En visperas de la muerte

A husband and wife dancing team down on their luck finds some money that gets them into a lot of trouble - and the husband on death row for murder. His one pair of shoes condemns him. After an open-and-shut trial and conviction, the wife ends up taking on his case herself as the clock ticks toward his execution. Camera flashes between husband in cell contemplating his life and impending death while his wife and others (with varying levels of interest and investment) work toward a resolution and possible alternative outcome.

Truly wonderful Film Noir murder mystery with intrigue, a twisting plot and surprise ending. Keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole way. Highest quality acting, directing and script.

Sadly, there seems to be only one print of this film in the world.

Tom Quinn (Don Castle) gets his last meal before his execution. He recounts his story to the other prisoners. He and his wife Ann Quinn (Elyse Knox) are struggling dancers. Police detective Clint Judd (Regis Toomey) investigates a murder investigation with a shoe print as evidence. Tom found a wallet full of old money. Both the shoe print and the money point the finger at him. Ann recognizes Clint as "Santa Claus", the man who gave her a big tip for a dance.

This is a film noir B-movie adapted from a pulp novel. It's a simple crime police drama. I do question the shoe print as that impressive of a piece of evidence. I like the opening on death row. I like Clint and his motivation. This is good pulp. This is a very solid and compelling crime drama.

"I Wouldn't Be in Your Shoes" is a shockingly good crime film. I say it's shocking because it was made by Monogram Studios...a small-time outfit from which you wouldn't expect such a quality film! While it does have a relatively no-name cast, the script, direction and acting are spot on...and it's a terrific movie...as you might guess from the great title screen!

Through a series of dumb choices, a guy is arrested for murdering his neighbor. But the dumb things really were just dumb things and he didn't kill anyone. However, the jury doesn't believe him and the schnook is sentenced to death. The rest of the film consists of his loving wife trying to prove he's no murderer and she enlists the help of a strange police detective (Regis Toomey) to help her.

This movie is very intelligently written. And, towards the end when I assumed the writers screwed up, it turned out to be okay...it was no mistake and the script was very tight and enjoyable. I'd say more but don't want to divulge any of the twists in the story...suffice to say it's never dull and is a most unusual movie.

A dancer chucks his tap shoes out the window at a noisy cat and ends up facing a murder charge. I could make a comparison to a certain other film noir (actually a film noir and its remake) but that would be giving away its surprising twist. Given the era, you know the innocent man will get a last minute reprieve, the trick is how we get to that point. When the realization dawned on me -- about 30 seconds before the first real clue -- it was one of those magic "How did I not see this coming?" moments. Certain plot points that at first seemed very contrived clicked into place (although to be totally honest, a lot of it is still kinda contrived... goofy coincidences and twists are something of a trademark for Cornell Woolrich). The film is clearly a shoestring budget production, but even if the performances aren't great, they are at least sincere. The "wrong man" scenario provides the usual (justified) paranoia concerning the authorities charged with protecting us, and the tight running time makes this a worthwhile picture, even if not exactly an undiscovered classic.

This rediscovered little dilly wouldn't walk away with any awards, but it's the sort of grade-B fare that makes film noir aficionados jump for joy! As is remarkably common in such flicks, the fog of confusion comes in on little cat feet--this time in the presence of two fighting felines on a fence. The protagonist flings his shoes at them, and fate suddenly starts tromping roughshod over him and his hapless spouse. The plot is somewhat plodding by modern standards, but its patient unfolding allows realization to creep slowly over the viewer, so that the conclusion is all the more credible and satisfying. Fans of crime and mystery films of the forties and fifties should find this offering to be a runaway pleaser!