L'assassin au gant de velours

Van Heflin plays the head of the police crime lab who investigates the murder of a district attorney and a mayor. His assistant (Marsha Hunt) is in love with him but he doesn't show her that kind of attention. So when his friend (Lee Bowman), a special prosecutor working for the mayor, starts romancing her we get ourselves a good old-fashioned love triangle.

Heflin is terrific and has great chemistry with lovely Hunt. The killer's identity is easy to figure out. It's pretty much the most obvious suspect. But thankfully the film doesn't expect that mystery to play out too long and we're let in on his identity relatively quickly. Pretty good B movie from director Fred Zinnemann (his first film). The script is smart and the forensic angle is fresh for the time. The love triangle part of the story is weak but that sort of thing was very common back then.

Kid Gloves Killer (1942)

There might be little to recommend this movie beyond a look at Van Heflin in a constrained early role. Oh, and that the director is the noted Fred Zinneman himself. This is a crime caper formula movie, and it's enjoyable all through. For me, a highlight was the unexpected ease of the leading actress, Marsha Hunt (who is still alive at 100 years old as I write this). She is a kind of "regular girl" who everyone is meant to like, but she has a natural presence on screen that seems like should have meant something bigger. Maybe that kind of "normalness" isn't quite star material, not bigger than life. But see it for her, at least. Heflin is an acquired taste these days, but an interesting leading man a little different than the rest (he's great in "Martha Ivers" and "Act of Violence"). His role here is meant to be a really determined and incorruptable science guy in a crime lab. There is a little of that show-and-tell that happens in some detective movies of the time, but not too much to make it lag. The plot owes something to gangster films, where the big crime guy has the D.A. in his pocket. But this same man is also in love (or pretends to be) with the Hunt character. It's all in good entertainment fun, however, nothing too thrilling, and nothing too corny or cheap either. Back to Zinneman. This is his first feature film direction. The snappy, smart construction might be a sign of things to come, once he gets meatier material. Interesting!

This is a wonderful little picture from MGM as it delivers on all levels. Unlike many "B-pictures", this film features better production values, better characters and a much better written script than usual. While MOST B-movies have plot holes and logical errors, this one is very tight and interesting and seems superior to the usual detective films.

Van Heflin plays a brilliant forensic scientist who works for the police. In many ways, he seems like a 1940s version of the TV show CSI--but his assumptions and equipment seem rather realistic and less fantastic than the shows we see on television today. For example, when Van finds what MIGHT be evidence, he is very hesitant to make huge logical leaps and is very cautious and thorough. In addition, he uses standard equipment of the day to investigate the crimes (whereas, CSI often features procedures that are NOT really used today).

Van is ably assisted by the pretty Marsha Hunt--who Van seldom seems to recognize for her many talents. Finally, after seeing no reaction from him, she begins to date the District Attorney and they become quite serious.

There's a lot more to the story than this, but I don't want to spoil it. Just be prepared to be impressed by an intelligently written and acted film--and much of the credit should go to the great director, Fred Zinneman, who is able to get the absolute most from the material. It's not surprising to find that Fred went on to better and more prestigious projects--probably thanks to his success with little films.

FYI--Although the forensics are pretty good, at one point Van picks up what's left of a pipe bomb with his bare hands. What about fingerprints?!

Van Heflin is a forensics man trying to solve a couple of murders in "Kid Glove Killer," a 1942 MGM film also starring Marsha Hunt and Lee Bowman. As in "The Grand Central Murder," it's Heflin's performance that puts this film across, though this time he is aided by the lovely Marsha Hunt as his assistant, whom he calls "Mitchell." Lee Bowman plays a crooked politician pretending to be a good guy, and as a result, he's eager to see an innocent man put away for murder. He also is after the aforementioned Mitchell, who is waiting around for Heflin to make a move. Hunt's role is somewhat dated (or maybe not) - she's on her way to becoming a good forensics person, but says that the job is not for a woman and she wants to get married. Evidently that will put an end to her career.

Heflin was an interesting actor who could do character roles and leads. This film was made around the time of his breakthrough role in "Johnny Eager," after which he hung up his B movie mantle and moved on to bigger things. He always brought wry humor and subtle characterizations to his roles as well as excellent timing. Lee Bowman was a mustached actor who looked like he came from the Warren William era. He's solid but not terribly exciting. Hunt brings warmth and sparkle to her role.

There was, in my opinion, a major problem with the plot having to do with Heflin testing to find particles in the hair of various suspects some time after the crime - wouldn't the particles have come out when they washed their hair? You really end up thinking no one ever took a shower.

Nice beginning for Zinnemann, who would go on to direct some big features such as "High Noon."

Everything about KID GLOVE KILLER is extremely dated. And yet it's fun to watch VAN HEFLIN and MARSHA HUNT go about solving a crime using old techniques and spouting a lot of artificial dialog, 1940s style.

Both of them also smoke frequently. "Match me," becomes a standard line. A cast of standard MGM B-players keeps things going nicely as Heflin and Marsh investigate the murder of a politician, when all the time we know who the killer is--LEE BOWMAN. Bowman is one of those actors who never quite made it to big time stardom, but he's completely at home here in the role of a ruthless heel.

All of the suspense in a story of this kind lies in wondering how the killer will be caught--since he's very manipulative and very cunning. His charm makes his criminal nature very deceptive to both Bowman and Hunt.

Favorite line: "Just bury me with one of your swell hamburgers on my chest." Reply: "With onions?"

If you watch carefully, you can spot BOBBY BLAKE as a youngster listening to a car radio and AVA GARDNER as a car-hop waitress.

This one, and GRAND CENTRAL MURDER made the same year, are well worth watching and nicely directed by Fred Zinnemann who later went on to A-film assignments.