The File on Thelma Jordon (1950)

Assistant district attorney Cleve Marshall falls for the mysterious Thelma Jordon when she seeks help solving robberies of her aunt's estate.

Director:

Robert Siodmak

Writers:

Marty Holland (story), Ketti Frings (screenplay)

Stars:

Barbara Stanwyck, Wendell Corey, Paul Kelly

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Barbara Stanwyck	...	Thelma Jordon
Wendell Corey	...	Cleve Marshall
Paul Kelly	...	Miles Scott
Joan Tetzel	...	Pamela Blackwell Marshall
Stanley Ridges	...	Kingsley Willis
Richard Rober	...	Tony Laredo
Minor Watson	...	Judge Calvin H. Blackwell
Barry Kelley	...	District Attorney Melvin Pierce
Kasey Rogers	...	Dolly - Cleve's Secretary (as Laura Elliot)
Basil Ruysdael	...	Judge Jonathan David Hancock
Jane Novak	...	Mrs. Blackwell
Gertrude Hoffman	...	Aunt Vera Edwards (as Gertrude W. Hoffman)
Harry Antrim	...	Sidney
Kate Drain Lawson	...	Clara (as Kate Lawson)
Theresa Harris	...	Esther

Storyline

Assistant District Attorney Cleve Marshall, depressed about marital troubles, is drowning his sorrows in a bottle of whiskey when the mysterious and alluring Thelma Jordon walks in to report an attempted burglary. The two become romantically involved and not long afterwards there is a burglary and murder at Thelma's aunt's house. Cleve is drawn further and further into defending and covering up for Thelma. It soon becomes clear that this road will only lead to disaster.

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Plot Keywords:

jury | five word title | alcoholic | alcoholism | drunkenness | 

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Taglines:

Most men have known at least one.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 May 1950 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Thelma Jordon

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles County Jail, Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wallis-Hazen

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Barbara Stanwyck's real life older brother, Malcolm Byron ("Bert") Stevens, plays a courtroom defense aide.

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Goofs

Cleve Marshall sits down at the desk opposite Miles Scott and says "Can't talk 'til I have another drink." Scott picks up the whiskey bottle and pulls out the cork before handing it to Marshall. Marshall picks up the bottle and again pulls out the cork.

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Quotes

Thelma Jordon: I'm no good for any man for any longer than a kiss!

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Connections

Referenced in Biography: Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line (1997)

User Reviews

great tale that keeps twisting nicely

Perfectly decent noirish outing with excellent performance from Barbara Stanwyck, even if she has done much the same before. Small argument in my house where both my son and wife reckoned that the only problem was that they couldn't see the attraction of the femme fatale herself! I certainly beg to differ and feel most drawn to the feline duplicity of her sinister assuredness, but there we go. Even so a great tale that keeps twisting nicely so that even though you know she must be a baddie, the ever turning tale, especially when we get to court keeps you guessing. Wendell Corey is impressive as the assistant DA if not as a lover, but that's just me.