Yes, that includes Annie Laurie Starr from "Gun Crazy" and a poisonous tea party of others.
And who better to play her than Lizabeth Scott! Scott is of course a noir icon. But this puts her singular talents to use especially well: She has a hoarse, throaty voice. It can sound scared. It can sound seductive -- as it does often in this film. And it can sound tough.
Scott, an excellent actress, had a unique appearance: She is a combination of pretty little girl and tomboy. She has a strangely flat profile and eyes with dark circles often showing under them.
When we meet her here, she and her husband are on their way to a party. She makes him turn back, because she feels the host's wife looks down on her. We never hear about the party-givers again, but her insecurity and obsession with wealth have been established.
As they drive, something is thrown into the back seat of their car. It turns out to be a duffel bag filled with money.
Her kind, loving husband (that superb actor Arthur Kennedy) wants to turn in to the police. She doesn't. They compromise.
Enter Dan Duryea. He calls her "Tiger." He knows what he's talking about.
Enter Don DeFore. He's an unlikely noir figure but he's perfect here.
I am giving away no plot. It's a movie that doesn't turn up often and I want people to seek it out.
Suffice it to say that the Scott character wants that money. And what she does to keep it could fill a very long book.
What's especially interesting about the character is that she is fleshed out. We understand her good side as well as her bad: We learn a lot about her life history. We may waver and feel sorry for her at times. But make no mistake: Jane Palmer (her name in the film) is a very, very naughty girl.
And who better to play her than Lizabeth Scott! Scott is of course a noir icon. But this puts her singular talents to use especially well: She has a hoarse, throaty voice. It can sound scared. It can sound seductive -- as it does often in this film. And it can sound tough.
Scott, an excellent actress, had a unique appearance: She is a combination of pretty little girl and tomboy. She has a strangely flat profile and eyes with dark circles often showing under them.
When we meet her here, she and her husband are on their way to a party. She makes him turn back, because she feels the host's wife looks down on her. We never hear about the party-givers again, but her insecurity and obsession with wealth have been established.
As they drive, something is thrown into the back seat of their car. It turns out to be a duffel bag filled with money.
Her kind, loving husband (that superb actor Arthur Kennedy) wants to turn in to the police. She doesn't. They compromise.
Enter Dan Duryea. He calls her "Tiger." He knows what he's talking about.
Enter Don DeFore. He's an unlikely noir figure but he's perfect here.
I am giving away no plot. It's a movie that doesn't turn up often and I want people to seek it out.
Suffice it to say that the Scott character wants that money. And what she does to keep it could fill a very long book.
What's especially interesting about the character is that she is fleshed out. We understand her good side as well as her bad: We learn a lot about her life history. We may waver and feel sorry for her at times. But make no mistake: Jane Palmer (her name in the film) is a very, very naughty girl.