karljhickey14

A crusading journalist attacking the use of circumstantial evidence frames himself for murder , but the only person who can prove it is in a car accident ... Is the plot of Fritz Lang's 1956 film Beyond A Reasonable Doubt . This time it's George Macready , not Dana Andrews , and his confidant is deliberately attacked by gangsters , rather than just a random accident . There is another big difference with the ending , but I won't spoil either film .

This is a typical Columbia B picture , notable mainly for being John Sturges first film .

This is a noir I've been looking for for a long time , didn't expect the deja vu with the plot .

It gets on with it , but the later chase scene feels like padding . The end scene screams TV show as well .

Macready still comes across as villainous ( as he usually was ) , and in one scene Forrest Tucker just looks blank . Brooks doesn't do much , and the real villain is hardly in the film .

Required viewing for noir fans and b movie collectors , but maybe not casual viewers .

( Beyond a shadow of a doubt is what the judge says in summing up , not quite saying the title of the future film . )

Minor , light screwball from the Hal Roach studio notable for a rare starring role for character actor Walter Abel .... and Corky the dog .

Corky is one of the best canine actors of the classic era , alongside Asta of the Thin Man films , Terry from the Wizard of Oz , and Daisy from the Blondie films . Unmistakable with his lopsided ears and corkscrew tale , he appeared in at least 35 films ( I've added IMDB listings myself for several whenever I spot him ) virtually always uncredited . He pops up in screwballs - Theodora Goes Wild 1938 , appears with Marlene Dietrich in The Garden of Allah 1936 , horror films like Man Made Monster 1941 , even film noir - he's Burt Lancaster's dog in Criss Cross 1949.

A natural actor , there are only a couple of obvious camera edits , otherwise his expressions and double takes seem real .

Oh , and there's the people too - Walter Abel was always good at this type of role , plus there are screwball regulars like Donald Meek , Donald Macbride , dumb blonde Marie Wilson , and tough guy Sheldon Leonard .