JIGSAW (1949)

This seventy-two-minute production by Tower Pictures Inc. and distributed by United Artists is a film noir with a title suggesting a puzzle and not the subject of a home-tooled horror movie. Its most distinguishing aspect is the brief cameo appearances of several major Hollywood stars in the film's early stages. But do not glance down to grab some popcorn or you might miss one. Considering the similarities of this film’s subject with Communism, their support of the film can be explained to the audience's delight. The producers thanked them for their goodwill at the very end. Each appears as inconsequential characters: John Garfield, Marsha Hunt, Everett Sloane, Henry Fonda and Burgess Meredith. Marlene Dietrich has the most clever appearance when she leaves the actual nightclub, “The Blue Angel,” the title of her early signature film.

An opening exchange between Franchot Tone and Myron McCormack is very telling about self-absorption. The insightful scene is apropos for the current century. McCormack is the tough newspaper editor who pulls no punches. When a local printer pays the ultimate price, he is convinced his death was not a suicide. The widow hysterically insists it was but fear can be a terribly effective weapon. Special prosecutor Tone argues these hate groups are just harmless lunatics. A hopeful guess, but no, says McCormack. "The murder was carried out by a neo-fascist organization calling themselves the Crusaders. It is their dream of power or political success; a financial scam to generate profits. Where he grew up nobody cared what country each came from. They got along. Then hate gave them derogatory terms for their beliefs or ethnicity. Ignorance is the vehicle and hate is the avenue for attacking an individual’s ideology." McCormack wraps up by saying, “Americans do not understand why they are supposed to be different.” He finds out firsthand (above right) what hate can do when dictated by a short script.

Franchot Tone holds the film together with ease and a subtle coolness. He is very adept at delivering witty lines, perhaps only second to Dick Powell in this regard. He is an assistant district attorney determined to flesh out those responsible for hate crimes in his city. Tone is connecting all the pieces of the puzzle but a few are not fitting properly.

Playing the widow of a prominent judge, Winifred Lenihan throws a dinner party for movers and shakers. One might find annoying her tiny voice and snooty New England dialect with a syrupy delivery suggesting she expects something in return. She makes it a point to introduce Tone to several influential men whom she believes can help his career. Nudge. Nudge. Foreshadowing a questioning Jack Webb on television's, “Dragnet,” the camera abruptly cuts between Tone and the men as each looks directly into the camera. While conversing with Tone, one only sees their lips move in silence. Tone's sarcastic voice-over interprets each man and their ambitions. Jean Wallace, introduced as a singer at “The Blue Angel” nightclub, is also an invited guest. Tone is surprised yet pleased to see her. What is a nice girl like her doing at a creepy party like this? Tone and Wallace, recently divorced in real life, have some cat and mouse interaction before she asks him, ‘You’re a special something or other aren’t you?’ Their scenes provide the only sparks in the film.

The ending takes a definitive noir turn with some nice elevated camera work casting long shadows from tall interior columns in an art gallery. The Crusaders are there to retrieve incriminating papers hidden behind a particular painting. Gunshots echo through the marble halls but only the bad die young in this one.

Note: Tone, Wallace, and Meredith would be together the following year in, The Man In The Eiffel Tower. A film that could have been a classic but the elevator never made it to the top.