Twentieth
Century Fox, 81m 40s
After
the conclusion of World War II, the divorce rate increased dramatically in the
US. That trend was reflected in the noir
films of the time, when characters who found happiness within the bond of the
traditional marriage were few. The married couples that inhabit DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944), CONFLICT (1945), SCARLET STREET (1945), MILDRED
PIERCE (1945), THE STRANGE LOVE OF
MARTHA IVERS (1946) and POSSESSED
(1947) do not combine for a strong case that there is a lifelong partner for
everyone. The featured protagonists who kick married life to the curb typically
meet some type of correction, yet it is understandable why they stray. Phyllis
Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) from DOUBLE
INDEMNITY might be noir's most
destructive femme fatale, but her husband (Tom Powers) is a domineering jerk
who does not deserve much better than the scheming blonde he married. And who
could blame poor little Chris Cross (Edward G. Robinson) for wanting out of his
hopelessly suffocating situation in SCARLET
STREET?
Released
toward the end of 1950, when divorces in the US had decreased significantly, THE MAN WHO CHEATED HIMSELF reflects an
emerging era of American marital stability. In recognition of old battle scars,
though, the story opens with the horribly disrupted marriage of the Frazers.
Howard (Harlan Warde) plans to kill his rich bitch of a wife Lois (Jane Wyatt),
but she puts a pair of bullets in him before he can follow through on the idea.
The killing puts an end to "three years of misery" as Lois depicts
it. Immediately after the fatal shooting of her husband, Lois leans on her
boyfriend Lieutenant Ed Cullen (Lee J. Cobb) to fix everything, which means
getting rid of Howard's punctured corpse and making it look like a robbery gone
wrong. Unlike numerous noir
protagonists who hesitate before taking a moral detour, Ed shows no such
conscience as he springs into action to protect his girlfriend from a probable
prison stretch.
Unfortunately
for Ed, his younger brother Andy (John Dall) recently has been promoted to the
homicide division, where the two will work side by side. The rookie is eager to
prove his worth, and what better way than to solve the strange case of a
lifeless body discovered at the airport? As Andy gradually closes in on his
shady sibling without realizing it, similar dynamics from classic film noirs are recalled, including the
archetypal DOUBLE INDEMNITY, THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW (1944) and
especially WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS
(1950), which was released earlier in the same year as THE MAN WHO CHEATED HIMSELF. Other similar setups would follow in SCANDAL SHEET (1952) and SHIELD FOR MURDER (1954). Most
Hollywood films endeavor to draw the viewer closer to the lead protagonist as
the narrative progresses. But in the case of the film noir, especially the ones of the aforementioned ecosystem, the
viewer must detach himself or herself from the lead character. The only
satisfaction comes from knowing we are not in that person's lamentable position.
Andy
differs from his brother Ed in more ways than his experience as a homicide
investigator. Most importantly, the film's first act reveals Andy is about to
be married, while Ed is characterized as a confirmed bachelor. The closer Andy
becomes with Janet (Lisa Howard), the more he distances himself from his
brother. Similarly, the prototypical housewife Janet is the antithesis of the
femme fatale Lois, who is working on husband number three at the film's outset
(the narrative wraps with Lois headed in still another direction). The
wife/whore dichotomy reflects the heavy line drawn between the married man and
the uncommitted single man.
Ed
may be doomed from the very beginning based upon his choice for a girlfriend; a variety of film noirs make that
general point. But on another, perhaps more meaningful level, the production
team behind THE MAN WHO CHEATED HIMSELF
emphasizes Ed's lack of commitment, which is what really seals his fate. Those
who know him best regard him as a bit of a player. When Ed meets clandestinely
with Lois on a park bench, he admits he has no plans to marry her, and
(correctly) has no doubt she someday will leave him. The theme of the
uncommitted man as condemned is integrated into the film's title, which nicely
summarizes Ed's inflexible position on matrimony. Right after Andy catches his
brother in a game-changing lie, the following segment shows Andy with his wife at
home, where the contrast between the bachelor and the married guy finds
emphasis. Moreover, it is the married woman Janet who inadvertently makes Ed
aware he must fulfill some sort of obligation to Lois, which properly ignites
the film's final act. Lois is a femme fatale alright, but like so many women of
her ilk, she requires a deeply flawed male for her darkest qualities to rise.
As long as there are men willing to play along—and for attractive women, there
always are—it seems axiomatic to assume Lois never will change. Ed likely will
not change either; almost exactly like Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) in DOUBLE INDEMNITY, Ed desires the wrong
woman even after she betrays him!
THE MAN WHO CHEATED HIMSELF was
the first independent production from Phoenix Films, the company run by Jack M.
Warner, son of famous Warner Bros. boss Jack L. Warner. It was written for the
screen by Seton I. Miller and Philip MacDonald, based on an original story by
Miller. The son of MGM sales executive Felix F. Feist (1884-1936), director
Felix E. Feist helmed two of the more riveting noirs of the late 1940s, THE
DEVIL THUMBS A RIDE (1947) and THE
THREAT (1949), both released by RKO Radio Pictures. The year after THE MAN WHO CHEATED HIMSELF he directed
TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY (1951), one
of the great couple-on-the-run noirs.
Six-time Academy Award nominee Russell Harlan also handled the cinematography
for the same year's GUN CRAZY, a
top-3 film noir in my estimation.
Amidst the San Francisco-based location footage, there is a rooftop chase
sequence that anticipates the work of that city's most famous movie detective,
Inspector Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) of the venerable DIRTY HARRY (1971) series. In another location shot, camera work
from the back seat of a vehicle announces kinship with GUN CRAZY. The suspenseful concluding sequence filmed at Fort Point
is one of the most memorable settings in which any noir film winds down, thanks largely to Harlan's camerawork.
Jane
Wyatt won three Emmys for her popular role as Margaret Anderson, the matriarch
of the 1950s TV series FATHER KNOWS BEST. Her performance in this film has come
to the consternation of some of film noir's
dedicated fans. I agree her Lois is not among the most iconic of noir bad girls, but her performance does
not bother me at all. It is always a treat to watch the work of Lee J. Cobb,
who was just sensational as the despicable yet ultimately sympathetic Juror #3
in 12 ANGRY MEN (1957). John Dall
always manages to add something to every production in which he appears, though
he remains best remembered for his reluctant criminal in GUN CRAZY.
Flicker
Alley's dual-layered Blu-ray/DVD combo release of THE MAN WHO CHEATED HIMSELF marks the third collaboration between
Flicker Alley and the Film Noir Foundation (the other two being TOO LATE FOR TEARS [1949] and WOMAN ON THE RUN [1950]). Framed at the
correct theatrical scope of 1.37:1, the restoration is the result of the
combined efforts of the Film Noir Foundation and UCLA Film & Television
Archive. Though undoubtedly the best-looking version of the film on home video
to date, the source material looks a bit washed out on occasion, as when Andy
drives his new bride around San Fran.
Supplements
include the featurette “The Man Who Cheated Himself: Revisited” (21m 44s), which brings together
the thoughts of the director's son Raymond Feist, along with film historians
Alan K. Rode, Eddie Muller and Julie Kirgo. Feist explains his father often was
handed material that was in some state of distress, and would have to make
something out of next to nothing. In the case of THE MAN WHO CHEATED HIMSELF, the filmmaker Feist was able to churn
out a profitable film on a $300K budget. Kirgo adds that Feist had to complete
all location footage in five days, an absurdly brief time period for such a
task. Muller mentions the three leads all were playing against type to some
degree. He also tells the sad story of supporting actress Lisa Howard, who was
married to the film's director at the time of filming (it was their second
marriage). Post-Hollywood, Howard would become an influential political and
news journalist only to see her career flounder. She was just 39 when she chose
to take her own life.
The
brief segment “The Man Who Cheated Himself:
The Movie Locations Then and Now” (6m 56s) presents a number of the
filming locations as they appear today. For additional San Francisco locations
from notable classic films, the viewer is encouraged to visit reelsf.com. The
only other bonus feature is a restored theatrical trailer (2m 13s, vimeo.com/276516403).
Within
the disc's packaging is an unusually sturdy booklet packed with
behind-the-scenes photographs, poster art, original lobby cards, and the
writing of Eddie Muller.
