If ever a film deserved to be remastered, this is it. The commercially released copy I watched was in bad condition. There were numerous lines and widely oscillating sound levels. That is too bad, for I thought it was an excellent, and overlooked, film. Here's why I'd recommend it: the acting (with one exception) was very good; the plot was innovative, believable, and tight; and the pace never lagged. Raymond Burr had a tendency to overact. Here, however, as in his subsequent (and similar) Perry Mason role, his underplaying was perfection. Angela Lansbury, whose range is even greater than that of Bette Davis, nailed it as a bad girl. (It foreshadowed her later acclaimed portrayal as Eleanor Shaw Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate). As district attorney, John Dehner, who was always reliable, also did well. And Lamont Johnson, as Lansbury's other man, came across as likeable and naive. But, unfortunately, Angela's husband, Dick Foran, seemed over-matched. I thought his performance was weak, with little nuance. Ironically, this is a problem which could have been resolved easily. Foran and Denver Pyle (who was very effective in a minor role as lead detective) should have been asked to switch roles.Now, as to the major criticisms of other reviewers' that sacrificing your own life to destroy another is absurd. They are both right and wrong. Absurd it may be, but infrequent it is not. In a relationship, particularly when one is a man and the "dumpee," he is likely to shift into a "you lose," or threat orientation. Here the object is to destroy the other--by, for example, killing his children if he loses custody of them in a divorce. Yes, he dies, or spends the rest of his life in prison, but his ex.-spouse loses. And that's his goal.Considering how he was portrayed, I don't see what Raymond Burr's character did as all that unusual. He had a strong bond with Foran (who had saved his life on Iwo Jima). He was betrayed by Lansbury, the woman he loved. He was dumped by her. And he had a strong belief in justice (as testified to by the district attorney). So for Pete's sake, won't someone please remaster this thing?

Rather tepid noirish courtroom drama that is mainly saved from forgettability by Raymond Burr's performance. As for Angela Lansbury, well.....let's just say unfortunately she's not the victim. In truth the real victim is the viewer for having to sit through a more than usually tedious courtroom scene that d-r-a-g-s along for about a third of the movie. After that things kinda pick up, but not quite enough to save the movie. The final plot twist is a real stretch of anyone's credulity, and most movie fans will not be overly surprised. I'm sure many noir addicts will want to see this just because of Burr's presence, and hey there are far worse movies to waste your time with. But why not watch a better movie instead?

It occurred to me while watching this that, with his oddly configured ears and his lower lip with that dip in the midline, Raymond Burr looked a lot like Tony Randall if Randall had been on a high-carbohydrate diet for a year or so. Burr was never much of a screen presence because he had no range to speak of. He was always Perry Mason whether he was Perry Mason or not. That heft, those burning eyes, implied a tragic solemnity that he could never shake off. It's as if he carried around a terrible secret, which I guess he did.Angela Lansbury, alas, doesn't really come through either. She's a marvelous actress. She's been a chippy in "Gaslight," a light-hearted semi-cannibalistic murderess in "The Demon Barber of Fleet Street", a domineering and incestuous mother in "The Manchurian Candidate." Here, she's supposed to be an anxiety-ridden widow for much of the movie and a scheming evil bitch for the last third but she brings no more to the role than any other professional actress might. Claire Trevor could have done at least as well.The script doesn't give her much help, or anybody else. There are no felicities in it. It's a B story that uses all the conventions of the murder/mystery/drama with no apologies. Not a word is uttered that doesn't move the narrative forward a step or two. Nothing is skipped. Nobody makes a wisecrack.The director, on the other hand, shows a bit of imagination in handling this courtroom drama. There are some queer camera angles that are as functional as they are stylistic. And I'll mention two other touches.Dick Foran has just been told that his wife is in love with Burr and is about to leave him. This upsets Dick Foran. He lapses into a brown study then gets into his raincoat and goes home. He enters the bedroom to find Lansbury sitting up and waiting for him. Foran picks up the black cat, flings it through the door into the hallway, then closes the bedroom door. The camera lingers on the cat, amusing itself on the hall carpet, or whatever it is that cats do. There is an offscreen gun shot. The cat starts, then leaps away. Well, that's rather neat in a small way. The camera HAD to stay out of the bedroom, as it turns out, but that cat was a minor inspiration.Example number two. I hope you're writing this down. Wait, now I've forgotten. Oh, yes, okay. Example number two. The courthouse newsroom. Empty except for a lanky young photographer talking to his girl friend on the phone, his feet propped on a desk across the aisle. Half a dozen other newsmen rush in and knock his legs out of the way. The young man's ankles stay crossed and his conversation doesn't skip a beat as he rapidly swivels his legs over to his own desk, where his heels assume their accustomed position next to the typewriter. It's not much, and the director draws absolutely no attention to the gesture, but the fact that this bit of business is there at all shows that somebody was paying a little attention. It's as close as the movie comes to a funny moment.Nice supporting cast too. John Dehner is always a reliable utility player. Lamont Johnson is believable as the morally upright and totally improbable love interest of Angela Lansbury. If Lansbury had put more into it, and if somebody had bothered to polish the script, it might have been much better than mediocre.

This movie was watchable mainly for the stars. I love Raymond Burr but don't think it was this role that got him Perry Mason, I think it was the DA in A Place in the Sun. Burr's whacking that rowboat was outstanding. Raymond Burr was a great Perry Mason but not a romantic actor. Just watch his attempted rape scene in the Blue Gardenia. He didn't seem to really want to have contact with Anne Baxter. He was no Rock Hudson in that area, but I still think he was wonderful. Raymond Angela and the always good John Dehner are the reasons to watch this movie and the nostalgia effect if you watched a lot of TV in the 50's as I did. I agree the story line is unbelievable but I'm glad this movie is still available. I watched it on Roku.