Private Hell 36 (1954)

Director:

Don Siegel

Writers:

Collier Young (written for the screen by) and
Ida Lupino (written for the screen by)

Release Date:

3 September 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir

Tagline:

THEY LIVE BY NIGHT... (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

Two detectives are investigating a robbery in which $300,000 was taken. Their investigation leads them to the main player and they find the cash...

Plot Keywords:

Detective | Los Angeles California | Beautiful Woman | Female Corrupts Male | Police

Cast

Ida Lupino	...	Lilli Marlowe
Steve Cochran	...	Cal Bruner
Howard Duff	...	Jack Farnham
Dean Jagger	...	Capt. Michaels
Dorothy Malone	...	Francey Farnham
Bridget Duff	...	Bridget Farnham
Jerry Hausner	...	Hausner, Nightclub Owner
Dabbs Greer	...	Sam Marvin, bartender
Chris O'Brien	...	Coroner
Kenneth Patterson	...	Detective Lieutenant Lubin (as Ken Patterson)
George Dockstader	...	Fugitive
Jimmy Hawkins	...	Delivery Boy

Also Known As:

Baby Face Killers (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:16 (nf) | USA:Approved | Finland:K-16 | Spain:7

Filming Locations:

Hollywood Park Racetrack - 1050 S. Prairie Avenue, Inglewood, California, USA

Company:

Filmakers, The

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Bruner and Farnham celebrate the official conclusion of the case at home with the ladies, the coffee table seems to have a loose leg. However, Farnham very obviously kicks off the loose leg with his left foot so that it can fall off.

Soundtrack:

Didn't You Know?

Vintage Film Noir

Strangely paced but generally effective film noir with clever echoes of Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment", about an unprincipled cop (Steve Cochran) who tries to get his honest partner (Howard Duff) to go along with making off with $80,000 in stolen loot.

Co-written by twitchy, slinky actress Ida Lupino, who gives herself a juicy part, it moves along in fits and starts but has a kind of wobbly, dizzy energy that exerts a certain pull. Sort of like an ice skater that trips up a couple times in the middle of her routine, but gamely sees it through to the end.

I've seen Steve Cochran now in three films ("Tomorrow is Another Day", and "I, Mobster" being the others) and it's clear that he was an actor in command of his craft. He had a very sly, sturdy appeal; he always seems to be laying back, calculating the odds, sizing up the other guy (or girl), figuring his chances. Watching his and Lupino's verbal chess match after they first meet and he is questioning her about what she knows, is pretty close to acting heaven.

It all leads up to a nifty, suitably stark finish, and an arresting closing shot.