Apology for Murder
Review by Denise Noe
The movie opens with a uniformed maid answering a door. Journalist Kenny Blake (Hugh Beaumont of Leave It To Beaver fame) says he is with The Daily Tribune. Before he can continue, he is distracted by the sound of what is happening in a nearby room behind a closed door. A man is giving a tongue lashing to a woman about her "extravagance." He threatens, "If necessary, I'll cancel your charge accounts." Then we are inside the room. We see an aging and gray-haired fellow behind a large desk. The woman to whom he speaks sits with her back to us in a comfortable chair. We see her shapely legs, one going idly back and forth. She warns that his reputation could be damaged by the "rumor that you are in financial difficulties." Back to the pushy reporter who wants to interview Mr. Kirkland. The maid tries to restrain him but Kenny barges in. He informs business tycoon Harvey Kirkland (Russell Hicks) that the newspaper i interested in plans to join his business with another. Our entrepreneur is not interested in an article on his business. Kenny rattles off reasons why the story has "human interest" when his attention is caught by the shapely legs recently mentioned. Then Toni Kirkland (Ann Savage) shows her face, causing Kenny to become even more distracted. However, get-the-story reporter that he is, Kenny continues pitching the potential benefits of a newspaper article to old man Kirkland even as Toni rises from her chair and his lascivious attention follows her to the door. Nothing is going to persuade the entrepreneur to want a story.
Before Kenny can leave, Toni speaks to him in a flirtatious manner. Kenny has a strong interest in this mansion that is no longer professional. It is not too long before Kenny and Toni are dating. But things seem to go south. Kenny had assumed that young Toni was Kirkland's daughter. He is flummoxed to learn he has been "running around with another man's wife." Toni assumed he knew she was Mrs. Kirkland. As upset as he was at learning the truth, he is in too deep to skedaddle now. And things get much worse when a disillusioned and disappointed Toni Kirkland says she needs her husband's money - but wants him out of the way.
As others have noted, Apology for Murder is a low-rent Double Indemnity rip-off. It substitutes a newspaper office for an insurance office. It follows the original classic in so many ways that it becomes highly predictable. Overall, the movie is not bad as it moves at a brisk pace and keeps attention. Ann Savage is not quite as "savage" as she was in the classic Detour. Rather, she shows enough softness that we understand why Kenny is so entranced with her. However, Toni is a wicked piece of work and Savage is never at a loss to let loose with cinematic wickedness. Beaumont does well with the character of the romance-besotted man who reluctantly turns to evil. Other performers fill their roles in a satisfactory manner.
Apology for Murder is not a bad way to spend your time but it cannot get out from the shadow of Double Indemnity, a much better movie.
The movie opens with a uniformed maid answering a door. Journalist Kenny Blake (Hugh Beaumont of Leave It To Beaver fame) says he is with The Daily Tribune. Before he can continue, he is distracted by the sound of what is happening in a nearby room behind a closed door. A man is giving a tongue lashing to a woman about her "extravagance." He threatens, "If necessary, I'll cancel your charge accounts." Then we are inside the room. We see an aging and gray-haired fellow behind a large desk. The woman to whom he speaks sits with her back to us in a comfortable chair. We see her shapely legs, one going idly back and forth. She warns that his reputation could be damaged by the "rumor that you are in financial difficulties." Back to the pushy reporter who wants to interview Mr. Kirkland. The maid tries to restrain him but Kenny barges in. He informs business tycoon Harvey Kirkland (Russell Hicks) that the newspaper i interested in plans to join his business with another. Our entrepreneur is not interested in an article on his business. Kenny rattles off reasons why the story has "human interest" when his attention is caught by the shapely legs recently mentioned. Then Toni Kirkland (Ann Savage) shows her face, causing Kenny to become even more distracted. However, get-the-story reporter that he is, Kenny continues pitching the potential benefits of a newspaper article to old man Kirkland even as Toni rises from her chair and his lascivious attention follows her to the door. Nothing is going to persuade the entrepreneur to want a story.
Before Kenny can leave, Toni speaks to him in a flirtatious manner. Kenny has a strong interest in this mansion that is no longer professional. It is not too long before Kenny and Toni are dating. But things seem to go south. Kenny had assumed that young Toni was Kirkland's daughter. He is flummoxed to learn he has been "running around with another man's wife." Toni assumed he knew she was Mrs. Kirkland. As upset as he was at learning the truth, he is in too deep to skedaddle now. And things get much worse when a disillusioned and disappointed Toni Kirkland says she needs her husband's money - but wants him out of the way.
As others have noted, Apology for Murder is a low-rent Double Indemnity rip-off. It substitutes a newspaper office for an insurance office. It follows the original classic in so many ways that it becomes highly predictable. Overall, the movie is not bad as it moves at a brisk pace and keeps attention. Ann Savage is not quite as "savage" as she was in the classic Detour. Rather, she shows enough softness that we understand why Kenny is so entranced with her. However, Toni is a wicked piece of work and Savage is never at a loss to let loose with cinematic wickedness. Beaumont does well with the character of the romance-besotted man who reluctantly turns to evil. Other performers fill their roles in a satisfactory manner.
Apology for Murder is not a bad way to spend your time but it cannot get out from the shadow of Double Indemnity, a much better movie.