Phantom Lady

 

Ella Raines, Franchot Tone, and Alan Curtis star in this 1944 murder mystery directed by film noir master Robert Siodmak. After a quarrel with his estranged wife on their anniversary, a man goes to a bar to drown his sorrow. He meets a woman, equally downcast, and invites her to attend a Broadway musical with him since his wife has declined. When he finally gets home, he discovers that his wife has been murdered and the police suspect him. He is quickly tried, convicted, and sentenced to death since he doesn’t even know the name of the woman who could be his alibi. Then, his secretary gets on the case.

Ella Raines, a personal favorite, plays the secretary as a smart, attractive professional with class and clothes to match. Alan Curtis and Franchot Tone are fine as her boss and his best friend, but supporting players also stand out. Thomas Gomez is solid as a police detective. Aurora plays a fiery Latin American singer who sings and acts with real intensity. Elisha Cook Jr., a film noir regular, plays a hopped-up jazz drummer. His solo in an after-hours jam session with Raines acting like a tart egging him on is unforgettable.

The movie has holes you could drive a truck through, but it still is a suspenseful and enjoyable thriller with great camera work by Woody Bredell. Eddie Muller regards Robert Siodmak as the best of all film noir directors and rates this film right up there with other 1944 standouts like Double Indemnity, Laura, The Woman in the Window, and Murder, My Sweet. ###

Thomas Gomez, Ella Raines, Franchot Tone