Born To Kill (1947) Ladykiller Noir Masterpiece

 

Directed masterfully by Robert Wise.

Wise gave us a Noir Western - Blood On The Moon,

a Noir SiFi The Day The Earth Stood Still,

and

Classic Hollywood Noirs The Set-Up a masterpiece, The House On Telegraph Hill, two of the

last Classic Hollywood Noir, I Want to Live!, and Odds Against Tomorrow.

The film was written by Eve Greene and Richard Macaulay and was based on James Gunn's only novel. Cinematography was by Robert De Grasse (Lady of Burlesque, The Leopard Man, Crack-Up, Bodyguard, The Clay Pigeon, and The Window). Music was by Paul Sawtell.

Claire Trevor as Helen Brent

Lawrence Tierney as Sam Wilde

Ester Howard as Mrs. Kraft 

Elisha Cook Jr. as as Marty Waterman

Walter Slezak as Albert Arnett

The film Stars Claire Trevor (ten Classic Noir) as Helen Brent, Lawrence Tierney (four Classic Noir) as Sam Wilde, Walter Slezak (two Classic Noir) as Albert Arnett, Phillip Terry (two classic Noir) as Fred Grover, Audrey Long (Desperate) as Georgia Staples, Elisha Cook Jr. (eleven Classic Noir) as Marty Waterman, Isabel Jewell (three Classic Noir) as Laury Palmer, Esther Howard (five Classic Noir) as Mrs. Kraft and Tony Barrett (four Classic Noir) as Danny. 

Isabel Jewell as Laury Palmer

Tony Barrett as Danny

Audrey Long as Georgia Staples with Sam

Phillip Terry as Fred Grover

Reno. Quickie Divorce Mecca. Going for "The Reno Cure." Ground zero for those in San Francisco and the Pacific Northwest wanting to ditch their mates. Between 1931 and 1970, 325,000 marriages came to an end in the Silver State. 

The wait period otherwise known in legal terms as the residency requirement for dissolving a marriage was only six weeks. Which bring us to Mrs. Kraft and her boarding house who catered to those taking the cure. She's a happy old hop head who likes sucking down "Samson" brand barley pops. 

Krafty, Laury, and Romeo

Krafty, and Laury Palmer, her booze-em-up buddy, gay divorcee, next door neighbor, have a hen party every afternoon. Laury likes to cruise the casinos looking for anything in pants that happens to be the flavor of the week and brings them home for a little of the old in and out. She then fills in Krafty on her latest sexual conquests. 

It's into one of these afternoon cackle sessions that Helen Brent, just newly divorced, walks into at the rooming house for the final time. Helen Brent is a free woman. Free to marry into money and be riding the gravy train for life. Laury has been telling Krafty about last nights catch. Laury basically describes a bad boy, a big palooka, handsome but scary and potentially crazy. 

wide shoulders

Mrs. Kraft: You know, you ought to put on some meat, Laury. You're so skinny, can't grab hold of you anywhere.

Laury Palmer: I haven't noticed anybody having any trouble.

Mrs. Kraft and Laury congratulate Helen. Krafty suggests that Helen should head to the casino and have a great time. Helen says she's got to catch a train in the morning. They counter she should celebrate.

Laury Palmer: Oh, why not? If you're glad about the divorce, you ought to celebrate. And if you're sad and wanna forget about it, you ought to celebrate. So either way, you ought to celebrate.

Helen heads to the casino. At the craps table she comes face to face with the handsome big palooka Sam Wilde.

She knows for sure he's Laury's "Boy Toy" when she spots Laury with her arm wrapped around an old boyfriend named Danny making sure that Sam sees them. Laury is trying to make the wrong guy jealous.

Laury making Sam jealous

Helen is so aroused that she is immediately dripping with anticipation. Yes, Sam is a chick magnate.  Sam also notices Helen and likes what he sees also but he is more pissed at Laury to push it any further. Sammy don't like anybody "cutting in" on him. Sammy is angry and you don't want to make Sammy angry.

Sammy knows Laury's M.O. He's waiting in the darkness of Laury's kitchen when she brings Danny home to do some mattress bouncing. 

When Danny pops into the kitchen to mix a few drinks, Sam confronts him and tells him to buzz off. Danny counters by saying Laurys not worth fighting over she got plenty to go around for the both of them. You get the impression that Sam really doesn't like the idea of sloppy seconds when he beats Danny to death with the nearest blunt instrument he can grab. 

Unfortunately for Laury she enters the wrong place at the wrong time. Sam leaves them both cooling to room temperature on the linoleum floor. The only witness alive is Laury's pooch Romeo who runs out into the night when Sam splits

Helen coming back along the sidewalk from the casino to the boarding house is met by a scared, frantic. whining, Romeo. She comforts the dog picks him up and carries him under her arm to Laury's house. She goes through the back door into the kitchen finding the bodies. 

Meanwhile Sam tells his "roomie" Marty Waterman an ex con cellmate of his, that he just rubbed out Laury and her boyfriend. Marty tells him he better blow town. Tells him there's a morning train to San Francisco.

It all goes Noirsville when one, Helen decides not to call the police, catches the morning train and runs into Sam going on the lamb to San Francisco. With these two, lust at first sight is like a head-on crash on the highway to hell. Two Mrs. Kraft hires a private detective to find Laury's killer. And three, throw into that mix Sam marrying Helen's, multi-millionaire newspaper heiress virgin step-sister, while still playing hide the sausage with Helen. It a real Noisrville roller coaster ride.

Noirsville

Those ain't feather sticking out of her hat those are 15-18 inch long hatpins

Every character is a joy to watch, Claire Trevor's facial expressions alone are a hoot she wavers  between jealousy, shock, and duplicity. Lawrence Tierney oozes menace, it comes natural. Ester Howard is loveable as the boozy, blowsy, but also quite formidable she fixes her cartwheel hat to her head with ice pick sized hatpins and knows how to use them. Walter Slezak is sneaky, snoopy and weaselly and Elisha Cook is great as the sort of brainy Jeff of the "Mutt & Jeff" criminal psychopath duo. A fun watch. 10/10