A female scientist in New York, working on an anesthetic, keeps trying to get it just right, and won't marry her fiancé until it works. She has a devoted friend and assistant who seems very loyal. One night, she accidentally hits a drunken woman, and gives her cash after driving her home. Later, the assistant gives the scientist a dose of the anesthetic to test it once again. This sets up a plot of disfigurement, blackmail, and accidental death. Then, a twist is revealed which sets the scientist out on the course for revenge.
TRUE SPOILERS BELOW: This is a difficult film to describe without revealing spoilers, even though it runs just over an hour. Brenda Marshall is the heroine, William Gargan her leading man, Hillary Brooke the assistant, and Ruth Ford the drunken woman. After being disfigured in a chemical explosion caused purposely by Brooke, Marshall breaks off with Gargan, whom she thinks has lost interest in her. It was all a trick of Brooke's to win Gargan for herself. Then, Ford shows up to blackmail Marshall, and is killed in a struggle over her gun. Marshall decides to take her place. After getting plastic surgery from H.B. Warner in L.A. (who has a strange idea about her), Marshall returns to New York, uses Ford's identity, and steps into her old job working with Gargan. Brooke is on to her and before you know it, Marshall is arrested for murdering herself! Yes, it is complicated, but not so confusing that you need to watch it more than once. It all comes together with the most delightful conclusion at the end. Some might groan (I did at first), but when you stop and think about it, it makes sense. After all, this is Film Noir, and nothing is supposed to make sense until the film is over. I could have done without nurse Mary Treen however; She is annoying enough to have been a deserving victim. Definitely a must for students of Film Noir and lovers of classic movies, particularly the "B's".
TRUE SPOILERS BELOW: This is a difficult film to describe without revealing spoilers, even though it runs just over an hour. Brenda Marshall is the heroine, William Gargan her leading man, Hillary Brooke the assistant, and Ruth Ford the drunken woman. After being disfigured in a chemical explosion caused purposely by Brooke, Marshall breaks off with Gargan, whom she thinks has lost interest in her. It was all a trick of Brooke's to win Gargan for herself. Then, Ford shows up to blackmail Marshall, and is killed in a struggle over her gun. Marshall decides to take her place. After getting plastic surgery from H.B. Warner in L.A. (who has a strange idea about her), Marshall returns to New York, uses Ford's identity, and steps into her old job working with Gargan. Brooke is on to her and before you know it, Marshall is arrested for murdering herself! Yes, it is complicated, but not so confusing that you need to watch it more than once. It all comes together with the most delightful conclusion at the end. Some might groan (I did at first), but when you stop and think about it, it makes sense. After all, this is Film Noir, and nothing is supposed to make sense until the film is over. I could have done without nurse Mary Treen however; She is annoying enough to have been a deserving victim. Definitely a must for students of Film Noir and lovers of classic movies, particularly the "B's".