5. Using that as the story line, we got a nice clever who done what to whom and why movie going here. Don't be fooled by the original name, though. I guess we should be grateful that Monogram didn't cut anything out of the movie when it reissued it. and help locate the silk stocking strangler. [9], Castle was slated to next direct Dillinger for the King brothers but instead accepted an offer to direct the Broadway play Meet a Body. Already an experienced hand, Dimitri Tiomkin provided the music, and the result was an above average production from Monogram. Max and Lysette are quite different from the typical hero and heroines. She can't believe that people even his sons believe that Max has killed his first wife. When Strangers Marry (rerelease title Betrayed) is a 1944 American suspense film directed by William Castle and starring Dean Jagger . Old TV prints and most critical references refer to the movie by the more memorable When Strangers Marry title, which is now lost. The actors really make a difference. Betrayed or When Strangers Marry starts out with a a murder being committed by an unseen man. When Strangers Marry was produced by the King Brothers, who, depending on the source one reads, were either quasi-gangsters or dedicated mamma's boys. Menu. Metacritic Reviews. In front of the camera were Kim Hunter and Robert Mitchum. Book Description : The final piece of the navigation puzzle is to use another hyperlinked attribution line (as in the above . It was sent from Philadelphia. The movie ends with a train scene that either copies Hitchcock (The Lady Vanishes) or predicts him (Strangers on a Train) depending on which film you choose. However, upon her arrival; he's not at the hotel, but by chance she is greeted by her old friend Fred Graham, who clearly carries a torch for her. LISA KLEYPAS is the RITA award-winning author of 21 novels. The ending has a twist but is contrived and a little too cute for this reviewer. Posters are sourced from TMDb and Posteritati, and appear for you and visitors to your profile and content, depending on settings. Twenty-seven years old and still a relative newcomer to films (he was mostly shooting cheapie Westerns before this film), he strides through this movie like he was born inside a film noir. "House on Haunted Hill" director William Castle's murder & mystery "Where Strangers Marry" is a good crime thriller with a great surprise reversal in the final moments. Close. Hopper, Hedda. Can the police get their man and can Millie find happiness? And Millie, nave to a fault, makes for a particularly hapless leading lady. Bargain basement noir with some nice touches, but ultimately disappointing. People were quick to make their wants and themselves known and didn't mince words. One big flaw is the storyline, which is completely preposterous and with some of the most absurd contrived coincidences in the annals of mysteries. She gets sick, they get married, and we're 35% of the way into this thing. HarperCollins. Kim Hunter and Dean Jagger are the main couple, and its really her story. When our heroine suspects that her husband, Paul Baxter (Dean Jagger of "Bad Day at Black Rock") may be a notorious 'silk stocking' slayer, she runs to another salesman, Fred Graham (Robert Mitchum of "The Night of the Hunter") for advice. Another nice touch is something out of the Jean Renoir book (high praise for Castle) when the depth of field and deep staging of certain scenes allows characters seen in the distance through apartment windows to contribute to the progression of the plot in a casual and realistic manner. 3. Its not the best performance he ever gave, but one is struck by just how much he already seems likewell, Robert Mitchum. This movie. All in all, one of the superior directing efforts by Castle and an engaging film overall. Given the big name cast and Director, expectations are high but it doesn't deliver. LOTS OF SEX. We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly. Will he be the hero of the film? Only with the help of his wife and his son, they search for the real killer before the Max is charged and imprisoned for murder. What she didn't know is how far Max would go for his revenge, and when she ends up falling in love with him she wonders what he will find more preciousthe love they share or exacting his revenge that he has always wanted.When Stranger's Marry, is the updated version of Only In Your Arms. 2. She lives in Washington State with her husband and two children. When Strangers Marry: Directed by William Castle. Since then, romance has changed-and so have Iso I decided to give the book a makeoverand a new title, When Strangers Marry. Mitchum and Hunter do well in spite of their material where Hunter marries a man she only met three times (Jagger) and Michum is the man she turned down, which makes it kind of senseless that Hunter and Mitchum are always such close friends where he even wants to volunteer to find the missing husband (being turned down, wouldn't he hope a divorce results if the husband doesn't come back?) : RHONDA FLEMING It's always so hard to pick a top favorite when it comes to Lisa Kleypas, but I can say for sure that this one is right up there. In the years to come, many of the directors, writers, actors, cinematographers, and producers who made Double Indemnity, Laura, Murder My Sweet, Phantom Lady, The Woman In the Window, and When Strangers Marry would go on to who is also a skilled lawyer. All Rights Reserved. Lysette winning everyone over with her perfection. 'When Strangers Marry' is without a doubt her film. This is a Hitchcockian film that reflects well the Film Noir period of Hollywood. When Strangers Marry (AKA: Betrayed) is directed by William Castle and written by Philip Yordan and Dennis J. Cooper. Even little things work against her in the big, impersonal surroundingsthe unhelpful news guy, streetlights suddenly going out. 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Third-billed Robert Mitchum was elevated to star status on the reissue prints of When Strangers Marry, which unfortunately tended to give away the film's surprise ending; also in the cast in a tiny role is Mitchum's future Out of the Past co-star Rhonda Fleming. Ames, Walter. The "Silk Stocking Murder" begs many questions, not the least being one about why the audiences were not provided with a gimmicky pair of stockings on their way into the theatre. Lysette buried her face against Max's throat. Awards My favorite part of this film was when Neil Hamilton and Bob Mitchum were in a Turkish bath. This book is a nod to the 80's/90's body rippers/virgin heroines etc. [8], Robert Mitchum's role is among his earliest, and he had previously appeared in Johnny Doesn't Live Here Anymore for the King brothers. She also said that she was not paid for her role. Born to Polish immigrants, he earned a bachelor's degree at the University of Illinois and a law degree at Chicago-Kent College of Law. Nah, just let the cops nab him posting a letter. Kim Hunter has just wed a patron (Dean Jagger) of the restaurant where she waited tables without knowing much about him; off on a vague business trip, he asks her to meet him at a New York hotel. 12, Iss. Philip Yordan. The critical reception of When Strangers Marry was excellent considering that the film had been distributed by the Poverty Row studio of Monogram. One of my favourite HR books by Kleypas, this hasnt lost any of its charm over the years and remains an engrossing read. The killer is only seen over-the-shoulder, like the murderous Mr. "X" in the later D.O.A.. Poor Millie just doesn't know if her husband even wants her. TV Shows. Why Was Frank Ocean's Coachella Set Such a Disappointing Mess? An intriguing noir premise is undone by a terrible lead character that is so annoying and fucking naive it set me on edge. With the excuse that Millie hasn't a clue as to what's going on, the film obscures exactly what happens to the murder victim, the squeaky-voiced Dick Elliott. The way Yordan's involvement is characterized in various interviews and memoirs, it's difficult to tell whether he was helping his blacklisted colleagues, or exploiting them. It lacks the fierce fire in the belly of something like 1945s low budget Detour. And so can we, while watching this film, for 67 glorious, poetic minutes. When he packaged properties around town -- that frequently bore his name as the only writer -- was he acting as their front, or exploiting them? An early admirer of the movie was the writer/director/star of Citizen Kane, Orson Welles. When Strangers Marry. Mobilesite. Although none of this cast is credited, the talented main female dancer's smile looks familiar -- yep, she's Marie Bryant, the all-purpose entertainer who sings the memorable (and creepy) song Your Red Wagon several years later in Nicholas Ray's They Live by Night. Little bit of history captured there as movies usually didn't do this but this one did. 26 Film Noir movies from the WAR NOIR PERIOD. The camera tracks Millie's walking feet through hotel lobbies, and cranes to take in clocks and other bric-a-brac; it sometimes resembles a student film by a Hitchcock-addled undergraduate. Still her heart races whenever her handsome, brooding protector . Australian release through British Empire Films: 6 May 1945. He had to come back to New York on business. Los Angeles Times 17 Oct 1946: A3. Philip Yordan (April 1, 1914 - March 24, 2003) was an American screenwriter of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s who also produced several films. The remaining 65% is made up of: 1. Her wanting to help him the second he finally appears and asks for it should make logical sense since it shouldn't take too much of an effort to convince someone who's absolutely in love with you to believe your sincerity--but still with the quickness that she came to believe the worst about him not twenty minutes before he appears onscreendoes it make logical sense in. Philip Yordan (April 1, 1914 March 24, 2003) was an American screenwriter of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s who also produced several films. In an attempt to escape marriage to a man she despises, Lysette Kersaint flees right into the arms of Maximilen Vallerand, a man who is rumoured to have strangled his first wife. Berkeley: University of California Press, c1991. Two strangers are married after three meetings and immediately separated. Your email address will not be published. With only seven days and a budget of $50,000,[5] filming took place in June 1944. WHEN STRANGERS MARRY (aka Betrayed) 1944. Of course toward the end you might guess who the strangler really is before you find out. Copyright 19 August 1944 by Monogram Pictures Corp. New York opening in November 1944 at the Brooklyn Strand (which meant no New York opening so far as most critics were concerned). The ending is delightful and caused me to laugh out loud in a most pleasing way for its originality and of course upbeat ending. Robert Mitchum does his with a slippery role that is resolved in a way that feels rushed and doesn't quite work. Castle's photo might be considered one of his early gimmicks and is certainly connected to my own thesis about his impresario directing playing on the enframing and "4th Wall" of screen-spectator identification. During his infrequent visits, Paul acts very suspiciously -- and then disappears again, with little or no explanation. A valuable minor Noir directed by the prolific William Castle!!! Report abuse. Her earlier misgivings about Max's fidelity melts away as Max showers her his complete devotion and love. Like Dan above, we all change with time. When Strangers Marry can't help but look cheap, what with all those close-ups of stage floors with haphazard standing-set carpets and furniture. This particular edition is in a Mass Market Paperback format. The Kings later claimed that they had Mitchum under a multi-picture contract and tried to enforce it, but he made no further films for them. | By the end of 1944, film noir was in full bloom. With Dean Jagger, Kim Hunter, Robert Mitchum, Neil Hamilton. However as Lysette becomes more involved with his life and household, his ulterior motive of revenge melts away to be replaced by a need to protect her from anyone who might wish to cause her harm and that includes, Etienne and her family. Joe was Robert Mitchum's breakthrough role, earning him his only Academy Award nomination, but he received first billing the year before in the psychological thriller When Strangers Marry. Subjects Fiction Romance Historical Fiction. arrest, bride, claim, courtship, death, honeymoon, husband, investigation, killing, loot, mail, marriage, mistake, motel, murder, newlywed, old-flame, police, questioning [police interrogation], robbery, room, stranger, suspect, waiter, wedding, bar [pub], hunting, king, man, news. While I think the twins were great characters I felt the book needed to focus more on the married couple, Lysette became background filler toward the end of the book and it was disappointing. It is wholly ordinary in the long run, probably echoing the previous year's Shadow of a Doubt; she has married a man who is really a stranger to her and may be the killer sought by police. The one Castle prerequisite element that I could do without however is the plot contrivances (shoot the scenarists and producers as well). It's obvious he'd seen movies like Stranger on the Third Floor ( a moody masterpiece) and thought he'd figured out the recipe. Millie's ex-lover, Fred (Robert Mitchum) is also in town and he keeps a look-out over Millie as she tries to discover who the man is that she has married. Supplements: none I'm so glad H did not cheat on her but h was extremely understanding when he visited his ex mistress. As the story line progresses though we see how good Max and Lysette are for each other. more, All Philip Yordan scripts | Philip Yordan Scripts. The title and excerpt are what got me to read it. Rewrite of an earlier Kleypas novel (Only in Your Arms). Ingenue Kim Hunter, years before Brando emotionally screamed "Stella!" Packaging: Keep case Series. Helpful. "Betrayed"/"When Strangers Marry" is a solid, fast moving noir/whodunit from 1944. Monogram produced a lot of stinkers, but they also had their share of classics. Lysette, is willing to do anything to get away from her fiancee, since she knows anything would be better than being married to him. "The story has locomotor ataxia at several of its joints and the intensity of the telling slackens off toward the end; but taking it as a whole, I have seldom, for years now, seen one hour so energetically and . But, Castle cut his teeth with several crime and mystery films which often bordered on Noir such as early entries in The Whistler series. The 2008 horror film "The Strangers" has become a disturbing classic. to a missing persons report being filled with a homicide detective. Backstory 2: Interviews with Screenwriters of the 1940s and 1950s. STRANGERS is very much a B movie with all the usual shortcuts (montages, stock footage and scenes that can be only seconds in length). Dear Reader, Nearly a decade ago, I published my fi . Castle also defies other crutches of "B" status films through adhering to elements of continuity. Her books are published in fourteen languages and are bestsellers all over the world. The film stars a young Kim Hunter, in her first starring role, as a nave newlywed named Millie Baxter. Click on a plot link to find similar books! Read Next: Hong Sang-soos Directors Fortnight Closing Film In Our Day Picked up by Finecut (EXCLUSIVE), Haley Kluge Rejoins Variety as Creative Director, Variety Scores Highest-Ever Day of Social Traffic for 2023 Oscars With Over 120 Million Video Views, Frank Ocean Jolts Coachella Festival With Aimless, WTF Headlining Set. They would be joined by virtually all of Hollywood at one time or another, from the pinnacle of the power structure (MGM, the worlds most powerful studio, produced gems like 1949s Act of Violence and 1950s The Asphalt Jungle) to Poverty Row studios that shot movies for pennies (lowly PRC produced 1945s Detour, perhaps the purest distillation of the noir ethos ever made). Director William Castle; Producer Maurice King, Franklin King; Screenplay Philip Yordan, Dennis J. Cooper; Camera Ira Morgan; Editor Martin G. Cohn; Music Dimitri Tiomkin; Art Director F. Paul . It's an efficient enough little thriller with a stellar cast including Kim Hunter, Dean Jagger, Neil Hamilton (as another cop) and the great Robert Mitchum. With Hitchcock and Lewton references accounted for, director Castle seemingly wanted to get in on the short-lived wartime 'black musical' craze as well, a la Cabin in the Sky. While that is a debatable assertion, Welles was correct to align the three films whichalong with Robert Siodmaks Phantom Lady (Universal), Fritz Langs The Woman in The Window (RKO) and Edward Dmytryks Murder My Sweet (RKO)represented the full flowering of film noir over the course of 1944. Strangers Again Kdrama Ending Although the ending of the Korean drama Strangers Again left many fans disappointed it is noteworthy that the show's Episode 12 garnered its highest viewership of the entire series. It is difficult to understand how Castle became stymied with primitive stylistic systems while he so crisply demonstrated a full understanding of who he was to become as a director in When Strangers Marry. By William Castle and an engaging film overall loud in a Turkish bath Set... An early admirer of the way into this thing sons believe that Max has his..., and the result was an above average production from Monogram hapless leading.... 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