Phantom Lady (1944) User Reviews

ooh baby, that's some noir you've got there

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 1 October 2005]

Robert Siodmak does a fabulous job with this B noir starring Ella Raines, Franchot Tone, and Alan Curtis. And he does it, I might add, without a lot of help from his male actors, i.e., Curtis and Tone. It's Raines all the way, a pretty, leggy actress who for one reason or another never reached the status of some of her "noir" counterparts.

Siodmak's use of sex, light, shadows, and music is truly remarkable as he tackles this genre. The shadows, lighting effects, and camera angles are all effective. But the highlight of the film takes place in a nightclub with a very sexual drum riff by Elisha Cook, egged on by an excited Raines. It's this scene that brings "Phantom Lady" into new territory.

Siodmak's commitment to the material is matched only by Raines, who gives a sincere performance as a woman in love trying to save her man. Franchot Tone phoned this one in. Alan Curtis didn't seem upset that he might die and didn't seem happy that he lived. And he never, except for a brief moment in prison, seemed to be in love with Raines.

The amusing thing about many of these films is that, as World War II progressed, interest in psychiatry deepened. But often the terms were used incorrectly in films such as "Possessed," "Spellbound," and "The Greatest Show on Earth." Tone is called paranoid by Thomas Gomez - Tone probably has some paranoia attached to his disorder, but he appears to be closer to a psychopath. In actuality, as evidenced by his headaches, he may have had a brain tumor pushing against his brain.

Phantom Lady doesn't have the greatest plot, but it's well worth watching.

One Thing Bothered Me

[jraskin-1 · 6/10 · 1 May 2011]

I'll admit that I like a certain degree of plausibility in films. Thus, it was hard for me to totally embrace this movie after watching the scene in which the husband (Alan Curtis) comes home to his darkened apartment and calls out for his wife, wondering where she is,unaware that detectives were there waiting for him. It was obvious that Curtis expected the wife to be home, not to mention alive, yet the detectives never took this into consideration. If you strangled your spouse, would you return home later and call out for her? Besides, who could have tipped off the detectives that a murder had occurred? OK, if you get by these sore spots, you'll find a well-made film noir that is worth watching.

some great scenes

[rafael105 · 6/10 · 19 October 2013]

The wired jazz scene with Elisha Cook banging away at the mad drums is worth the whole movie. Plus, there's Ella Raines, looking lovelier than ever. This movie must have really disturbed 1944 audiences. There's a psycho murdering sculptor with strong hands and a fatal weakness. There's fat nasty policemen who breathe down everyone's necks. There's Aurora Miranda trying to steal sister Carmen's act. There's lots of sweating in the August swelter of New York. There's plenty of bad acting and bad dialogue. But, there are also some really unusual shots of street scenes during the long sequence in which Ella pursues the bartender to his death. Strong stuff, indeed. And, did I mention there's Ella Raines looking lovelier than ever? I think I'm in love.

Quirky "B" Film

[Bucs1960 · 10 May 2004]

This is a strange little movie.......a film noir with some good performances and some not so good. You often see this film on lists of noir classics but it raises the inevitable question....is it a classic or does it have just too many faults to raise it to the level of winners like "DOA", "The Big Sleep" or "Night and the City".

The premise is fairly good. A man can't prove his whereabouts when his wife is murdered and can only describe his alibi as an unknown woman wearing a rather distinctive hat The story follows the hero's secretary and a sympathetic policeman as they try to prove his innocence. Alan Curtis is a disaster as a gloomy, rather unlikeable man who pretty much gives up trying to find the real killer and becomes resigned to his fate. He doesn't put up much of a fight and his attitude doesn't help much. The lovely Ella Raines portrays the secretary who gets herself into some uncomfortable situations, especially with Elisha Cooke Jr as the drummer man with the plan. Plenty has been said about the drumming scene which somehow sneaked by the censors. It has to be seen to be believed.......whew!!

Franchot Tone plays the hero's best friend and I am still trying to figure out if his playing of that part was really good or really bad. The answer is probably "really bad". The role is against type for him and he overdoes it. He does have a great apartment though!

Fay Helm, playing the woman with the hat, is strangely attractive and is just right for the "phantom lady". Thomas Gomez, as the friendly cop, does his usual good job. So is this film worth watching?......yes. It has some plot holes but overall it is enjoyable. Give it a try.

It Never Raines ...

[writers_reign · 7/10 · 26 March 2014]

This was the third of fourteen novels/short stories by Cornell Woolrich to be adapted for the screen in the nineteen forties. There had been one in 1929, one in 1934 and one in 1938 but the floodgates opened in the forties and though adaptations continued through subsequent decades it was the forties that were the most fruitful. The original novel, published in 1942, had another claim to fame inasmuch as it was the first time the pseudonym William Irish appeared in print - the publishers felt that the prolific Woolrich had published so many novels so quickly under that name - the name on his birth certificate read: Cornell George Hopley-Woolrich - that there was a danger of the public becoming sated, accordingly they suggested a new name might be in order and William Irish was the result. Woolrich/Irish quickly developed his own 'voice' and genre, psychological thriller-cum-terror and just a handful of forties titles adapted for the screen - The Leopard Man, Deadline At Dawn, Black Angel,Fear In The Night, I Wouldn't Be In Your Shoes, Night Has A Thousand Eyes - illustrate this although arguably the finest adaptation, The Window, had a somewhat innocuous title. Phantom Lady is slightly different to the novel though the premise remains the same; following a quarrel with his wife the protagonist meets a woman in a bar and invites her to spend the evening with him (he already has two tickets to a popular show, one meant for his wife) and she agrees with the proviso that they do not exchange names,, phone numbers, or indeed any scrap of personal information. Returning home he finds his wife has been strangled with one of his own neckties and he, with no real alibi, is the only suspect. Tried and convicted his only chance to escape the chair is for someone to locate the phantom lady, whose only distinguishing feature is a singular hat, so that we are now in a race- against-the-clock scenario which, given the date, 1944, will, we know, inevitably resolve itself happily. Director Robert Siodmak created a fine, atmospheric mood, drawing liberally on the expressionistic roots of his native Germany, whilst the cast comprised some of the names familiar to buffs of forties movies, Andrew Tombes, Thomas Gomez, Elisha Cooke, Ella Raines, Alan Curtis and top-billed Franchot Tone, cast against type. Certainly watchable and a reasonable addition to the 'noir' gallery.

A Dark Treat

[manfromlaramie-1 · 10/10 · 3 September 2005]

Sadly not available on DVD as yet, but worth pursuing on TCM or VHS. A secretary believes her boss is wrongly accused of murder, and courageously takes on many dangerous characters in an effort to establish the truth. A movie with many twists and dark alleyways, none of which I will mention! The jazz band sequence where our heroine seeks the information about the killer, is one of the most erotic scenes in Hollywood history, despite being at very low budget and made during WWII in black and white. Despite the low budget - Long Island looks somewhat mountainous - this is a movie of original style and outstanding vision. Ella Raines was a great actress discovered by Howard Hawks who knew much about these matters, casting the feistiest women - Joanne Dru, Hepburn, Angie Dickinson, Lauren Bacall, Ann Sheridan - of their era. Robert Siodmak was of one of several German, Hungarian & Czech film-makers - Sirk, Wilder, Zinnemann, Lubitsch, Curtiz,Lang, etc - who émigrés relocated to Hollywood, and brought a highly original fresh vision with them. Sadly Ella Raines was never given such a great part again, and eventually ended up in poorly produced westerns.

Witness wanted

[unbrokenmetal · 7/10 · 1 September 2016]

'Phantom Lady' (retitled in my country as 'Witness wanted') is a little gem for anyone who appreciates 1940s film noir. It need not feature any of the big stars (Bogart, Cagney, Laughton, Ladd etc.), because its strengths are its excellent b/w photography and an interesting story that doesn't rely on predictable clichés of the genre.

Scott Henderson (Alan Curtis) is arrested for the murder of his wife. He is completely innocent, since he spent the evening at a theater with an unknown woman he invited after he met her at a bar (yes, his marriage has seen better days). But when asked for an alibi, not only that 'phantom lady' has disappeared, also several witnesses deny to have seen him with her. Thus, he's thrown into jail, and only his secretary (Ella Raines) and inspector Burgess (Thomas Gomez) don't give up the investigation. When Marlow (Franchot Tone), an old friend of Henderson, offers his assistance, the investigation is taking up speed, but meanwhile another witness was murdered. How can they defend Henderson without witnesses?

What I liked especially about 'Phantom Lady' is that there is no actual hero. Henderson is giving up, sits in his prison cell all day and doesn't show any hope. It's almost like he wants to be imprisoned for something he didn't do. So it's really the secretary who becomes the central character, driving the search for the real murderer. Quite unusual for the times and well worth watching.

Excellent film noir

[perfectbond · 10/10 · 23 January 2004]

This is a very unusual film in that the star with the top billing doesn't appear literally until half way in. Nevertheless I was engaged by the hook of the Phantom Lady. Curtis, though competent as the falsely accused Scott Henderson, looks a little tough to be be sympathetic towards (perhaps he should have shaved his moustache) and his behavior when he first comes home should have convinced the cops at least to some degree of his innocence. While another commentator had a problem with Franchot Tone as Jack Marlowe I found his portrayal of the character to be impressively complex. He is no stock villain. Superb character actor Elisha Cook Jr. is again in top form as the 'little man with big ambitions.' His drumming in the musical numbers added a welcome touch of eroticism. This movie however is carried by the very capable and comely Ella Raines as the devoted would be lover of Henderson, Carol Richmond. She definitely has talent and her screen presence is in the tradition of Lauren Bacall. This is the first of her work I have seen and I am definitely inclined to see her other roles. The rest of the supporting cast is also more than competent. All in all a very satisfying film noir mystery which when viewed today fully conveys the dark and complex urban world it is intended to. Recommended, 8/10.

so this movie...

[Quinoa1984 · 7/10 · 15 May 2016]

This isn't the best film noir but in a way it's quintessential in this way: I saw this years ago, and I have such a hazy memory that it's almost like I didn't see it... I think (?) It's the kind of movie I used to throw on really late at night like at 2 AM and I might watch all of it or some of it and then the rest the next day, and it has the kind of film noir plot and execution that it blends into many other film noirs. I don't mean to say that as a put down or to its detriment, but this fits so well into how this mood and feel work involving murder and a woman-who-wasn't-there (or seemingly never was) and a mystery to find the missing woman and all of the twists and turns therein.

It might be because it doesn't have the top shelf cast of some of the other movies of the period - there's no Barbara Stanwyck or Robert Mitchum or Edward G Robinson or Burt Lancaster or Glenn Ford or the list goes on - and yet I don't remember anyone here being so bad or off-putting that I had to turn it off or felt like I didn't get my VHS rental's worth. Siodmak's a quality director, and this is clearly the forerunner to what he would perfect with The Killers and Criss Cross. I'm sure I should see it again so I can solidify my opinion of it, but in a way I think it's fitting that it's half-forgotten - it's almost like the way that the characters find themselves in this story, a mystery to track down something buried away and not wanting to be found.

Or something.

Ella Raines Steals The Show

[seymourblack-1 · 8/10 · 7 January 2014]

"Phantom Lady" is notable for having provided legendary film noir director Robert Siodmak with his first American success. Its story, which was adapted from a Cornell Woolrich novel, involves an innocent man who's wrongly accused of murdering his wife and his loyal secretary who embarks on a race against time to prove his innocence. This tale of murder, bribery and betrayal features some extraordinary scenes and the action (which is set in New York City) takes place in locations which often look dark and threatening.

After having quarrelled with his wife on the evening of their wedding anniversary, despondent civil engineer Scott Henderson (Alan Curtis) consoles himself with a drink at a local bar and starts to reflect on the fact that he has a couple of tickets for a Broadway show. On the spur of the moment, he asks a lady sitting next to him if she'd like to accompany him to the show and she agrees subject to the condition that they don't disclose or discuss any personal information. The show is eventful because, not only does the drummer in the orchestra try to flirt with Scott's mystery lady but also one of the stars of the show, Estela Monteiro (Aurora Miranda) shows her extreme annoyance when she realises that the lady with Scott is wearing a hat identical to her own. At the end of the evening, Scott and his companion part company and he goes home.

When Scott arrives at his apartment, he finds three detectives there and is informed that his wife has been strangled to death with one of his ties. He immediately becomes the prime suspect and when his alibi doesn't stand up, he's charged and subsequently found guilty of murder.

Scott's devoted secretary, Carol "Kansas" Richman (Ella Raines) is secretly in love with him and utterly convinced that he wouldn't be capable of murder and so sets out to find the real killer before Scott's executed. On the night of the murder a bartender, a cab driver and Estela Monteiro had all seen Scott but they all denied seeing a lady with him. Carol uses an unorthodox method to try to persuade the bartender to change his testimony but he's accidentally killed when he gets run down by a car. To her surprise, Police Inspector Burgess (Thomas Gomez) who'd been involved in Scott's case also comes to the conclusion that Scott is innocent and unofficially assists with her investigation.

Carol subsequently discovers that the orchestra drummer at the theatre had been bribed to say that no-one was with Scott on the night of the murder and when she eventually discovers the identity of Scott's mysterious woman it unfortunately doesn't provide the simple solution to the case that she'd hoped for or expected.

Ella Raines' performance is astonishingly good because of the way that she changes her demeanour so successfully in a variety of different situations. She goes from being convincing as a typical secretary to showing the psychological strength needed to totally unnerve the bartender who'd perjured himself and then flaunts herself outrageously in a scene where she tries to seduce the drummer Cliff Milburn (Elisha Cook Jr.).

At one juncture of the movie, Cliff takes Carol to a jam session where he launches into an improvised drum solo which is so sexually charged and intense that it goes well beyond the level of mere innuendo and the way that Carol responds is equally strong and provocative. This scene is highly entertaining and provides a marvellous example of the kind of innovation and originality that filmmakers employed to express themselves powerfully in times when censorship standards made their job more difficult.

"Phantom Lady" is well directed and the scenes in which low-key lighting is used provide a perfect backdrop for the type of action on show as well as contributing strongly to the ominous atmosphere of the piece.

Nervy style on a low-end budget...

[moonspinner55 · 6/10 · 21 August 2009]

Overcooked film noir, enjoyable but nearly on a camp level. Ella Raines (always an interesting actress) plays a secretary attempting to clear her handsome boss on a murder charge, going after the real killer herself. Well-written B-picture--penned by Bernard C. Schoenfeld from a Cornell Woolrich novel--includes some very interesting staging and photography, one justifiably famous sequence with Elisha Cook, Jr. performing a manic drum solo. Supporting cast (including Franchot Tone and Alan Curtis) is a little weak, but Raines acquits herself nicely in this scenario. Film is overflowing with ham-handed touches, yet is undeniably potent in a trashy, seedy way. **1/2 from ****

Creepy, moody and well done.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 17 March 2016]

Scott (Alan Curtis) has a bad marriage and things are about to get a lot worse. Instead of going out with his wife, Scott spends the evening with a lady he's met in a bar. They got to a show together and then he returns home...only to find the cops there! It seems his wife is dead...and Scott is having a horrible time coming up with an alibi. The folks who could prove his innocence say they cannot recall him and the woman he was with cannot be found. Not surprisingly, he's convicted of her murder and he's soon on death row.

His secretary, Kansas (Ella Raines), believes her boss is innocent and spends most of the movie trying to prove it. However, what she doesn't realize is that the man helping her (Franchot Tone) is actually a maniac and he's framed Alan! By the time she's finally realized what's happened...it might just be too late, as he's more than willing to kill EVERYONE who can prove Alan isn't the killer!

This is a really good relatively low budget film. The only complaint, and it's a minor one, is that the identity of the real killer is seen way too early and some of the suspense is missing. Still, well done and very enjoyable if you like film noir and suspense films.

By the way, the Brazilian singer you see on stage near the beginning is Aurora Miranda--sister of Carmen. She never even came close to Carmen's fame in America and you wonder if it perhaps could have been since Aurora had much darker skin and looked more black. Sad if it was the case.

Plenty of noir style but little substance in the telling...

[Doylenf · 6/10 · 23 April 2011]

PHANTOM LADY is an overpraised thriller penned by Cornel Woolrich (under the name Robert Irish here), full of film noir touches that make it a classic of German expressionism, as directed by Robert Siodmak. But there are so many loopholes and coincidences in the script that it can't bear close inspection without failing to reveal the gimmicky plot.

None of it is subtle. In fact, it's really a camp style film noir with ELISHA COOK, JR. contributing his most over-the-top portrayal of a psychotic drummer and FRANCHOT TONE having a grand melodramatic time depicting a man whose criminal conscience gives him plenty of headaches.

ELLA RAINES is pretty as a picture in her role as the persistent secretary of engineer ALAN CURTIS, who is intent on solving the crime he is accused of--namely, killing his wife. How she goes about her mission to prove his innocence requires a lot of disbelief to swallow before any of it is even remotely credible. Acting by the three leads is never above competent because of the thinly written characters they play.

What really hurts is that FAY HELM as the woman with the hat who eludes the track of those trying to find her (the Phantom Lady), plays her role in a completely synthetic and alienating way, never convincing. And AURORA MIRANDA plays the musical star diva with comic but overdone zest.

However, what's so admirable about the film is its use of noir touches throughout--the low-lit scenes, the shadowy menace, the rainswept streets, the interesting camera angles--all of which can be attributed to director Siodmak's hand behind the camera.

But as a Cornel Woolrich story, it falls short in many ways.

As a film noir favorite, it scores largely because of the excellent B&W photography which helps disguise the low-budget aspect of most of the sets.

A Plot So Dumb It Will Make Your Head Hurt

[disinterested_spectator · 4/10 · 20 August 2015]

This movie has one of the most contrived and illogical plots in cinematic history. Scott Henderson and his wife have an argument, and he leaves their apartment and goes to a bar. Shortly after, his wife is strangled by Jack Marlow, with whom she was having an affair. Because there is no evidence connecting him with her murder, the police never suspect him, and so all he has to do is take the trip to Brazil as planned.

But no! He decides that he must make sure that Henderson is suspected of the crime. So, he only pretends to get on the ship and then slips off and follows Henderson around (he catches up with the ship later by taking a plane to Havana). He sees that Henderson meets a woman in a bar, whom he persuades to go to a show with him, inasmuch as he already has tickets. She agrees, and they take a cab. They sit right up front, and it turns out that she is wearing the same unusual hat worn by the star of the show, Miss Montiero. The drummer takes a fancy to the woman with Henderson and flirts with her.

So, Marlow figures he must bribe the bartender, the cabdriver, and the drummer to say they never saw the woman, thereby depriving Henderson of his alibi. Marlow does not have to bribe Miss Montiero, because her vanity won't let her admit that someone in the audience wore the same hat that she did, which she apparently disposed of. Of course, other women in the show might have remembered Miss Montiero's hat, and other members of the band might have noticed the woman in the front row with the hat, but Marlow does not bother to bribe any of them.

As a result, the bartender says he saw Henderson at the bar, but not the woman; and the cabdriver says he picked up Henderson and drove him to the show, but there was no woman with him. And so, without an alibi, Henderson is convicted of murder on the flimsiest of circumstantial cases and sentenced to be executed. However, no one in the movie seems to realize that the bartender and cabdriver have provided Henderson with an alibi anyway. Whether he had a woman with him is irrelevant. For that matter, if Marlow was going to bribe these characters, he should have told them to deny seeing Henderson rather than deny seeing the woman with him. Had he done that, then the woman would be the only one who could provide Henderson with an alibi, and the frantic search for her would have made sense.

It gets worse. Although there are only a few weeks until Henderson will be executed, Marlow returns from Brazil and decides to murder the drummer when he sees Carol, Henderson's assistant, trying to get information out of him. Even so, there still would be no evidence connecting him with that murder either, except that he picks up Carol's purse, which she left behind when the drummer became angry, and puts it in a drawer in his apartment.

These do not exhaust the absurdities in this movie, which pile up on top of the ones already discussed, but there is no point in beating a dead horse. And because we immediately become aware of these absurdities as they unfold, watching the movie can be an exasperating experience.

Testing the Limits

[dougdoepke · 3 July 2011]

So how did the producers get that orgasmic release scene past the censors. Sure, Carol (Raines) and Cliff (Cook) are about ten feet apart as he pounds on the drums while she sways back and forth in total sync, their faces contorted in frenzied delight. There's no guesswork here. It's as close to the real thing as the decade gets, and a masterpiece of simulated ecstasy. I wonder what the set was like while filming this.

The movie's a tight little thriller, helmed by noir master Robert Siodmak. So who is it that's framing architect Henderson (Curtis) for his wife's murder. By golly, the lovelorn Carol is going to find out even if it leads her down every dark, scary street on the studio lot. And once she dons her cheap hep-cat outfit, that's just where she's headed. But it's that frenzied jazz scene with Cliff that steals the show. Everything after seems something of an anti-climax. However, be sure to catch that beautifully modulated scene where Carol plies the emotionally disturbed Ann (Helm) for access to the incriminating ladies' hat. It's poignantly done, especially by actress Helm.

No doubt, this is one of the noir highpoints of the period, with dark symbolism and atmospheric shadows aplenty. Also, Raines gives a winning performance as the unstoppable Carol, while Tone wisely refuses to go over the top as the psychopath. On the other hand, it's a good thing we don't see much of Curtis in both a badly written and dimly performed part. I'm guessing Siodmak cared little how that particularly conventional role came across. Anyway, for fans of 40's noir, this Universal programmer remains a must-see.

You never go wrong with Vanilla

[highclark · 7/10 · 9 May 2005]

I can safely admit (as an IMDb geek) that 'Phantom Lady' will never crack into my film noir top twenty. It may not even sneak into the top fifty. But rather than discredit the film for not being as good as so many other classics of the film noir genre, it should be noted that 'Phantom Lady' has enough strong and lasting images in it to make it a worthwhile viewing. All that is required from the viewer is the ability to get beyond the dreadfully slow beginning.

The film doesn't get cooking until 'Kansas' (Ella Raines) sets about trying to prove all but single handedly the innocence of her boss, Scott Anderson (Alan Curtis), who has been convicted of murder. 'Kansas' is Anderson's secretary by day and amateur detective by night. As the novice sleuth she does quite well for herself while working the streets of New York at night. Little by little she starts putting pieces of a murder mystery puzzle together. To be honest, the film belongs to Raines and it is only due to her presence that the film works well at all. Somehow she is able to breathe life into a film about a condemned man who is not interesting in the slightest. I'm not sure if this splintered dynamic of a characterless leading man becomes the fault of the actor or the director, but clearly this is where something becomes terribly wrong with the film.

As interesting as Raines is as a novice detective, things really accelerate into another hidden gear when 'Kansas' pays a late night visit to a wandering drummer (Elisha Cook, Jr.) in search of some information to help her condemned boss. She and the drummer paint the town a new kind of red while visiting the "all night" jazz clubs. Trying to describe this scene will either prove an injustice to the scene or worse yet, it could ruin the scene all together. You'll know the scene once the last cymbal crash has finished ringing out. If you're lucky enough to have this film on DVD, you'll more than likely be rewinding this scene again and again. As good as Raines is, it is this scene that makes this film noteworthy. It is mainly because of this scene that I rate 'Phantom Lady' a 7 instead of a 6.

For the most part this film comes off as tepid and bland with a few great scenes and one magnificent scene. It is the 'drum/sex scene' that separates this film from any others of the same ilk.

And just like it is said in the film that "you never go wrong with Vanilla", I would also like to add that "going with Vanilla" is the safe fall back choice when one can't decide on having a tastier treat.

7/10. Clark Richards

You're not in Kansas anymore!

[jotix100 · 8/10 · 2 May 2004]

Scott Henderson, the engineer that employs Carol Richman, as his assistant, makes a point to call her "Kansas", whenever he speaks to her. It shows us that Carol, effectively played by Ella Raines, is supposed to be a babe in the woods, as far as the Manhattan of the 40s was concerned. Only a woman, from out of town, would follow the shady bartender to a solitary elevated subway. Even then, only a naive girl could undertake such an adventure.

Robert Siodmak directed this film noir very well. He shows a flair for infusing the story with a lot of raw sex that was surprising for those days. How else could we justify the way the drummer in the orchestra of the musical, where Scott takes the mysterious woman with an unusual hat, makes such an overt pass at a lady on a date? The drummer played with high voltage by Elisha Cook Jr. doesn't hide his desires for any of the ladies who sat in the front row of the hit musical where he plays. It was a real explicit invitation, first to the "phantom woman" of the story, Fay Helm; afterward, Cliff the drummer, insinuates himself very openly to Ella Raines who goes to the theater disguised as the mystery dame her boss had taken originally.

This is a film that will hook any viewer from the beginning. There are things not explained in it, but it holds the one's interest throughout. The killer is not revealed until the end.

Ella Raines with her expressive eyes was an under estimated actress. She holds her own against much more experienced actors. Franchot Tone, a New York stage actor, working in Hollywood, never found in this medium the fame he deserved. He is effective as the accused man's best friend. On the other hand, Alan Curtis, comes across as a man, who when framed, accepts his fate and is saved only by the tenacity of the woman who secretly loved him. Thomas Gomez, as the inspector Burgess, is an asset to the film as a detective who has his doubts the police had caught the man who committed the crime.

This movie will not disappoint.

Schizophrenic (appropriately?), But I Liked It Anyway

[cdlistguy · 6/10 · 26 April 2022]

I could spend all day pointing out the ways this didn't work, but, instead, I'll just say the script is weak, the actors are poorly directed, and it has a campy quality at times that doesn't fit the tone (excuse the pun). On the other hand, the cinematography is lovely, as is the set design and lighting, making it enjoyable to watch. Ella Raines, though unconvincing as the "cheap dame" that she has to play at one point, is quite sympathetic as the woman on a mission. There's also an excellently shot bebop jazz scene that is definitely a highlight. My final recommendation is that you start it and see where it takes you.

High Noir

[st-shot · 9/10 · 11 May 2011]

Sitting in a bar brooding over his failing marriage, Scott Henderson ( Alan Curtis ) picks up a woman (Ann Terry) at a bar one night to just kill time. They catch a stage show then separate without ever exchanging names. Returning home he finds his wife strangled and a trio of skeptical detectives not buying his story. With the mysterious woman his only alibi he and the gumshoes retrace the night before with Henderson. Since the woman was wearing a flamboyant hat Curtis feels the bartender, cab driver and the Carmen Miranda (her sister Aurora) look alike performer who wore the same hat in her show will identify the woman and support his alibi but the witnesses uniformly deny ever seeing her. Henderson is quickly tried and sentenced to be executed. Only his faithful secretary Carol Richman (Ella Raines) aka Kansas believes in his innocence as she doggedly pursues witnesses to come clean.

Phantom Lady is a triumph of form over content. The far-fetched storyline is highly implausible but under the masterful direction of Robert Siodmak and cameraman Woody Bredell it rises above its material like the express elevator at the Empire State. Injecting menace and suspense in scene after scene as he puts Kansas in harm's way Siodmak presents us with some of the finest canvases in the noir canon along with some jarring editing and excellent audio to buttress the absorbing nightmarish world where nothing is certain.

Siodmak is further hampered by the leads who are pedestrian at best but Raines does have a bewitching fatale look and toughness about her that sustains interest as she gets herself into one predicament after another. A supporting cast of cynical cops and callous witnesses, especially Elisha Cooke Jr. as a real gone drummer also provides Phantom Lady with an ideal demographic of the noir world and with Siodmak at the helm you could not have a better guide.

Good

[AAdaSC · 7/10 · 8 February 2010]

Scott Henderson (Alan Curtis) meets a mystery woman (Fay Helm) in a bar and invites her to see a show with him. She agrees on condition that they don't swap any information about each other - not even names. Sometimes these are the best kind of dates. However, when he returns to his apartment, Inspector Burgess (Thomas Gomez) and his team are waiting for him. Scott's wife has been murdered. His alibi is the mystery woman but no-one can remember seeing her and, as a result of this, Scott is sentenced to die for the murder of his wife. His secretary Kansas (Ella Raines) is not convinced of his guilt and sets out to find the woman who can save him from the death penalty.

This is a good film and the viewer is 100% behind the attempts of Kansas to get to the truth. We follow her through some memorable scenes, eg, her pursuit of Mac the bartender (Andrew Tombes) at night and the claustrophobic venue where Cliff the drummer (Elisha Cook Jr) takes her to hang out, drink and dance while he jams with his friends. This is such a blatant depiction of sexual desire that it is a stand-out part of the film as everyone sweats intensely and rhythmically for the duration of the scene. Ella Raines is good in the female lead role and Thomas Gomez makes a likable policeman. Alan Curtis started well as the confused, innocent man, but once he is arrested his performance took a left turn as he became thoroughly unpleasant to Kansas for no reason. God knows why she stuck by him.

The film doesn't keep you guessing as to who the murderer is as we know from about halfway through the film, but this doesn't matter. In fact, it adds to the tension and dramatic development of the story as we will Kansas to discover what is going on and then to get the hell out! It's a good film with some great scenes but although Elisha Cook Jr has a memorable role, I just never like him in anything that I see him in.... someone hand me a neck-tie.....

Now you see her, now you don't

[robert-temple-1 · 8/10 · 4 August 2016]

This is a very good mystery thriller in the film noir mode, directed by the émigré German director Robert Siodmak. It is based on a novel by Cornell Woolrich. The plot may not be entirely original, but it is very effective. Alan Curtis is the leading man. He is little remembered today, partly because he died early at the age of only 43 in 1953, nine years after this film was released. Curtis is unhappily married and goes to a bar (in Manhattan) to have a drink to comfort himself. There he meets a mysterious woman in an outlandish hat, who takes a seat beside him but seems deeply preoccupied with her own troubles. Curtis has two tickets for a hit show to which he had intended to take his wife, but as she refused to go, he offers them to the woman, saying it is a shame for them to go to waste. He ends up taking the woman to the show, but she refuses to give him her name and she remains an enigma. He returns home later to find three policemen waiting for him, and his wife lying in the bedroom, having been strangled to death by one of his own ties while he was out. So we are faced with that favourite plot element of many such films, the need to find the mysterious woman who is the only person who can prove his alibi and prevent him being wrongly executed for the murder of his wife. Meanwhile, some witnesses have been bribed to lie about having seen him with the woman, and this raises sinister doubts as to what is really going on. Curtis's secretary, who secretly loves him, played by Ella Raines, sticks by him and does some detective work after he is arrested. She is determined to prove his innocence. Franchot Tone gives a chilling and convincing performance as a psychopathic killer, and the lines of dialogue given to him when he attempts to justify himself are even more chilling than his performance itself. Woolrich must have known a few crazies personally to get it so accurate. Elisha Cook Jr. has a significant role in the film, and he always lends an air of horrifying authenticity to any film noir, especially when he opens his eyes wide with terror in that special way he had. In this film, he shows that he is a good drummer in a jazz band. This is well worth watching.

Missing Alibi Witness

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 29 March 2017]

Although Franchot Tone does not appear in the film for the first half he rates top billing in Phantom Lady. I'm sure that when he signed for this film he saw he would be playing a part that was different than the roles he got a MGM for the most part.

Ella Raines is the one that carries this film. Her boss and Tone's partner Alan Curtis has been arrested for his wife's murder. She was no loss, from what we learn of her she was cheating right and left. Still murder is murder.

And Curtis's problem is the woman he picked up that night has vanished. She's his alibi witness. Like she was a Phantom Lady.

Even after the conviction Raines is determined to find this woman and she even has an ally in police detective Thomas Gomez who has never felt right about the case.

There's not much suspense and there sure is no mystery here because it isn't hard to figure out and the murderer is identified with 60% of the film done. The suspense is whether Raines can put it together and realize the danger she's walking into.

Besides those already mentioned look for good performances from Elisha Cook, Jr. as a hop head drummer, Aurora Miranda, Carmen's sister playing a Carmen Miranda like entertainer. In fact her outrageous hat like the ones her sister wore is an integral part of the mystery for Raines. Finally there is a really touching performance from Fay Helm in the title role. There is a sad reason why she has seemingly disappeared.

Between this one and Tall In The Saddle with John Wayne I think are Ella Raines's career roles. Both are very good.

Searching for the Cat in the Hat...

[mark.waltz · 9/10 · 10 April 2013]

A mysterious woman wearing an odd hat escorts a stranger to a Broadway musical revue and totally disappears after the date when he needs her most. You see, his wife has been murdered, and he has no alibi. Even the bartender where they met insists that he was there alone, a drummer who ogled her from the orchestra pit denies seeing her with him, and the Brazilian spitfire who spat fire upon seeing her wearing the same hat she was denies having seen her. Now he's on death row for murder, and his devoted secretary (Ella Raines) must do everything she can to find this missing woman, revealed to the audience to be much troubled in the scene, agreeing to go with the accused man (Alan Curtis) on the premise that they don't exchange names, only a night at the theater. Curtis's chum (Franchot Tone) shows up to give Raines support and seems to know more than he's admitting.

This was 1944, and film noir exploded on cinema after a few minor tries. This year gave movie audiences some unforgettable classics in this genre: "Laura", "Double Indemnity", "Ministry of Fear", "Murder My Sweet", "The Mask of Dimitrios", "Betrayed" and "Experiment Perilous" to name just a few. "Phantom Lady" has some of the greatest elements of noir through its mystery, vision of night life in a big city, and characters that can definitely be described as unconventional.

Take for example Rains as the secretary. She is visited by the police detective (Thomas Gomez) who initially questioned Curtis and has now changed his opinion about Curtis's guilt. At his suggestion, she disguises herself as a Times Square floozy, gets a front row seat in front of drummer Elisha Cook Jr., and seduces him from there into taking her out so she can get some information. This is after she literally stalks the bartender who denied seeing Curtis with the mysterious woman, spooking him into a guilt complex with results that prove fatal. The mystery part of the story is actually solved long before the film is over, but it is the motivations and "how was it done" that dominate the second half and keep you hooked. Robert Siodmark, who would direct some other great film noir, gives this a pacing that is eerie and at the same time, somewhat romantic.

Despite Plot Holes Cast Brings It Off

[DKosty123 · 7/10 · 30 December 2021]

Here is a noir with murders galore and the wrong man arrested for one of them. Yes, this is the old boss getting in trouble and the secretary in love with him getting him off, but it is different. The reason it is different is that we have a couple of twists along the way, some which make sense, and some which do not.

The police investigation into the murder after it happens is extremely poorly conducted. It seems they decide the husband is guilty until proven innocent and there are more holes in the railroading he gets than in a stale piece of swiss cheese. The actual phantom lady is a piece of mental work.

The biggest hole of all is when the wife is killed, the police detectives never wonder where her purse is. At the end of the movie, we find out the murderer has it. Any half-baked investigator would have wondered why the wife's purse was missing. Especially when the husband does not have it.

It is a good film to understand that a noir can be made well, with a feel good ending, but can have many flaws in the process.

Phantom Story

[srwb6 · 5/10 · 23 March 2014]

I was really looking forward to seeing this movie after reading all the positive reviews- have seen most film noirs and they are a favourite genre of mine- however fairly disappointed after watching this one- we are expected to believe that Franchot Tone's character, Jack Marlowe, murdered his best friends wife at 8 o'clock in the evening- hopped on the ship that was taking him down to South America within half an hour, got off without anyone seeing him- managed to locate Alan Curtis' character, Scott in a New York bar- follow him all evening with the lady he just happens to meet- then bribe all the people who saw this woman with $500 each to say they had never seen her! There are too many coincidences and belief is suspended just too many times for me to give this more than 5 out of 10. pluses for the movie are the lovely Ella Raines as Scott's faithful assistant and the dark New York jazz bar nightlife which creates a great film noir feel- shame the story is a little bit of a letdown.