Film Noir February: The Prowler

This month we examine film noir featuring a variety of leading ladies known for the genre.

RODNEY BOWCOCK: The Prowler is the story of Webb Garwood (Van Heflin), an unsatisfied cop on the beat who meets Susan Gilvray (Evelyn Keyes) while investigating a report of a peeping tom. Susan’s husband works overnight as a radio DJ and her beauty, the unavailability of her husband and the signs of there being a lot of money around create an irresistible combination for Webb who soon coerces Susan into an affair with him. Webb discovers a life insurance policy for Susan’s husband and hatches a plan to get him out of the way, a plan that works, until Susan discovers that she is pregnant with Webb’s child. I don’t want to reveal more, because this movie is an unexpected surprise full of twists and turns.

SAMANTHA GLASSER: Van Heflin said, "People argued against my playing the unscrupulous policeman in it, since the guy is a complete utter heel. But I liked the character because he's someone I could possibly have become, a requirement that almost insures a fairly good performance... I play a cop who feels he's been cheated. A guy who expects big things, without working for them and who is achieving just that until the war intervenes and he's eligible only for a police job."

RB: Heflin is generally known for playing supporting roles in big budget films, but this is a real meaty one that he handles extremely well. You could argue that he was underutilized at MGM during the 40’s and if you look at some of the things that he did in the 50’s while freelancing, there’s a valid discussion to be had about that.

SG: The Prowler would have been much more startling for contemporary viewers because of its depiction of a police officer as the villain. This is imagery we see everywhere today, which alternately makes it accessible to modern viewers.

RB: This is a film that was very difficult to see until a UCLA restoration back 10-15 years ago, which along with the contemporary tone has enabled us to reassess it. It’s likely that the movie is more well known and regarded now than it was under its’ original release. As an independent feature, it would’ve blown in and out of neighborhood theaters in a couple of days, while spending years and years languishing in drive-ins.

SG: VCI released the film on Blu-ray with some nice extra features.

We really can't blame Susan for falling for Webb. He was a sports hero back home in Indiana, and she had class. They seemed destined for each other, but both of their paths took them to Los Angeles. She was brought up in an era where men were taught to bully the women they wanted into acceptance, and that is exactly the strategy Webb uses. Alternately, her husband is a successful radio DJ, but he is cautious with his wife and demands that she stay up late and listen to his broadcast so he knows she isn't out on the town without him. His own brother doesn't describe him fondly. Susan doesn't have a good option for a partner.

RB: Her husband also requires her to record his nightly show so that he can reanalyze it after the fact. While I salivate at the thought of any large cache of transcriptions and a local DJ show would be no exception, what this really hit home for me was how self centered her husband was, expecting her to dote on him and support his career all at her own inconvenience. It’s no wonder that she was so attracted to someone else paying attention to her.

SG: If you're a fan of backgrounds, feast your eyes in the old pharmacy.

Another thing I noticed in the background was a painting in her house that I recognized as the same one in the bedroom of Barbara Stanwyck's in Crime of Passion. I noticed it because I thought it was ugly. According to IMDB it is a reproduction of Diego Rivera's "The Flower Carrier."

RB: I did not notice that, but those are the kinds of things that folks who made these low-budget films would rely on to flesh things out. While this film is always obviously shot on a tight budget, it does not show the threads in the way that lesser films often are.

SG: Sam Spiegel and John Houston formed Horizon Pictures. Houston, whose marriage to Keyes was crumbling at the time, considered this project a gift to her. (She was having an affair with Kirk Douglas.) The company was not stable, and the $15,000 check they paid writers Robert Thoeren and Hans Wilhelm kept bouncing, and they had to take the matter to court to collect.

Keyes said, "The Prowler turned out to be the best picture I ever made. Joseph Losey directed with loving care an almost perfect script by the fine screenwriter, Dalton Trumbo-- a fact I didn't know until twenty years later because Dalton was blacklisted at the time, and out of sight. Sam had had to credit another name on the screen or the picture couldn't have been released." Hugo Butler was credited.

RB: Trumbo's friend Hugo Butler would find himself blacklisted in short time as well. The producers put one over on the censors by casting Trumbo in an uncredited role as Susan’s husband’s radio voice. The director of the film, Joseph Losey, found himself blacklisted shortly after the release of this film and served out the rest of his career in Europe.

SG: The film was shot over 17 days with 5 days of rehearsals prior. The ghost town was Calico in the Mojave Desert.

RB: Fully realizing that she was also in Gone With The Wind, I typically associate Keyes with economical B’s in which she typically is not much more than a pretty face with a perky personality. This background doubtlessly helped her with the quick shooting time and she turns in a powerhouse performance.

SG: Film Bulletin wrote, "Van Heflin gives a vigorous performance as the ruthless murderer of his sweetheart's husband. Evelyn Keyes, sacrificing glamorous appurtenances to play the role of an everyday housewife, is always convincing."

Focus: A Film Review raked this film over the coals, saying, "This is the worst film I have seen for a long time, both in interest and moral tone... A thoroughly brutal, unnecessary picture, extremely slow throughout, lacking any saving feature. If you take my advice, save your time and money."

RB: It’s not surprising to note that reviewers were split regarding the quality of this film. The tone is still adult and somewhat shocking today (I watched a copy that I had recorded from TCM years ago and even in this modern age it was rated TV-14). But it’s gritty, well acted with nearly as many twists and turns as a rollercoaster. This is a compelling movie for sure and one that I’m glad is readily available for appraisal after being out of circulation for so long. Four stars.

SG: The film is slickly made and economical in its storytelling, so we get at the heart of the interplay between the characters. The performances are excellent and there is enough meat here to welcome multiple viewings. Four stars.