Peggy Cummins is best remembered today for two films, one which she made and one she didn’t – Gun Crazy and Forever Amber. Daryl Zanuck brought her out from England to play the lead in the latter, which was a 20th Century Fox superproduction, then ended up sacking her during filming (Linda Darnell took over). He didn’t throw her on the scrap heap though, using her in some other films, including this.
Based on this, it’s not so hard to see why she got the chop from Amber. She’s pretty and spirited but has this really annoying sing-song voice. Once I got used to it, I started really enjoying this film. It’s a period thriller, with Cummins investigating the death of her flat mate. She thinks mysterious Victor Mature might be involved – but ends up blackmailing him so she can learn how to be a lady. (The first half of this is set in fog-drenched London, the second in a country estate.) Maybe that’s a bit of a stretch but you know I kind of buy it, maybe because Cummins’ character clearly isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.
The casting really helps maintain suspense. Cummins is believable stupid. Mature isn’t very English (they cover by saying he grew up in America) but has an ambiguous element to his persona which is useful in hinting that he could be a killer; ditto Vincent Price, playing a police officer and Patricia Medina as Mature’s fiancée. And Ethel Barrymore is very cuddly and warm as Mature's mother - who turns out to be the killer! I was genuinely surprised by this. Barrymore does some superb crazy lady acting at the end, she’s really good. A hidden gem.
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