Black Angel

1946  - 81 mins - Director: Roy William Neill - Cast: Dan Duryea, June Vincent, Peter Lorre - b&w - DCP

Kirk Bennett is sentenced to die for the murder of a gorgeous actress, but his wife (June Vincent) won’t give up trying to prove his innocence. She desperately enlists the aid of Marty Blair (Dan Duryea), a pickled pianist on the skids who happens to be the victim’s husband! This is one of the era’s best adaptations of a Cornell Woolrich novel, the undisputed master of noir fiction. 

Vincent and Duryea become amateur sleuths and go undercover as a performing musical duo, tracing clues to a ritzy Sunset Strip nightclub run by shady operator Marko (Peter Lorre). Bringing extra heat is Broderick Crawford as a dogged LAPD police captain. As usual in Cornell Woolrich stories, things aren’t what they seem—leading to one of the writer’s most memorable and unexpected climaxes. Known for his smarmy, villainous turns in many films of the period, here Duryea had his first role as a leading man. Featuring fantastic art direction by Martin Obzina and inventive camerawork by Paul Ivano.

CREDITS
Director: Roy William Neill
Cast: Dan Duryea, June Vincent, Peter Lorre, Constance Dowling
Screenplay: Roy Chanslor
Cinematographer: Paul Ivano
Music: Frank Skinner
Studio: Universal Pictures
Presentation: digital DCP / b&w / 1.37:1