Jigsaw (1949)

New York Assistant District Attorney Howard Malloy investigates a series of murders and uncovers an extremist group.

Director:

Fletcher Markle

Writers:

Fletcher Markle (screen play by), Vincent McConnor (screen play by)

Stars:

Franchot Tone, Jean Wallace, Myron McCormick

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Franchot Tone	...	Howard Malloy
Jean Wallace	...	Barbara Whitfield
Myron McCormick	...	Charles Riggs
Marc Lawrence	...	Angelo Agostini
Winifred Lenihan	...	Mrs. Hartley
Doe Avedon	...	Caroline Riggs (as Betty Harper)
Hedley Rainnie	...	Sigmund Kosterich
Walter Vaughn	...	District Attorney Walker
George Breen	...	Knuckles
Robert Gist	...	Tommy Quigley
Hester Sondergaard	...	Mrs. Borg
Luella Gear	...	Pet Shop Owner
Alexander Campbell	...	Pemberton
Robert Noe	...	Waldron
Alexander Lockwood	...	Nichols

Storyline

When the owner of a printing shop is found dead, the District Attorney assumes that it was a suicide. But the Assistant D.A., Howard Malloy, suspects that there is a connection with an extremist political group called the 'Crusaders'. When a journalist whose articles had attacked the Crusaders is also killed, Malloy is convinced. With help from the widow of a prominent judge, he conducts an investigation. As he does so, he meets a peculiar political boss and also an attractive night club singer, each of whom could become either a source of help or a source of danger.

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Plot Keywords:

printing shop | reference to william shakespeare | reference to shakespeare's hamlet | one word title | falling from height | 

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Taglines:

Trapped in the maze of a murderous racket! (dvd)

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

Barbara says her previous cat was called Hadrian VII. This is a reference to the extremely eccentric novel Hadrian VII, by Frederick Rolfe, about an Englishman who becomes Pope and reforms the Church.

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Goofs

Franchot Tone, a New York City assistant district attorney, is angry when he hears that a criminal he arrested a few days earlier has been bailed. He says that he had ordered that the man not be given bail. This would not have been in his power. In New York, bail is decided by a judge.

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Quotes

Charles Riggs: You know, I was born in this city, Howard. In our block, we had guys from practically every race and religion you ever hear of... and a couple you didn't. But we got along pretty well.
Howard Malloy: Well, that's the way it ought to be.
Charles Riggs: In our block, nobody cared what country your parents came from or where they went to church. Nobody called you a nasty name... until you were taught there were nasty names and some people were supposed to be called by them -Micks, Polacks, Wops, Limies, Spics, Hunties.
Howard Malloy: That's ...
[...]

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Connections

References The Blue Angel (1930)

User Reviews

I am crazy about film noir, but ....

... There has to be a limit. This movie is pretty much a mess. It doesn't feel like New York City, of which I am a native and almost-lifetime resident. It has too many plots going at once. They add up but only with force on the part of the writers.

It starts out as a sort of Northern "Storm Warning." (Now, there we have a superb, underrated movie!) I guess the racist posters that set off the plot are symbolic of the beginning of the McCarthy witch-hunts. If they aren't, they don't make any sense: OK, granted: According to my parents Manhattan at that time was not always friendly to people other than Caucasians. But were there actually plots and mobs? I can't believe it.

The casting gives it some noir cred. I'm not talking about the brief cameos by big stars. Nor,really, about Franchot Tone. He is OK but he isn't exactly a noir staple and he's maybe a bit old for the role.

But we have Jean Wallace. We have Marc Lawrence.

For me, the single best feature of the film is the presence in a fairly small but significant role of an actress I had never before tonight heard of: Winifred Lenihan.

I see that she was the first person to play the title role in Shaw's "St. Joan" on Broadway. She is in very different territory here. But whoever cast her did so with genius: She is absolutely perfect.

Also, I wonder about the character played by Hedley Rainnie. He's ambiguous in many ways. He wears a beard and maybe that's meant to signify his foreign origins. I wonder, though: Is he intended to be gay? The way the character is portrayed reminds me of the intentionally creepy go-between for the Senator and his ex lover in the better known and overrated "Advise and Consent" almost a decade later.

It isn't a good movie, in sum. And the print I saw was really bad. But watch it for Ms. Lenihan. In a very quiet way, she's brilliant!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 March 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gun Moll

Filming Locations:

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tower Pictures Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

72 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1