Film noir with lackluster leads
“The Scarlet Hour,” sometimes considered the last film noir from the 40s and 50s, has never been afforded the attention it deserves. The fact that it was directed by one of Hollywood’s finest craftsmen, Michael Curtiz, adds to the mystery of why this film is essentially forgotten. With many elements of classic noir, the plot is reminiscent of “The Postman Always Rings Twice” and “Double Indemnity,” but “The Scarlet Hour” lacks the star power of those genuine classics.<br /><br />Pauline “Paulie” Nevins (Carol Ohmart, “The House on Haunted Hill”) is having an affair with E.V. “Marsh” Marshall (Tom Tryon, “The Cardinal”). Paulie is married to real estate developer Ralph Nevins (James Gregory), and Marsh is his top salesman. All the lovers need to run away together is money. One night, as they neck secretly in the hills above Los Angeles, they overhear thieves outline their plan to steal valuable jewels from a home when the owners are away. The plan sounds easy and relatively risk-free.<br /><br />Paulie persuades Marsh that if he hides outside the house, he can rob the robbers, sell the jewels, and he and Paulie can go off to live happily ever after. But, since this is a noir, their plans don’t work out as expected.<br /><br />Ohmart is the femme fatale who draws her guy into a situation that leads to dark entanglements. Somewhat resembling Barbara Stanwyck but lacking her acting chops, she often seems out of her depth in the more emotional scenes and fails to convey the larcenous streak that’s necessary for the character. Instead, she comes off more as a high-class socialite who wandered into the wrong movie. Tryon’s Marsh comes off as a decent guy at heart who’s so crazy about Paulie that he agrees to an immoral and illegal plan that could put them both in danger.<br /><br />Tryon never conveys true passion for Paulie despite their awkwardly staged fondling in a convertible. Ohmart might have come off better with a stronger leading man. Tryon is wishy-washy and never conveys Marsh’s ambivalence when his business relationship with good-hearted secretary Kathy Stevens (Jody Lawrence), a Jan Sterling type, turns romantic. A cliched love triangle develops, though it’s hard to see what these two attractive women see in someone with as much sex appeal as a throw rug.<br /><br />Because two leads are rather bland, they never fully engage the viewer. The stand-out performance is by Elaine Stritch, making her screen debut as Paulie’s friend and confidante, Phyllis Rycker. She and Paulie go way back to their lean days as showgirls and we learn a lot about Paulie’s backstory through their exchanges. Stritch dominates every scene she’s in. She delivers a memorable performance in a film in which many of the supporting players are more colorful than the leads.<br /><br />The film also contains first-rate performances by E.G. Marshall and Edward Binns as detectives, David Lewis as Dr. Lynbury, who has a pronounced interest in the robbery, and Jacques Aubuchon as Fat Boy, one of the jewel thieves. Billy Gray (“Father Knows Best”) is listed in the credits, and imdb.com lists him in the role of Tom Rycker, but his role must have been cut, since he’s nowhere to be seen.<br /><br />Director Curtiz (“Casablanca,” “White Christmas”), who had made stars of Errol Flynn, Doris Day, John Garfield and others, hoped that “The Scarlet Hour” would be a good vehicle to propel Ohmart and Tryon to stardom, though he was not happy with Ohmart in such an important role. Paramount had launched an elaborate campaign touting the starlet as the next big thing and wanted the picture to showcase her.<br /><br />The movie contains key ingredients of noir: a male protagonist obsessed with an alluring woman; another woman, good and decent, in love with the man; an urban setting; a lurid plot; shadows, low angles, and unusual photography. Yet “The Scarlet Hour,” at best, is secondary noir, lacking urgency and underlying tension.<br /><br />Bonus materials on the unrated Blu-ray release from Imprint include the following:<br />Audio commentary by Film Noir Foundation board member Alan K. Rode<br />Theatrical Trailer<br /><br />"The Scarlet Hour” is interesting as a Michael Curtiz film, a showcase for Carol Ohmart, and the screen debut of Elaine Stritch. As film noir, it contains many of the tropes of the genre but is derivative of other, better films.
The movie title "The Scarlet Hour," available on Movies & TV, has received an average rating of 4.8 from 6 reviewers. 
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 {"Genre": "Mystery & Suspense/Film Noir, Mystery & Suspense", "Format": "Import", "Contributor": "E.G. Marshall, Tom Tryon, James Gregory, Jacques Aubuchon, Carol Ohmart, Elaine Stritch, Edward Binns, Michael Curtiz, Jody Lawrance, David Lewis, Billy GrayE.G. Marshall, Tom Tryon, James Gregory, Jacques Aubuchon, Carol Ohmart, Elaine Stritch, Edward Binns, Michael Curtiz, Jody Lawrance, David Lewis, Billy Gray  See more", "Runtime": "94 minutes", "Studio": "Imprint", "MPAA rating": "Unrated (Not Rated)", "Package Dimensions": "6.77 x 5.39 x 0.67 inches; 3.67 Ounces", "Director": "Michael Curtiz", "Media Format": "Import", "Run time": "94 minutes", "Release date": "September 9, 2022", "Actors": "Carol Ohmart, Tom Tryon, Jody Lawrance, James Gregory, Elaine Stritch", "Subtitles": "English", "Language": "English (Dolby Digital 2.0)", "Number of discs": "1"}

Here is a brief synopsis of the title : An unhappy wife uses her powers of manipulation to draw an infatuated man into an ill-fated jewellery heist. In 1956 Paramount studios expended a great deal of money on the The Scarlet Hour and enlisted the services of top-flight director Michael Curtiz. The result is an outstanding and rarely seen Film Noir. Starring Carol Ohmart, Tom Tryon & Jody Lawrance. First Physical Media release worldwide. Special Features and Technical Specs: 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray NEW Audio commentary by noir expert and Film Noir Foundation board member Alan K. Rode Original Aspect Ratio 1.85:1 Audio English LPCM 2.0 Mono Optional English HOH subtitles Limited Edition slipcase on the first 1000 copies with unique artwork.