Lady in the Lake (1947)

Director:

Robert Montgomery

Writers:

Steve Fisher (screenplay)
Raymond Chandler (novel)

Release Date:

14 April 1947 (Sweden)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Mystery

Tagline:

Another Sizzling Murder Mystery by RAYMOND CHANDLER!

Plot:

The lady editor of a crime magazine hires Philip Marlowe to find the wife of her boss. The private detective soon finds himself involved in murder.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Detective | Lake | Publisher | Christmas

Cast

Robert Montgomery	...	Phillip Marlowe
Audrey Totter	...	Adrienne Fromsett
Lloyd Nolan	...	Lt. DeGarmot
Tom Tully	...	Capt. Kane
Leon Ames	...	Derace Kingsby
Jayne Meadows	...	Mildred Havelend
Dick Simmons	...	Chris Lavery
Morris Ankrum	...	Eugene Grayson
Lila Leeds	...	Receptionist
William Roberts	...	Artist
Kathleen Lockhart	...	Mrs. Grayson
Ellay Mort	...	Chrystal Kingsby
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eddie Acuff	...	Ed, the Coroner (uncredited)
Charles Bradstreet	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
David Cavendish	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Wheaton Chambers	...	Property Clerk (uncredited)
Roger Cole	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Frank Dae	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Jack Davis	...	Policeman (uncredited)
John Webb Dillon	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Ralph Dunn	...	Sergeant (uncredited)
Budd Fine	...	Policeman (uncredited)
John Gallaudet	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Sherry Hall	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Cy Kendall	...	Jailer (uncredited)
Ann Lawrence	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
George Magrill	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Bert Moorhouse	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Sandra Morgan	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Thomas Murray	...	Policeman (uncredited)
William Newell	...	Drunk (uncredited)
James Nolan	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
William O'Leary	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Frank Orth	...	Floyd Greer (uncredited)
William McKeever Riley	...	Buster, Young Party Guest (uncredited)
Ellen Ross	...	Elevator Girl (uncredited)
Nina Ross	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Fred Santley	...	Charlie, Party Guest (uncredited)
Fred Sherman	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Florence Stephens	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
George Travell	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Laura Treadwell	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Kay Wiley	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Robert Williams	...	Detective (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert Montgomery

Writing credits
Steve Fisher		(screenplay)
Raymond Chandler		(novel)

Produced by
George Haight	....	producer

Original Music by
David Snell
Maurice Goldman		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Paul Vogel		(director of photography) (as Paul C. Vogel)

Film Editing by
Gene Ruggiero

Art Direction by
E. Preston Ames		(as Preston Ames)
Cedric Gibbons

Set Decoration by
Edwin B. Willis

Makeup Department
Jack Dawn	....	makeup designer
Sydney Guilaroff	....	hair designer: Miss Totter

Production Management
Robert E. Barnes	....	unit manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Dolph Zimmer	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Thomas Theuerkauf	....	associate set decorator

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director

Special Effects by
A. Arnold Gillespie	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
J. Harper	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Irene	....	costume supervisor
Eugene Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department
Maurice Goldman	....	choral director
Wally Heglin	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1947) (USA) (theatrical) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)
• Silver Screen (2007) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Canada) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Canada:PG (video rating) | Argentina:13 | Netherlands:AL (2005) (DVD) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #11803)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on February 9, 1948 with Robert Montgomery and Audrey Totter reprising their film roles.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Lieutenant DeGarmot is punched and he hits the floor, we can see the taped marks on the floor used for the actors.

Quotes:

Adrienne Fromsett:[on Marlowe's submission] I plan to slash the emotion right out of that story.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Film Noir: Bringing Darkness to Light (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

Angels We Have Heard On High

Hardly a classic, but great fun nonetheless.

If you want a great, serious Philip Marlowe mystery, go check out "The Big Sleep." If you're in a lighter mood, however, this one is well worth watching. The POV is cute and leads to some decent effects, but it's also tremendously goofy sometimes. The dialogue really sells it though. The lessons I learned from this movie were 1) Only men can handle guns. 2) Having four thumbs is bad. 3) Never, ever tell anyone the time. 4) If you try hard enough, you can drink whiskey through your eyes. I'm sure there are hundreds more gnomic sayings, easily applicable to daily life, scattered through it!

Seriously, though, it was a lot of fun to watch, mostly because of the problems with it, and I'd highly recommend it.