Bury Me Dead (1947)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Bernard Vorhaus

Writers:

Dwight V. Babcock (writer)
Karen DeWolf (writer)

Release Date:

18 October 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Mystery

Plot:

Barbara Carlin (June Lockhart) attends her own funeral and returns home suspecting that her husband,Rod Carlin (Mark Daniels)...

Cast

Cathy O'Donnell	...	Rusty
June Lockhart	...	Barbara Carlin
Hugh Beaumont	...	Michael Dunn
Mark Daniels	...	Rod Carlin
Greg McClure	...	George Mandley
Milton Parsons	...	Jeffers, the Butler
Virginia Farmer	...	Mrs. Haskins, the Housekeeper
Sonia Darrin	...	Helen Lawrence
Cliff Clark	...	Archer, Detective
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ned Glass	...	(unconfirmed)

Also Known As:

Back Home from the Dead
Death by Proxy (USA) (TV title)

Runtime:

68 min | USA:26 min (edited version) (TV)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #12466)

Company:

Ben Stoloff Productions

Trivia:

Re-titled, and edited down to less than thirty minutes, it was sold to television in the early 1950's as part of a syndicated half hour mystery show.

Surprising B-pic

B-movie fans are constantly filtering amid the dross in search of hidden gems and eccentric oddities in which verve and creativity peek through the routine cracks of low-budget filmmaking. Here's one really obscure title that fits the bill.

With a great premise reminiscent of DOA, this could have been a stunning noir. Unfortunately, some skeptic decided to play it mainly for laughs, not unlike many B thrillers of the 30's and 40s. Nonetheless, below the surface hides the bizarre interlocking relationships of lust among the characters across class lines, with Cathy O'Donnell's scheming nympho teenager a standout (reminiscent of the Martha Vickers character in the Big Sleep). There's also a more exotic temptress in a smaller role, as well as a muscular deadhead boxer to lure the posh ladies of the cast.

Of course, the giveaway is the presence of John Alton, whose luminous expressionist photography is again highly experimental and at times breathtaking. He combined with director Vorhaus for another hidden gem, The Amazing Dr X (aka the Spiritualist).