THE OTHER WOMAN
US, 1954, 81 minutes, Black and white.
Hugo Haas, Cleo Moore, Lance Fuller, Lucille Barley, John Quaylen.
Directed by Hugo Haas.
Hugo Haas was a comic actor in Czechoslovakia during the 1930s, fled to the United States at the opening of World War II, contributed to radio propaganda during the war. In the early 1950s, he began a series of small-budget films, always with a touch of exploitation, often featuring himself as an older man caught by the wiles of women – who are played in many films by Cleo Moore and Beverly Michaels.
This is one of the more effective examples of his filmmaking.
The film is set in Hollywood, with Haas playing a director who has come from Europe, accused of being too arty for the American box office. He has married a producer’s wife and so has access to money, taking his stances about his films and their perspectives and his wife often having to mediate.
This is the background with scenes of shooting the film, his need for an aspiring actress for a small scene, his choosing Sherry Steward, Cleo Moore at her most dominant, who is not successful and who is fired publicly, vowing to get revenge.
And this is what the film is about, the would-be actresses petulance, vindictiveness, reliance on her boyfriend who had not been supportive of her career, phoning the director, going to visit him, wheedling her way into his attention, framing him after his being drunk and spending the night at her place, witnessed by her boyfriend. She makes phone calls, she visits, with his wife becoming suspicious. In the meantime, the producers want more scenes for the film. Sherry is finally malicious, packing a sneak preview with her friends who laugh mockingly during the screening.
Ultimately, the director decides to kill Sherry and sets up what he thinks is the perfect murder, pretending to be in his studio editing the film, his secretary outside, his using the back door, murdering Sherry and then returning. However, the police are suspicious, offer him a scenario but what might have happened – and he ultimately confesses.
1. The title, expectations?
2. The work of Hugo Haas? His topics, style, small-budget, the touch of exploitation?
3. The Hollywood setting, Los Angeles, the studios, the world of aspiring actresses, wealthy mansions? The musical score?
4. The situation, Walter as director, from Europe, considered to arty, his marriage, his father-in-law as producer, the money? Making the film, the scenes, his cast, Sherry and his choosing her for the small role, her failure, dismissing her, his arrogance stances?
5. Sherry, her life, her character, her boyfriend, his spurning her, her chances to act, chosen, learning the lines, the phone call from Ronnie and his putting her down, her poor performance, being fired, publicly? Her reaction to the humiliation? Planning revenge?
6. Reaction to the film, the Americans finding it boring, too pretentious? the producers and their theory about success, touches of sex? The discussions, audience expectations? Walter’s wife, trying to mediate with her father?
7. Sherry, the details of her manoeuvres, her phoning Walter, meeting him, her plea, seductive, his drinking, the night, spending it with her, her framing him, Ronnie’s arrival? The continued contacts, money, the threats? Ronnie and his visits, wanting roles in films?
8. The film, the sneak preview, Sherry’s plan and filling the audience with her friends, their laughing it down, the reaction of the producers?
9. Walter and his decision, the tension in his marriage, with his wife? Suspicions about Sherry? Her visits and the secretary seeing Sherry? The phone calls?
10. The plan, the machine for the editing, the recurring real, the secretary present, going out the back door, confronting Sherry, the murder, his return – and leaving the gloves?
11. His wife finding the body, the police?
12. The police, the interrogations, the gloves, Walter’s explanation and answers?
13. The police tactic, giving him the hypothesis – and his returning and confessing?
