The Other Woman (1954 film)

Last updated
The Other Woman
The Other Woman FilmPoster.jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Hugo Haas
Screenplay byHugo Haas
Produced byHugo Haas
Starring Hugo Haas
Cleo Moore
John Qualen
Jan Arvan
Lance Fuller
CinematographyEddie Fitzgerald
Edited byRobert S. Eisen
Music by Ernest Gold
Production
company
Hugo Haas Productions
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date
  • December 2, 1954 (1954-12-02)(United States)
Running time
81 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Other Woman is a 1954 American film noir written, directed and produced by Hugo Haas. Haas, Cleo Moore and John Qualen starred in the film. [1]

Contents

Plot

After aspiring actress Sherry Stewart auditions for director Walter Darman but doesn't get the part, she decides to blackmail him.

Sherry and her boyfriend Ronnie cook up a scheme, drugging Darman's drink, lying to him later that he and Sherry had become intimate, then threatening to tell his wife unless Darman comes up with $50,000.

Darman decides to confront Sherry directly, but tempers flare and he strangles her to death. His wife Lucille chooses an inopportune time to confront the actress herself, finding the body. A police inspector suspects the truth and Darman's guilty conscience eventually forces him to confess.

Cast

Reception

Critical response

Film critic Dennis Schwartz dismissed the film as "...a dull film noir, suffering from an unconvincing plot, and dry acting." [2] Cinema scholar Milan Hain is much more sympathetic to the film. "The Other Woman is Haas' most ambitious film, with many themes and motifs mirroring his own career: life in exile characterized by disillusionment and entrapment, loss of one's identity and social status, hopeless struggle with the Hollywood machinery, and the impossibility of fully realizing one's artistic visions." [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Sudden Fear</i> 1952 film noir by David Miller

Sudden Fear is a 1952 American film noir thriller film starring Joan Crawford and Jack Palance in a tale about a successful woman who marries a murderous man. Directed by David Miller, the screenplay by Lenore J. Coffee and Robert Smith was based upon the novel of the same name by Edna Sherry.

<i>On Dangerous Ground</i> 1951 film by Nicholas Ray

On Dangerous Ground is a 1951 film noir directed by Nicholas Ray, starring Robert Ryan and Ida Lupino, and produced by John Houseman. The screenplay was written by A. I. Bezzerides based on the 1945 novel Mad with Much Heart by Gerald Butler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleo Moore</span> American actress (1920s – 1973)

Cleouna Moore was an American actress, usually featured in the role of a blonde bombshell in Hollywood films of the 1950s, including seven films with Hugo Haas. She also became a well-known pin-up girl.

<i>Behind Locked Doors</i> 1948 film by Budd Boetticher

Behind Locked Doors is a 1948 film noir directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Lucille Bremer, Richard Carlson and Tor Johnson.

<i>Hold Back Tomorrow</i> 1955 film

Hold Back Tomorrow is a 1955 American film noir drama film directed by Hugo Haas and starring Cleo Moore and John Agar.

Witness to Murder is a 1954 American film noir crime drama directed by Roy Rowland and starring Barbara Stanwyck, George Sanders, and Gary Merrill. While the film received moderately positive reviews, it ended up as an also-ran to Alfred Hitchcock's somewhat similar Rear Window, which opened less than a month later. The latter picture was a box-office hit.

<i>One Girls Confession</i> 1953 film

One Girl's Confession is a 1953 low-budget film noir released by Columbia Pictures. The movie stars Cleo Moore and was written, produced, and directed by Hugo Haas who also plays a supporting part in the film.

<i>Bluebeard</i> (1944 film) 1944 film by Edgar George Ulmer

Bluebeard is a 1944 American historical film noir directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, starring John Carradine in the title role. The film also stars Jean Parker. The film is based on the famous French tale Barbe bleue that tells the story of a violent nobleman in the habit of murdering his wives and the attempts of one wife to avoid the fate of her predecessors. The film is registered in the public domain.

<i>Lured</i> 1947 film by Douglas Sirk

Lured is a 1947 American film noir directed by Douglas Sirk and starring George Sanders, Lucille Ball, Charles Coburn, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, and Boris Karloff. The film is a remake of 1939 French film Pièges directed by Robert Siodmak, which was titled Personal Column in the United States; Personal Column was also the title of this film as originally released. It did not enjoy good business under that name – the code administration was concerned that some people thought the film was titled "LURID", so United Artists pulled it from distribution, and subsequently re-released it with the alternate title.

<i>A Womans Secret</i> 1949 film by Nicholas Ray

A Woman's Secret is a 1949 American film noir/mystery starring Maureen O'Hara, Gloria Grahame and Melvyn Douglas. Directed by Nicholas Ray, it was written and produced by Herman J. Mankiewicz based on the novel Mortgage on Life by Vicki Baum.

<i>Two Smart People</i> 1946 film

Two Smart People is a 1946 American film noir crime drama film directed by Jules Dassin and starring Lucille Ball, John Hodiak, Lloyd Nolan and Hugo Haas. It was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was one of a number of noirs starring Hodiak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugo Haas</span> Czech actor

Hugo Haas was a Czech film actor, director and writer. He appeared in more than 60 films from 1926 to 1962 and directed 20 films from 1933 to 1962.

<i>The Three Musketeers</i> (1935 film) 1935 film by Otto Brower, Rowland V. Lee

The Three Musketeers is a 1935 film directed by Rowland V. Lee and starring Walter Abel, Heather Angel, Ian Keith, Margot Grahame, and Paul Lukas. It is the first English-language talking picture version of Alexandre Dumas's 1844 novel The Three Musketeers.

<i>Calcutta</i> (1947 film) 1947 film by John Farrow

Calcutta is a 1947 American film noir crime film directed by John Farrow, and written and produced by Seton I. Miller. The drama features Alan Ladd, Gail Russell and William Bendix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beverly Michaels</span> American model and film actress (1927–2007)

Beverly Eileen Michaels was an American B-movie actress and cheesecake model of the 1950s.

<i>Womens Prison</i> (1955 film) 1955 film prison noir directed by Lewis Seiler

Women's Prison is a 1955 American film noir crime film directed by Lewis Seiler and starring Ida Lupino, Jan Sterling, Cleo Moore, Audrey Totter, Phyllis Thaxter and Howard Duff.

<i>Hit and Run</i> (1957 film) 1957 film by Hugo Haas

Hit and Run is a 1957 American drama film noir directed by Hugo Haas starring Cleo Moore, Hugo Haas, and Vince Edwards.

No Questions Asked is a 1951 American crime film noir directed by Harold F. Kress and starring Barry Sullivan, Arlene Dahl, George Murphy and Jean Hagen.

<i>Strange Fascination</i> 1952 film by Hugo Haas

Strange Fascination is a 1952 American film noir directed by Hugo Haas, starring Cleo Moore, himself and Mona Barrie. This was the first of six films pairing Haas and Moore.

<i>Bait</i> (1954 film) American noir film by Hugo Haas

Bait is a 1954 American drama film, written, directed and produced by Hugo Haas. Haas himself, Cleo Moore and John Agar star in the film.

References

  1. The Other Woman at IMDb.
  2. Schwartz, Dennis, film review, Ozus' World Movie Reviews. March 28, 2013.
  3. Hain, Milan, "Hugo Haas. Forgotten Émigré", Noir City, Winter 2012. November 22, 2016