1956's The Killer is Loose

It's for the love of the genre, the style, the nostalgia that keeps me watching noir. They are what makes watching enjoyable. Those elements combined make the experience worthwhile. Some films have these and more. They have amazing story lines, innovative production techniques and some of the best acting ever filmed. But when they don't, a noir is often times still time well-spent. And so it is with 1956's The Killer is Loose.

This was directed by Budd Boetticher. Budd isn't known to me outside of this film except for one episode of the Rifleman (great TV by the way). In this film he directed Rhonda Fleming and Joseph Cotton.

Now Joseph Cotten I don't get. He is passable. His best trait is that he reminds me of Hamilton Burger (William Talman) from Perry Mason.

William Talman

Joseph Cotten

Joe Cotten is about as dynamic as he looks. There really isn't any energy in his performance and his pairing as the husband of a devoted Rhonda Fleming is laughable

Rhonda Fleming

What was going through the minds of the casting directors for some of these 1950's releases. At least with Dear Murderer, it was plausible that Greta Gynt's character was gold digging while fooling around, but Rhonda Fleming's character was a devoted policeman's wife.

I don't think the chemistry was there and if I have to wonder "wait a minute, why is she with him?", then I know they could have done a better job.




Now, not all of this film was challenging. Wendall Corey did a fine job as the psychotic murderer. He was chilling enough with his cool, confused portrayal of Foggy, and the supporting cast was top notch (except for Allen Hale - sorry, but I always see the Skipper).

As a nostalgia film, this was kind of fun. The calender in the kitchen during a particularly tense scene was Dec., 1954, so I wonder why it took so long to be released ('56). It had the gritty taste that 1950's films usually depicted, and it gave us visibility into the expected gender role definitions that hollywood promoted. By this I mean, poor Lila Wagner was protected, lied to and shuttled around to keep the poor woman from hysterics. Finally, she is shamed for her "selfish" feelings and for not supporting her cop husband who was only doing his best to protect her. OMG, it was enough to puke on. Fortunately, this is not typical in all noirs as we often see strong female leads like Stanwick and Bacall. But with The Killer is Loose, it's best to look at it as a period piece and educate yourself on how the media tried to shape our culture.

Watch The Killer is Loose Now