User Reviews

"Murder means taking away another person's right to live. There's no greater crime than that," replies Ted Parkson (George Murphy) to his young son Ricky's (Dean Stockwell) question about if "murder is like killing" as they eat at the breakfast table. The question is prompted by the headline in all capital letters on the front page of the newspaper Ted is reading: "Claire Lorrison Murdered". 'The Arnelo Affair' (Arch Oboler, 1947) is a film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) which had also produced crime films from the mid-1930s to mid-1940s which promoted the notion that "crime doesn't pay". Although there are subdued phrases uttered in the dialogue from characters such as Ted and Sam Leonard (Warner Anderson) that highlight this notion, 'The Arnelo Affair' is a true film noir that shows several shades of flaws, decency, and reason in the stories, behaviours, and dialogue of its characters.

As Ted utters his response to Ricky regarding "taking away another person's right to live", the camera cuts to a medium shot of Ted's wife Anne Parkson (Frances Gifford). Anne and Ted married soon after she turned sixteen and have been married for twelve years. Anne is passionate about interior design which began from working in an interior decorating shop just prior to meeting Ted. Currently in their marriage, she is going through the motions and is not being heard nor listened to by Ted, who is pre-occupied with his career as a lawyer. Anne has been robbed of excitement for quite some time and is introduced by Ted to one of his clients Tony Arnelo (John Hodiak) who has been robbed of stability much of his life and is trying to make up for lost time. Anne and Tony have an instant attraction to each other, and it takes Tony, of all people, to tell Ted that his crime is that he's neglected the emotional needs of Anne: "You've been married to her a long time, but you don't know her at all." In various shades, we see hints of what it means to the different characters to be alive whether it's to be grateful to have a pulse or to embrace the spirit of living by seizing the moment.

Several of the IMDb user reviewers are ruthlessly unfair to Frances Gifford's performance whose character's morose demeanour, to me, fares better here than that of Joan Leslie's Sheila Page in 'Repeat Performance' (Alfred Werker, 1947) or Andrea King's Brooke Gifford Ryder in 'Shadow of a Woman' (Joseph Santley, 1946) which are similar in tone and style. Gifford's style of performance, which is her interpretation of a woman who is depressed and later attempts suicide, may not liven up the overall tone for the viewer watching the film but it's conveyed with conviction when considering her character's personal circumstances.

Gifford's morose Anne is teased by friend and fashion shop owner Vivian Delwyn (Eve Arden). She says, "I adore eating with invalids" when attempting to sustain a conversation with Anne over a meal. The performances of Eve Arden are timeless, and her characters are often refreshing and progressive in their abilities to help the central male character comprehend and sympathize with the monotony of life that wives are expected to endure in post-war 1940s American society. The monologue she gives to Ted about this is nearly identical in tone to the one she gave Zachary Scott's character Bob Hunter in 'The Unfaithful' (Vincent Sherman, 1947), a film noir from Warner Bros.

The cast, overall, is strong for its cohesion and believability. John Hodiak conveys an exemplary homme fatale through the soft, melted caramel textures and hypnotic tonality to his voice. This enables him to take seemingly ordinary lines such as "it takes someone like me to appreciate someone like you" and give them shades of sounding special to the person receiving them but also egotistical coming from the person giving them. In addition to this, I disagree with the multiple IMDb reviews commenting on the dialogue being too "wordy" in this film. The actors express their lines at a nice pace and with conviction which really helps to keep the dialogue engrossing, and film editor Harry Komer helps to keep the scenes at their appropriate shortness and lengths. Special mentions for their performances also go to Dean Stockwell, who has never disappointed me in any of his acting performances, as well as Ruby Dandridge (mother to actors Dorothy Dandridge and Vivian Dandridge).

Overall, I highly recommend this film and feel very strongly that it's much better than its current 5.7 IMDb rating in addition to several negative reviews that seem to have missed enjoying several elements that I thoroughly enjoyed. From the haunting score by composer George Bassman, to its location shots of Chicago, to its tightly-knitted pacing, and to the strength of its cast which makes the dialogue come alive, 'The Arnelo Affair' is a refreshing film from MGM and not to be missed.

Neglected wife Frances Gifford is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, seemingly unappreciated by dull attorney husband George Murphy, taken for granted by son Dean Stockwell and the ears for wisecracking gossip by fashion designer pal Eve Arden. She becomes quickly enamored of her husband's client, John Hodiak, who quickly proves himself to be excessively amoral. Slapping around jilted mistresses, blackmail and possibly even murder are among his m.o.'s, and Hodiak never is willing to let a victim go, even after they holler eeny meeny miny mo to anyone sauntering by.

Ok, so on the surface and through decent performances, this is top drawer, a view of cafe society at its most scandalous, but certainly not top notch for its script and story details. Gifford is about to confess her involvement with Hodiak to hubby Murphy and he interrupts her to apologise for neglecting her emotionally. She has several intense confrontations with Hodiak which culminates when he joins her dinner party, brings up the subject of murder (concerning his dead mistress, Joan Woodbury) which predictably causes her to faint. Arden shines as usual with even the weakest of wisecracks, but she'd turn fish sticks and hot dogs into lobster and a ribeye.

It is fascinating to watch Hodiak work his evil, but this only accentuates the somber performance of Gifford and the wishy washy characterization of Murphy. A similar non noir version of the story was 1934's "Evelyn Prentice" which had the team of Myrna Loy and William Powell to help it rise against its cliches. Dorothy Dandridge's mother, Ruby, plays Murphy and Gifford's jovial maid, lightening up the melodrama with her sunny performance. Warner Anderson is appropriately stonefaced as the humorless detective. It's a mixed bag, arty and thought provoking, yet missing the magic of the two married couple outshined by the despicable Hodiak who shows incredible life for a man with a dead soul.

As an update of EVELYN PRENTICE, THE ARNELO AFFAIR is a perfect example of post-war films meant to reinforce the notion that a woman should be happy at home. If she strays too far from the nest, she will get embroiled in dangerous activities that threaten to destroy the sanctity of her marriage and may put her in jail. Scare tactics to say the least, and people paid money to see it.

In this instance, the wife is portrayed by MGM contractee Frances Gifford. She is a beautiful stay-at-home specimen who looks after a young son (Dean Stockwell) while hubby George Murphy goes out and brings home the bacon.

To occupy her time while her husband is at the office and her son is at school, Gifford does what most housewives of the period do...she goes shopping, plays bridge and gets caught up on gossip with her best pal (Eve Arden). Arden's character often puts a satiric spin on the proceedings, preventing the film from becoming too overwrought and ensuring it stay light in the right places.

However, none of her domestic life is too fulfilling for lonely Miss Gifford. It is no wonder when, a short time later, she catches the eye of criminal rogue John Hodiak, that she starts to enjoy the attention he gives her. Mainly because it's much-needed attention she no longer receives from workaholic Murphy.

John Hodiak gives a good performance as the bad guy. He conveys just the right amount of suavity and menace. Mr. Hodiak was on a winning streak at this time, becoming a reliable presence in noir such as Fox's SOMEWHERE IN THE NIGHT and Paramount's DESERT FURY.

One thing I especially like about THE ARNELO AFFAIR, aside from its polished and convincing acting, is how the melodramatic scenario is reinforced by the highly emotional background music. In addition to the music, director Arch Oboler and cinematographer Charles Salerno light scenes in a way that suggest opulence, shadows and passion.

And as the story unfolds, a focal point is the conflict faced by Gifford's character as she gets in too deep and becomes embroiled in a murder. Though some of it may be predictable, there are plenty of anguished looks and silent pauses for proper effect. Throughout the picture's 86-minute running time, Frances Gifford helps us get a sense of the woman's internal state. There is a moment when she realizes how much her son means to her, which is probably the highlight of the film. She is reminded that her most satisfying role in life is not as an adulterer, but as a mother and wife.

I supposed most will say THE ARNELO AFFAIR is ultimately just another spin on the old infidelity tale. But I think it deftly combines the gangster genre with a woman's melodrama, and I find the results most intriguing.

I don't think The Arnelo Affair is that bad like some of these internet posters say it is. The story has two elements that converge: the idea that a person might exercise a lack of good judgement and then pay exponentially after being manipulated by an evil person.

This is what happens to our protagonist, Anne Parkson (Frances Gifford), a housewife with a nine-year-old son who is introduced by her attorney husband Ted (George Murphy) to one of his clients, the reprehensible Tony Arnelo (John Hodiak), an amoral nightclub owner.

Because Ted is a workaholic and doesn't pay enough attention to Anne, she entertains the idea of having an affair with Arnelo after he invites her over to his place on the pretext of doing some interior design work for him (we learn that Anne's hobby is interior design).

The story becomes quite suspenseful when, against her better judgement, Anne accepts Arnelo's invitation to visit him, only to discover an indignant woman Claire Lorrison (Joan Woodbury) showing up at the residence and badmouthing Arnelo in front of his face.

When Claire turns up dead two days later, Arnelo plants Anne's compact that she accidentally left in the apartment at the murder scene and threatens to go to the police unless she divorces Ted and runs off with him.

It's a crazy plan but indicative of just how evil, demented people will go to get their way. If you question that there are people like this in the world who will do these sorts of things, one should simply peruse the tabloids for the past hundred years to discover such salacious narratives do exist.

Not all The Arnelo Affair works. Once Arnelo goes after Anne, one wonders why she doesn't confide in her husband or at least her chatty but intelligent pal Vivian (Eve Arden). Instead, her solution is to take sleeping pills and kill herself.

Fortunately, Ted figures out what's going on and provides an ironclad alibi for Anne to the police. Oh yes Anne is also saved from dying by the alert maid Maybelle (Ruth Dandridge).

I also found the climax to be considerably disappointing. Why does Arnelo try to escape in effect inviting the investigating detective to shoot him? He knew his number was up so why not ruin Anne's reputation by going to trial? It doesn't make sense that such an amoral individual like Arnelo would suddenly feel remorse after listening to the detective's appeal to his conscience just before attempting to make his feeble escape.

Gifford invites the requisite sympathy as the beleaguered Anne but is saddled by a script that does not permit her character to confide in any confederates before the happy denouement. Murphy overplays the part of Ted who is too much of one of those self-righteous upstanding citizen types. Hodiak does well as the menacing villain of the piece.

While The Arnelo Affair had a happy ending, there wasn't one for Frances Gifford. Shortly after making this picture, she was in a terrible car accident and sustained severe head trauma. She gradually lost her confidence and eventually became mentally ill, and was in and out of mental institutions for approximately 25 years.

I was captivated by this film in the 70's when I was in high school. Over the years I searched in vain for the pencil-thin mustachioed man who blackmailed an unwilling woman to forsake her husband and son for him. I didn't know the name of the film or know who the actors were. Alas, I finally found the movie again this past week! I see no need to wax poetic about the so-called negative aspects about the players in this drama. I loved the film. I thought the leading lady was beyond lovely, the villain was deliciously handsome, and the husband was dull as needed. I thought the actress's emotions were fitting with her predicament. I could feel her anguish. One can overthink a film rather than become lost in it. I was fascinated with the story as a teenager, longed to find the film again, and was not disappointed when I got to see it once more.

Hollywood certainly lived up to its Hollyweird reputation when Mr. Arch Oboler started the 3-D revolution in 1952 with "Bwana Devil".

In fact, the very last person in the world you would expect to become involved in a process that was one hundred per cent visual, was Arch Oboler.

Mr. Oboler was primarily a radio writer. He had virtually no visual sense whatever. And a good example of Oboler at his worst is Metro- Goldwyn-Mayer's "The Arnelo Affair" (1947). You don't need to actually view the movie. You can close your eyes and Oboler will tell you everything that's going on, courtesy of off-screen narration and instant information dialogue.

Aside from Eve Arden (admittedly she has the best of the wordy screenplay), the acting, led by frozen-faced Frances Gifford and stiff-as-a-dummy George Murphy, is almost as bad as the over-lit sets and the incredibly store-windows wardrobe.