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Monday, June 20, 2022

THE MADONNA'S SECRET (1946)

Typically slapdash second-run feature from Republic Studios where bills got paid with cheap serial Westerns & Roy Rogers matinee fare (strong product showed when John Ford or Frank Borzage parked for an indie project), but usually came to grief when they tried to expand their offerings with attempted class.  Ergo this LAURA-wannabe murder mystery, a lesson in moviemaking missteps.  At least there’s real deal noir atmosphere thanks to ‘Prince of Darkness’ cinematographer John Alton, just not enough to get past a phony parade of characters, story development, dialogue & structure.  (Oh, is that all?)  Francis Lederer, with his look of corrupted handsomeness, stars as a successful portrait painter who falls for his models only to see them die in circumstances that point back to him.  Under suspicion, if not under arrest, his only champion his newest model, the secret sister of an earlier victim . . . and she might be next!  Even with cops keeping scorecards on Lederer, nothing adds up in this one.  And while there's a strong line up of supporting male actors doing character bits, the women are all perfectly awful.  Ann Rutherford, too sweet by half, a particular horror as the sister, and Gail Patrick’s rich society bitch unbearably arch.  After a while, the general incompetence almost becomes fascinating . . . not that I’d recommend it.

WATCH THIS, NOT THAT: As mentioned above, LAURA/’44.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: Completely extraneous nightclub act sees some glam torch singer get the pointy end in a knife-throwing act while she warbles.  Hilarious.

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