The Dark Corner (Fox Film Noir)

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Actor(s):

Lucille Ball, Clifton Webb, William Bendix, Mark Stevens, Kurt Kreuger

Director(s):

Henry Hathaway

Label: 20th Century Fox
Publisher(s):

20th Century Fox

Studio: 20th Century Fox
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
Binding: DVD
Brand: Twentieth Century Fox
MPN: FOXD2226918D
Format(s): Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
List Price: $14.98
Our Price: $13.49
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

Editorial Reviews

Description

Lucille Ball has a change of pace role as the loyal secretary of a private eye in this brooding film noir about a man being set up for a murder rap. Framed by his partner years ago, hard-boiled detective Bradford Galt (Mark Stevens) served a two year stretch for manslaughter. Now trying to start over, he spends his time serving his clients and romancing his new secretary, Kathleen (Lucille Ball). But everything changes with the appearance of a sinister man in a whit suit (William Bendix) who's apparently working for Galt's ex-partner, Tony Jardine. When Jardine is killed, the police blame Galt. It's another frame, but if Galt can't prove he's innocent, this time he's headed for death row.

Amazon.com

The Dark Corner can't seriously be proposed as a great film noir, but it's one that people cherish. For one thing, it's unique in having Lucille Ball--who has absolutely no "splainin'" to do--as the smart, resourceful, devoted secretary of beleaguered private eye Mark Stevens. Lucy actually rates top billing, with Clifton up-to-his-old-Laura-tricks Webb and William vicious-brute-in-a-white-suit Bendix also getting their names above that of the hero in the credits. In this, there's a certain justice; they all deliver the goods, whereas Stevens seems a tad lightweight as the hardnose, Phil Marlowe type cracking wise and punching his way through the mean streets. His character comes burdened with more backstory than usual for movie detectives; this time, the case the private eye has to solve is his own. The intriguingly convoluted screenplay (by Jay Dratler, who co-wrote Laura, and Bernard Schoenfeld, from a story by Leo Rosten) takes hold like a vise and sustains the tension even though, by rights, its credibility should be shrinking with each passing reel. Henry Hathaway's direction is crisp, and the cinematography by Joe MacDonald (who would next shoot John Ford's My Darling Clementine) is both pungent and gorgeous. With Cathy Downs, Kurt Kreuger, and Reed Hadley, who plays a police detective here but more often supplied the voiceover on Fox's semidocumentary thrillers and Anthony Mann's T-Men. --Richard T. Jameson

Customer Reviews

next time, I'm watching it alone

It's a 1940s film noir about a hard-boiled PI Galt (Mark Stevens) and his devoted and gutsy secretary Kathleen (Lucille Ball).

Galt's an ex-con who'd been set up by his former partner, Jardine, but he's (mostly) put it behind him. Except that it looks like Jardine isn't done with him.

As it turns out, someone's trying to provoke Galt into killing Jardine, and when that doesn't work, they up the ante. Through it all, Kathleen is not only right there by his side believing in him, but also coming up with smart suggestions when he's ready to give up.

Galt is a little more human than most 40s hard-boiled movie detectives--he shows emotions and doubts more than others I've seen. Whether that's due to the actor, the director, or the script, though, I couldn't say.

Even though the movie was made 5 years before I Love Lucy's debut, Lucille Ball's character was the star. She was smart and practical, and she was feminine without being fragile. And no, she wasn't funny--it wasn't a comedic role, and she still played it very well. Get over it.

It's not the best film noir I've ever seen--though I enjoyed the PI and his secretary very much, the other story, about Jardine, Jardine's lover, her husband, and his henchman, was a little confusing, and it took me until nearly the end of the movie before I figured out what the heck they were doing, and why we cared.

Of course, part of my confusion could have come from watching it over two nights, with 3 males, who consider fight scenes the only parts of movies that you need to be absolutely quiet for. Grrrrr. (And please, if someone can explain the logic of why it's perfectly okay to talk while characters are discussing the plot, but you must be silent during fight scenes when there's nothing to hear, I'd be really grateful--this is a question that's bugged me for years.)

Fun Film Noir!

Good performances and a good film noir movie for Mark Stevens and Lucille Ball. Has a great cast!

Good noir, but could have been much better

"Dark Corner" is a perfect example of a B noir: strong in parts (gorgeous cinematography, some good acting, effective writing) but weak in others (sloppy editing at times, Clifton Webb's pallid re-creation of "Laura"'s Waldo Leidecker, and an ending that seems tacked on). But even with the inconsistent quality, there are unexpected pleasures to be found, as in most noir films. Among my favorites: the snappy, natural way Mark Stevens and Lucille Ball flirt on their first date; the grace-note humor in several scenes (e.g. an eavesdropping movie cashier, the weird little girl with the slide whistle); a brief but satisfying encounter with jazzman Eddie Heywood.

I like "Dark Corner", but it cries out for the extra care that a bigger budget would have provided. Oh well, they can't all be "Laura"!

A Great Little Noir

A private dick in deep trouble, a beautiful secretary, Clifton Webb is
playing his role to the hilt and there seems to be no way out for our de-
tective hero. Plenty of dark atmospheric background.
This movie has everthing you need for a thrilling nights entertainment
in the "Dark City". It's a well acted and perfectly paced story seasoned with action and some surprisingly stark violence.
The DVD is crisp and clear, excellent video and sound quality. I liked
the commentary that comes on the dvd and find this to be a movie every noir fan should own.

The Dark Corner - Fox Film Noir

Though we tend to associate Film Noir with Warner Brothers pictures, many of the excellent examples of the genre were made by Twentieth Century Fox. "The Dark Corner" is one of these. The titles give top billing to Lucille Ball, Clifton Webb, and William Bendix - but the star of the film is Mark Stevens, an underrated actor who could play hard-bitten parts as well as anyone. The camera follows him around as the plot of the movie unfolds. Clifton Webb does his usual excellent job in a part reminiscent of his role in "Laura."
William Bendix, known for both his comedic roles as well as his tough guy parts, throws his weight around and gets thrown around in this one, and Lucille Ball, who gets the undeserved star billing, is quite good in a straight part. She shows none of the "Lucy" zany qualities that she became famous for in later years.
In my opinion, Mark Stevens should have had a bigger career. I wonder what happened!

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