The Strange Mrs. Crane

Marjorie Lord ("The Danny Thomas Show") is a beautiful woman with a shady past who is married to an older, wealthy man (Pierre Watkin) who has just won his party's nomination for Governor. One day she runs into her former lover, with whom she had once operated a blackmail operation--which resulted in both of them being on the run from the law. When he threatens to expose her past to her husband unless he's paid off, she takes matters into her own hands to protect her new social status.

This is a tidy little "B" thriller, directed (as "Sherman Scott") by the incredibly prolific Sam Newfield. Newfield's work was, for the most part, wholly undistinguished--he ground out films like sausages over a career that spanned more than 30 years--but this one is a cut above his usual product. Marjory Lord is surprisingly effective as a former floozy who is now on her way to being the most powerful and respected woman in the state, and she'll let nothing get in her way. Robert Shayne ("The Adventures of Superman"), as her former partner in crime who threatens to expose her past to her husband, doesn't quite pull off his part as the oily villain, but he gives it a good try. Watkin, a reliable character actor who had a long career plying characters just like the one here, has a larger part than he usually got, and does a good job with it. The film moves briskly for the most part, and longtime Newfield cameraman Jack Greenhalgh gives the film a very atmospheric, njoirish feel.

Overall this is one of Newfield's better efforts, with a nice job by Lord.

Pierre Watkins is running for governor. To secure her agreement, he's agreed to buy his wife, Marjorie Lord, a mink coat, so he takes her to Claire Whitney's shop. There, they meet the salesman Robert Shayne.... who already knows Miss Lord, from years ago, when they were both in the rackets. He proceeds to blackmail her, so she stabs him. The police pick up Shayne's fiancee, Ruth Brady. When her case goes to trial, Miss Lord is on the jury!

It's an engrossing drama of coincidences directed by Sam Newfield, hiding under the name of Sherman Scott. The performances are good, and cinematographer Jack Greenhalgh makes Miss Lord look glamorous haunted; for once, his camerawork is not obscured by muddy, worn-out prints. I was occasionally annoyed by Paul J. Smith's score, which occasionally blared out to let you know that this was a dramatic notice, but other than that, it's a nice little programmer for Eagle-Lion, working its way out of its PRC roots.

Marjorie Lord is the wife of Pierre Watkin who's running for governor. Her life is seemingly perfect, but Watkin doesn't know she used to be, and maybe still is?, a con artist who seduced men for their money. When her former partner in crime, Robert Shayne, comes back into her life, he wants some of the money she now has access to. Half to be precise, or else he'll tell Watkin about her past. Lord can't let him do that, and she kills him. The police arrest his gf tho, Ruth Brady. In a twist of fate, Lord is assigned jury duty on Brady's trial, who faces the death penalty...

The plot of this movie is reminiscent of 1948's Blonde Ice, but Marjorie Lord ('The Argyle Secrets') never comes across as cold-hearted as Leslie Brooks. It's a bit of a shame, as Lord does well at the start of this movie as the socialite lady. But she's not quite convincing enough as a conniving femme fatale. Still, she does a nice job, and I enjoyed watching her. Robert Shayne ('Three Strangers', 'Mr. Skeffington') is also quite decent as the con artist who went to prison, bounced back, and now wants a piece of his ex-partner's pie. The rest of the cast are what you'd expect from low-budget B movies like this one, adequate but forgettable.

Even tho he's credited as Sherman Scott in this movie, it was prolific B-director Sam Newfield ('The Lady Confesses', 'Mask Of The Dragon') that directed this noir. If anything, his experience at making these sorts of low-budget movies that had to be done as quickly as possible, helps this movie. There is no room for filler, it moves at a rapid pace, fitting a decently plotted story into an hour runtime, but things never feel too rushed. And the movie has a nicely ironic ending. I do wish more time was spent on the lighting, DoP Jack Greenhalgh ('Fingerpints Don't Lie', 'F.B.I. Girl') doesn't do much lighting wise aside from a few scenes inside dark apartments. But for these types of quick programmers, this one's quite decent and enjoyable.

The problem is that he seemed not to wish often. This is an admirable little crime thriller, such a Joseph Lewis's SO DARK THE NIGHT where a cop - Steven Geray - investigates on a crime where he is the murder...Or an Anthon Mann's film where STRANGE IMPERSONATION, where a man is accused of his own murder.....I love such unpredictable, totally incredible schemes, only available in such short B movies. Here, a woman is in the jury of a trial where a second woman is accused of a murder that this very first woman commited.... This is a very exciting Sam Newfield's film and there were not too many of them, believe me. One more little thing. At the time of this writing, in 2023, I have learned that the next Clint Eastwood's project is excatly the same topic. A murderer named to belong to a jury for a trial about the crime he commited himself.

Truth to tell, I know nothing about Director Sam Newfield but he does a sterling job of keeping THE STRANGE MRS CRANE flowing and riveting, on the strength of a very tight script, with sharp dialogue, and before you know it the 53 minutes are up... by which point I felt cheated!

I wished it would run on a few more minutes, that is how entertaining this flick was. Beautiful Marjorie Lord - once again, never heard of her - plays the femme fatale with considerable aplomb. She has a dark past, is now married to an older man, soon to be governor, generous and rich enough to buy her a mink coat, among other luxuries. Lord stands as a woman of considerable visibility in the community.

After the first few minutes of apparent innocence, she shows her hand: she cannot wait to cheat on her hubby with former fling Robert Shayne, who views her as suitable blackmail material. Alas, he underestimates Lord's resourcefulness and survival instinct, and pays the ultimate price.

Poor Ruth Brady steps in just after the murder and police detain her. It is at this point that you realize Lord could not care less if innocent Ruth lands in jail for a crime she did not commit. Her overriding concern is not to get caught and not lose her standing in the community, and the good life afforded by her hubby's rising star.

One can argue that the ending is a little bit too convenient, that it is a major coincidence that she lands up in a jury to convict poor Ruth, and all ducks are lined up for it to happen, including placing a court verdict in a mink coat... but all elements have been there from the outset, they have not just been introduced without explanation and they come together at the wrong moment for Lord. Thus, justice is served by fate and in a clever twist to boot!

The downside to watching THE STRANGE MRS CRANE was the poor quality copy. I suspect photography must have been better than this somewhat unfocused product, but all credit to the picture that it entertained me enough that I wished it would carry on in spite of that obvious shortcoming.

Well worth watching!