The File on Thelma Jordon
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| The File on Thelma Jordon | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Robert Siodmak |
| Produced by | Hal B. Wallis |
| Written by | Ketti Frings Marty Holland (story) |
| Starring | Barbara Stanwyck Wendell Corey Paul Kelly |
| Music by | Victor Young |
| Cinematography | George Barnes |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | January 18, 1950 (U.S. release) |
| Running time | 100 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The File on Thelma Jordon is a 1950 film noir directed by Robert Siodmak for producer Hal B. Wallace, and starring Barbara Stanwick and Wendell Corey. The film's narrative shares a striking resemblance to Siodmak's British noir "The Rough and the Smooth," except the latter is much meaner and gloomier. The screenplay is by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Kitty Frings.
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[edit] Plot
Stanwyck plays Thelma Jordon, a woman who late one night shows up in the office of married Assistant DA Cleve Marshall (Wendell Corey) with a story about prowlers and burglars. Before Cleve can stop himself, he and Thelma are involved in a love affair. But Thelma is a mysterious woman, and Cleve can't help wondering if she is hiding something.
When her rich aunt is found shot, Jordon calls not the police but Marshall, who helps her cover up evidence that may incriminate her. When she emerges as the prime suspect, he sabotages the prosecution. Thelma Jordon is acquitted. Her past, however, has begun to catch up with her.
[edit] Reaction
Time Out film guide notes "A fine film noir which works an ingenious, intricate variation on the situation in Double Indemnity, but which takes its tone, unlike Wilder's film, not from Stanwyck's glittering siren who courts her own comeuppance ('Judgement day, Jordon!'), but from the nondescript assistant DA she drives to the brink of destruction." [1]
The New York Times, in a 1950 review, praised the films cast but notes ""Thelma Jordon" is, for all of its production polish, adult dialogue and intelligent acting, a strangely halting and sometimes confusing work." [2]
[edit] Featured cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Barbara Stanwyck | Thelma Jordon |
| Wendell Corey | Cleve Marshall |
| Paul Kelly | Miles Scott |
| Joan Tetzel | Pamela Marshall |
| Stanley Ridges | Kingsley Willis |
| Richard Rober | Tony Laredo |
