The Man Who Cheated Himself

The Man Who Cheated Himself is a 1950 American crime film noir directed by Felix E. Feist, and starring Lee J. Cobb, Jane Wyatt and John Dall.[2]

The Man Who Cheated Himself
Theatrical release poster
Directed byFelix E. Feist
Produced byJack M. Warner
Screenplay bySeton I. Miller
Philip MacDonald
Story bySeton I. Miller
StarringLee J. Cobb
Jane Wyatt
John Dall
Music byLouis Forbes
CinematographyRussell Harlan
Edited byDavid Weisbart
Production
company
Jack M. Warner Productions
Distributed by20th Century-Fox
Release date
  • December 26, 1950 (1950-12-26) (United States)
  • January 19, 1951 (1951-01-19) (Los Angeles)
Running time
81 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$500,000[1]

Plot

Wealthy socialite Lois Frazer, divorcing her fortune-hunter husband, Howard, finds a gun he's bought. She kills him with it in front of the new man in her life, Lt. Ed Cullen, a homicide detective with the San Francisco police. The twice-married Lois manages to manipulate Cullen into disposing of the murder weapon and moving the body. Cullen ends up assigned to investigate the case, assisted by kid brother Andy, who is new to the homicide division and delays his honeymoon to keep working on his first big case.

The gun is found and used in another killing by a young punk, Nito Capa, and Cullen—with few options to save himself and his paramour Lois—tries to pin both crimes on him. However, kid brother Andy keeps connecting Ed to the first murder, catching him in a number of evasions and lies. In desperation, Ed ties and gags Andy and tells Lois they need to flee. Police roadblocks seal off the city, but Andy has a hunch where Ed took the woman to hide, at the abandoned ruins of Fort Point under the Golden Gate Bridge. Their escape plan almost works, but soon they are under arrest. Outside the courtroom, Ed sees Lois affectionately offering to do anything for her lawyer if he can keep her from being convicted. Defeated, Ed offers her a cigarette and they share a final goodbye gaze.

Cast

Production

The film was initially known as The Gun. It was the first independent production from Jack M. Warner and started filming on location in San Francisco on 15 May 1950. It was to be distributed by United Artists. It was Lee J Cobb's first film since his Broadway success in Death of a Salesman.[3]

By June the film was being released by Fox.[1] In August 1950, it was retitled The Man Who Cheated Himself.[4]

The film was shot at General Service Studio.[5]

Reception

Critical response

Film critic Dennis Schwartz gave the film a positive review, writing, "In an engaging film noir efficiently directed by Felix E. Feist ... The Man Who Cheated Himself is the perfect film for the beginning of the bland Eisenhower years."[6]

See also

References
  1. Brady, Thomas F. (June 18, 1950). "Hollywood Warned: Frightened Lady". The New York Times. p. 203. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  2. The Man Who Cheated Himself at the TCM Movie Database.
  3. Brady, Thomas F. (May 1, 1950). "Bogart and Lord Buy 'Butcher Bird'". The New York Times. p. 18. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  4. Brady, Thomas F. (August 2, 1950). "Three New Movies on Agenda at Fox". The New York Times. p. 40. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  5. Pryor, Thomas M. (August 27, 1950). "By Way of Report: Billy Rose in Films, Too?—Profit-Sharing Deals Offered by Wald-Krasna—Notes". The New York Times. p. 201. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  6. Schwartz, Dennis. Ozus' World Movie Reviews, film review, January 15, 2005. Accessed: July 14, 2013.
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