This is one of those silly, silly stories that the major studios used to cook up in order to make an exploitation feature without breaking or even bending Hollywood's stringent self-censorship regulations. We are asked to believe that this chippie will use every means to get ahead -- will lie and cheat, make false representations, suppress evidence, use blackmail and extortion -- and yet will remain as virginally pure as Snow White! But for devote addicts of light -- very light -- voyeurism, the script does provide plenty of excuses for Cleo Moore to romp around in bathing suits and leotards. No doubt Miss Moore's fans will find her reasonably appealing. The support cast is also adequate, and the script has enough plot twists to sustain the interest through some very boring romantic encounters between Miss Moore and Mr. Crenna. Lewis Seiler's direction has skill, although it will not excite the connoisseur. Henry Freulich's photography shows more distinction. In fact, production values are well above the usual "B" standard.
19 Reviews
Some nice edgy stuff between the falters and the camp...worth watching!
secondtake25 February 2011
Over-Exposed (1956)
"You'd use your grandmother's bones to pry open a cash register." That's the best line in "Over-Exposed," a surprisingly solid crime and ambition (and cheesecake) movie. But then, the second best line is when the leading bleach blonde model/photographer played by Cleo Moore has made it big, and she says, "Green becomes me."
This is a better movie than it could have been, with little known cast and crew and a story that seems at a glance to be a cross between formulaic gangster and splashy girl-photographer with some spunk. There is a love interest (a really nice guy who sees through our heroine's hard gloss to a decent kid inside) who comes and goes and seems to a lifeline to her salvation. But the real lure overall is success and money, which is found at a nightclub run by classy thugs. The movie remains a bit cheesy throughout, however, letting Lila be a club photographer wearing scant clothes, kind of like a cigarette girls did in those days.
One of the surprises was how central and accurate the photography was to the whole movie, start to finish, and I'm not talking cinematography, which was good, but the role of the photography in the plot, including shooting and developing and retouching. And blackmail, by the end. The friendly old man photographer at the start is a strong balance to the wayward and snippy young girl (Moore), and the two end up helping each other throughout.
So there is a lot going on, actually, and it's pretty well done in the main, with those occasional hiccups of a lower budget enterprise. Look for Constance Towers, who later made fame in a couple of hard hitting Sam Fuller movies (like "Naked Kiss"). Give this one a go. And know that the second half is more exciting than the first.
"You'd use your grandmother's bones to pry open a cash register." That's the best line in "Over-Exposed," a surprisingly solid crime and ambition (and cheesecake) movie. But then, the second best line is when the leading bleach blonde model/photographer played by Cleo Moore has made it big, and she says, "Green becomes me."
This is a better movie than it could have been, with little known cast and crew and a story that seems at a glance to be a cross between formulaic gangster and splashy girl-photographer with some spunk. There is a love interest (a really nice guy who sees through our heroine's hard gloss to a decent kid inside) who comes and goes and seems to a lifeline to her salvation. But the real lure overall is success and money, which is found at a nightclub run by classy thugs. The movie remains a bit cheesy throughout, however, letting Lila be a club photographer wearing scant clothes, kind of like a cigarette girls did in those days.
One of the surprises was how central and accurate the photography was to the whole movie, start to finish, and I'm not talking cinematography, which was good, but the role of the photography in the plot, including shooting and developing and retouching. And blackmail, by the end. The friendly old man photographer at the start is a strong balance to the wayward and snippy young girl (Moore), and the two end up helping each other throughout.
So there is a lot going on, actually, and it's pretty well done in the main, with those occasional hiccups of a lower budget enterprise. Look for Constance Towers, who later made fame in a couple of hard hitting Sam Fuller movies (like "Naked Kiss"). Give this one a go. And know that the second half is more exciting than the first.
Not bad...but NOT film noir
planktonrules5 March 2010
This is from a new DVD collection of B film noir flicks from Columbia. However, inexplicably, this film was included in the collection--even though I'd argue that it's NOT an example of film noir. Perhaps it has a few noir elements towards the end of the film--but that is all. Instead, it's a picture about a very ambitious lady (Cleo Moore) who is bent on being a success--and possibly at all costs. I think that the presence of Ms. Moore in the film is exactly why they marketed it as noir--as she did make quite a few crime films in the 1950s.
The film begins with Moore blowing into a small town and getting arrested--even though she'd done nothing wrong. It was simply a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time--plus she just looked "bad"! Soon, an old photographer comes to her assistance and she, being a very jaded lady, assumes the worst. However, he really is a very decent fellow and helps her get on her feet and teaches her the trade. She also helps him stay sober and make something of himself.
Eventually, she and the old guy leave on amicable terms and she goes off to the big city to make a name for herself as a photographer. At first she tries to get a job with the local newspaper and when that doesn't pan out, she is able to make a much better living as a fashionable photographer--making the rich look great as well as doing commercial work. However, she also makes a deal with some underworld folks along the way--showing she is mostly concerned with her career and not how she makes it to the top. During this time, she has an on-again off-again relationship with a very young Richard Crenna. To me, this was a shortcoming in the film, as the crusty and highly curvaceous platinum blonde and young idealistic reporter seemed to have little in common.
Eventually, while at the very top of her career, she runs afoul of the mob so it's up to Crenna to come to save the day. This is cool, but you also wonder why he didn't just get the cops! Duh. still, it's a dandy film--mostly because Moore did such a nice job in the lead and it was nice to see her play a different role--a very competent 'dame'.
By the way, although the film played well at the time, some of it seems rather sexist and dated. Crenna wants to marry Moore and naturally it's expected that she'll give up her career--even though she is far more successful than he is! My how times have changed! Well acted and interesting, but not without a few logical flaws that, fortunately, don't harm the film so much that it isn't worth seeing. For Moore's character alone, however, it is worth seeing.
The film begins with Moore blowing into a small town and getting arrested--even though she'd done nothing wrong. It was simply a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time--plus she just looked "bad"! Soon, an old photographer comes to her assistance and she, being a very jaded lady, assumes the worst. However, he really is a very decent fellow and helps her get on her feet and teaches her the trade. She also helps him stay sober and make something of himself.
Eventually, she and the old guy leave on amicable terms and she goes off to the big city to make a name for herself as a photographer. At first she tries to get a job with the local newspaper and when that doesn't pan out, she is able to make a much better living as a fashionable photographer--making the rich look great as well as doing commercial work. However, she also makes a deal with some underworld folks along the way--showing she is mostly concerned with her career and not how she makes it to the top. During this time, she has an on-again off-again relationship with a very young Richard Crenna. To me, this was a shortcoming in the film, as the crusty and highly curvaceous platinum blonde and young idealistic reporter seemed to have little in common.
Eventually, while at the very top of her career, she runs afoul of the mob so it's up to Crenna to come to save the day. This is cool, but you also wonder why he didn't just get the cops! Duh. still, it's a dandy film--mostly because Moore did such a nice job in the lead and it was nice to see her play a different role--a very competent 'dame'.
By the way, although the film played well at the time, some of it seems rather sexist and dated. Crenna wants to marry Moore and naturally it's expected that she'll give up her career--even though she is far more successful than he is! My how times have changed! Well acted and interesting, but not without a few logical flaws that, fortunately, don't harm the film so much that it isn't worth seeing. For Moore's character alone, however, it is worth seeing.
Cleo Moore at her best
samhill52152 October 2011
I just sat through the better part of a day watching Cleo Moore movies and by far this one is my favorite. She was pretty good in "One Girl's Confession", she was OK in "Women's Prison" (she just didn't have enough to do) but here she really stretches her legs. She carries the whole thing all by herself and she does it with aplomb, like the veteran she was (this was her 23rd out of 25 movies). She plays a career woman driven by her shady past to rise to the top of her profession, photography. The only fly in the ointment was Richard Crenna whose character behaved like a spoiled child, his fragile male ego threatened by her success. The end was disappointing but right along the standards of the day. Still, this one's a keeper, even with Crenna in it.
A fun movie...
JoeB1315 June 2011
Warning: Spoilers
This movie was included in a Film Noir collection, although it only barely qualifies to the category.
Essentially, a jaded young woman learns the trade of being a photographer, after being busted in a strip joint. She uses her position to climb up, but is framed for selling a photograph of a society matron's untimely death. She didn't do it, but no one believes her because of the callous attitudes towards all things she had cultivated up to that point.
Rather than learn and repent, she tries to play her trump card, an accidental photo that implicates a reputed gangster in a murder, which ends pretty much the way you'd expect. The Hero, played by Richard Crenna, saves her at the last minute with the warning, "If slapping you around would bring you to your senses, I'd have done it myself." Domestic violence against women- SOOOOO Funny.
Much of this movie is dated, but much of it holds up despite the cheap quality.
Essentially, a jaded young woman learns the trade of being a photographer, after being busted in a strip joint. She uses her position to climb up, but is framed for selling a photograph of a society matron's untimely death. She didn't do it, but no one believes her because of the callous attitudes towards all things she had cultivated up to that point.
Rather than learn and repent, she tries to play her trump card, an accidental photo that implicates a reputed gangster in a murder, which ends pretty much the way you'd expect. The Hero, played by Richard Crenna, saves her at the last minute with the warning, "If slapping you around would bring you to your senses, I'd have done it myself." Domestic violence against women- SOOOOO Funny.
Much of this movie is dated, but much of it holds up despite the cheap quality.
Over-Exposed (1956)
MartinTeller3 January 2012
A young woman learns the craft of photography, and uses her skills (and her wits) to fulfill her glamorous ambitions. This is part of a set called "Bad Girls of Film Noir" but that's a double misnomer. Lila isn't truly bad, just mildly manipulative and although the film is superficially a feminine version of Shakedown it lacks any real edge. I like my noir to be noir through and through, not just in the last 7 minutes. Cleo Moore is the only noteworthy performer in the cast (though Raymond Greenleaf is enjoyable as her mentor) and she's pretty good. It's interesting that one of the things that drives her character is a chip on her shoulder about being ogled, yet the film doesn't hesitate to objectify her, rarely passing up an opportunity to show off her shapely assets. Not bad as a time-killer and the script has some tasty lines, but overall it's forgettable.
Cleo Moore's demonstration of Blonde Ambition, mid-1950s style
bmacv5 July 2004
In Over-Exposed, Cleo Moore makes an ascent from B-Girl to reigning photographer of café society that's as rapid as it is unpersuasive. She's a mid-1950s version of Blonde Ambition, or, as she puts it, `Where there's money, there's Lila green becomes me.'
She wasn't always Lila, least of all not the night the clip joint she'd just started working for got raided. The alcoholic, has-been shutterbug (Raymond Greenleaf) who snaps her mug outside the police station takes pity on her by showing her the rudiments of his craft. She's a quick study and, more to the point, a shrewd operator, buttering up monied old janes with appeals to their deluded vanity.
Off to New York, she tries in vain to land a job as a photojournalist, though she befriends a young reporter (Richard Crenna). Instead, she opts for the glamor and easy money to be had as a `flash-girl' in a nightclub; on the side, she snaps compromising photos for a sleazy columnist (James O'Rear). Soon, she holds a concession at the poshest watering-hole in town, the Club Coco; the fact that it's mob-operated doesn't bother her, but it bothers straight-arrow Crenna, who's thinking of popping the question.
Invited to snap a birthday celebration at the club for grand dame Isobel Elsom, Moore inadvertently records the dowager's death throes as she slumps while displaying her newly acquired skills at the mambo. Moore decently destroys the photo, only to have O'Rear steal and publish the negative; closing ranks, her society clients drop her like a hot brick. Up against a wall, Moore decides to dabble in blackmail, using as bait another inadvertent picture one that demolishes the alibi of one of club's mob backers, wanted for murder....
With elements of Shakedown and the soon-to-come Sweet Smell of Success, Over-Exposed stays a little too nice to rival them. It pulls back from any real nastiness and grit in its eagerness to keep the hard cookie Moore soft at the center (and insure smiles at the ending). Still, there are smirky glimpses into the world of parasites and lick-spittles who buzz around money, as well as welcome, old-school turns from Greenleaf and Elsom. Moore flashes solid credentials as a brassy schemer, while Crenna takes yet another step in the career that would stretch, chiefly through the magic of television, from Our Miss Brooks to The Rape of Richard Beck. Over-Exposed, diverting enough to watch, is quite under-developed.
She wasn't always Lila, least of all not the night the clip joint she'd just started working for got raided. The alcoholic, has-been shutterbug (Raymond Greenleaf) who snaps her mug outside the police station takes pity on her by showing her the rudiments of his craft. She's a quick study and, more to the point, a shrewd operator, buttering up monied old janes with appeals to their deluded vanity.
Off to New York, she tries in vain to land a job as a photojournalist, though she befriends a young reporter (Richard Crenna). Instead, she opts for the glamor and easy money to be had as a `flash-girl' in a nightclub; on the side, she snaps compromising photos for a sleazy columnist (James O'Rear). Soon, she holds a concession at the poshest watering-hole in town, the Club Coco; the fact that it's mob-operated doesn't bother her, but it bothers straight-arrow Crenna, who's thinking of popping the question.
Invited to snap a birthday celebration at the club for grand dame Isobel Elsom, Moore inadvertently records the dowager's death throes as she slumps while displaying her newly acquired skills at the mambo. Moore decently destroys the photo, only to have O'Rear steal and publish the negative; closing ranks, her society clients drop her like a hot brick. Up against a wall, Moore decides to dabble in blackmail, using as bait another inadvertent picture one that demolishes the alibi of one of club's mob backers, wanted for murder....
With elements of Shakedown and the soon-to-come Sweet Smell of Success, Over-Exposed stays a little too nice to rival them. It pulls back from any real nastiness and grit in its eagerness to keep the hard cookie Moore soft at the center (and insure smiles at the ending). Still, there are smirky glimpses into the world of parasites and lick-spittles who buzz around money, as well as welcome, old-school turns from Greenleaf and Elsom. Moore flashes solid credentials as a brassy schemer, while Crenna takes yet another step in the career that would stretch, chiefly through the magic of television, from Our Miss Brooks to The Rape of Richard Beck. Over-Exposed, diverting enough to watch, is quite under-developed.
lila climbs to the top, using whatever means...
ksf-231 January 2022
Cleo moore is lila, getting kicked out of town, for hanging around in a bar. She meets up with max (ray greenleaf), who teaches her photography skills. She ends up in new york, where russ (crenna, from the rambo films) helps get her set up with a job. The only actor I recognize is jack albertson, from willie wonka and poseidon adventure. Les (albertson) runs the nightclub where lila works. As she gets rich and successful, her friends notice that she loses her home town girl compassion. Lila acts so greedy, that the one time she does the right, compassionate thing, no-one believes her. And now she's in danger. Can russ and max get her out of a jam before she gets in trouble with the mob? Tcm host eddy muller does a prologue and and epilogue for this film. Apparently, the story is partially based on a real female photographer. Moore died so young at 43, from a heart attack. Directed by lewis seiler. This was one of his last films. He didn't win any oscars, but worked with bogart five times!
Smile, You're on Cleo's Camera!
mark.waltz1 May 2014
Warning: Spoilers
It's surprising whom you'll meet while being kicked out of town, and in the case of party girl Cleo Moore, it's an old drunk taking her picture. He offers her easy cash for some cheesecake shots and after she figures out that he's not on the make accepts. She finds his vintage photography fascinating and decides not to skip town, becoming his assistant and learning the ropes about the photography business.
As time goes by, Cleo becomes a top New York photographer, first in a swanky nightclub, and later, a free-lance photographer trying top get into photo journalism. She also works in high society spots and attracts the attention of a lively aging dowager who is stunned how beautiful Moore's photos make her look.
In spite of being a shapely platinum blonde who seems to have little scruples, Moore is actually quite honorable as she turns down the opportunity to take blackmail photos. A sudden tragic shot threatens to destroy her career altogether, and this is where the film switches gears into "Film Noir Light". A young Richard Crenna plays the integrity driven reporter who helps her out and keeps her on the right track.
Cleo Moore was one of many Marilyn Monroe knock-offs in the 1950's, and also one of the few who showed sincerity in her performances. Other noteworthy performances come from Richard Greenleaf as the old photographer helping her out, Donald Randolph as a pompous nightclub owner, and especially Isobel Elsom as the mambo-dancing octogenarian, a lively old doll who could be best described as the "Disco Sally" of her day.
As time goes by, Cleo becomes a top New York photographer, first in a swanky nightclub, and later, a free-lance photographer trying top get into photo journalism. She also works in high society spots and attracts the attention of a lively aging dowager who is stunned how beautiful Moore's photos make her look.
In spite of being a shapely platinum blonde who seems to have little scruples, Moore is actually quite honorable as she turns down the opportunity to take blackmail photos. A sudden tragic shot threatens to destroy her career altogether, and this is where the film switches gears into "Film Noir Light". A young Richard Crenna plays the integrity driven reporter who helps her out and keeps her on the right track.
Cleo Moore was one of many Marilyn Monroe knock-offs in the 1950's, and also one of the few who showed sincerity in her performances. Other noteworthy performances come from Richard Greenleaf as the old photographer helping her out, Donald Randolph as a pompous nightclub owner, and especially Isobel Elsom as the mambo-dancing octogenarian, a lively old doll who could be best described as the "Disco Sally" of her day.
Learn photography for profit or fun !
myriamlenys10 January 2023
Warning: Spoilers
A chance encounter brings together a society photographer fallen upon hard times and a hard-bitten young woman with a dubious past. Developing a genuine affection for his protégée, the old society photographer teaches her the trade. After a while the pupil, now enriched with a posh new name, embarks on an enterprising career of her own...
"Over-Exposed" tells the tale of an ambitious female photographer trying to make a name for herself, sometimes through unethical or even criminal means. Buried inside the movie there is another, better movie - say a razor-sharp satire about worldly vanities or a riveting noir about the dangers of blackmail. In its current form, "Over-Exposed" wastes a lot of time on soppy melodrama. There's a lack of drive, of narrative rhythm and of emotional focus.
The movie is also a barrel of contradictions. Our heroine (or perhaps anti-heroine, I'm not difficult) does not like to be propositioned and pawed. She's a person, not a sex object, dammit ! People should respect her, both as an individual and as a professional photographer ! On the other hand she is not above showing a pair of prettily freckled shoulders when this gains her an advantage. Meanwhile the superb hour-glass physique of the actress playing the part - a most beautiful Cleo Moore - gets highlighted with an almost obsessive attention, while the general thrust of the story seems to be "A sassy blonde can get into all sorts of trouble these days".
Still, the working environment shown - mainly a succession of more or less louche nightclubs - is interesting. There are also flashes of wit to savor, such as the sweet little impromptu television interview organized with Napoleonic discipline.
"Over-Exposed" tells the tale of an ambitious female photographer trying to make a name for herself, sometimes through unethical or even criminal means. Buried inside the movie there is another, better movie - say a razor-sharp satire about worldly vanities or a riveting noir about the dangers of blackmail. In its current form, "Over-Exposed" wastes a lot of time on soppy melodrama. There's a lack of drive, of narrative rhythm and of emotional focus.
The movie is also a barrel of contradictions. Our heroine (or perhaps anti-heroine, I'm not difficult) does not like to be propositioned and pawed. She's a person, not a sex object, dammit ! People should respect her, both as an individual and as a professional photographer ! On the other hand she is not above showing a pair of prettily freckled shoulders when this gains her an advantage. Meanwhile the superb hour-glass physique of the actress playing the part - a most beautiful Cleo Moore - gets highlighted with an almost obsessive attention, while the general thrust of the story seems to be "A sassy blonde can get into all sorts of trouble these days".
Still, the working environment shown - mainly a succession of more or less louche nightclubs - is interesting. There are also flashes of wit to savor, such as the sweet little impromptu television interview organized with Napoleonic discipline.
trash wallow
blanche-21 March 2001
"I like money. Green becomes me." Or words to that effect - about sum up this movie starring a very young Richard Crenna and a very seasoned Cleo Moore. This is a total B movie all the way and, as such, is a lot of fun for the streetwise, side of the mouth lingo and overall cheapness.
Cleo Moore Climbs the Ladder of Success Wrong by Wrong
HarlowMGM2 November 2009
OVER-EXPOSED is hands down my all-time favorite "bad girl" film noir. Sexy blonde Cleo Moore stars as a buxom dancer who gets packed into the paddy wagon her first night on the job unaware she's working for a clip joint. When small-time photographer Raymond Greenleaf snaps a candid of Cleo and the other gals being hauled in, a furious Moore tries to buy the negative only to be told he'll give it to her if he accompanies her back to his home so he can develop the rest of the film roll. A wary, knowing Cleo feels she has no other option and does so only to find the old guy is sincere and gives her the picture.
The unlikely duo become friends and when Cleo learns photography is, in her words "a good racket for a dame", she has Greenleaf teach her all he can about it while Moore builds up his profits telling rich old broads who come in for portraits, their pictures have been blown up and entered into a photography exhibit which of course makes the old vain crones insist on purchasing the large colored edition of their picture.
Finally when Cleo has become an impressive photographer herself she packs up and heads for New York City while she tries to sell her wares (the pictures, you dirty minds). There she meets handsome newspaper reporter Richard Crenna, gracious society dame Isobel Elsom, leering boss Jack Albertson, jealous coworker Jeanne Cooper, and select mobsters.
This is one of the enjoyable little film noirs I've ever encountered, full of pithy lines ("you'd use your grandmother's bones to pry open a cash register" an effete nightclub manager snaps at our heroine) and an utterly wonderful, spirited performance by Cleo Moore, as a "bad girl" who might not be so bad after all. There were a lot of sexy blondes in movies back in the 1950's and I've always felt Cleo was not only one of the most attractive but one of the better actresses of the lot. It's sad her career didn't progress much above the B level but she really shines in this film. This movie enjoyed a revival in 2009 at UCLA's Film and Television Archive museum as part of a retrospective of overlooked film noirs, was released on DVD in 2010 by Sony and hopefully it will eventually find it's way to TCM.
The unlikely duo become friends and when Cleo learns photography is, in her words "a good racket for a dame", she has Greenleaf teach her all he can about it while Moore builds up his profits telling rich old broads who come in for portraits, their pictures have been blown up and entered into a photography exhibit which of course makes the old vain crones insist on purchasing the large colored edition of their picture.
Finally when Cleo has become an impressive photographer herself she packs up and heads for New York City while she tries to sell her wares (the pictures, you dirty minds). There she meets handsome newspaper reporter Richard Crenna, gracious society dame Isobel Elsom, leering boss Jack Albertson, jealous coworker Jeanne Cooper, and select mobsters.
This is one of the enjoyable little film noirs I've ever encountered, full of pithy lines ("you'd use your grandmother's bones to pry open a cash register" an effete nightclub manager snaps at our heroine) and an utterly wonderful, spirited performance by Cleo Moore, as a "bad girl" who might not be so bad after all. There were a lot of sexy blondes in movies back in the 1950's and I've always felt Cleo was not only one of the most attractive but one of the better actresses of the lot. It's sad her career didn't progress much above the B level but she really shines in this film. This movie enjoyed a revival in 2009 at UCLA's Film and Television Archive museum as part of a retrospective of overlooked film noirs, was released on DVD in 2010 by Sony and hopefully it will eventually find it's way to TCM.
MOORE IS NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE...!
masonfisk1 February 2022
Cleo Moore is front & center in this tawdry 1956 tale of the rise & fall of a model/photographer who gets involved in one grift too many. Moore has just been involved at a club's bust (she didn't know what kind of club she got a job at) & the cops have warned her to leave town but no sooner does she step towards a bus stop, a kindly photographer, played by Raymond Greenleaf, offers her a room for the night but being strapped for cash, when he offers to teach her the photography ropes, she obliges. Getting a gig at a prominent nightclub, Moore soon rises in the ranks gaining the attention of a gossip rag's reporter but also the movers & shakers in town. One night while taking a photo of a noted dowager, she catches in the background the club's silent partner, a gangster, who was implicated in a murder the same night so when the dowager dies later on the dancefloor during her birthday, the smut peddler hopes to publish the pic but when Moore resists, he steals & publishes the pic anyway. No amount of protestations about her innocence in the matter, Moore still becomes a persona non grata until she remembers the gangster's pic. Will she successfully blackmail the wanted man for a payout or die trying? Moore, never rising to the echelon of her fellow blonde contemporaries like Marilyn Monroe, Mamie Van Doren or Jayne Mansfield, nonetheless does the best she can by the material & comes away pretty much unscathed (all bluster & suspicion whenever offered a helping hand) but considering she never did get to work w/A list directors (or even B listers), she knew when to step away. Also starring future Colonel Trautman, Richard Crenna, as Moore's reporter beau.
over exposed
mossgrymk11 February 2022
Have you ever noticed that the worse the entry in "Noir Alley" the better are Eddie M's intro and concluding remarks? It's almost as if the guy's sorry for subjecting you to such a dull dog of a movie and will try to make it up to you with tasty tidbits about how Cleo Moore had a six month marriage to Huey Long's youngest kid as well as the travails of poet/experimental (read "unreadable") novelist turned screenwriter Gil Orlovitz whose book "Milkbottle H" I urge you to sedulously avoid. Just one more reason why Eddie is the best of the TCM hosts.
The flash girl
nickenchuggets15 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Because there is really no getting around this fact, especially if you've already watched this film, I will just say it now: this movie isn't that great. It essentially borders on being mild pornography rather than trying to be something with an actual plot you can be interested in. It's often been called a noir movie, but the majority of it doesn't have a real criminal atmosphere, so I'd take this with a grain of salt. This movie centers around Cleo Moore playing a girl named Lily, who is arrested and brought to a police station one day. Upon being released, a man named Max (Raymond Greenleaf) snaps her picture, and Lily gets angry because she doesn't want the image to be shown to everyone. However, Max offers to take erotic photos of Lily at his apartment in exchange for keeping the picture private. She agrees. After some time taking pictures with Max, she starts to learn how to be a decent photographer and decides to pursue her own career in it, changing her name to Lila. Eventually, Lily meets Russ Bassett (Richard Crenna), who happens to know the owner of a nightclub named Les. Lily works there for a while, but then begins to work at a more prestigious club and she soon gets a picture of Mrs. Grange, an elderly woman who used to have Max take pictures of her. She doesn't look as good as she used to, but Grange is so impressed with Lily's camera skills that she wants her to pursue them further. Lily starts attracting her own crowd wanting to have their pictures taken, and Max is now second in command to her. Meanwhile, Russ keeps offering Lily a job that has a more reliable way of making money, but she doesn't want it. Soon, Lily is back in the club during a celebration for Mrs. Grange's birthday, but the latter passes out while dancing for seemingly no reason and dies shortly afterwards. Before she died, Lily took a picture of her, which is later published without her knowledge. Lily tries to tell her boss and the other people wanting photos from her that she had nothing to do with this and that she destroyed that picture, but they don't believe her. Lily is fired, and since she needs money badly now, she wants to sell an incriminating photo of a mobster named Backlin, which was taken at the nightclub. Backlin doesn't like being exposed, so he sends his thugs to kidnap Lily. Russ is forced to bail her out after finding out where she is being held from a thug he subdues. Russ incapacitates all 3 gunmen at the scene, and Lily is saved. She and Russ then get married. Like I stated before, this movie is quite forgettable. It's similar to any one of the films Mae West or Marilyn Monroe made, because it really tries to rely too much on the attractive nature of the protagonist as opposed to telling an interesting story. Without any substance to stand on, Cleo is just stuck being a photographer in a fairly average "noir." That doesn't mean this entire movie was a waste of time. She's definitely up there with the likes of Marilyn Monroe in terms of being the center of each scene that she's in, but Moore never actually achieved worldwide fame like many other women of comparable appearance. Overall, there isn't much to say about this movie. I just thought it was hard to take Richard Crenna seriously in a role like this, considering he's probably most well known for playing Rambo's boss. Altogether, Over Exposed is mostly a disappointment, and I only watched it because I thought it was a noir movie. You'll never know if something is worthwhile unless you see it.
Lost a couple of points for the ending...
hemisphere65-126 January 2022
1950s Artifact
theognis-8082123 January 2022
A short, unpleasant, pugnacious young woman develops a career as a photographer, thanks, presumably to a 1950s style head full of platinum blonde hair. Suspense follows when she's forced to choose between her independence and the 1950s heavenly bliss of loving husband and children. There is no more dated and contrived show than this "legend of Lila Crane."
TRIBUTE TO CLEO MOORE
tcchelsey23 January 2022
Cleo Moore was more-less competition (via B films) for Marilyn Monroe. It is a shame that her career was short as she was a very good actress, but was saddled with innumerable low budget projects. She was long associated with indie producer Hugo Haas who generally cast her as a femme fatale in a series of "bad girl" films, which made a fortune, but did not elevate her career. The films eventually gained cult status, unfortunately, long after she left the screen. In OVER EXPOSED, and despite a slim budget, Moore is
at her best playing a young blond with ambition. The film has a rather clever twist as she plays a photographer, but instead of posing in front of the camera ( in a bikini!), she works it as a business enterprise and, of course, there is a price to pay for that move as well. A neat little film noir that has been re-released via Columbia Pictures in a dvd box set, worth the price. Moore retired from films in the late 1950s and entered the real estate market, but to this day has a devout following. Some of her Hugo Haas productions have been re-issued on dvd, remastered prints, so keep watch.
Cleo Moore is at her best here in Over-Exposed
Strider-10019 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Cleo Moore stars as the heroine of the film who learns the art of photography and becomes very successful at it. I am surprised she did not go onto bigger films because she definitely had a unique aura. Her two main co-stars here are Richard Crenna as her love interest and Raymond Greenleaf as her mentor and photography teacher. The film is about how her character climbs the ladder of success but gets cut down for being blamed for something she did not do. She attempts to blackmail a gangster with an incriminating photo she has of him and she gets captured and beaten. Richard Crenna comes to her rescue and Cleo's character testifies and puts the gangster in jail for good. A very happy ending to this semi-noir film and I enjoyed the film from the clever opening credits to the happy ending. Cleo Moore was a blonde bombshell I had never heard of before but now I intend to watch more of her films.
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