Accused of Murder (1956) User Reviews

Could have been a good film noir.

[PhilAFN · 6/10 · 31 March 2011]

Detectives Brian and Van Cleef are assigned to investigate the murder of Mob lawyer Blackmer. The case becomes complicated when Brian falls for Ralston, who is a suspect in the case. This causes friction between Van Cleef and Brian. Meanwhile witness Grey tries to blackmail Stevens who she believes killed Blackmer. Plenty of plot twist make this a good story with unexpected ending.

One might ask what Republic Pictures was doing making a color film in what is otherwise a "B" crime drama. Well, this was another showcase film for Vera Ralston who happened to be married to Herbert Yates, head of Republic at the time. It's to bad. Had Ralston's part been played by the likes of Marie Windsor or Audrey Totter and filmed in black and white, it would be a good little film noir. Still worth a watch for the story as well as noir characters Barry Kelley and Elisha Cook.

Watchable....

[byron-116 · 5/10 · 1 May 2022]

...for sure, but forgettable. Pretty good who done it yarn, though Vera Ralston is pretty bad. Enjoy seeing several actors you've seen before but may not remember their names.

Minor Republic Thriller

[gordonl56 · 6/10 · 10 November 2014]

ACCUSED OF MURDER - 1956

This tale of murder was one of the first films made using "Republic Pictures" new widescreen process, NATURAMA. Lawyer Sidney Blackmer has annoyed his gangster employer, Richard Karlan. Blackmer beat Karlan out of 50 large on a crooked stock deal they had pulled. Blackmer has the hots for a lounge singer, Vera Ralston, and is spending the cash wining and dining the woman.

Karlan sends hit-man Warren Stevens to have a word or two about the cash. Stevens pays a visit to Blackmer at the club where Blackmer is watching Ralston perform. Pay back the cash, or face the music is the word given to the lawyer. Blackmer tells Stevens to blow.

This of course is the wrong thing to say. After her show, Ralston tells Blackmer that she really is not up to partying. Blackmer pulls out a case with a diamond ring, and hands it to her. Ralston refuses and gives the lawyer the "she just wants to be friends" line. She then exits and drives off in her car. Blackmer is somewhat taken aback by the rejection of Ralston to his advances.

Blackmer takes his car and likewise hits the road. Not far behind is hit-man Stevens. Blackmer drives to Ralston's place to have some more words. Stevens, parks up the lane and waits. He then follows when Blackmer's car takes off from Ralston's home.

Blackmer heads downtown to the seedy bar and dance club area where he parks on a dark street. Stevens likewise parks, he exits his car and heads towards Blackmer's automobile.

The camera now switches to a second floor dance club and weary 25 cents a dance veteran, Virginia Grey. Grey is all out after a night of spinning on the floor with the various Army, Navy and Marine types on leave that frequent the dance hall. She heads to the window to grab some fresh air.

Suddenly a car horn starts wailing from around the corner. This is followed by Warren Stevens returning to his car and driving off. After 3-4 minutes of listening to the horn wail, the club manager sends a man down to see what gives. He returns and says there is a dead man, (Blackmer) leaning on his horn. The Police are called.

Soon on the scene are Police Detectives, David Brian and Lee Van Cleef. Blackmer is of course recognized as an underworld lawyer. The Police question everyone but only Miss Grey steps up. She gives the Police a cock and bull story about a dance partner she had being upset with the world. Maybe he was the guy who killed Blackmer. She agrees to come in and look at the mug books.

The next day, Stevens pays a visit to mob boss Karlan's apartment. Karlan is looking at the newspaper headlines about the murder of Blackmer. He smiles and tosses Stevens a $5000 roll of cash.

At the same time, Miss Grey is going over the mug books at the station. She tells the detectives that the man is not there. They thank her and send her off. By now they have backtracked Blackmer to the fancy club where Ralston works. They have words with the staff and Ralston.

Detective David is quite taken with Miss Ralston while his partner, Van Cleef, puts her at the top of the suspect list. Ralston denies knowing anything about the shooting.

Hit-man Stevens hits his apartment and finds Virginia Grey camped out on his sofa. She had of course seen him run off after the shooting. She had then used the trip to look at mug books to find out Steven's name and address. Grey is sick of her job and figures Stevens will pay to keep her quiet.

Grey asks for a grand and gets a solid punch to the face instead. Stevens throw a hundred at her and says to beat it. If she blabs, he will kill her. Grey picks herself up and leaves.

The Detectives in the meantime are following up their only other lead, Miss Ralston. Van Cleef keeps at the line that Ralston had offed the pushy lawyer for hounding her. Brian really does not want to believe this as he has fallen for the dame.

Miss Grey, by now close to the bottom of a bourbon bottle, calls up Stevens. She threatens the man with the Police if he still refuses to fork over a grand. Stevens agrees and asks for her address. The drunken Grey gives up the address. Grey's roommate, Claire Carleton sees problems with this setup and rushes to a phone booth to call the cops.

The cops however are late as Stevens has already paid off Grey with a severe pistol whipping. He leaves Grey face down in a pool of blood for dead. Grey however is clinging to life and the Police rush her to the emergency. The Detectives manage to get a statement from Grey before surgery.

The Police raid Steven's place and Stevens goes down with a round in his shoulder. Brian tells the man he will get the chair for killing Blackmer. Steven denies he did the deed and instead fingers Ralston. He tells the Police that as he approached Blackmer's car, a shot rang out and Ralston exited the car. Stevens then left.

Ralston is collected by Brian and given a bit of third degree. This time she admits that she was there. She also tells the Detective that Blackmer had actually shot himself. He was upset over Ralston dumping him. It was his way of getting even. The Police go over the forensics and Ralston is cleared.

The weak story here is somewhat strange considering the man who knocked out the screenplay. W.R.Burnett (The Asphalt Jungle)cranked out some of the best stories and screenplays produced by Hollywood.

Surprising noir film in color and from a western specialist.

[searchanddestroy-1 · 12 April 2023]

Joseph Kane was a definite western specialist for Republic Pictures he made dozens if not hundreds of them but he nevertheless gave us some noirs such as this one, ACCUSED OF MURDER, HOODLUM EMPIRE, THE NOTORIOUS MR MONKS and THE MAN WHO DIED TWICE. Here, no surprise to see Vera Ralston, the Republic Pictures queen - because married to the studio boss Herbert J Yates - but to see David Brian in a positive lead caracter, and not the usual the hero's sidekick or rival, that's a surprise. That's a pretty cool crime noir, good atmosphere, not that foreseeable from a western specialist. Look for it.

accused of mediocrity

[kong-7 · 4/10 · 23 September 1999]

Pretty mediocre murder mystery with Vera Ralston totally unappealing as nightclub singer. Her hand motions during her opening number are hilarious. David Brian makes a convincing cop if not a convincing lover. Sidney Blackmer's reactions to Ralston's singing are pretty funny too. Filmed in Naturama, whatever that is

Forgettable: That's What You Are...

[boblipton · 4/10 · 6 February 2018]

Vera Hruba Ralston is a nightclub singer who has just had her opening night. Sidney Blackmer, a lawyer who's been stealing from the mob, asks her to marry him, but she doesn't love him. Mob boss Richard Karlan tells Warren Stevens to kill him, and he does so... with dance hall hostess Virginia Grey spotting him on the street just after the shot is fired. When homicide detectives David Brian and Lee van Cleef start investigating, the trail leads them immediately to Miss Ralston. Their problem is that the story she tells is not the story shown on the screen, nor does it match up their background checks.... and Miss Grey's attempts to blackmail a killer are not as smart as she would imagine....

It's wide screen and color and from a story by W.R. Burnett and shows promise, but director Joseph Kane doesn't know how to direct the scenes for the sexual heat that Burnett's story demands, so the abrupt changes are a bit cringeworthy. Still, there's a good scene with Elisha Cook Jr. as a sweaty alky and Frank Puglia is rather sweet as a sympathetic night club owner. There's not a spot of chemistry between the leads, however, and the result is a sub-par time waster.

A big disappointment!

[JohnHowardReid · 4/10 · 16 October 2014]

Although there are some quite promising plot ideas in this screenplay, adapted by Bob Williams and W.R. Burnett from Burnett's 1952 novel titled "Vanity Row", Republic's stereotyped, "B"-movie handling leaves a lot to be desired. The film emerges as a dull and dreary low-budget thriller, complete with uninspired characters yet hardly a second of action. Certainly, despite a fine cast line-up headed by David Brian, Vera Ralston and Sidney Blackmer, director Joe Kane does not evince even a spark of interest throughout the whole dreary proceedings which seem to drag on and on well over the film's actual running time of 74 minutes. Production values are negligible.

1956 Continental

[mikereaves-46905 · 10/10 · 16 August 2021]

If for no other reason, I have three (3) absolutely insane reasons to enjoy watching this movie.

1-baby blue Continental automobile was a separate "make" from the Ford Motor Company for just the 1956 and 1957 model years.

2-Virginia Gray sweating profusely, and her bright blue eyes.

3-the almost matching (different color jackets) blackamoor lamps at the ends of the bar in the nightclub.

And a color picture from Republic in 1956 because the studio boss' wife was the singer.

Surprise !

[jeffreymcfarland792 · 5/10 · 9 September 2022]

This is much better than I had any reason to believe it might be.

It is almost a noir, but, aside from Virginia Grey, must of the cast don't really register very well.

A supporting turn by Lee Van Cleve, among others (David Brian, Sidney Blackmer, etc.) keep the movie moving along.

And there is Vera Ralston, singing ersatz cafe songs, and the glory of TruColor.

Still, why Eddie Muller hasn't championed the movie is beyond me, as he has justified far worse.

For some reason, I stumbled across the movie on The Criterion Channel, which keeps surprising me, as one of the best movie streaming services available.

Vera's English improves when her song-dubber takes over.

[horn-5 · 23 November 2005]

When gangland lawyer Frank Hobart (Sidney Blackmer) is murdered there are two suspects, Ilona Vanve (Vera Ralston), beautiful nightclub singer, and a hood named Stan (Warren Stevens), who has been hired by underworld boss Chad Bayliss (Richard Karlan) to kill Hobart.

Attracted to Ilona, Lt. Detective Roy Hargis (David Brian), tries to protect her in spite of the growing evidence against her and the pressure put on him by his assistant, Sergeant Lackey (Lee Van Cleef.) Hargis thinks the case has broken when a dance-hall girl, Sandra Lamoreaux (Virginia Grey), who saw Stan at the scene of the murder, tries to use this information to blackmail him, and is badly beaten.

She manages to talk to Hargis, and her story brings about Stan's capture and conviction for murder. But he didn't do it. Neither did Lee Van Cleef.

And Ilona DID and DID NOT.

Vera has no accent when she sings

[blanche-2 · 5/10 · 23 October 2019]

A nightclub singer , Ilona Vance (Vera Hruba Ralston) is "Accused of Murder" in this 1956 Republic movie filmed in "Naturama." A shadt lawyer (Sidney Blackmer) is in love with Ilona. After she rejects him, he winds up murdered in his car.

Police Lt. Hargis (David Brian) doubts that Ilona is the killer - he's a little smitten with her. A hostess at the club (Virginia Grey) sees a man near the murder scene and tries to blackmail him (Warren Stevens). He gives her a good punch in the face and warns her not to tell anyone.

Though Ilona says she does not recognize the murder gun, a man sees the gun in the paper and identifies it as a gun an associate of his gave to Ilona. She insists that she is being framed.

This is a short film (76 minutes) and it goes nowhere. With the exception of Elisha Cook Jr., Virginia Grey, and Lee Van Cleef in supporting roles, the acting is flat.

Ralston's singing is dubbed, and the singer does not have a Czech accent.

Naturama was a wide-screen technique used by Republic Pictures. It evidently didn't catch on.

A mixture of melodrama, murder, music and mediocrity.

[mark.waltz · 3/10 · 23 February 2017]

They say that Helen Twelvetrees was Lassie's favorite movie star and that Herbert Marshall would have been perfect in an Ed Wood film in the next leg of his career. It's obvious that Vera Ralston couldn't get into an audition unless Herbert Yates was there, and as a result, she had a 17 year film career, all at one studio. Ms. Hruba Ralston is practically forgotten today, not even remembered as a bad actress, more just a non- actress. It's obvious that even bad acting takes some effort, and Ralston simply just read the lines and prayed for a miracle with the camera work and critics. In a color process called "Naturama", she's not photogenic from certain angles, and in others, she's surprisingly lovely. But here, it's hit and miss, and her Czech accent is a bit of a detriment to her appeal, especially when it disappears when she sings.

As a confidante to aging Sidney Blackmer, she's a suspect in his murder, having been spotted talking to him after he followed her home in his car, right before he gets a bullet to the head. It's obvious that she has no motive, and that mobster Warren Stevens (complete with scar) should be at the top of everybody's suspect list. Fortunately, she disappears off screen for long periods at a time, giving opportunity for some colorful characters to get involved.

The supporting cast comes off somewhat better, especially veteran actress Virginia Grey as a lush involved with Stevens, Greta Thyssen as a floozy he pushes out of his apartment rather violently, and Claire Carleton as a witness who keeps making mysterious phone calls. David Brian, top billed as the police lieutenant involved in the case, is totally wooden. Lee Van Cleef plays one of his associates. The color is a plus, but with all the talents looking for work in 1956, Ralston made it a minus. When the revelation of what really happened is revealed, you might find yourself throwing something at the screen in disgust and disbelief.

Looks Wonderful, But . . .

[daoldiges · 5/10 · 6 January 2024]

I stumbled upon Accused of Murder and for some reason was drawn to give it a viewing. It was apparently filmed in Naturama, of which I have know idea what exactly that was/is. I will say though that I think for most part the filmed looked beautiful: the set design and props are all really great and are a character unto themselves. Sure, there was a bit of overlighting throughout, but that didn't diminish my appreciation of the remaining visuals. As for the story and performances those are where Accused of Murder suffers. The story just didn't really amount to that much and it never really gained enough traction to create any drama or tension. The acting was spotty as well, with a couple solid performances (Peebles) but overall disappointing.

A noir in splendid colours

[clanciai · 8/10 · 14 January 2024]

A lovely immigrant night club singer gets involved in a murder case, and the man murdered had just proposed to her and been rejected, and he was deeply involved in fishy business and desperately in debt. A hoodlum was paid for having killed him, but he didn't do it. The lieutenant in charge of the case gets involved with the lovely singer and thus makes the mess worse. Another lovely lady from a dancing school happens to look out the window after the murder and recognizes the paid assassin, but instead of immediately reporting him to the police, she tries to blackmail him, whereupon he almost slugs her to death, but she survives just enough to be able to identify him when they try to put her together again at the hospital. The lovely immigrant (Vera Ralston) is still being held a suspect of murder, and the case is far from clear. Eventually she returns to go on singing at the night club. It is not a very convincing noir, but it is worth watching for the lovely colours, which are very unusual for a noir.

Forgettable

[dougdoepke · 16 April 2016]

A big time lawyer is shot on a street. The cops investigate, finding a tangled web of suspects, while the head cop gets involved with one of the suspects.

Thoroughly forgettable crime drama (not noir). Two reasons for watching might be to catch evil-eye Lee Van Cleef as a cop, of all things, and still early in his unusual career. Then there's Vera Hruba Ralston often mocked as Hollywood's worst actress. She's not too bad here as a lounge singer. Can't help but sympathize with her fruitless effort to become the Hollywood queen Republic's head honcho Herbert Yates insisted upon. And that's despite her not speaking English and having little talent. She does show some accomplishment here, however. Note, in passing, the spiffy suits the men wear, even the cops. Like maybe, they just came off the studio rack, which I expect they did. Too bad pedestrian Joe Kane directs without a single imaginative touch, while actor Brian literally walks through his cop part. Anyway, the cars are clean and shiny, the candy-box colors near perfect, and the run- time fairly brief. So it all swallows down easily if unmemorably.