Cem Contra Um

A Rich and Nifty Little B-Movie that Takes an Investigative Journalist on a Quest to Find Kidnappers and Stop His Newspaper from Folding. Melvyn Douglas is the Protagonist, but it is the Many Set-Pieces of People and Places that Make This Special.

Always Engaging and there are Outstanding Side-Bars and a Surprisingly Dark Atmosphere and Snappy Dialog Along the Way that was Not Typical of MGM. The Scene at an African American Wake and the Climatic and Dark Display in the Gangster's Car are Exceptional, as are Brief Encounters with a Bird Loving Casino Owner and a Henpecked Groom to be.

Overall, a Very Good Sleeper that is Virtually Unknown and is Deserving of a Rediscovery.

This remarkable little action-drama follows newspaper editor Melvyn Douglas as he traces back the ownership of a $100 bill, used as ransom money in a notorious kidnapping case, from hand to hand. The clever premise is absorbing in itself, but also serves as an excuse for a series of dramatically charged vignettes revealing the complex lives of a myriad of well-drawn, idiosyncratic characters, as the investigation descends the social scale. Director Leslie Fenton packs a wealth of detail into the 60-plus minute running time, keeping the camera and actors moving at all times, but knowing when to pause for effect. Many have remarked on the moving sequence of a black boxer's wake (surprisingly dignified and emotional for the time), but just as stunning is the chilling look of murderous intent in the ancient Halliwell Hobbes's eyes as he learns that his much younger wife is being unfaithful. The cast is filled with veteran bit players (including Mantan Moreland in a don't-blink cameo), there are a few nice comic touches, and the small-city newspaper office scenes are authentic looking. By the way, Seinfeld fans should note that Douglas must have been the original "close talker" as he blusters about imposing himself on people's lives.

Director Leslie Fenton had more acting roles than directing roles, but he sure worked with some of the biggies as an actor. and was married to the delicious Ann Dvorak. In Tell No Tales, Melvyn Douglas is the editor of a newspaper that's being shut down, but he thinks he can solve one last big crime to save the paper. Co-stars Gene Lockhart, Louise Platt, and Douglass Dumbrille. some running gags to keep it light. Cassidy (Douglas) helps Ellen (Platt) hide out while he tries to solve the riddle. this one goes all around the mulberry bush.... through a black funeral, through an opera. it's actually quite good. we go along for the ride. and the whole time, we're never sure who's telling the truth. plays now and then on turner classics channel.

This is a trail movie, the Hitchcock MacGuffin being a $100 marked bill. Where did it come from? Turns out it passed through many hands. Each party on the trail is the center of increasingly interesting scenes until, for meanness, Gene Lockhart bangs the base drum. Talk about noir, the film grows darker and darker, both ways. For me this film is an eye opener as it proceeds from procedural adventure to the interesting seaminess of a flirtation with the allure of serious film noir.

Michael Cassidy (Melvyn Douglas) runs the old respected newspaper, The Guardian, like a family affair. The new owner Matthew Cooper orders it to shutdown in favor of his own tabloid, The Evening Record. Cassidy turns down his pick of a job at the Record. With a clue to a famous kidnapping, he makes a final stab at saving his beloved paper with the hot new story in a final edition. He sneaks pass the police to retrieve kidnap victim Ellen Frazier (Louise Platt) who is under police protection.

The plot is a straight line of one stop to another as Cassidy tracks down the journey of that $100 bill. It's not the most imaginative plot structure. It is good enough to leverage a good performance and a nice crime thriller. The movie is able to maintain its kinetic motion all the way through. It's not really a mystery to solve. It does need some action to punch it up. It's a little flat but it's pretty good.