This Side of the Law
| This Side of the Law | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release lobby card | |
| Directed by | Richard L. Bare |
| Screenplay by | Russell S. Hughes |
| Story by | Richard Sale |
| Produced by | Saul Elkins |
| Starring | Kent Smith Viveca Lindfors |
| Cinematography | Carl E. Guthrie |
| Edited by | Frank Magee |
| Music by | William Lava |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 74 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
This Side of the Law is a 1950 American film noir directed by Richard L. Bare and starring Kent Smith, Viveca Lindfors, Robert Douglas and Janis Paige.[1][2]
Plot
[edit]David Cummins is trapped in a dry cistern and wondering whether he will die there. A flashback to a week earlier reveals the events that landed him there.
David, a bright but down-and-out vagrant, is tapped by a police officer for looking longingly in a pawn shop window at a revolver. A smart retort to the officer's question has him carted off to jail for "no visible means of support." The following day he is sentenced to "$50 or 30 days."
Lawyer Philip Cagle pays his fine. After a meal and a taxi ride, the pair enter the attorney's office, where he explains why. The counselor is the executor of the estate of a wealthy man, Malcolm Taylor, whom the bum just happens to resemble exactly. The rich man has been missing for seven years minus two weeks and is about to be declared legally dead, which would be inconvenient for the lawyer (though it is unclear why).
If David will impersonate the missing man, he will be paid $500. He holds out for $5,000 and the pair come to terms, then drive to the missing man's mansion near a cliff. He must fool three people: the man's wife, his brother and the brother's wife. Just as they arrive, Cagle tells him, "By the way, your brother hates you."
David soon finds that it is not just the brother, Calder, who is none too fond of him. His wife Evelyn is unwelcoming as well, as apparently Taylor was not a nice man. Fortunately, Evelyn does not know that her husband Malcolm's most recent affair was with Calder's wife Nadine.
When David reaches the estate, the owner's dog, Angel, bares his teeth. David lets the dog smell the owner's jacket sleeve and the dog backs off. The impersonation works for some time, and David becomes increasingly attracted to Evelyn. Then Nadine notices his wrists are not scarred. She offers to keep quiet for a share of the estate. David tells Cagle, who telephones Nadine. It is clear that Cagle and Nadine are co-conspirators. He has her meet him at a lonely spot on the estate, then kills her and shoves her body off the cliff into the ocean for trying to doublecross him.
The police declare Nadine's death to be an accident. David decides to leave and Cagle offers him a ride, but knocks him out and throws him into the cistern. When David regains consciousness, he discovers the skeletal remains of Malcolm Taylor next to him. Eventually he manages to climb out of the cistern. Meanwhile, Cagle points out to the grieving Calder how unlikely it was that Nadine's death was accidental, and reminds him that Evelyn hated Nadine. Evelyn packs her things, unwilling to spend another hour in the mansion. Calder asks her to accompany him to Nadine's favorite spot, next to the cliff. He accuses her of murder and tries to push her off. David, who has just escaped the cistern, hears Evelyn's screams and rushes to rescue her, knocking Calder down.
David confronts Cagle, who pulls out a gun. The sound of a police siren is heard; Cagle had phoned them to tell them about Calder's made-up threats. When Evelyn appears unexpectedly behind Cagle, David is able to turn out the lights, so that Cagle's shots miss him. Cagle flees. Angel chases him and catches him next to the cistern, the lid still open from David's escape. Philip falls in while fighting off the dog.
All is confessed to the puzzled police and all is resolved, with Evelyn unwilling to press charges against David and showing that she now returns his feelings.
Cast
[edit]- Kent Smith as David Cummins
- Viveca Lindfors as Evelyn Taylor
- Robert Douglas as Philip Cagle
- Janis Paige as Nadine Taylor
- John Alvin as Calder Taylor
- Monte Blue as The Sheriff
- Frances Morris as Miss Roberts
- Nita Talbot as Miss Goff
Reception
[edit]Film historian and critic Hal Erickson praised the work of Viveca Lindfors, writing, "Top-billed Viveca Lindfors brings a bit of texture to the otherwise two-dimensional character of Cummins' 'wife.'"[3]
References
[edit]- ^ "This Side of the Law". Turner Classic Movies. Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System (Time Warner). Retrieved August 18, 2016.
- ^ This Side of the Law at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ Erickson, Hal. Allmovie by Rovi, film/DVD review, no date. Accessed: August 16, 2013.
External links
[edit]- This Side of the Law is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
- This Side of the Law at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- This Side of the Law at IMDb
- This Side of the Law at the TCM Movie Database
- This Side of the Law information site and DVD review at DVD Beaver (includes images)