Scene of the Crime *** (1949, Van Johnson, Arlene Dahl, Gloria DeHaven, Tom Drake, Leon Ames, John McIntyre, Donald Woods, Norman Lloyd, Jerome Cowan, Tom Powers) – Classic Movie Review 8912

Director Roy Rowland’s 1949 Scene of the Crime is a cheap, fast and efficient production-line film noir crime thriller with Van Johnson as a Los Angeles homicide cop called Mike Conovan, handcuffed to a corpse while tracking the killer of a cop, an ex-partner of Johnson, fellow detective Monigan.

Rowland directs this involving little yarn in persuasive documentary style, though there is not quite enough menace or suspense, and the story and characters are a mite too pat. Johnson is good if a bit lightweight, while the likeable B-list performers are assets in all their quintessential roles: Arlene Dahl as Johnson’s wife Gloria Conovan, John McIntyre as Johnson’s ageing new partner Fred Piper, Gloria DeHaven as a stripper called Lili, Norman Lloyd as a grass, Tom Drake as a rookie and Donald Woods as a crime reporter, as well as Leon Ames as Captain A.C. Forster, Jerome Cowan as Webson and Tom Powers as Umpire Menafoe.

Charles Schnee’s screenplay is based on the non-fiction article story Smashing the Bookie Gang Marauders by John Bartlow Martin, his only work made into a film.

It is producer Harry Rapf’s last film in his career of more than 30 years. He died of a heart attack a week after principal photography for the film began.

It was a huge departure for MGM, where Dore Schary replaced Louis B Mayer as head of production in 1948 and he got the studio to begin to make darker, more realistic films. Stars Van Johnson and Gloria DeHaven were known for appearing in comedies and musicals, so they were boldly against type. The gamble paid off. Scene of the Crime made a small profit of $151,000, partly because of its low production cost of $761,000. But Van Johnson never made another film noir.

Gloria DeHaven’s character Lili was modelled on stripper Lili St.Cyr. Censorship prevented the film showing a stripper stripping, so it shows Lili in a skimpy outfit and then putting her clothes on while singing Andre Previn and William Katz’ song ‘I’m a Goody Good Girl’. It turns out that Lili isn’t a Goody Good Girl at all. She appears to have a heart of gold but is a hard-boiled gangster’s moll.

Also in the cast are Richard Benedict, Anthony Caruso, Robert Gist, Romo Vincent, Tom Helmore, Caleb Peterson, William Haade, Lucille Barkley, Ray Bennett, Harris Brown, G Pat Collins, Billy Dix, Jimmie Dundee, Sam Finn, Bess Flowers, Don Hagerty, Richard Irving, Guy Kingsford, Mickey Kuhn, George Magrill, Allen Matthews, Ralph Montgomery, John Phillips, William Phipps, Jeffrey Sayre, Jack Shea, William Tannen, Forrest Taylor, Ray Teal, Minerva Urecal, Charles Wagenheim, Wilson Wood, Bill Snyder, Mary Jane Smith and Robert Strong.

Donna Reed was to have played the Arlene Dahl part.

Roy Rowland made two more film noirs, Rogue Cop and Witness to Murder, both released in 1954.

The cast are Van Johnson as Mike Conovan, Arlene Dahl as Gloria Conovan, Gloria DeHaven as Lili, Tom Drake as Detective C.C. Gordon, Leon Ames as Captain A.C. Forster, John McIntire as Detective Fred Piper, Donald Woods as Bob Herkimer, Norman Lloyd as Sleeper, Jerome Cowan as Arthur Webson, Tom Powers as Umpire Menafoe, Richard Benedict as Turk Kingby, Anthony Caruso as Tony Rutzo, Robert Gist as P.J. Pontiac, Romo Vincent as Hippo, Tom Helmore as Norrie Lorfield, Caleb Peterson as Loomis, William Haade as Lafe Douque, Lucille Barkley, Ray Bennett, Harris Brown, G Pat Collins, Billy Dix, Jimmie Dundee, Sam Finn, Bess Flowers, Don Hagerty, Richard Irving, Guy Kingsford, Mickey Kuhn, George Magrill, Allen Matthews, Ralph Montgomery, John Phillips, William Phipps, Jeffrey Sayre, Jack Shea, William Tannen, Forrest Taylor, Ray Teal, Minerva Urecal, Charles Wagenheim, Wilson Wood, Bill Snyder, Mary Jane Smith and Robert Strong.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8912

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