The Brasher Doubloon

Last updated
The Brasher Doubloon
Brasher doubloon578.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by John Brahm
Screenplay by Dorothy Bennett
Leonard Praskins (adaptation)
Based onthe novel The High Window
by Raymond Chandler
Produced by Robert Bassler
Starring George Montgomery
Nancy Guild
Cinematography Lloyd Ahern
Edited by Harry Reynolds
Music by David Buttolph
Color process Black and white
Production
company
20th Century Fox
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date
  • February 6, 1947 (1947-02-06)
Running time
72 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Brasher Doubloon (known in the UK as The High Window) is a 1947 American crime film noir directed by John Brahm and starring George Montgomery and Nancy Guild. [1] It is based on the 1942 novel The High Window by Raymond Chandler.

Contents

Fred MacMurray, Victor Mature, and Dana Andrews were all mentioned at different times as having been cast as Philip Marlowe in the film before the studio settled on George Montgomery, [2] appearing in the final film of his 20th Century Fox contract.

The High Window had already been adapted for film in 1942 as a Michael Shayne adventure starring Lloyd Nolan.

Plot

Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by wealthy widow Elizabeth Murdock to investigate the theft of a rare coin, the Brasher Doubloon, from her deceased husband's private collection. Believing the case to be a fairly routine one, Marlowe soon finds himself confronted by murder and a succession of shady characters and lethal crooks. They’d leads Marlowe to realise that the source of the mystery hinges upon Merle Davis, the timid and neurotic secretary of Mrs Murdock.

Cast

Production

The novel was published in 1942. The New York Times said: "Chandler has given us a detective who is hard boiled enough to be convincing without being disgustingly tough and that is no mean achievement." [3]

Film rights were bought in May 1942 by 20th Century-Fox, who used it as the basis of a script for Time to Kill (1942), a movie in their B-picture series about Michael Shayne. [4] [5]

Following the success of the Chandler adaptation Murder My Sweet (1944) and Chandler's adaptation of Double Indemnity (1944), the author became in fashion in Hollywood: Warners filmed The Big Sleep , MGM did The Lady in the Lake (1946), and Paramount filmed a Chandler original, The Blue Dahlia (1946). Fox decided to film The High Window again, this time more faithfully.

In May 1945, they announced that Leonard Praskins was writing a script and Robert Bassler would produce. Fred MacMurray, who had been in Double Indemnity, would play Marlowe. [6] [7] In October 1945 Fox announced that John Payne would play the lead role and that filming would begin in January 1946. [8] In December there was yet another casting change: Victor Mature was given the role. John Brahm was assigned to direct. Both Mature and Brahm were taken off Three Little Girls in Blue to do the film. [9] In January 1946 Fox announced that the film would star Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney, who had been so successful in Laura, and that Richard Macaulay would write the script. [10] In May 1946 Fox said that George Montgomery would play the lead and that filming would begin in July. [11] Ida Lupino was to co-star. [12] By June Lupino had dropped out and was replaced by Nancy Guild. [13] At one stage, John Ireland was to be in the cast. [14]

In July 1946 the title was changed to The Brasher Doubloon. [15]

Reception

When the film was released, the film critic for The New York Times panned the film, writing, "... Chandler's popular 'shamus' and, we might add, his efforts to recover the stolen brasher doubloon, a rare coin with a violent history, is the least of his exploits to date. Perhaps this is due equally to a pedestrian adaptation of Mr. Chandler's novel, The High Window , to the plodding and conventional direction accorded the film by John Brahm, and to the lack of conviction in George Montgomery's interpretation of Marlowe." [16]

Film critic Dennis Schwartz, on the other hand, liked the film and wrote, "A film noir similar in theme and almost as enjoyable as The Big Sleep , as private investigator Philip Marlowe (George Montgomery) leaves his Hollywood office for a case in Pasadena from a rich old widow who lives in a dark old house. It's just smart enough of a film noir to be considered a classic... This brooding Gothic melodrama is brought to life by John Brahm's expressionistic ambiance ably photographed by cinematographer Lloyd Ahern and by the sharp hard-boiled Raymond Chandler story the film is adapted from, The High Window. The film is not as complex as the novel, but it makes good use of its snappy dialogue and has vividly grotesque characterizations to go along with the dark mood it sets. Fritz Kortner stands out in his villainous role, which he plays like Peter Lorre would; while Florence Bates is charmingly acerbic in her creepy role as a bitter old hag." [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Marlowe</span> Fictional character

Philip Marlowe is a fictional character created by Raymond Chandler who was characteristic of the hardboiled crime fiction genre. The genre originated in the 1920s, notably in Black Mask magazine, in which Dashiell Hammett's The Continental Op and Sam Spade first appeared. Marlowe first appeared under that name in The Big Sleep, published in 1939. Chandler's early short stories, published in pulp magazines such as Black Mask and Dime Detective, featured similar characters with names like "Carmady" and "John Dalmas", starting in 1933.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victor Mature</span> American actor (1913–1999)

Victor John Mature was an American stage, film, and television actor who was a leading man in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s. His best known film roles include One Million B.C. (1940), My Darling Clementine (1946), Kiss of Death (1947), Samson and Delilah (1949), and The Robe (1953). He also appeared in many musicals opposite such stars as Rita Hayworth and Betty Grable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Chandler</span> American actor (1918–1961)

Jeff Chandler was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Cochise in Broken Arrow (1950), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was one of Universal Pictures' more popular male stars of the 1950s. His other credits include Sword in the Desert (1948), Deported (1950), Female on the Beach (1955), and Away All Boats (1956). He also performed as a radio actor and as a singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Montgomery (actor)</span> American actor (1916–2000)

George Montgomery was an American actor, best known for his work in Western films and television. He was also a painter, director, producer, writer, sculptor, furniture craftsman, and stuntman. He was engaged to Hedy Lamarr in 1941, and married Dinah Shore in 1943.

Edward Small was an American film producer from the late 1920s through 1970, who was enormously prolific over a 50-year career. He is best known for the movies The Count of Monte Cristo (1934), The Man in the Iron Mask (1939), The Corsican Brothers (1941), Brewster's Millions (1945), Raw Deal (1948), Black Magic (1949), Witness for the Prosecution (1957) and Solomon and Sheba (1959).

King Brothers Productions was an American film production company, active from 1941 to the late 1960s. It was founded by the Kozinsky brothers, Morris, Frank, and Hyman, who later changed their professional surname to "King". They had notable collaborations with such filmmakers as Philip Yordan and William Castle and are particularly remembered today for employing a number of blacklisted writers during the Red Scare of the late 1940s and 1950s. Their films include Dillinger (1945), Suspense (1946), Gun Crazy (1949), Carnival Story (1954), The Brave One, Gorgo (1961), Captain Sindbad (1963), and Heaven With a Gun (1968).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Brahm</span> German film and television director

John Brahm was a German film and television director. His films include The Undying Monster (1942), The Lodger (1944), Hangover Square (1945), The Locket (1946), The Brasher Doubloon (1947), and the 3D horror film, The Mad Magician (1954).

<i>The High Window</i> Novel by Raymond Chandler

The High Window is a 1942 novel written by Raymond Chandler. It is his third novel featuring the Los Angeles private detective Philip Marlowe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brasher Doubloon</span> American doubloon

The Brasher Doubloon is a rare American doubloon of eight escudos worth sixteen dollars, privately minted in and after 1787.

<i>Adventures of Don Juan</i> 1948 film by Vincent Sherman

Adventures of Don Juan is a 1948 American Technicolor swashbuckling adventure romance film directed by Vincent Sherman and starring Errol Flynn and Viveca Lindfors, with Robert Douglas, Alan Hale, Ann Rutherford, and Robert Warwick. Also in the cast are Barbara Bates, Raymond Burr, and Mary Stuart. The film was distributed by Warner Bros. and produced by Jerry Wald. The screenplay by George Oppenheimer and Harry Kurnitz, based on a story by Herbert Dalmas, has uncredited contributions by William Faulkner and Robert Florey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Errol Flynn filmography</span>

The film appearances of movie actor Errol Flynn (1909–1959) are listed here, including his short films and one unfinished feature.

<i>Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake</i> 1942 film by John Cromwell

Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake is a 1942 American south seas adventure film directed by John Cromwell and starring Tyrone Power. The film was adapted from Edison Marshall's 1941 historical novel Benjamin Blake. It is notable as the last film Frances Farmer appeared in before her legal problems and eventual commitment to psychiatric hospitals until 1950.

<i>Forever Amber</i> (film) 1947 film

Forever Amber is a 1947 American romantic historical drama film starring Linda Darnell and Cornel Wilde. It was based on the book of the same title by Kathleen Winsor. It also starred Richard Greene, George Sanders, Glenn Langan, Richard Haydn, and Jessica Tandy.

<i>Time to Kill</i> (1942 film) American 1942 film

Time to Kill is an American mystery film directed by Herbert I. Leeds. It is the first screen adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel The High Window, which was remade five years later as The Brasher Doubloon. The detective was changed from Philip Marlowe to Michael Shayne for this version, with Lloyd Nolan playing the part and Heather Angel in a rare turn as leading lady. It is also the final Michael Shayne film starring Lloyd Nolan made at Fox, who closed down their popular B movie unit which included Mr. Moto, Charlie Chan, and the Cisco Kid. In 1946 the series would be reborn at Producers Releasing Corporation with Hugh Beaumont taking over the role.

<i>The Thief of Venice</i> 1950 Italian film

The Thief of Venice or Il Ladro di Venezia is a 1950 Italian film directed by John Brahm. The US title was "The Thief of Venice".

<i>Miss Susie Slagles</i> 1946 film by John Berry

Miss Susie Slagle's is a 1946 American drama film directed by John Berry. It was based on the popular novel by Augusta Tucker. The film was Berry's directorial debut and first starring role for Joan Caulfield.

<i>Lorna Doone</i> (1951 film) 1951 film

Lorna Doone is a 1951 American adventure film directed by Phil Karlson and starring Barbara Hale and Richard Greene. It is an adaptation of the 1869 novel Lorna Doone by R. D. Blackmore, set in the English West Country during the 17th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Pictures</span> American film production company

International Pictures was an American film production company that existed in the 1940s. It merged with Universal Pictures to become Universal-International on October 1, 1946.

<i>No Time to Die</i> (1958 film) 1958 British film by Terence Young

No Time to Die is a 1958 British war film directed by Terence Young and starring Victor Mature, Leo Genn, Anthony Newley and Bonar Colleano. It is about an American sergeant in the British Army during the Second World War.

Earl Felton (1909–1972) was an American screenwriter.

References

  1. ↑ The Brasher Doubloon at the TCM Movie Database.
  2. ↑ Harnisch, Larry. Los Angeles Times , "Trouble Was His Business -- Raymond Chandler", March 9, 2009. Accessed: July 17, 2013.
  3. ↑ "THE HIGH WINDOW. By Raymond Chandler. 240 pp. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. $2". New York Times. Aug 16, 1942. p. BR17.
  4. ↑ "SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD: Wallace Beery in Metro Film to Play Australian Veteran of First World War 2 PICTURES OPEN TODAY ' Take a Letter, Darling' Due at Paramount -- 'Vanishing Virginian' at Criterion". New York Times. May 27, 1942. p. 27.
  5. ↑ Schallert, Edwin (June 25, 1942). "DRAMA: James Brown to Enact Top Role in 'Air Force' 'Yankees' Fan-Praised 20th Plans Thrillers Poll Shapes Film Ending Song Inspires New Title Madeline Le Beau Cast". Los Angeles Times. p. A10.
  6. ↑ Schallert, Edwin (May 1, 1945). "MacMurray Will Play 'High Window' Sleuth". Los Angeles Times. p. A2.
  7. ↑ "SCREEN NEWS: Fox to Star MacMurray in 'The High Window'". New York Times. May 1, 1945. p. 16.
  8. ↑ "JOHN PAYNE NAMED TO PLAY DETECTIVE: To Take Philip Marlowe Role in 'High Window' at Fox-- 6 New Films to Arrive". New York Times. Oct 29, 1945. p. 16.
  9. ↑ Schallert, Edwin (Dec 7, 1945). "Mature, Romero Quit Musical for New Leads". Los Angeles Times. p. 11.
  10. ↑ Schallert, Edwin (Jan 19, 1946). "Monogram Plans Horse Story in Technicolor". Los Angeles Times. p. A5.
  11. ↑ "JOAN CRAWFORD IN MYSTERY FILM: She Will Appear in Skirball and Manning's 'Portrait in Black'". New York Times. May 13, 1946. p. 34.
  12. ↑ Hopper, Hedda (May 14, 1946). "Looking at Hollywood". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 18.
  13. ↑ "LIBERTY FILMS BUY NOVEL BY BELDEN: George Stevens Will Produce 'Give Us This Night,' Story of Australian War Bride Of Local Origin". New York Times. June 13, 1946. p. 24.
  14. ↑ "ARGOSY TO RESUME FILM PRODUCTION: Studio Purchases 'The Family, a Novel by Nina Fedorova". New York Times. 24 June 1946. p. 28.
  15. ↑ Schallert, Edwin (27 July 1946). "Greene Will Return as Almsbury in 'Amber'". Los Angeles Times. p. A5.
  16. ↑ "Staff, film review". The New York Times. May 22, 1947. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  17. ↑ Schwartz, Dennis. Ozus' World Movie Reviews, film review, January 26, 2002. Accessed: July 17, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.