Todesfalle von Chikago

I have seen this excellent movie in 1951 in Barcelona/Spain when I was 20 and I liked it then and continue to like now very much, I considered it one of the greatest noir classic movies in history. Alan Ladd is fantastic in his role as a reporter; Donna Red is beautiful and had great performance in his playback roll, as Arthur Kennedy and the rest of the cast. is a pity that original seams lost. I have a copy of a VHS from a Honolulu TV, but it can be watched pretty well. the story is very well done by writers Warren Duff and Tiffany Thayer, and the development of the history very well done by director Lewis Allen. Alan Ladd one of my preferred actors is superb and I had said all the cast specially June Havoc, beautiful and charm-ant actress. the end of the movie remains on your mind as one of best ends of a movie in Hollywood history. I highly recommend for the be-lovers of noir classics.

Reporter Alan Ladd (Ed Adams) outrageously interferes with things when he steals an address book from the room in which Donna Reed (Rosita) is found dead. He retraces her life by contacting the people in this address book and a few people get bumped off along the way.

Unfortunately Donna Reed hasn't led a very interesting life so God knows why anyone would show any interest in pursuing her address book, especially as her death is not at all suspicious. Alan Ladd is obviously a weirdo.

A lot of time is spent on the telephone in this film. It's just blah blah blah on the blower! Still, the film is OK even if you can't follow the cast of thousands. Alan Ladd sums things up for you at the end with a synopsis of what has just happened. But he delivers it at breakneck speed so it doesn't really help. It's a vehicle for Alan Ladd and it's all a bit pointless.

I prefered ILLEGAL and CHICAGO DEADLINE from the same director Lewis Allen and also starring Alan Ladd, but all those Paramount Pictures film noirs are true crime noir features, no problem. Alan Ladd is a bit more wooden as usual, and Berry Kroeger is not Paul Stewart - APPOINTMENT WITH DANGER - either. The plot is also weaker than in the other two films which I mentioned just above. The story of investigation could have been grittier, tougher, but this movie remaiins worth watching if you have never seen it before. When Alan Ladd was still a big star, before his fall down. Donna Reed also brings much to this movie. Take advantage of it.

A reporter (Alan Ladd) discovers the body of a beautiful young girl (Donna Reed) in a cheap Chicago hotel, and in trying to retrace the events leading to her death becomes involved with the characters from her past life, all thanks to her diary ...

The host of names of men in the diary seem to be frightened by her death but claim never to have known her. Adams comes to know quite a lot, dangerously so.

Alan Ladd plays a fast talking reporter whose nose is sharp as his line delivery comebacks- he finds a diary of a dead woman and starts prying into her life, thanks to the names in her address book- Ranging from the rich to the crooked, the "names" are a bit nervous to talk about the dead lady.

It's a fast-paced, suspenseful noir mystery that doesn't lose focus and keeps you watching. Not much action, but the plot, the dialogue, and the characters are sharp . Ladd puts in a good performance.

When a reporter finds a beautiful girl dead of tuberculosis in a cheap hotel room, he pockets her little black book to learn more about her... but no one's talking, and the ones that try to have a nasty habit of getting killed. The basic detective story template in the Hammett vein with a touch of CITIZEN KANE and LAURA as Rosita's life is revealed through flashbacks. Alan Ladd is fun to watch, and there's some pretty good supporting parts. Donna Reed gets second billing, but she only appears in snippets for maybe about 10 minutes total. The film has good atmosphere and makes nice use of locations, but is so convoluted that it can be tough to follow. The lousy copy I watched didn't help. I'd like to see it again in a decent presentation. A solid and moody film but a little too confusing.