Private Hell 36 (1954)

When a police detective (Steve Cochran) and his partner (Howard Duff) are assigned to investigate the appearance of stolen (marked) money from a New York robbery that has shown up in Los Angeles, it places them in the way of temptation and a dark spiral to a bad end. Effectively directed by Don Siegel, this nifty economical piece of L.A. noir pulp isn't a crucial entry in the film noir canon but its minor virtues are enough to find a second tier niche. All the requisite elements are in place. low key black and white visuals, the femme fatale (Ida Lupino, who co-wrote the script), the moral quandary (Duff's character), the moral rot (Cochran's character) etc. On the down side, the film is hampered by the domestic scenes with Dorothy Malone as Duff's wife, constantly fretting and worrying which provide a contrast to the heated romance between Lupino and Cochran with Lupino the screenwriter giving herself the best lines. I could have done without the sanctimonious narration by the police Captain (Dean Jagger). The subdued jazz score is by Leith Stevens. With Dabbs Greer, Richard Deacon, James Anderson and King Donovan.