We've all heard the saying that behind every great man, there's a little woman pushing him on. But what if the big lug has no desire to be pushed on? What's a gal to do then? Well, if the woman is Barbara Stanwyck in the 1957 film "Crime of Passion," she connives, eliminates the competition, arranges phony accidents, engages in adultery and finally commits homicide, all to push hubby up the rungs of success. In this film, Babs plays a tough-dame reporter in San Francisco who falls hard for L.A. cop Sterling Hayden. She even marries the big galoot after a couple of dates and moves to Lalaland with him. Anyway, that's the setup of what turns out to be a fairly interesting, sexually frank, compact little noir, featuring a once-in-a-lifetime cast. Stanwyck, 50 here and nudging toward the end of her spectacular film career, is as intense as ever (she always gave her all in every picture); Hayden is his typically macho, upright self; Raymond Burr, playing Hayden's boss, is a tad less sleazy than usual but still not to be trusted; and Fay Wray, also 50 here and approaching the end of HER career, is fine in her small role as Burr's wife. Director Gerd Oswald, a favorite amongst fans of the old "Outer Limits" (and who also went on to direct Burr on TV's "Perry Mason"), does his usual excellent job as well. The presences of Stanwyck and Hayden, who had starred in such noir classics as "Double Indemnity" ('44), "The Asphalt Jungle" ('50) and "The Killing" ('56), add greatly to the noirish feel here. And if this film shows anything, it's that there's one place on Earth you DON'T want to be: on Babs' bad side!
Review of Crime of Passion
