Perhaps in part to rectify the undervaluing of Castles work some critics have rather overpraised When Strangers Marry. Robert Mitchum does his with a slippery role that is resolved in a way that feels rushed and doesn't quite work. Joe was Robert Mitchum's breakthrough role, earning him his only Academy Award nomination, but he received first billing the year before in the psychological thriller When Strangers Marry. Grant Takes KMPC for New Contract; Cotten Hosts'On Trial' Series Her books are published in fourteen languages and are bestsellers all over the world. SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD: Warners Will Remake 'Sweet Adeline' -- 'Attack! "Betrayed"/"When Strangers Marry" is a solid, fast moving noir/whodunit from 1944. It was easier to go through life married making things more affordable if both continued to work and of course eliminate being lonely instantly. Throughout "When Strangers Marry," Jagger casts a crooked shadow. The movie starts with the murder of wealthy drunk Charlie (Milton Kibee).He was last seen with traveling salesman Paul Baxter (Dean Jagger) who helped Charlie to his home.The police discover Charlie had been strangled with a pair of silk stockings. Many film fans are already familiar with William Castle, the director who promoted himself into a publicity machine for his line of gimmicky, over-the-top horror entertainment. This books publish date is Jul 30, 2002 and it has a suggested retail price of $7.99. In terms of plot, When Strangers Marry (later retitled Betrayed) plays as though someone took the best elements of Suspicion, Shadow of a Doubt, and The 39 Steps, plus The Seventh Victim (Kim Hunter's first film) and Val Lewton's overall approach to low-budget production, put them all into a box, shook them up, and spliced them together into . Shadows and low angle shots predominate, with human figures cut out of blackness by sheer white light. And so can we, while watching this film, for 67 glorious, poetic minutes. Rhonda Fleming was originally not credited, but she's given a prime spot in a new end credits crawl to reflect her new star status. ', Army Film, Due Next Month "But he's going to take me away. The decision to end a marriage is often one of the most challenging choices people will face during their adult lives. 6,169 feet. Can the police get their man and can Millie find happiness? On the plus side Mitchum is his good solid self, but he just doesn't get the chance to be as charming or menacing as he should be. The only thing that mattered was that she wouldn't have to marry Etienne..read more. Absolutely loved the idea of the story and the comparisons to Alfred Hitchcock (one of my all-time favourite directors, my personal favourite actually) and Val Lewton further sparked my interest. LISA KLEYPAS is the RITA award-winning author of 21 novels. Soon Lysette finds herself the pawn in a game of revenge. Even when she suspects her hubby of being a serial killer, she keeps staring longingly into his eyes and even helps him escape from the police. It stars Dean Jagger, Kim Hunter, Robert Mitchum and Neil Hamilton. Just a few pictures later Mitchum would find his niche with a sleepy "I can't be bothered" attitude. Then there is William Castle as director and then a cast that includes Kim Hunter and Robert Mitchum in an early role. Thinking that this spoiled brat needs a strong hand to get her in line, he gives her a good spanking. Then we have Kim Hunter and Dean Jagger. After being lost in the bayou, she is caught by two twin boys stealing their pirougue. Philip Yordan (April 1, 1914 March 24, 2003) was an American screenwriter of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s who also produced several films. Castle later said that the script originally offered to him was "horrible", the story of a gangster who is killed, rejected from heaven and returned to earth. Como siempre, los libros de Lisa Kleypas no fallan en sacarme de un bloqueo. The mysterious big man at the bar has his back squared up to the camera but you will notice his shoulder slightly blocks out the front of the bartender's face. The one Castle prerequisite element that I could do without however is the plot contrivances (shoot the scenarists and producers as well). Psych mood is cleverly sustained throughout for good atmosphere. A symptom that finally breaks the bond between husband and wife. Berkeley: University of California Press, c1991. When Strangers Marry. When Strangers Marry (rerelease title Betrayed) is a 1944 American suspense film directed by William Castle and starring Dean Jagger, Kim Hunter and Robert Mitchum.[3][4]. Movie: Excellent - Given the big name cast and Director, expectations are high but it doesn't deliver. But theres no time to rest on their laurels, as they must move quickly to once more pick up the trail of Pentecosts greatest nemesis, Olivia Waterhouse. After that a young woman (Kim Hunter) awaiting her newly married husband (Dean Jagger) in New York. Your email address will not be published. was made at Poverty Row studio Monogram within a genre he would intermittently return to until the genial director saw he could particularly make a mint with Horror. Kim Hunter has just wed a patron (Dean Jagger) of the restaurant where she waited tables without knowing much about him; off on a vague business trip, he asks her to meet him at a New York hotel. It is, however, a must for fans of Robert Mitchumand who the hell isnt a fan of Mitchum? That's only. With an enthralling new ending by its RITA Award-winning author, this updated 1992 classic is a timeless story of lovers who defy all convention for the sake of ultimate passion. Even most film fans know William Castle only for his gimmicky 50s & 60s horror films like THE TINGLER. There is no easy way to determine if divorce is your right choice. Monogram altered the original negative for the reissue, which explains the title change. This kind of technique greatly supports plot progression in focusing the line of questioning of the spectator immediately onto the identity of the unknown figure. On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, A hostile world appears on one side and poor Millie all alone on the other. In the films best sequence, Millie stands in a cheap hotel room late at night while the flashing lights of the nightclub across the street plunge her in and out of darkness. The brothers introduced Castle to writer Philip Yordan, with whom he devised a new story idea that the Kings liked. External Reviews When Strangers Marry (a.k.a. And up pops a memorable final-scene walk-on by none other than Rhonda Fleming, then a relative unknown. Every time the actors cross that same hotel lobby set, we expect them to collide with the Bowery Boys coming the other way. Producers Frank and Maurice King liked The Whistler, a film that director William Castle had made, and borrowed him from Columbia Pictures for $500 a week. Don't let him, don't -- ". This one is easily recommended. to a missing persons report being filled with a homicide detective. It has a notable cast as well, with a very young Kim Hunter sharing many scenes with Robert Mitchum, then a supporting player being given one of his first substantial roles. Me ha sorprendido lo bien armada que est la historia, es decir, en ningn momento piensas en la pobre protagonista y en el maravilloso caballero que la rescata sino que es una unin de fuerzas y voluntades donde el amor viene despacio pero con buena letra. That wouldn't have seemed necessary, since it's only 67 minutes long! When Max discovers Lysette's true identity and whom she is suppose to marry, he plans the ultimate revenge.take away from his enemy what was once taken from himself many years ago. In 2002, the Lisa Kleypas novel When Strangers Marry came out. Neat little "B" thriller with a great twist. (for the record, I've tried 6 times to spell ambiance the correct way, -ence, but the website won't take it). The results are not a high point in the history of noir screenwriting. Unremarkable piece. , , . A mood of unease hovers over everything, and the plot and all the characters are driven by a single unifying principal: no one can really know anyone else. The film's is actually a blend of Hitchcock's well known Suspicion with Val Lewton's relatively obscure The Seventh Victim. People were quick to make their wants and themselves known and didn't mince words. It's also an emotional roller-coaster, a gripping piece of noir -- and, unbelievably, a no-budget miracle shot in just seven days. In a contemporary review of the film, Orson Welles wrote: "It isn't as slick as Double Indemnity or as glossy as Laura, but it's better acted and better directed than either. I've also given up on Lisa Kleypas' newer works (the Ravenals series is just awful) so this has been a way for me to fall in love with Kleypas again. Lou Lubin, the unlucky detective from the Lewton film, appears as well, cinching the argument that Castle was consciously aware of his homage to Victim. U.K. release through Path: 9 April 1945. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Willowjean Will Parker is coming off of the fresh high of apprehending a kidnapper with her boss Lillian Pentecost, 1947 New York Citys most celebrated detective. 2023. I liked it although it wasn't her best work but still good read. Shes newly arrived in New York City looking for her husband, a traveling salesman named Paul Baxter. When he packaged properties around town -- that frequently bore his name as the only writer -- was he acting as their front, or exploiting them? Los Angeles Times 8 Oct 1946: A3. The huge age difference for one and how they meet each other for another but that is what makes the story intriguing. I liked the book and liked both the hero and heroine, but there was something missing. Its a nice quick to the point little drama mystery. He is also surprised that she is the fiance of his enemy, Etienne Sagasse, who has been one of the men who has slept with his late wife. Video: Excellent 9780060507367. Required fields are marked *. more, All Philip Yordan scripts | Philip Yordan Scripts. Writing in his newspaper column Orson Welless Almanac, Welles declared the film better directed than either Billy Wilders Double Indemnity (Paramount) or Otto Premingers Laura (20th Century Fox). "Calm yourself, Lysette. Castle's self-promotional side appeared early; in a FilmFax interview, later collaborator Robb White said that when he gave the director a ride in his Volkswagen, Castle would talk into an unconnected telephone receiver, pretending that he was a big shot carrying on a radio-phone conversation. It is difficult to understand how Castle became stymied with primitive stylistic systems while he so crisply demonstrated a full understanding of who he was to become as a director in When Strangers Marry. Although Castle's direction of When Strangers Marry is a bit too awkward to be a serious challenge to Hitchcock, it shows a strong desire to get noticed. A naive small-town girl comes to New York City to meet her husband, and discovers that he may be a murderer. Overall, I understood his fear and reluctance with Lysette, but both characters suffered what I like to call Kleypasitisto a severe degree. WHEN STRANGERS MARRY (William Castle, 1944) ***, A tight, tense little thriller that helped consolidate the noir cycle. yesterday morning and he hasn't shown up. Lysette buried her face against Max's throat. Lysette winning everyone over with her perfection. Previously he had been responsible for a bright Boston Blackie series entry with Chester Morris, and the less successful Klondike Kate (1943) with Tom Neal. Ingenue Kim Hunter, years before Brando emotionally screamed "Stella!" This quaint but comforting thriller is seemingly influenced by the likes of Shadow of a Doubt and Suspicion as it revolves around a young woman becoming suspicious of her new husband. Like My Name is Julia Ross, another quick-and-dirty damsel-in-distress movie, When Strangers Marry helped lay down the blueprints for what would come to be called film noir. A nice touch. However, upon her arrival; he's not at the hotel, but by chance she is greeted by her old friend Fred Graham, who clearly carries a torch for her. Meeting someone was no problem as eligible were all over the place. Philip Yordan. Her earlier misgivings about Max's fidelity melts away as Max showers her his complete devotion and love. Don't be fooled by the original name, though. William Castle would of course go on to become best known for his gimmicky horror films; an oeuvre which includes the likes of House on Haunted Hill, The Tingler and Homicidal - but before then, he made a series of film noir/mystery thrillers; and When Strangers Marry is one of those. The tone was much darker but that was a plus for me. That Castle just didn't get it; no wonder he turned to effect-heavy horror flicks. Although none of this cast is credited, the talented main female dancer's smile looks familiar -- yep, she's Marie Bryant, the all-purpose entertainer who sings the memorable (and creepy) song Your Red Wagon several years later in Nicholas Ray's They Live by Night. I found the hero, Max, to be sexy and refreshing since he wasn't constantly ordering his new bride around, but he could also be dismissive and secretive. When Strangers Marry is what happens if you put Maximilan de Winter (case in point: Kleypas' hero is even named Maximilien) and the unnamed narrator from Rebecca into a . Despite that, when Etienne turns up dead the following day, Max becomes the prime suspect. Settle in with your favorite candy and a tasty drink as we glimpse what life was like in the forties. Like Dan above, we all change with time. Betrayed) -- (1944) -- (Movie Clip) I Use That Name Sometimes Kim Hunter as Millie finally finds her new husband she's come to New York to meet, turns out he's Dean Jagger as Paul, and she's followed secret instructions to reach him, and he might be a murderer, and the photo in the portrait happens to be director William Castle, in When Strangers Marry, a.k.a . If you were burned back then, you became hard and stayed that way which is depicted in the movie in one of the scenes involving renting a room. When Strangers Marry. This quaint but comforting thriller is seemingly influenced by the likes of Shadow of a Doubt and Suspicion as it revolves around a young woman becoming suspicious of her new husband. Dean Jagger gets stuck with a patently inconsistent character and holds up his end as well as anybody could. First, it is in keeping with the new spirit of the book; second, no oneincluding my . In this melodrama, Kim Hunter plays a waitress who comes to New York to meet her husband Dean Jagger. Jonathan Majors Dropped by Manager Entertainment 360 Following Domestic Violence Charges, AI-Generated Fake Drake/Weeknd Collaboration, Heart on My Sleeve, Delights Fans and Sets Off Industry Alarm, Beef Star David Choe Appears to File Copyright Takedowns for 2014 Podcast Video of Him Joking Hes A Successful Rapist, Bruce Springsteen Contracts COVID and Misses His Archives Inaugural Awards Show, but Presents Via Video. This time she's Millie Baxter, a barely-kissed bride who knows very little about her husband, a traveling salesman named Paul (Dean Jagger). Publisher. The film stars a young Kim Hunter, in her first starring role, as a nave newlywed named Millie Baxter. The ending was a bit of a let down.Everything seemed to come at the hero and heroine all together but some how the whole thing just fused out without much of a spark. It's an efficient enough little thriller with a stellar cast including Kim Hunter, Dean Jagger, Neil Hamilton (as another cop) and the great Robert Mitchum. | When Strangers Marry is almost a continuation of The Seventh Victim, with Kim Hunter's Mrs. Baxter only a little less nave than her Mary Gibson character from before. 18 Apr. 'When Strangers Marry' is without a doubt her film. , . I know The Story of G.I. William Castle would of course go on to become best known for his gimmicky horror films; an oeuvre which includes the likes of House on Haunted Hill, The Tingler and Homicidal - but before then, he made a series of film noir/mystery thrillers; and When Strangers Marry is one of those. A cheapie quickie B&W B-movie, with two titles - Betrayed and When Strangers Marry. When Strangers Marry Full PDF. (Millie is apparently a traveling salesman groupie.) A lot of misunderstandings and miscommunications and deceit and manipulation and just*sigh*. Film data from TMDb. He took joy in being with her all the time, and he liked her for her individualism. All in all, one of the superior directing efforts by Castle and an engaging film overall. When Strangers Marry (also known by the less accurate title of Betrayed) shows the director's increasing confidence as he ventures into the territory of the new film noir genre. It becomes apparent the moment he shows up that he is in trouble and may be the killer of a drunk man he admits to having rolled in Philadelphia. Alfred Hitchcock transformed himself into a spokesman for his "branded line" of movie thrillers and TV suspense shows, and Castle followed suit by inventing audience participation gags for his pictures: insurance policies, skeletons flying over the audience, "ghost viewers". The girl goes off to find her man. She had only met Paul 3 times before they tied the knot. Certain scenes involve hi-key lighting setups framing characters in closeup and in these shots, Castle is consistent in providing diegetic light sources that match up. The husband remains mysteriously out of site for a while, so she gets reacquainted with Mitchum before finally encountering her husband (Dean Jagger). Report abuse. The real angst and 'conflict' for the couple was in the beginning and was quickly resolved before reaching the middle which made the rest of the story somewhat anticlimactic. Awards And behind are director William Castle later famous for horror pictures and Dimitri Tiomkin whose music scores were usually in films with far bigger budgets and vistas than When Strangers Marry. Still, the noir ethos is already in place here. Noir addicts may want to give this one a look, but probably not more than once. Don't let him, don't -- ""You're not going anywhere," Max interrupted. A woman who married a stranger she met on TikTok for 'life experience' fell in . My first Kleypas book and definitely not my last one. There is a ridiculous amount of mood and tension over opening envelopes, finding notes slipped under a door, montages, shadowy doorways and streets, phones and doorbells ringing, et cetera. Instead she meets a former beau (dashingly young Robert Mitchum) and with his help she tries to find him and even goes to the police. "The story has locomotor ataxia at several of its joints and the intensity of the telling slackens off toward the end; but taking it as a whole, I have seldom, for years now, seen one hour so energetically and . He had to come back to New York on business. Twenty-seven years old and still a relative newcomer to films (he was mostly shooting cheapie Westerns before this film), he strides through this movie like he was born inside a film noir. It was published by Avon and has a total of 400 pages in the book. Paul and Millie visit a hepcat Negro nightspot where a big dance is in progress. This Baxter is a heck of a guy. 1944 was just a harbinger of the darkand darkly wonderfulmovies still to come. Then too, those spare sets from budget-minded Monogram fairly echo with undefined menace. I couldn't help but note the parallels between this story and Daphne du Maurier's. Despite having been married before, the two now live separate lives and work together as colleagues . Of course toward the end you might guess who the strangler really is before you find out. In an attempt to escape marriage to a man she despises, Lysette Kersaint flees right into the arms of Maximilen Vallerand, a man who is rumoured to have strangled his first wife. Get glam for less with beauty dupes as good as your high-end favorites from Dior, NARS, La Mer, and more - and . In fact, he immediately went on the road on business, and has just sent for her to meet him in New York when she arrives and runs into an old flame (Robert Mitchum). . Metacritic Reviews. The "Silk Stocking Murder" begs many questions, not the least being one about why the audiences were not provided with a gimmicky pair of stockings on their way into the theatre. The issue of slavery, murder and the insufficiently fleshed out plot gave me a headache. By what name was When Strangers Marry (1944) officially released in Canada in English? FAQ [10], Variety's review was positive: "Only thing wrong with this film is its misleading title. The runtime is too short to get invested in any of the characters (which includes a young Robert Mitchum). All I can say is that it works for Castle as well as it worked for Hitchcock. 133, (Jan 1, 1945): 22. arrest, bride, claim, courtship, death, honeymoon, husband, investigation, killing, loot, mail, marriage, mistake, motel, murder, newlywed, old-flame, police, questioning [police interrogation], robbery, room, stranger, suspect, waiter, wedding, bar [pub], hunting, king, man, news. By night's end, however, they are dining together, and within seventy-two hours, are unexpectedly in love and married, just as Steve and his assistant, Billy McGuire, are about to depart for a job in Sarabong, a port city in the Malay Straights. Why Was Frank Ocean's Coachella Set Such a Disappointing Mess? Kim Hunter and Dean Jagger are the main couple, and its really her story. When Strangers Marry - read free eBook by Lisa Kleypas in online reader directly on the web page. Making the Decision to End Your Marriage. Danielle Gross, 26, jumped at the chance to tie the knot . Strangers Again Kdrama Ending Although the ending of the Korean drama Strangers Again left many fans disappointed it is noteworthy that the show's Episode 12 garnered its highest viewership of the entire series. So while When Strangers Marry is a fun movie, and a notable addition to the body of noir, it doesnt linger in the imagination in the manner of the best films. , (2002 ) ( 1992 . I love reading the back catalogue of a prolific romance writer to see how their works have changed over the years. WHEN STRANGERS MARRY (aka Betrayed) 1944. The film was directed by William Castle, an often underestimated director who did his share of noir work before becoming famous later on as a producer/director of cheesy horror movies marketed with outrageous gimmicks. User Ratings Robert Mitchum was born to play these parts and showed it in one of his first leading roles. (Film historian Don Miller called it the finest B-movie ever made.) Its well made but the story hinges on its main character--a young newlywed who barely knows her husband despite having married him after knowing him for the length of 3 dates---immediately believing the worst about him, (that he's a murderer) and then just as impulsively believing that he's not and that its all a set-up. Third-billed Robert Mitchum was elevated to star status on the reissue prints of When Strangers Marry, which unfortunately tended to give away the film's surprise ending; also in the cast in a tiny role is Mitchum's future Out of the Past co-star Rhonda Fleming. Betrayed (When Strangers Marry) rates: But fifteen years earlier, one of Castle's first directing efforts tried openly to imitate Hitchcock's actual filmmaking style on a shoestring budget. When Strangers Marry (rerelease title Betrayed) is a 1944 American suspense film directed by William Castle and starring Dean Jagger . An iconic figure of post-war Hollywood, actor Robert Mitchum embodied the rugged and solitary anti-her s of American film noir in a string of classic dramas and mysteries, including The Kings later claimed that they had Mitchum under a multi-picture contract and tried to enforce it, but he made no further films for them. By 1944 you can see all of this coming together in the low-budget mystery-romance When Strangers Marry. What a waste! Ill leave that for the film to reveal, though I will say that it does not explore the kinky undertones implicit in the question. Nah, just let the cops nab him posting a letter. The woman, If you havent watched the movie, stop reading since there are massive spoilers ahead. Girl finds her man in hiding, and the two continue dodging the cops. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. A man who strikes fear into everyone's hearts. The film is only just over an hour long and I wouldn't be surprised to find that it was made as a 'B' feature for some bigger movie. In the years to come, many of the directors, writers, actors, cinematographers, and producers who made Double Indemnity, Laura, Murder My Sweet, Phantom Lady, The Woman In the Window, and When Strangers Marry would go on to Kim Hunter is always good and Robert Mitchum's Fred Graham is both animated and outgoing he even hugs his friendly dog! On this film, he and director Castle came up with the story, then Yordan had a first time screenwriter named Dennis J. Cooper take a crack at it, at which point Yordan came in a did a rewrite. Castle also explores the abilities and utility of mobile framing. This is a nice touch in the directing to emphasize the physical size and thus ominous presence of the mystery man. Dean Jagger Kim Hunter Robert Mitchum Neil Hamilton Lou Lubin Milton Kibbee Dewey Robinson Claire Whitney Edward Keane Virginia Sale Dick Elliott Lee 'Lasses' White Marta Mitrovich Billy Nelson Rhonda Fleming Sam McDaniel William Castle Minerva Urecal George Lloyd Jack 'Tiny' Lipson Weldon Heyburn Karen X. Gaylord Byron Foulger Fred Aldrich, Philip Yordan Dennis J. Cooper George Moskov, 67mins The result is to reduce a happy ending to one where a married couple must still live on . Monogram produced a lot of stinkers, but they also had their share of classics. When Strangers Marry, Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. The Warner Archive Collection DVD-R of Betrayed (When Strangers Marry) is an excellent transfer of elements that don't seem to have been disturbed in 66 years. Read more. He was also known as a highly regarded script doctor. Reviewed on flickersintime.com. Report this film. Her innocence and vulnerability is completely different from his worldly and adulterous fist wife. Performances are above-average in this hypnotic tale of deception with Dean Jagger cast as a shady salesman who has just gotten himself hitched to sweet, innocent heroine Kim Hunter.