The Lady Confesses (1945)

Showing on the Moonlight Movies Channel. The only name i recognize in here is Hugh Beaumont... Dad, from Leave it to Beaver. Larry Craig's wife, thought long-dead, shows up and threatens the new girl-friend. then gets bumped off. A couple good songs, probably actually sung by Claudia Drake in this one, since most of the film takes place in a night club. The coppers question everyone, but one guys tells a different story than everyone else. A film noir... except that it feels like even the writers didn't know who dunnit until almost through filming. Suddenly, someone starts doing stuff, and now we know they must be involved. It's pretty good, but gets cheesy right near the end. It's ok. Directed by Sam Newfield, long-time bigshot at PRC film company.

P.R.C. was one of the more humble poverty row studios - it's staple was westerns but it did have the occasional standout - "Bluebeard" (1944), "Strange Illusion" (1945), "Apology for Murder" (1945) and "Detour" (1945). "The Lady Confesses", with a few red herrings, at least has your attention right to the end.Just before her marriage to Larry Craig (Hugh Beaumont), Vicki (Mary Beth Hughes) receives a visit from Larry's first wife - she hasn't been heard of for 7 years and was presumed dead. She is very much alive but not for long. Larry already knows she is in town but when they call around to see her (as you would at 2 in the morning) it is to discover that she has been killed. Of course everyone (including the police) is surprised and none more so than Larry, but he has a airtight alibi - he was completely "lit up" (drunk) according to the bartender and slept for a few hours on singer Lucille Compton's (Claudia Drake) couch - or did he??? Vicki decides to do some investigating on her own, starting at the questionable 711 Club where she gets a job as a table photographer (even though she forgets to take the lens cap off the camera - silly girl!!!) All fingers point to Lucky Brandon (an actor who is a dead ringer for Billy DeWolfe), the suspicious night club owner - he is very secretive about his movements and is the only person not to vouch for Larry. Larry himself is odd - he is moody and surly and often rings Vicki up at strange hours. Lucille is just about to tell Vicki something about Larry - when the police chief breaks up their conversation. Lucille appeared very tense.Hugh Beaumont, before his "Leave it to Beaver" TV show and even before he was Michael Shayne in a group of PRC released films from the end of the 40s had a prominent part in Val Lewton's "The Seventh Victim" (1943). Surprisingly, it was then back to uncredited bits before he scored the leading role in "The Lady Confesses". I can't find any information about Claudia Drake but the couple of films I have seen her in she played singers and mostly sang more than she acted - so I guess she must have started out as a band singer. She is quite good and really deserved a better go in films.

By the humble standards of both director Sam Newfield and bottom-rung distributor P.R.C., The Lady Confesses (irrelevant title but catchy) shapes up as an outstanding little film noir. The screenplay is reasonably gripping and intriguing, the players (particularly the four leads: Hughes, Beaumont, MacDonald and Drake) are all on the ball, and more importantly both director Sam Newfield (I'd rate this as his best film) and photographer Jack Greenhalgh give it their best college try, using lots of effective close-ups, framed against noirishly glossy, black backgrounds. Even Emmett Vogan (minus his usual trademark glasses) comes across with reasonable conviction, while Dewey Roninson makes the most of his comparatively large role as an over-buoyant bartender. My only complaint is that all three of Claudia Drake's pleasing song numbers are either cut short or interrupted by the demands of the swift-moving plot.

Moderately interesting. Has Hugh Beaumont, the Beave's dad, playing a likable guy who is set to marry a sweet young thing, then has his wife (who disappeared seven years ago) show up. She is murdered and the plot is set in motion. The fiancé begins to investigate things. The problem is that she stands out like a sore thumb. Basically, everyone knows who she is but she is able to impose herself into secure locations and do her thing. There are series of red herrings and obvious suspects, a detective who is calm and vigilant most of the time, ready to protect her. Still, it lacks credibility of plot. When we get to the end, we have it pretty much worked out.