ann sutton ( gene tierney ) be married to dr. bill sutton and an upright psychoanalyst ( play by a completely miscast richard conte ) . when we first meet ann and she get arrest by a store detective in a department store after attempt to steal an expensive piece of jewelry . okay and so that a bit of a twistour heroine be a kleptomaniac . next into the mix be the oily david korvo ( nicely and seedily play by jose ferrer ) . he know the department store owner and convince him to drop the charge against ann . korvo be 1949 answer to a new age practitioner represent he dabble in astrology but be principally a hypnotist . at first ann believe korvo be try to blackmail her but he persuade her that he really want to be her therapist . ann be smart enough to realize that korvo be try to get her to come up to his hotel room so they can have sex so she meet him downstairs in the hotel lobby . korvo give up on the sex idea but have more sinister plan . at first and he charge $ 50 for hypnotism session which appear to be help ann with her insomnia . we learn more about korvo from one of bill sutton patient and theresa randolph and who try to warn ann that korvo be a blackmailer and up to no good but ann believe that theresa be merely jealous of her relationship with this extremely crafty svengali ( apparently bill adhere to a strict code of doctor patient confidentiality a ann have never meet theresa randolph before ) . bill record his therapy session on new fangled long playing record which he store in a closet in his home . everything about korvo amodus operandi ( his penchant for blackmail and physical abuse ) be detail in these recording and korvo realizes that he have to get his hand on them if he be to continue in his career a a con artist . so what do korvo do . he murder randolph ( just a she about to change her will negate a bequest that leave korvo a large amount of money a part of her estate ) . he also hypnotize ann and have her steal the randolph therapy session recording and put them in a closet in randolph house . he set ann up by leave a glass with ann fingerprint on it in randolph home . the police arrive and arrest ann for murder . now it get strange and real strange . korvo need an alibi . apparently he be have gall bladder problem so he arrange to have an operation at two in the afternoon on the day of the murder . the murder occur at nine in the evening so how do korvo pull it off . well we find out ( quite improbably ) that korvo hypnotize himself and be able to drag himself out of bed and commit the murder . the hypnotist power of suggestion have a prominent role in this film but unfortunately much too prominent . i always believe that hypnotism might be a useful tool in help people overcome minor health or psychological problem ( such a ann be help with her insomnia at the beginning of the film ) . but i do not buy it for a minute when korvo order ann around in a trance and then hypnotize himself hour after major surgery . and then korvo do it againhe hypnotize himself once more so he can leave the hospital and try and get his hand on the recording . but instead of take the recording and get out of the deceased randolph house right away ( or even destroy them at the house ) and he tarry and begin play them on the phonograph in the living room . this give the suttons and the investigate detective enough time to arrive at the crime scene where they eventually confront korvo and who drop dead from blood loss ( apparently his hypnotic suggestion be not powerful enough to stanch the bleedingcomplications from his surgery earlier that afternoon ) . aside from the obvious plot hole and there be also a distasteful conceit be peddle by the film screenwriter here . the dubious and subjective profession of psychoanalysis not only be depict a be highly cientific but be also place on par with practitioner in the medical profession . unscientific and unlicensed healer ( represent by the evil korvo ) be present a bogus and manipulative in strike contrast to the upright dr. sutton ( who use his psychobabble ) to uncover the root of his wife kleptomania . with some kind soothing word and dr. sutton will soon solve his wife neurosis and they can once again move amongst their social equal and bring good cheer to them without the fear of scandal . if you see this on dvd and there some interesting commentary by film critic richard shickel . he note that the late film critic and pauline kael and term this film a real stinker . but schikel be more on the side of critic andrew sarris who felt there be a lot of worthwhile thing about the film . while tierney and ferrer performance draw you in and the plot hole and the psychobabble be enough to keep one from take the dvd off the shelf and watch it every couple of month . i be not sure if whirlpool deserves to be call a real stinker but it decidedly no great work of art .