Hey cats, welcome to the scene that is
Day 1 of Philip Marlowe Week. We don't take no eggs laying their
meat hooks on our dolly birds. You jake with that??!!
Sorry just digging the slang. This
time around Marlowe has been called out to Pasadena to a manor of
impressive proportion for a wealthy widow for what appears to be a
simple snatch and grab case but as usual, simple is never the likelihood in Marlowe's life. This is The Brasher Doubloon.
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| Ahh Cryptkeeper!! Oh, it's just you Mrs. Murdock. |
Marlowe (George Montgomery of
Orchestra Wives, Cimmaron City, Samar and Battle of the Bulge)
is treated to clip and rude behavior on the behalf of the loaded
widow Mrs. Murdock (Florence Bates of Rebecca, Portrait of
Jennie, On the Town and A Letter to Three Wives) who speaks
of the Brasher Doubloon, a rare and extremely valuable coin from her
now late husband's collection. Hinting about the identity of the
thief but refuses to tell Marlowe who, Marlowe has had about enough
of her screwy behavior. Merle (Nancy Guild of Somewhere in the
Night, Black Magic, Little Egypt and Lux Video Theatre)
practically pleads for Marlowe to take the case and states Murdock
isn't all that bad and has been quite generous to her as an example.
Reluctant to even look into the case, Marlowe returns to his office
to find a gunsel name of Eddie Prue (Alfred Linder of The House
on 92nd Street, Canon City,
Guilty of Treason and The Invisible Boy) who tries to strong
arm him away from the case and invite him to see his boss but Marlowe
too fast and smart for our thug, tosses him on on his ear.
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| Elisha Cook, you get up right now! |
Taking the case out of spite and
suspecting Murdock's wet smack of a son, Marlowe interrogates Leslie
(Conrad Janis of Aiport 1975, The Happy Hooker, Mork &
Mindy, Sonny Boy, Murder, She Wrote and Bad Blood) finding
his company about as enjoyable as a root canal but can't get a firm
grasp on the little greaseball. He then visits a coin dealer by the
name of Elisha Morningstar (Houseley Stevenson of Native Land,
Dark Passage, Moonrise and All That I Have) who tells Marlowe
he did in fact glance at the coin in question and did inform Mrs.
Murdock that someone attempted to sell it but is holding out for a
bit more lettuce before he gives up the name. Marlowe realizing this
canary won't sing, sneaks out but stays within ear shot as
Morningstar gets on the blower and gabs with a shamus name of George
Anson. Finding his whereabouts, Marlowe drops in on Anson only to
find him resting... in peace.
With a body on the ground, Marlowe
knows this is linked to the coin and has to duck the cops for confidentiality's sake alone regardless what an ass his client is.
Finding the coin at a pawnshop Marlowe prepares to head to his client
with Merle calls him telling them Mrs. Murdock found the coin and
that he is let go from the case. Before he can really make heads or
tails (COIN JOKE) of the situation gunsel bright boy
brought a playmate with him, saps Marlowe and drags him off to
gambler/casino operator Vince Blair, insisting that the coin is
belonging to him because of such arrangements. Between pummels, a
dead body or two and avoiding getting on the bad end of black jack,
Marlowe has his work cut out for him?
Who else has to die for this coin?
What isn't Mrs. Murdock saying?
A few points about the film now. This
adaptation hails from Chandler's novel The High Window.
Interestingly enough the flophouse was the Gladden Apartments where
Raymond wrote the novel which it is based on, lived there for 30
prior the film was shot at. Fred MacMurray, Victor Mature and Dana
Andrews were all at one point cast for Marlowe when the studio
settled for George Montgomery as his final flick under his 20th
Century Fox contract. Seems almost flattering.
This film almost seems like a remake of
the 1942 film Time to Kill which was a Michael Shayne P.I. film, so
not sure what happened there.
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| Hmm? Sorry didn't hear a thing you were saying, I was glancing at your boobs. |
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