The Man Who Cheated Himself | |
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Directed by | Felix E. Feist |
Screenplay by | Seton I. Miller Philip MacDonald |
Story by | Seton I. Miller |
Produced by | Jack M. Warner |
Starring | Lee J. Cobb Jane Wyatt John Dall |
Cinematography | Russell Harlan |
Edited by | David Weisbart |
Music by | Louis Forbes |
Production company | Jack M. Warner Productions |
Distributed by | 20th Century-Fox |
Release dates |
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Running time | 81 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Man Who Cheated Himself is a 1950 American crime film noir directed by Felix E. Feist, and starring Lee J. Cobb, Jane Wyatt and John Dall.[1]
Wealthy socialite Lois Frazer, divorcing her fortune-hunter husband, Howard, finds a gun he's bought. She kills him with it in front of the new man in her life, Lt. Ed Cullen, a homicide detective with the San Francisco police. The twice-married Lois manages to manipulate Cullen into disposing of the murder weapon and moving the body. Cullen ends up investigating the case, assisted by kid brother Andy, who is new to the homicide division and delays his honeymoon to keep working on his first big case.
The gun is found and used in another killing by a young punk, Nito Capa, so all Cullen can think to do is try to pin both crimes on him. Andy Cullen keeps connecting Ed to the first murder, however, catching him in a number of lies. Ed ties and gags Andy and tells Lois they need to flee. Roadblocks seal off the city, but Andy has a hunch where Ed took the woman to hide, at Fort Point under the Golden Gate Bridge, and soon they are under arrest. Outside the courtroom, Ed overhears the amoral Lois offering to do anything for her lawyer if he can keep her from being convicted.
The film was known as The Gun. It was the first independent production from Jack M Warner and started filming on location in San Francisco on 15 May 1950. It was to be distributed by United Artists. It was Lee J Cobb's first film since his Broadway success in Death of a Salesman.[2]
By June the film was being released by Fox.[3] In August 1950 it was retitled The Man Who Cheated Himself.[4]
The film was shot at General Service Studio.[5]
Film critic Dennis Schwartz gave the film a positive review, writing, "In an engaging film noir efficiently directed by Felix E. Feist ... The Man Who Cheated Himself is the perfect film for the beginning of the bland Eisenhower years."[6]