Steve Cochran, Howard Duff, Ida Lupino, and Dean Jagger star in "Private Hell 26," a noir directed by Don Siegel.
In Los Angeles, Cal Bruner (Cochran), a police officer, sees a robbery going on at a pharmacy. He finds a marked $50 bill. It's from a New York robbery of $300,000.
Bruner and his partner Jack Farnham (Duff) trace the bill to first to a druggist, and then back to the bartender who gave it to him. There, they meet the sultry Lilli Marlowe, coat check girl and part time singer in the bar.
Bruner falls for her, and the partners take her to various places where marked bills have been found to see if she can spot the person who gave her the fifty. She does, and Bruner and Farnham give chase.
The driver crashes down an embankment and is killed. There is money everywhere. After picking it all up, Bruner takes $80,000, infuriating Farnham. However, Farnham isn't about to snitch on his own partner. They turn in about $200,000.
Bruner has a duplicate key made for a slip, #36 where he has the money hidden. Meanwhile, Farnham doesn't like his boss' (Jagger) questions and doesn't want any part of the money. Bruner can only see giving Lilli the kind of life she wants, which he can't do on a cop's salary.
Good noir written by Ida Lupino and her ex-husband, Collier Young, with whom she had formed a production company. Interestingly the film stars her current husband, Duff, and features their baby daughter Bridget. I guess they were all good friends.
Duff is young and handsome and gives an earnest performance as an honest man who can't quite believe his partner is so crooked. The sexy Cochran has the stronger role, and portrays someone with no conscience at all.
Lupino is great as always as the no-nonsense Lilli. Dorothy Malone plays Farnham's wife; she has little to do.
All in all, quite good.
In Los Angeles, Cal Bruner (Cochran), a police officer, sees a robbery going on at a pharmacy. He finds a marked $50 bill. It's from a New York robbery of $300,000.
Bruner and his partner Jack Farnham (Duff) trace the bill to first to a druggist, and then back to the bartender who gave it to him. There, they meet the sultry Lilli Marlowe, coat check girl and part time singer in the bar.
Bruner falls for her, and the partners take her to various places where marked bills have been found to see if she can spot the person who gave her the fifty. She does, and Bruner and Farnham give chase.
The driver crashes down an embankment and is killed. There is money everywhere. After picking it all up, Bruner takes $80,000, infuriating Farnham. However, Farnham isn't about to snitch on his own partner. They turn in about $200,000.
Bruner has a duplicate key made for a slip, #36 where he has the money hidden. Meanwhile, Farnham doesn't like his boss' (Jagger) questions and doesn't want any part of the money. Bruner can only see giving Lilli the kind of life she wants, which he can't do on a cop's salary.
Good noir written by Ida Lupino and her ex-husband, Collier Young, with whom she had formed a production company. Interestingly the film stars her current husband, Duff, and features their baby daughter Bridget. I guess they were all good friends.
Duff is young and handsome and gives an earnest performance as an honest man who can't quite believe his partner is so crooked. The sexy Cochran has the stronger role, and portrays someone with no conscience at all.
Lupino is great as always as the no-nonsense Lilli. Dorothy Malone plays Farnham's wife; she has little to do.
All in all, quite good.