Dick Powell, Lizabeth Scott, Jane Wyatt, and Raymond Burr star in "Pitfall," a 1948 noir directed by Andre de Toth.
It's a straightforward story -- an insurance man, Forbes (Powell) is trying to recover goods purchased with embezzled money. They were purchased by a man named Bill Smiley, now in prison, for a May's Department store model, Mona Stevens (Scott). A detective, MacDonald (Burr) who works for the insurance company tracks her down, falls for her, and starts stalking her. But she falls for Forbes, married with a son. Forbes succumbs to her attractions, but when she finds out he's married, she breaks it off. Forbes feels terribly guilty about the whole situation.
MacDonald wants to get rid of the competition, so he goes and tells her imprisoned boyfriend, due to get out soon, that she's having an affair with Forbes, working Smiley into a frenzied state.
Raymond Burr is a scary so-and-so in this, heavier than he was as Perry Mason and real snarky. He's excellent. Dick Powell is the not very happy insurance man. Life has not much spark for Forbes at this point in his life. Powell plays Forbes with a tough veneer, except when dealing with his son (Jimmy Hunt). Sometimes Powell is a little too tough; I often think he's trying too hard to overcome the boyish tenor roles he played in the '30s. He tends to be one note.
Scott, with her husky voice, smooth hair, and pouty lips, is very effective as the femme fatale. Like Powell, she plays it on the down-low - this whole film has a depressing aura around it.
One really cares about the Forbes family, hates Burr, and wishes that Forbes had never gotten involved for two seconds with Scott, even if she didn't encourage Forbes, MacDonald, or blab to Smiley. As they will learn, she just spells trouble.
Very good noir.
It's a straightforward story -- an insurance man, Forbes (Powell) is trying to recover goods purchased with embezzled money. They were purchased by a man named Bill Smiley, now in prison, for a May's Department store model, Mona Stevens (Scott). A detective, MacDonald (Burr) who works for the insurance company tracks her down, falls for her, and starts stalking her. But she falls for Forbes, married with a son. Forbes succumbs to her attractions, but when she finds out he's married, she breaks it off. Forbes feels terribly guilty about the whole situation.
MacDonald wants to get rid of the competition, so he goes and tells her imprisoned boyfriend, due to get out soon, that she's having an affair with Forbes, working Smiley into a frenzied state.
Raymond Burr is a scary so-and-so in this, heavier than he was as Perry Mason and real snarky. He's excellent. Dick Powell is the not very happy insurance man. Life has not much spark for Forbes at this point in his life. Powell plays Forbes with a tough veneer, except when dealing with his son (Jimmy Hunt). Sometimes Powell is a little too tough; I often think he's trying too hard to overcome the boyish tenor roles he played in the '30s. He tends to be one note.
Scott, with her husky voice, smooth hair, and pouty lips, is very effective as the femme fatale. Like Powell, she plays it on the down-low - this whole film has a depressing aura around it.
One really cares about the Forbes family, hates Burr, and wishes that Forbes had never gotten involved for two seconds with Scott, even if she didn't encourage Forbes, MacDonald, or blab to Smiley. As they will learn, she just spells trouble.
Very good noir.