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

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The failure of the original copyright holder to renew the film's copyright resulted in it falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of the film. Therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market are either severely (and usually badly) edited and/or of extremely poor quality, having been duped from second- or third-generation (or more) copies of the film.

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Quotes

Barbara Whitfield: Why did you come over to me at that party, Howard?
Howard Malloy: Because you were the only person who didn't look like you belonged there.
Barbara Whitfield: Really? I belong anywhere I'm wanted!
Howard Malloy: Do you?
Barbara Whitfield: Don't I?

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Connections

References Der blaue Engel (1930)

User Reviews

A Bit Uneven, But Interesting

Combining elements of a political thriller with elements of a mystery story, "Jigsaw" ends up being somewhat uneven, but certainly interesting enough to make you keep watching. The mystery angle is the part that works the best, keeping you guessing much of the time. Most of the production is strictly B-quality, but the performance of Franchot Tone, some cameo appearances worth watching for, and some interesting plot ideas bring up the overall quality.

The initial story idea is a bit routine, with Tone as an Assistant DA who is concerned about the activities of an extremist political group. While not entirely predictable, this side of it is never all that interesting either. The group remains too vague to seem like more than a small-scale threat. What perks things up is when Tone begins meeting a series of interesting characters from an assortment of backgrounds, with each of them either a potential friend or a potential enemy.

The finale of all this intrigue sets up a very interesting showdown between a number of groups in an art museum. The low production values keep it from being as memorable as it could have been, but it is still a good idea. Likewise, the movie overall never quite comes together as well as it could have, but it does have a number of positive things to offer.