The Man Who Cheated Himself
The Man Who Cheated Himself is a 1950 American crime film noir directed by Felix E. Feist and starring Lee J. Cobb, Jane Wyatt and John Dall.[2]
| The Man Who Cheated Himself | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Felix E. Feist |
| Produced by | Jack M. Warner |
| Screenplay by | Seton I. Miller Philip MacDonald |
| Story by | Seton I. Miller |
| Starring | Lee J. Cobb Jane Wyatt John Dall |
| Music by | Louis Forbes |
| Cinematography | Russell Harlan |
| Edited by | David Weisbart |
| Color process | Black and white |
Production company | Jack M. Warner Productions |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 81 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $500,000[1] |
Plot
Wealthy socialite Lois Frazer, divorcing her fortune-hunter husband, Howard, finds a gun he's bought. She kills him with it in front of the new man in her life, Lt. Ed Cullen, a homicide detective with the San Francisco police. The twice-married Lois manages to manipulate Cullen into disposing of the murder weapon and moving the body. Cullen ends up assigned to investigate the case, assisted by kid brother Andy, who is new to the homicide division and delays his honeymoon to keep working on his first big case.
The gun is found and used in another killing by a young punk, Nito Capa, and Cullen—with few options to save himself and his paramour Lois—tries to pin both crimes on him. However, kid brother Andy keeps connecting Ed to the first murder, catching him in a number of evasions and lies. In desperation, Ed knocks Andy out, ties and gags him, and calls Lois and tells her they need to flee. Police roadblocks seal off the city, but Andy has a hunch where Ed took Lois to hide, at the abandoned ruins of Fort Point under the Golden Gate Bridge where Andy and his brother played together when they were kids. Their escape plan almost works, but soon they are under arrest. Outside the courtroom, Ed sees Lois affectionately offering to do anything for her lawyer if he can keep her from being convicted. Defeated, Ed offers her a cigarette and they share a final goodbye gaze.
Cast
- Lee J. Cobb as Lt. Edward Cullen
- Jane Wyatt as Lois Frazer
- John Dall as Andy Cullen
- Lisa Howard as Janet Cullen
- Harlan Warde as Howard Frazer
- Tito Vuolo as Pietro Capa
- Charles Arnt as Ernest Quimby (as Charles E. Arnt)
- Marjorie Bennett as Muriel Quimby
- Alan Wells as Nito Capa
Production
The film was initially known as The Gun. It was the first independent production from Jack M. Warner and started filming on location in San Francisco on 15 May 1950. It was to be distributed by United Artists. It was Lee J Cobb's first film since his Broadway success in Death of a Salesman.[3]
By June the film was being released by Fox.[1] In August 1950, it was retitled The Man Who Cheated Himself.[4]
The film was shot at General Service Studio.[5]
Reception
Critical response
Film critic Dennis Schwartz gave the film a positive review, writing, "In an engaging film noir efficiently directed by Felix E. Feist ... The Man Who Cheated Himself is the perfect film for the beginning of the bland Eisenhower years."[6]
According to Fabio Vighi (2012), "[The film] is the story of Lt. Ed Cullen [...], who organizes the cover-up of a murder committed by the cynical femme fatale he has fallen for, and then keeps sticking to the plan until his final downfall, despite knowing too well what is coming." (47) "[A great example of the coincidence of law and crime is in the] B-noir The Man Who Cheated Himself, particularly in the scenes with the two brothers: on the one hand, the law as neutral, non-pathological instrument (the 'good cop' played by the younger brother); on the other hand, the law as crime (the older cop, played by Lee J. Cobb). The latter is not the generically corrupt cop but a detective who is driven, like few other noir detectives, by the femme fatale he is besotted by [...] 'You said it, she's got under my skin' are his final words to his brother." (159)[7]
References
- Brady, Thomas F. (June 18, 1950). "Hollywood Warned: Frightened Lady". The New York Times. p. 203. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
- The Man Who Cheated Himself at the TCM Movie Database.
- Brady, Thomas F. (May 1, 1950). "Bogart and Lord Buy 'Butcher Bird'". The New York Times. p. 18. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
- Brady, Thomas F. (August 2, 1950). "Three New Movies on Agenda at Fox". The New York Times. p. 40. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
- Pryor, Thomas M. (August 27, 1950). "By Way of Report: Billy Rose in Films, Too?—Profit-Sharing Deals Offered by Wald-Krasna—Notes". The New York Times. p. 201. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
- Schwartz, Dennis. Ozus' World Movie Reviews, film review, January 15, 2005. Accessed: July 14, 2013.
- Fabio Vighi, Critical Theory and Film: Rethinking Ideology Through Film Noir (London: Continuum, 2012).
External links
- The Man Who Cheated Himself at the American Film Institute Catalog
- The Man Who Cheated Himself at IMDb
- The Man Who Cheated Himself at AllMovie
- The Man Who Cheated Himself at the TCM Movie Database
- The Man Who Cheated Himself at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Man Who Cheated Himself informational site and DVD review at DVD Beaver (includes images)
- The Man Who Cheated Himself is available for free download at the Internet Archive