Tarnished (1950) User Reviews

No sparks in this one

[XhcnoirX · 5/10 · 13 April 2016]

After fighting in the Pacific during WWII, Arthur Franz returns to the town he grew up in. But due to his past as a troublemaker, rumors had spread he went to jail, and they are not happy to see him return. At first only the free-spirited Barbra Fuller is happy to see him again, ditching her date and suitor Jimmy Lydon. Franz finds a job working at a local cannery, and strikes up a relationship with Dorothy Patrick, against the wishes of her father, Don Beddoe, and her boss, Byron Barr. But then there's a burglary, and everybody thinks Franz did it, especially when he can't provide a good alibi.

More of a noir-ish melodrama than anything else, this movie feels longer than its running time of just under an hour. Even a big fire at the end can't trigger a spark. The story, about smalltown gossip and reputations, had potential but it's mostly wasted here. It's a shame as Franz ('The Sniper') and Patrick ('Violent Saturday') do a decent job, and Beddoe ('The Night of The Hunter') is always above- average. But this is far from Republic's best movie unfortunately.

Maybe director Harry Keller, in his second movie, didn't know yet how to make these quickies work? After this one he moved on to westerns and then TV. DoP John MacBurnie ('Federal Agent At Large', Post Office Investigator') does a better job, providing some nice atmospheric scenes. But nothing that can save this movie. Maybe I am being overly critical, but this was a boring movie. 5/10

Another Republic Studios rare item...

[searchanddestroy-1 · 8 January 2012]

Once more, our faithful friend Long Horn gave us the summary of this little film, lines he got from a library dictionary. Well, so that I don't need to tell it to you. Easy for me, isn't it?

This film hesitates between noir and drama. A young man return home after the WW2, serving in the Marine Corp, and of course everything seems to collapse when he arrives; except perhaps with his long time girl friend. Jealousy make some other folks trying everything to put him down. Nothing really new here. It remains classical, predictable. From the start to the end.

But this rare and early Harry Keller films remains interesting to any one who is curious of the very gifted and maybe not enough known director of QUANTEZ, DAY OF THE BAD MAN and SEVEN WAYS FROM SUNDOWN. His first films were westerns for the most, and for Republic pictures, such RG Springsteen or Thomas Carr's ones.

A war hero comes home to a worse battlefield at home

[clanciai · 8/10 · 22 August 2022]

This is a minor B-feature but of great psychological interest. The war hero knows he is coming home to a nest of wasps, since he made a bad reputation before the war, especially since his father was stamped as a criminal. On coming home he is immediately beset by two girls, both of which are already occupied by base characters, who will do everything in their power to make life bitter for him. The rumour is spread that he is a jailbird, he can't get any job because of local prejudice, and when he finally gets a job his rivals mess it up for him, committing crimes to make it appear he is to blame. His two girls stand by him, though, and when he wants to marry one of them, her father does everything to destroy their relationship. That's the set-up. The interesting thing is to see how he will deal with his adversaries, he gets into fights with them that only make matters worse, but his worst enemy is the local prejudice against him, which dominates the entire town, a small coastal town in Maine. Ultimately the plots take a very dramatic turn, but his sweetheart stands by him all the way. It's the underdog's story, and as such it is very educational. Although a minor B-film, anyone could learn something from it.

Taut...Suspenseful...Well-Acted...Republic B-Noir...Above Average

[LeonLouisRicci · 8/10 · 23 June 2022]

Great Fisticuffs and a Fiery Conclusion High-Light this "Sleeper" from the Always Reliable Republic Studios.

Small Town Hubris Among the Mostly Closed-Minded Residents about a Returning Native Son, a Former Hooligan, Arthur Franz.

Trying to Repair HIs Bad-Reputation, Faces Closed Doors and Closed Minds .

As He Falls in Love with Sweet, Independent, Young Woman who Works, and Resists Parental Domination.

Predictable as All Get-Out,

But Nonetheless a Solid 60min Second Feature that Makes the Most of its Skimpy Budget with a Good-Looking and Realistic Production.

Typical Norish Story Featuring Post-War Angst Facing Returning Vets.

Now Having to Fight On the Home-Front for a Place at the Table.

Franz is a War-Hero-Marine.

The Local Jealous Bad-Guys Use His Jungle Knife and Dog-Tags to Frame Him and that Leads to the Inevitable Conclusion.

One of the Better of its Low-Budget Type with Kudos All-Around.