They Won't Believe Me [Blu-ray]

Director: Irving Pichel Irving Pichel

Overview

Irving Pichel's They Won't Believe Me is the flashback unfolding of Larry Ballentine's (Robert Young) witness-stand testimony in his trial for the murder of girlfriend Verna Carlson (Susan Hayward). Larry is the first to admit he's a parasitic heel, cheating on his rich wife Gretta (Rita Johnson) first with magazine writer Janice Bell (Jane Greer) and then with Verna. Though aware of Larry's affairs, Gretta cannot manage to leave him; rather, she uses her money to keep him in tow. She foils his attempt to run off with Janice by buying him a partnership in a brokerage firm. When she discovers his plan to flee with Verna, she sells her interest, leaving Larry unemployed and penniless. The lovers run off nonetheless, but Verna is killed when a truck crashes into their car. When the authorities assume the charred victim is his wife, Larry gets a sinister idea. He returns home to kill Gretta, but she is already dead, so all he has to do is hide the body. Unfortunately for him, the police come looking for the missing Verna, who they suspect was blackmailing him. They find Gretta's unrecognizable corpse, think it's Verna's, and arrest Larry. The flashback structure of this suspenseful film noir effectively creates a foreboding tension that mounts to a powerful final scene.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/11/2021
UPC:	0883929741021
Original Release:	1947
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Language:	English
Time:	1:35:00
Sales rank:	22,991

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Robert Young	Larry Ballentine
Susan Hayward	Verna Carlson
Rita Johnson	Greta Ballentine
Jane Greer	Janice Bell
Tom Powers	Trenton
George Tyne	Lt. Carr
Don Beddoe	Thomason
Frank Ferguson	Cahill
Harry Harvey	Judge Fletcher
Wilton Graff	Patrick Gold
Janet Shaw	Susan Haines
Glen Knight	Parking Lot Attendant
Anthony Caruso	Tough Patient
George Sherwood	Highway Cop
Perc Launders	Police Stenographer
Byron Foulger	Mortician
Hector V. Sarno	Nick
Carl Kent	Chauffeur
Robert Peyton	Detective
Elena Warren	Mrs. Bowman
Herbert Heywood	Sheriff
Lillian Bronson	Mrs. Hines
Paul Maxey	Mr. Bowman
Jean Andren	Maid
Lee Frederick	Detective
Martin Wilkins	Sailor
Dot Farley	Emma
Milton Parsons	Court Clerk
Lee Phelps	Bailiff
Frank Pharr	Patrick Collins
Bert LeBaron	Joe Pots
Ellen Corby	Screaming Woman
Bertha Ledbetter	Mrs. Oaks
Polly Bailey	Untidy Woman
Matt McHugh	Tiny Old Man
Bob Pepper	Officer Guarding Larry
Ira Buck Woods	Waiter
Charles Flynn	Masseur
Fred Graham	Deputy Sheriff
Irene Tedrow	1st Woman
Robert Thom	Hotel Clerk
Lida Durova	Girl at Newsstand
Jack Gargan	Bartender
Ivan Browning	Bartender
Bob Thom	Hotel Clerk
Nina Borget	Mrs. Roberts
Alben Roberling	Headwaiter
George Morrell	Rancher
Harry Strang	Ryan
Bud Wolfe	Driver
Saul Gorss	Gus
Helen Dickson	Woman
Lovyss Bradley	Miss Jorday
William Gillespie	Waiter,Waiter
Harry D'Arcy	Fisherman
Netta Packer	Spinster
Jack Rice	Tour Conductor
Anne Cornwall	Screaming Woman

Technical Credits

Russell A. Cully	Special Effects
Joan Harrison	Producer
Irving Pichel	Director
Clem Portman	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

While it contains a few too many echoes of true film noir masterpieces, especially Double Indemnity, They Won't Believe Me is a very satisfying crime thriller in its own right. It's heavily plot-dependent (not unusual for the genre), and that is both its blessing and its curse -- the twists and turns the plot takes are intriguing, but they're also somewhat contrived, and their artificiality will turn off some viewers. Some might also be bothered by the lead character, an amoral, self-centered, greedy bounder, but others will find his flaws quite interesting, especially in a film from this era. He's well played by a cast-against-type Robert Young, who delivers an extremely effective performance. He's matched by his trio of leading ladies, with Susan Hayward in especially fine form as the most fatale-ish of the group. Some will wonder what this group of ladies finds so irresistible in Young, who lacks the overt hardboiled sexuality and/or raffish charm of many noir leading men, yet that air of mystery hints that, in bed, Young has, shall we say, hidden depths that censors of the time wouldn't have allowed to be seen. Irving Pichel directs with surprising style and shows an affinity for the genre. They Won't Believe Me is especially recommended for noir enthusiasts who have exhausted the "big guns" and are looking for lesser-known titles.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler