The secretary of an affably suave radio mystery host mysteriously commits suicide after his wealthy young niece disappears.The secretary of an affably suave radio mystery host mysteriously commits suicide after his wealthy young niece disappears.The secretary of an affably suave radio mystery host mysteriously commits suicide after his wealthy young niece disappears.
- Steven Francis Howard
- (as Michael North)
- Cab Driver
- (unconfirmed)
- Bride's Mother
- (uncredited)
- Party Guest
- (uncredited)
- Party Guest
- (uncredited)
- Radio Program Coordinator
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe radio station call letters, WMCB, were created by inserting Michael Curtiz's initials into those of Warner Bros.
- GoofsDuring Oliver Keane's accident scene, he is seen driving a gray car at first, but when he skids off the road and tumbles down the hill, it is black.
- Quotes
Steven Francis Howard: Quite a large party, isn't it?
Althea Keane: Would you like to meet anyone?
Althea Keane: It's not very appetizing. It's Victor's birthday. Once a year his friends crawl out of the woodwork.
[Sarcastically]
Althea Keane: This year it's a SURPRISE party!
[Lights cigarette]
Althea Keane: Will he be surprised to see you?
Steven Francis Howard: [He takes her hand with the lit match] I like matches. You never have to refill them...
[He pulls her hand toward him to light his own cigartte]
Steven Francis Howard: ... and when you're through with them, you simply throw them away...
[He blows out the match]
Steven Francis Howard: ... like people.
- Crazy creditsOpening titles and closing credits are typed in a bound manuscript, and gloved hands can be seen flipping the pages. This is a nod to the scripts that Grandison writes for his radio show.
- ConnectionsReferences The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)
With lines such as "We missed you while you were dead," this is one of the best film noir screenplays of the 1940's. One of the great femme fatales of the era, Audrey Totter as Althea Keane, gets some of the wittiest lines, which she delivers with élan. So listen carefully when she speaks. She dominates every scene she's in. The only one in the cast who comes close to her acting talents is Claude Rains. In some ways his part closely resembles the character he played the year before in the Hitchcock classic "Notorious," the master spy Alexander Sebastian. While Althea's husband, the tipsy Oliver (Hurd Hatfield), also shines, his role is fairly cut and dried with only brief appearances. The others in the cast are more than adequate, in particular Jack Lambert as Mr. Press, a violent, shady character who is blackmailed into doing dirty work for Grandi.
Michael Curtiz knowingly directs in noir fashion with crisp black and white photography surrounded by rainy, spooky nights making the audience believe that danger lurks in the shadows. Curtiz makes sure the film is fast-paced. There is even an exciting chase at the end involving Jack Lambert recklessly driving through traffic in a pickup truck, attempting to destroy evidence at the city dump before the motorcycle cops catch up with him.
The music blends in with the story. For example, when Grandi comes home unsuspected, his birthday party is in full swing. The piano man fills the room with "Someone To Watch Over Me." Grandi is unnerved by the tune and makes a snide remark to Matilda Frazier (Joan Caulfield) to the effect that he would like to fire the piano player. Neglected for years, critics and noir fans are just now discovering this intriguing movie.
- krorie
- Mar 29, 2006
- How long is The Unsuspected?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime1 hour 43 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1