Affair in Trinidad (1952)

Nightclub singer and her brother-in-law try to find her husband's killer.

Director:

Vincent Sherman

Writers:

Oscar Saul (screen play), James Gunn (screen play)

Stars:

Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford, Alexander Scourby

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Rita Hayworth	...	Chris Emery
Glenn Ford	...	Steve Emery
Alexander Scourby	...	Max Fabian
Valerie Bettis	...	Veronica Huebling
Torin Thatcher	...	Inspector Smythe
Howard Wendell	...	Anderson
Karel Stepanek	...	Walters
George Voskovec	...	Dr. Franz Huebling
Steven Geray	...	Wittol
Walter Kohler	...	Peter Bronec
Juanita Moore	...	Dominique
Gregg Martell	...	Olaf - Fabian's Chauffeur
Mort Mills	...	Martin - Wittol's Henchman
Ralph Moody	...	Coroner

Storyline

When Steve Emery arrives in Trinidad at the urgent request of his brother, he is stunned to find that his brother has not only been murdered, but that his brother's wife Chris is succumbing to the seduction attempts of the man who quite possibly is the murderer. His feelings are further exacerbated when he discovers that he, too, is becoming strongly attracted to Chris, who is a steamy cabaret singer. She, in turn, is playing off one against the other while betraying the secrets of both men to the police, for whom she is secretly working.

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Plot Keywords:

trinidad | seduction | murder | woman slaps a man | man slaps a woman | 

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Taglines:

You weren't the first ... and you won't be the last !

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 July 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

Girl from Amen Valley

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,200,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$7,000,000, 31 December 1952

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Beckworth Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the time period that the story was set, America in fact maintained two naval bases in Trinidad, one at the western peninsula called Chagaramas and the other in the east of the country, called Wallerfield. They were closed in 1962, the year the country gained independence from Great Britain. There is still a lot of evidence of their presence to this day--airstrips, the deep-water harbor and several still-standing buildings, among others. Chagaramas is now host to a thriving boating industry. It is well known in the sailing world as a shelter during the hurricane season, and hundreds of yachts and private craft are anchored there every year. It is considered to be out of the Caribbean's hurricane belt.

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Goofs

When Steve returns to his brother's house with Chris after the inquest, the black wreath that had previously been on the front door is missing as they get out of the car but reappears as they approach the door.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: Between North and South America lie the islands of the Caribbean. Colorful and exotic! Once remote and little known, history is forcing them out of obscurity into the current of world events. Important among these islands is the British colony: Trinidad.

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Connections

Featured in Rita (2003)

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Soundtracks

Trinidad Lady
(uncredited)
Written by Lester Lee and Bob Russell
Performed by Rita Hayworth (dubbed by Jo Ann Greer)

User Reviews

Chica chica boom! Chica boom!

When one approaches a 1940's title like 'Affair In Trinidad', you'll be hard pressed to figure that it's some sort of musical with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, or some madcap Marx Brothers comedy, not a hard edged murder mystery, yet that's what this badly titled movie is. Not that there's nothing wrong with the movie, I liked it. It's just the title is sort of curious. Rita Hayworth is a.. uh.. entertainer in very sleazy club (check out the people "returning" downstairs (cough) and keeps the people entertained by singing and dancing very suggestively to a song called "Trinidad Lady". Actually, she's SMOKING (as in hot!) in this scene, her dress and dancing are amazing. But soon, the police arrive on the scene, her husband has committed suicide, and they want to find out the reasons leading to his death. Glenn Ford, playing as steely jawed as Glenn Ford can, who plays his brother, wants to know too! From there, it's a whirlwind of deception, romance and thrills (well, not really), that is not really suspenseful, because we find out early on who did it, we just have to find out why (and that reason is a silly post-war hokum). Oh well, Hayworth IS pretty to look at, and Glenn Ford is great as usual, so the combination of the two is sorta fun to watch.