The Web (1947)

An attorney acting as a body guard, apparently kills a man in defense of his employer's life, and later believes the victim was set up to be murdered.

Director:

Michael Gordon

Writers:

William Bowers (screenplay), Bertram Millhauser (screenplay)

Stars:

Ella Raines, Edmond O'Brien, William Bendix

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ella Raines	...	Noel Faraday
Edmond O'Brien	...	Bob Regan
William Bendix	...	Lt. Damico
Vincent Price	...	Andrew Colby
Maria Palmer	...	Martha Kroner
John Abbott	...	Charles Murdock
Fritz Leiber	...	Leopold Kroner
Howland Chamberlain	...	James Nolan (as Howard Chamberlin)
Tito Vuolo	...	Emilio Canepa
Wilton Graff	...	District Attorney
Robin Raymond	...	Newspaper Librarian

Storyline

Leopold Kroner, formerly of Colby Enterprises, is released after five years in prison for embezzlement. Andrew Colby, claiming that Kroner has threatened him, hires lawyer Bob Regan as a secret bodyguard. Sure enough, Kroner turns up in Colby's room with a gun, and Regan kills him. Then Regan, who sticks around to romance Colby's secretary Noel, begins to suspect he's been used.

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Plot Keywords:

attorney | embezzlement | secretary | lawyer | bodyguard | 

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Taglines:

It's a double-cross - a triple murder , with kisses for ME !

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 May 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

Black Velvet

Filming Locations:

Park Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Second cameraman Irving Glassberg's first film as director of photography.

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Quotes

Bob Regan: France fell in eighteen days, and you're not as tough as France.

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Connections

References Frankenstein (1931)

User Reviews

Underrated and well-done thriller

Vincent Price was my main attraction to The Web, and thank goodness I checked it out because it was a very good movie. Edmond O'Brien for my tastes is rather bland and the exterior set for the rendezvous is on the tacky side. Aside from that, The Web is very well made, stylish, atmospheric and sumptuous. The script is taut and exceptionally well-written, the direction is spirited and never lags and while the story is somewhat run-of-the-mill the fact that the film continually makes it interesting and intricate makes you not mind so much. Ella Raines is appropriately smart and elegant, while John Abbott is very creepy and William Bendix is great fun as the crafty police lieutenant who is not as dumb as he looks. But the film belongs to Vincent Price, suave and subtly menacing it is a role that he is perfect for and one that he plays the heck out of. All in all, a very well-done thriller that deserves to be better known. 8/10 Bethany Cox