The Man Who Cheated Himself
| The Man Who Cheated Himself | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Felix E. Feist |
| Produced by | Jack M. Warner |
| Screenplay by |
Seton I. Miller Philip MacDonald |
| Story by | Seton I. Miller |
| Starring |
Lee J. Cobb Jane Wyatt John Dall |
| Music by | Louis Forbes |
| Cinematography | Russell Harlan |
| Edited by | David Weisbart |
Production company |
Jack M. Warner Productions |
| Distributed by | 20th Century-Fox |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 81 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Man Who Cheated Himself is a 1950 American crime film noir directed by Felix E. Feist, and starring Lee J. Cobb, Jane Wyatt and John Dall.[1]
Plot
Wealthy socialite Lois Frazer, divorcing her fortune-hunter husband, Howard, finds a gun he's bought. She kills him with it in front of the new man in her life, Lt. Ed Cullen, a homicide detective with the San Francisco police. The twice-married Lois manages to manipulate Cullen into disposing of the murder weapon and moving the body. Cullen ends up investigating the case, assisted by kid brother Andy, who is new to the homicide division and delays his honeymoon to keep working on his first big case.
The gun is found and used in another killing by a young punk, Nito Capa, so all Cullen can think to do is try to pin both crimes on him. Andy Cullen keeps connecting Ed to the first murder, however, catching him in a number of lies. Ed ties and gags Andy and tells Lois they need to flee. Roadblocks seal off the city, but Andy has a hunch where Ed took the woman to hide, at Fort Point under the Golden Gate Bridge, and soon they are under arrest. Outside the courtroom, Ed overhears the amoral Lois offering to do anything for her lawyer if he can keep her from being convicted.
Cast
- Lee J. Cobb as Lt. Edward Cullen
- Jane Wyatt as Lois Frazer
- John Dall as Andy Cullen
- Harlan Warde as Howard Frazer
- Tito Vuolo as Pietro Capa
- Charles Arnt as Ernest Quimby
- Marjorie Bennett as Muriel Quimby
- Alan Wells as Nito Capa
- Mimi Aguglia as Mrs. Capa
- Bud Wolfe as Officer Blair
- Morgan Farley as Rushton
- Howard Negley as Detective Olson
- William Gould as Doc Munson
- Terry Frost as Detective
- Mario Siletti as Machetti
- Charles Victor as Attorney
Reception
Critical response
Film critic Dennis Schwartz gave the film a positive review, writing, "In an engaging film noir efficiently directed by Felix E. Feist ... The Man Who Cheated Himself is the perfect film for the beginning of the bland Eisenhower years."[2]
See also
References
- ↑ The Man Who Cheated Himself at the TCM Movie Database.
- ↑ Schwartz, Dennis. Ozus' World Movie Reviews, film review, January 15, 2005. Accessed: July 14, 2013.
External links
- The Man Who Cheated Himself at the American Film Institute Catalog
- The Man Who Cheated Himself at the Internet Movie Database
- The Man Who Cheated Himself at AllMovie
- The Man Who Cheated Himself at the TCM Movie Database
- The Man Who Cheated Himself informational site and DVD review at DVD Beaver (includes images)
- The Man Who Cheated Himself is available for free download at the Internet Archive