PHANTOM LADY

Based on the book by Cornell Woolrich, Phantom Lady sometimes gets labyrinthine in the plot department, but its style, and panache is admirable.

German Robert Siodmak (“The Killers”, “Criss Cross”) really hits his stride as a Hollywood film-maker in this 1944 feature which has the rare distinction of waiting 44 minutes before its highest billed star appears! Alan Curtis plays Scott Henderson, a terminally distracted journeyman who chances upon a mysterious woman in an elaborate hat.they spend the night together – and Henderson’s Wife is murdered the same night? Get the picture?

It’s Henderson’s loyal secretary, “Kansas” Richman (Ella Raines) who leads the fight to clear his name after he’s wrongly convicted. And she’s aided by the detective with a guilty conscience, Thomas Gomez – in a stand-out role. Enter at last, Franchot Tone, Henderson’s best friend just flown in from Brazil. Apparently.