Directed by Hubert Cornfield. Written by Hubert Cornfield (Sudden Danger (1955), (Plunder Road (1957), and based on "All The Way " aka “The Concrete Flamingo” a novel first published in 1958 by Charles Williams (Dead Calm (1989), The Hot Spot (1990)). Cinematography was by Ernest Haller (The Unfaithful (1947), The Come On (1956), ) and music by Johnny Mandel.
The film stars Edmond O'Brien (one of the kings of classic noir with 10+ films), Julie London (The Red House (1947), The Fat Man (1951), Crime Against Joe (1956)), Laraine Day (The Woman on Pier 13 (1949)), Olga San Juan, George Eldredge, Tom Hernández, Abel Franco, Tom Daly, and Ralph Brooks.
A man (O'Brien) in silhouette paces before the picture window. We see an early morning nocturne, high atop a crescent bay on a Mexican hillside. The man's sharp voice is aggressively dictating business strategy into a reel to reel tape recorder. He pauses, rewinds the tape and drags on a tar bar while listening to the playback. He stops the playback and replaces the tape with one labeled Harris Chapman. In a voice over the man describes Harris Chapman as a wealthy Seattle businessman that he says he knows everything about but has never met him or anybody ever connected to him except Marian Forbes.
In the novel that the screenplay was based on the man's name is Jerry, in the film the character is simply billed as "the Voice". The local is also transposed from Miami Beach to an anonymous Mexican resort town.
The new tape plays and we hear Marian Forbes (Day) read a biography of Harris Chapman, birth date, parents names, personal tics, i.e, "he grew a mustache during his stint in the Navy and has worn it ever since. After the service he developed eyestrain and wears glasses, usually horn rims. He's a hypochondriac and carries around a miniature drugstore with him. After the cancer scare he uses a silver cigarette holder along with filtered cigarettes." While Marian speaks we see the man looking at his window reflection, touching his moustache, placing horn rim glasses on, removing a silver cigarette holder from his pocket and placing his lit cigarette into it. "Chapman is 6 feet tall, 195 pounds, grey eyes, 46 years old, brown hair greying at the temples. He usually wears a hat and feels undressed without one." The man places a hat on his head, his transformation is complete.
Marion continues, "you may not look like him but based on the general unreliability of descriptions, I'd say you look exactly like him. Hobby, big game fishing, usually Miami, but this year Mexico, the point to all of this is....." The man shuts off the recording and speaks in voiceover, "the point is some of us will do anything for money."
The man drives to a small resort town airstrip to pick up Marion. Marion immediately begins to quiz the man on various details of Harris Chapman's life.
Marion (Laraine Day)
The Voice (O'Brien)Marion: Who's Francis Blane?
Man: Fiance, young socially prominent...
Marion was the private secretary and former mistress of Chapman. She was the financial brains behind Chapman's business fortunes. Chapman dumped her, and offered her six months salary if she would quit the company. Marion is out for blood and money. Marion's intense grilling of Jerry runs through the day and into the evening. It's now or never. Chapman is arriving at the airport for some deep sea fishing tonight.
Jerry drives down to the airstrip. At the arrivals desk he hands a note for Chapman to the clerk, then goes to the phone and dials Marion.
He watches Chapman (Ralph Brooks) arrive at the desk and tells Marion over the phone that he's read the note, and he's taking the bait. Chapman angered marches over to the bank of phones. Jerry hangs up as now Champan calls Marion. Marion tells Chapman that he must come up to see her about the 1955 tax return. She appears to be blackmailing him. Chapman hangs up. Jerry calls her back to tell her he got a taxi and is on the way. Marion tells Jerry to wait five minutes and drive back up.
When Chapman arrives at the hilltop house Marian blasts him in the living room.
Marian about to blast ChapmanJerry gets there and does clean up. He removes a pre-stored tarp from a closet, rolls his body onto it and methodically empties Chapman's pockets of all effects, eyeglass case, pill capsules, wallet, lighter, passport, pocket knife, etc. Then he strips off his watch, he struggles with getting Chapman's pinky ring, looking at the pocket knife, contemplating cutting his finger off. He wraps Chapman in the tarp and drags the body out to the bathroom dumping it in the tub, while Marian lays on the bed enticingly.
continued.....
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