THE MAN WHO CHEATED HIMSELF is the third offering in the ongoing collaboration between Flicker Alley, The Film Noir Foundation and the UCLA Film & Television Archive. The previous two were WOMAN ON THE RUN with Ann Sheridan & Dennis O’Keefe and TOO LATE FOR TEARS with Lizabeth Scott & Dan Duryea. Like the others, this is a Blu-Ray/DVD combo package. As with the two previous releases in this series, the three partners have done themselves up proud. Not only have they done their usual excellent job in the restoration department (the film looks crisp and the sound is clear), they have brought back to life a little known jewel of a film that up until now had only been available in cheap, poor quality public domain copies.
I first became familiar with Lee J. Cobb and Jane Wyatt from the TV careers (Cobb on THE VIRGINIAN and Wyatt on FATHER KNOWS BEST) and I already knew director Felix E. Feist from the cult 1950s sci-fi drama DONOVAN’S BRAIN (with Lew Ayres and Nancy Davis, the future Mrs Ronald Reagan). Just the combination of Cobb, Wyatt, and Feist on one project would have been enough to pique my interest. As can be learned from the special features, Feist was a director who could shoot cheaply and quickly with maximum results…Pardon the digression but what is it about directors with a middle initial (Edgar G. Ulmer, Erle C. Kenton, Fred F. Sears, Edward L. Cahn) that makes them so good at making memorable cheap movies… The schedule and budgetary restrictions resulted in lots of San Francisco location shooting which greatly enhances the look of the film (just as it did in WOMAN ON THE RUN) and the credulity of the story.
The story itself is simple enough. Tough police lieutenant Cobb is in love with a wealthy woman (Wyatt) who shoots her husband who she is planning to divorce (this way is faster). Cobb uses his influence to cover up the murder only to have it unraveled by his kid brother (John Dall). The finale takes place in Fort Point which is located under the Golden Gate Bridge. The place was in bad shape in 1950 which only adds to the tension of the scene. It has since been restored and can be visited today. The supporting players are good especially Dall (of GUN CRAZY and Hitchcock’s ROPE fame) and the tragic Lisa Howard as his wife. You can find out more about them in the special features which, as usual with Flicker Alley, are top notch. The locations then and now segment in this series is always among my favorites. The background segment on the making of the film is illuminating but it should be viewed afterwards so there won’t be any spoilers.
Final judgement…Another knockout from Flicker Alley & Co. If you love the Film Noir genre, want to see two stars on their way up, enjoy marvelous location shooting, and get lots of extras with your special features then you can’t go wrong with THE MAN WHO CHEATED HIMSELF. It even comes with optional captions/subtitles so that the hard of hearing won’t miss a thing.
The Capsule Critic 