"The Crooked Web" is an enjoyable little Film Noire filled with twists and turns. It's hampered by it's "B" movie budget but the excellent leads make up for any deficiencies.Stan Fabian (Frank Lovejoy) who loves to play the horses, runs a profitable little drive-in restaurant. One of his car hops is the brassy Joanie Daniel (Mari Blanchard) with whom Stan is romantically involved. One day her "brother" Frank (Richard Denning) drives up. The two "siblings" appear not to get along.Frank it seems, has a plan to retrieve some WWII artifacts in Germany which attracts Stan's interest. Not to spoil the story, but it is necessary to know that Frank and Joanie are really working undercover to lure Stan into revealing his guilt over a murder ten years earlier at the end of the war.Frank's partner Torres (Steven Rich) is dead set against Stan's involvement in their plan. Frank "gets rid of" Torres and the three (Stan, Joanie and Frank) proceed. Meanwhile we learn that Stan was responsible for the death of his cohort and an MP trying to arrest him for stealing army supplies ten years earlier. This whole elaborate plan is meant to trap Stan into revealing his guilt.In Germany Frank leads the trio to a grave sight on an estate where a treasure of gold is buried but are driven off by guards. After another attempt fails and the estate where the grave is located is taken over by the U.S. Air Force. Drastic action is called for and...............................Frank Lovejoy, Mari Blanchard and Richard Denning were recognizable and capable performers who spent many years just below the "A" list. Lovejoy and Denning play well off of each other as the viewer is left to wonder who is the good guy and who is the bad. Blanchard who appeared mostly in westerns, makes a formidable "femme fatale" as she draws the hapless Lovejoy into "The Crooked Web".Watch for veteran comic Vince Barnett as Lovejoy's partner in the Drive-in. Roy Gordon plays Richard Atherton the father of the murdered soldier who is behind the undercover operation. John Mylong is the German police inspector, Lou Merril, Schmitt the metallurgist and Harry Lauter as the Air Force recruiter.

The plot for "The Crooked Web" is way too complicated--so complicated and nonsensical that you wonder why they didn't work out all these details better before they filmed the story. It's a shame...but it's a film I would just as soon never watched.The story begins with a business run by Stan (Frank Lovejoy). He's assisted by his fiancée, Joanie (Mari Blanchard) and things look pretty normal. Then, her ne'er-do-well brother, Frank (Richard Denning) arrives and he's apparently got so get rich quick scheme but it entails going to Germany and digging up some grave. Also, along the way Frank ends up killing his partner right in front of Stan and Joanie!! Instead of going to the cops, Stan wants in with Frank and his scheme.Soon, the viewer learns that Frank and Joanie are NOT brother and sister and in fact she's already engaged with Frank. What gives? Well it seems that the pair are government agents and they are trying to lure Stan back to Germany. Does it all sound too complicated? You haven't even begun to hear the entire story! But, unfortunately, the story doesn't make a lot of sense and there really was no reason to even lure Stan to Germany in the first place. Overall, a film with little payoff and a story that seems to have too many holes.

Drive-in restaurant owner Stan Fabian and his car-hop girlfriend Joanie (Frank Lovejoy and Mari Blanchard) become involved in a scheme to recover the proceeds of an armed heist when Joanie's brother (Richard Denning) unexpectedly arrives in town. Her brother offers Stan half of his share of a robbery he pulled off while in the Army in WWII if Stan will travel back to Germany with him to help retrieve the buried gold. Complications and a few surprising turn of events arise along the way.This low budget crime drama starts off promisingly enough but quickly fizzles out under the strained believably of the plot and characters. It was directed by Nathan Juran with a decidedly disinterested feel. Juran was a director who was capable of doing some decent low budget pictures like Gunsmoke and Highway Dragnet. Juran just didn't breath much life into this one. All of the principals struggle with their character identities. The script has Lovejoy who was at his best as a tough guy with a hard edge, walking around through most of the movie in an impatiently perplexed way, seemingly oblivious to what most people would consider obvious. His role seems to pivot around implausible reactions to Denning's character for the sole purpose of making it possible to move on to the next scene. Blanchard's character lacks believe-ability. It makes it hard to understand why even the perennially perplexed Lovejoy would be willing to risk so much for a character with such head-scratchingly odd reactions and shifting motivations. The script moves from one contrived situation stacked upon another contrived situation in order to reach the end.The Crooked Web has recently been released on Film Noir DVD packages. It's part of the current marketing ploy of repackaging black and white 1950's crime dramas and labeling them as Film Noir. While it does have a noir influence, it's a garden variety, double feature, crime B-flick. Anybody looking for the next undiscovered gem in the mold of "Double Indemnity" or "Out of the Past" should keep on looking because this isn't it.Both Juran and the cast had better days then what we see here. Other than some early on interesting exterior shots of 1950's L.A. there isn't a lot to recommend in this one.

Frank Lovejoy, Richard Denning, and Mari Blanchard star in "The Crooked Web" from 1955.The story in the beginning is that a brother and sister (Denning and Blanchard) set up the owner of a diner (Lovejoy) in order to use his money for a scam they have planned in Germany. The story then changes.Despite what one of the posters said, this film has a decent cast. I thought Mari Blanchard as the femme fatale was very beautiful and sexy. She had a hard edge that was brought out when her boyfriend wouldn't do what she wanted.Richard Denning was so handsome, but his film career never took off. However, he made a good living in radio, film, and television. He was the original star of a radio show with Lucille Ball that was later turned into "I Love Lucy." Denning was to star with her, but Ball wanted Arnaz.Lovejoy did a good job as the guy who is set up, alternately greedy, suspicious, and in love with Blanchard.The film is okay, but the plot has an enormous hole. If interested, read below. Otherwise, stop here.Spoiler When Lovejoy sees Denning's badge while Denning showers, Denning tells him that it was made for him so they can get onto the estate with the hidden box of expensive items made of gold. But the badge, which was real, must have had his real name on it and not the one he was using. He had already been recognized on board ship by someone who had been in the service with him, who had called him by his real name, but Denning tells him he's mistaken. So Lovejoy had already heard the name.