Framed (1947)

Mike Lambert, seeking a mining job, instead becomes the patsy for a femme-fatale's schemes.

Director:

Richard Wallace

Writers:

Ben Maddow (screen play), John Patrick (story)

Stars:

Glenn Ford, Janis Carter, Barry Sullivan

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Glenn Ford	...	Mike Lambert
Janis Carter	...	Paula Craig
Barry Sullivan	...	Steve Price
Edgar Buchanan	...	Jeff Cunningham
Karen Morley	...	Beth
Jim Bannon	...	Jack Woodworth

Storyline

Mike Lambert, unemployed mining engineer, arrives in a small town with a bang when the brakes fail on the truck he's driving. After meeting seductive Paula at the La Paloma Cafe, he finds himself in trouble with the law. On the basis of a few burning glances, Paula pays his fine and finds him a room, but her motives are not what they seem. Mike lucks into a job with miner Jeff Cunningham, but against his will he's drawn ever deeper into Paula's schemes.

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Plot Keywords:

flagstaff | flagstaff arizona | reference to flagstaff arizona | reference to arizona | femme fatale | 

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Taglines:

"I don't care what any other man meant to you!"

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 May 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

They Walk Alone

Filming Locations:

Lake Arrowhead, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was made in 1947 when the House Un-American Activites Committee began its investigation of communism in Hollywood. Three of the people involved in this film, the screenwriter Ben Maddow, the actors Karen Morley and Art Smith were eventually blacklisted.

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Goofs

Steve's secretary, Jane Woodworth, is married to Jack Woodworth, but the nameplate on her desk says "Miss".

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Quotes

[last lines]
Bank Guard: You'll get a big reward for this.
Mike Lambert: You keep it!

User Reviews

I'm right back where I started. Nowhere!!

Framed (AKA: Paula) is directed by Richard Wallace and adapted to screenplay by Ben Maddow from a story written by Jack Patrick. It stars Glenn Ford, Janis Carter, Barry Sullivan and Edgar Buchanan. Music is by Marlin Skiles and cinematography by Burnett Guffey.

Mike Lambert (Ford), down on his luck and fed up of getting nowhere in life, meets sultry waitress Paula Craig (Carter) and things will either get better or worse?

There's a road sign in this that grabs the attention, it reads DANGEROUS CURVES! Now that initially is in reference to a perilous road - with roads featuring prominently as dangerous parts of the play - but it quite easily could be, and in all probability is, a sneaky reference to Janis Carter's femme fatale. Paula Craig in Carter's hands dominates the film, not that Ford or Sullivan are pointless fodder, but it is both the actress and her character's show.

After a burst of pacey excitement opens the pic, action moves on to a cafe, from where we are introduced to Guffey's talents, from this point on almost everything is atmospherically shot. Slats and shads, lamps and cell bars, all get the Guffey lens treatment that's sitting superbly with the unfolding psychological dynamics. Very early on we are delivered two characters who basically are a cheater and a viper, while the main man of our story is a guy who struggling with his identity in life. He also likes a drink, but with that comes memory loss, which is never a good thing when you are holed up in a noirville town.

Stripping it back for examination you find the story is very simple, which is surprising and a little disappointing given the screenplay writer also did The Asphalt Jungle. Yet the characters and the actors performances, helped by some classy tech work, more than compensates - that is until the finale, which for some (me for sure) is a bad choice for character tone. But it's not a film killer, for we get everything from orgasmic glee shown in the process of a callous crime being committed, to characters either in need of a soul or facing their days of judgement. 7/10