOUBLE INDENMITY [1944]) provides a good amount of tension – and red herrings – along the way, while the final revelation (bearing an unexpected moral emphasis) concludes the film on a satisfying note.

O'Keefe and Bendix play off each other well. Pity they only made two films together.This whodunit had one of the standard B conclusions -- the murderer was left handed. There are a lot of perfect crimes in the B's that would have gone unsolved except that the guilty party was unwise enough to be born a South Paw.