Cry Wolf
A marriage of convenience turns a widow into an heiress in this noir thriller. Or at least it is an ATTEMPT at noir. It isn't clear how serious the director's intentions were since the film is so campy.
Susan (Barbara Stanwyck) went into this marriage with college buddy Jim Demarest to help him recoup his rightful fortune from grim guardian, Uncle Mark (Errol Flynn). Naturally, when Susan arrives at the door with her husband's obit column in hand, Mark is obliged to welcome her in. Of course pending proof of her marriage - and the existence of a mysterious will.
| Susan's shows a copy of
the will to a dubious Mark
Caldwell. Looking on are Julie Demarest (Geraldine Brooks) and Mark's edgy brother, Senator Caldwell. |
A dingy mansion and its creepy help set the mood all too well, and present Mark's resident neice Julie as the epitome of normalcy in what appears to be a very abnormal household. Mark is a dictating tyrant, controlling Julie's social life and seeing that she doesn't leave the estate. Both Susan and Julie suspect Jim might not be dead after they hear screams coming from Mark's lab at night. Susan catches Mark in a lie when Julie brings up the screams and he attributes her query as a figment of her imagination.
I won't spoil the ending, because nothing here is as it seems. Unfortunately, for today's audiences, the final explanation isn't entirely believable.
This obscure gem is released by MGM/UA in Glorious Black & White. Unless you're a diehard completist over Errol Flynn or Barbara Stanwyck, you'd be better off renting this first.
Errol Flynn & Barbara Stanwyck on the set.
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