The Strange Mrs. Crane (1948) User Reviews

Tidy little "B"--no muss, no fuss

[rickspringville · 5/10 · 5 March 2019]

Marjorie Lord ("The Danny Thomas Show") is a beautiful woman with a shady past who is married to an older, wealthy man (Pierre Watkin) who has just won his party's nomination for Governor. One day she runs into her former lover, with whom she had once operated a blackmail operation--which resulted in both of them being on the run from the law. When he threatens to expose her past to her husband unless he's paid off, she takes matters into her own hands to protect her new social status.

This is a tidy little "B" thriller, directed (as "Sherman Scott") by the incredibly prolific Sam Newfield. Newfield's work was, for the most part, wholly undistinguished--he ground out films like sausages over a career that spanned more than 30 years--but this one is a cut above his usual product. Marjory Lord is surprisingly effective as a former floozy who is now on her way to being the most powerful and respected woman in the state, and she'll let nothing get in her way. Robert Shayne ("The Adventures of Superman"), as her former partner in crime who threatens to expose her past to her husband, doesn't quite pull off his part as the oily villain, but he gives it a good try. Watkin, a reliable character actor who had a long career plying characters just like the one here, has a larger part than he usually got, and does a good job with it. The film moves briskly for the most part, and longtime Newfield cameraman Jack Greenhalgh gives the film a very atmospheric, njoirish feel.

Overall this is one of Newfield's better efforts, with a nice job by Lord.

Some snakes deserved to be skinned alive.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 16 January 2017]

For blackmailing playboy Robert Shayne, it's obvious that he was born to be a murder victim, conked on the noggin by a blunt object, and left to bleed to death. Marjorie Lord is his firmer partner in criminal activity, running into him as her husband (Pierre Watkin) plans to run for governor. Blackmail follows, and on the night of the election, Shayne is bumped off. His much abused girlfriend (Ruth Brady) is arrested as Lord becomes more paranoid...and more dangerous!

Pretty decent B film noir with a fine characterization by Marjorie Lord who is as far from her "Make Room for Daddy" role as the all American wife and mother. There's absolutely no mystery, and the possibility of last minute twists keeps a front burner in the viewers brain, especially when Lord ends up on the jury. It's an interesting little thriller that has enough twists and turns to be unique in spite of its obvious low budget.

Enjoyable noir programmer

[XhcnoirX · 6/10 · 27 February 2018]

Marjorie Lord is the wife of Pierre Watkin who's running for governor. Her life is seemingly perfect, but Watkin doesn't know she used to be, and maybe still is?, a con artist who seduced men for their money. When her former partner in crime, Robert Shayne, comes back into her life, he wants some of the money she now has access to. Half to be precise, or else he'll tell Watkin about her past. Lord can't let him do that, and she kills him. The police arrest his gf tho, Ruth Brady. In a twist of fate, Lord is assigned jury duty on Brady's trial, who faces the death penalty...

The plot of this movie is reminiscent of 1948's Blonde Ice, but Marjorie Lord ('The Argyle Secrets') never comes across as cold-hearted as Leslie Brooks. It's a bit of a shame, as Lord does well at the start of this movie as the socialite lady. But she's not quite convincing enough as a conniving femme fatale. Still, she does a nice job, and I enjoyed watching her. Robert Shayne ('Three Strangers', 'Mr. Skeffington') is also quite decent as the con artist who went to prison, bounced back, and now wants a piece of his ex-partner's pie. The rest of the cast are what you'd expect from low-budget B movies like this one, adequate but forgettable.

Even tho he's credited as Sherman Scott in this movie, it was prolific B-director Sam Newfield ('The Lady Confesses', 'Mask Of The Dragon') that directed this noir. If anything, his experience at making these sorts of low-budget movies that had to be done as quickly as possible, helps this movie. There is no room for filler, it moves at a rapid pace, fitting a decently plotted story into an hour runtime, but things never feel too rushed. And the movie has a nicely ironic ending. I do wish more time was spent on the lighting, DoP Jack Greenhalgh ('Fingerpints Don't Lie', 'F.B.I. Girl') doesn't do much lighting wise aside from a few scenes inside dark apartments. But for these types of quick programmers, this one's quite decent and enjoyable.

Tight, Terrific Film Noir

[alicegriffin · 13 October 2019]

A young beauty living under an assumed name and married to a much older, rising politician finds her future in jeopardy when a shady figure from her past returns. The story is set in the late 1940s and though it does strain credulity a bit that the spouse of someone running for governor wouldn't be vetted by rivals as thoroughly in 1948 as in 2019, as a period piece it is quite satisfying.

All in all, sound acting and tight script make this B picture (only 59 minutes!) much more enjoyable than the average modern Hollywood production, and the twist of fate at the end adds a very nice coda. I hadn't heard of the film before but will enthusiastically recommend.

Engrossing Drama

[boblipton · 6/10 · 4 October 2019]

Pierre Watkins is running for governor. To secure her agreement, he's agreed to buy his wife, Marjorie Lord, a mink coat, so he takes her to Claire Whitney's shop. There, they meet the salesman Robert Shayne.... who already knows Miss Lord, from years ago, when they were both in the rackets. He proceeds to blackmail her, so she stabs him. The police pick up Shayne's fiancee, Ruth Brady. When her case goes to trial, Miss Lord is on the jury!

It's an engrossing drama of coincidences directed by Sam Newfield, hiding under the name of Sherman Scott. The performances are good, and cinematographer Jack Greenhalgh makes Miss Lord look glamorous haunted; for once, his camerawork is not obscured by muddy, worn-out prints. I was occasionally annoyed by Paul J. Smith's score, which occasionally blared out to let you know that this was a dramatic notice, but other than that, it's a nice little programmer for Eagle-Lion, working its way out of its PRC roots.

Rare overlook film noir

[filmnoirfilms-1 · 7/10 · 12 October 2016]

Solid little film noir along the lines of BLONDE ICE.

Femme Fatale Gina Crane (Marjorie Lord) formally Gina Hadley, is tracked down and blackmailed by her old lover Floyd Durant (Robert Shayne), who's familiar with Gina's habit of marrying rich old farts and then taking them for all their worth. Durant threatens to tell Clinton Crane (Pierre Watkin) of Gina's spotty history but before he can, the strange Mrs. Crane knocks him off and frames another woman for the killing. Things come to a head when Gina is picked as one of the jurors at the woman's trial. Nice twist ending in this overlooked rare noir.

The juror.

[ulicknormanowen · 7/10 · 2 November 2020]

This is an interesting thriller with social undertones: because a woman is a governor's wife , shall she go unpunished ?

This new socialite with a dubious past is subjected to blackmail by her former partner ; she kills him and an innocent woman is charged with the murder; to make the matters worse, the criminal is a juror at the trial.

Now Mrs Crane has got power of life or death on a fellow woman :what can a woman from the people do to defend herself against a respectable woman ,with a high position in the society ?Her cynicism knows no bounds during the deliberation , turning the most lenient jurors against the so-called murderess .

One can wonder,nevertheless,why such a smart woman can have kept such a compromising paper in her pocket?

Definitely Worth A Look Strong Bplus+

[DKosty123 · 7/10 · 22 November 2019]

Marjorie Lord who passed away in 2015 at age 97, was known more as Mrs. Danny Thomas, but before that in the 1940's she was doing "B" movies. In this she is quite subtle in her role as the woman who wants it all and has both hands on the steering. She has a run in with a crook and leaves him behind, and manages to land herself a handsome older man (Crane) whose running for Governor. The movie starts off politcally charged as he is announcing his running. Lords Crane is interviewed by a reporter about her background and she is deliberately evasive, answering the question about her background with generalities. At this point us viewers suspect something is wrong with Mrs. Crane.

As the story unfolds, she decides she wants an expensive mink coat. The coat turns out to cost much more than the $5,000 dollars the store asks for from her husband. That is because she runs into the crooked man she deliberately left behind, and he wants money to keep his mouth shut. In the process of shutting him out, she spends a bit too long with him, and decides he needs to go, so she stabs him.

The movie has a nice twist here, as another woman who was dating the cad was in the area and gets accused of his murder because her finger prints were on the sharp instrument she stabbed him with. There's a nice little scene where Mrs. Crane is at the same place as the girlfriend when she is arrested for his murder. Meanwhile Crane has to protect herself, having received a letter from the victim blackmailing her prior to killing him.

Then, in only a movie twist, Mrs. Crane gets a summons to be on the jury of the woman accused of her comitted murder. Then, the jury elects her foreman, and take a long time deliberating the case. Mrs. Crane convinces the jury to find her guilty, she had the verdict in her hand, gives it to the court clerk to read. The clerk looks at the verdict and finds it's no shopping list or a verdict.

This B film is kess than an hour, and the small production company did it on a small budget, distributed by Eagle-Lion which was a B distributor. The Direction is clever, and the ending is short and sweet. Currently this movie is a film noir on You Tube. Lord is looking good here and the clever direction and cast brings this off pretty well.

An excellent film...with a wonderful ending.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 2 December 2019]

Gina Crane (Marjorie Lord) is the wife of an older man who may soon be elected governor. He doesn't realize that she's a woman with a very dark past...and her name isn't even Gina Crane. When one of her old scumbag boyfriends shows up (Robert Shayne), he sees an opportunity to blackmail her and her rich husband. The only way she sees a way out is to kill the blackmailer...which she does. However in a weird and amazing coincidence, after some other person is arrested for the murder, she ends up being on the jury!! And, instead of doing the right thing, she works hard to convince the other jurors that the accused DID kill the guy! What's next? See the film...you won't regret it.

My score of 8 was a tough call...I nearly gave this one a 9 because it is so very enjoyable, offers some nice twists AND was made on a tiny budget. The only reason I decided on 8 is that Gina being placed on the jury for a crime she committed is cool...but also very hard to believe. Still, the movie manages to deliver a wonderful story that is sure to satisfy fans of noir...as Marjorie Lord is every bit a femme fatale even though she wears nice clothes and has an aura or respectability.

Ridiculous

[monogram-50857 · 2/10 · 5 November 2022]

This movie gallops through so many silly plot shortcuts that the cardboard characters simply cannot be believed. The worst and most obvious is the incriminating letter hidden in the pocket of Lord's coat. Her geriatric husband sends the coat to the jury room with the innocent suggestion that "she might need it." Why would she need it? The jury deliberations are indoors in climate-controlled conditions. And then she puts the signed jury verdict in a pocket of the same coat. Why? It was a short walk from the jury room to court room, where she would read the verdict. Then, in her apparent guilty confusion, she hands the letter to the bailiff instead of the verdict document. Of course, the bailiff is compelled to read the letter in open court, and the wording is so specific and so damning that all is made clear. A rule of thumb: The shorter these B pictures are, the worse they are.

C Production it may be, but well above average

[adrianovasconcelos · 8/10 · 11 July 2022]

Truth to tell, I know nothing about Director Sam Newfield but he does a sterling job of keeping THE STRANGE MRS CRANE flowing and riveting, on the strength of a very tight script, with sharp dialogue, and before you know it the 53 minutes are up... by which point I felt cheated!

I wished it would run on a few more minutes, that is how entertaining this flick was. Beautiful Marjorie Lord - once again, never heard of her - plays the femme fatale with considerable aplomb. She has a dark past, is now married to an older man, soon to be governor, generous and rich enough to buy her a mink coat, among other luxuries. Lord stands as a woman of considerable visibility in the community.

After the first few minutes of apparent innocence, she shows her hand: she cannot wait to cheat on her hubby with former fling Robert Shayne, who views her as suitable blackmail material. Alas, he underestimates Lord's resourcefulness and survival instinct, and pays the ultimate price.

Poor Ruth Brady steps in just after the murder and police detain her. It is at this point that you realize Lord could not care less if innocent Ruth lands in jail for a crime she did not commit. Her overriding concern is not to get caught and not lose her standing in the community, and the good life afforded by her hubby's rising star.

One can argue that the ending is a little bit too convenient, that it is a major coincidence that she lands up in a jury to convict poor Ruth, and all ducks are lined up for it to happen, including placing a court verdict in a mink coat... but all elements have been there from the outset, they have not just been introduced without explanation and they come together at the wrong moment for Lord. Thus, justice is served by fate and in a clever twist to boot!

The downside to watching THE STRANGE MRS CRANE was the poor quality copy. I suspect photography must have been better than this somewhat unfocused product, but all credit to the picture that it entertained me enough that I wished it would carry on in spite of that obvious shortcoming.

Well worth watching!

Sam Newfield was worth when he wished to

[searchanddestroy-1 · 29 March 2023]

The problem is that he seemed not to wish often. This is an admirable little crime thriller, such a Joseph Lewis's SO DARK THE NIGHT where a cop - Steven Geray - investigates on a crime where he is the murder...Or an Anthon Mann's film where STRANGE IMPERSONATION, where a man is accused of his own murder.....I love such unpredictable, totally incredible schemes, only available in such short B movies. Here, a woman is in the jury of a trial where a second woman is accused of a murder that this very first woman commited.... This is a very exciting Sam Newfield's film and there were not too many of them, believe me. One more little thing. At the time of this writing, in 2023, I have learned that the next Clint Eastwood's project is excatly the same topic. A murderer named to belong to a jury for a trial about the crime he commited himself.