Without Honor (1949)

When her married lover (Franchot Tone) announces he's breaking off their affair, a housewife (Laraine Day) accidentally stabs him. Hiding the body, she calls a cab to take her to the police station. But before she can leave, her brother in law (Dane Clark) arrives at the house with a diabolical plan that will change everything. Although based on an original screenplay by James Poe (THEY SHOOT HORSES DON'T THEY?), it feels like an adaptation of a stage play. With the exception of one brief scene, the entire film takes place in a suburban house in the San Fernando Valley. The film's premise is first rate and rife with possibilities but the execution is bungled. The film needed a firmer hand than director Irving Pichel (MOST DANGEROUS GAME) can give it. The lead role demands a stronger actress than Laraine Day who, while fine in the quieter scenes, tends to overact terribly in the more emotional scenes. The score by Max Steiner is dreadful too! This is a film that needs to be remade. In the right hands, this could be a marvelous film. The film was actually a U.S. entry in the 1949 Cannes film festival. With Agnes Moorehead in the film's best performance and Bruce Bennett.