A dull, disappointing film that starts out as an intriguing noir and turns into a bloodless drama.
Tyrone Power plays a member of a tawdry, traveling carnival who capitalizes on his accidental murder of a member of a mentalist act by taking the man's place and learning his tricks. Cool set up. But then he leaves the carnival and sets out for the big city (Chicago, in this case, and as I'm from Chicago, it was admittedly fun to hear the name dropping of landmarks and neighborhoods that I know). He involves himself with a trio of women, first the wife of the man he killed (Joan Blondell), then a fellow carny performer who he marries (Coleen Gray) and lastly a head doctor who doesn't let professional pride get in the way of a good scheme (Helen Walker). But the movie is long and directed like sludge by Edmund Goulding. The carnival atmosphere at the film's opening is satisfyingly creepy, but once the story moved from there, my attention moved with it.
Blondell and Walker are kind of fun and inject some life into the movie, but not enough to save it.
Grade: C
Tyrone Power plays a member of a tawdry, traveling carnival who capitalizes on his accidental murder of a member of a mentalist act by taking the man's place and learning his tricks. Cool set up. But then he leaves the carnival and sets out for the big city (Chicago, in this case, and as I'm from Chicago, it was admittedly fun to hear the name dropping of landmarks and neighborhoods that I know). He involves himself with a trio of women, first the wife of the man he killed (Joan Blondell), then a fellow carny performer who he marries (Coleen Gray) and lastly a head doctor who doesn't let professional pride get in the way of a good scheme (Helen Walker). But the movie is long and directed like sludge by Edmund Goulding. The carnival atmosphere at the film's opening is satisfyingly creepy, but once the story moved from there, my attention moved with it.
Blondell and Walker are kind of fun and inject some life into the movie, but not enough to save it.
Grade: C