Jigsaw (1949) [Film Noir] [Crime] [Drama]

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“Jigsaw” is a Film Noir directed by Fletcher Markle, and starring Franchot Tone, Jean Wallace and Marc Lawrence. The feature was produced by Edward J. Danziger and Harry Lee Danziger from a screenplay by Vincent McConnor and Fletcher Markle from a story by John Roeburt. Of note is that the film has cameo appearances by Marlene Dietrich, Henry Fonda, John Garfield, Burgess Meredith, Marsha Hunt, Doe Avedon, Everett Sloane, newspaper columnist Leonard Lyons, and the director Fletcher Markle.

The title refers to a jigsaw puzzle and the story begins with the murder of a print shop owner that is quickly labeled a suicide. But newspaper columnist Charlie Riggs is convinced that it was a murder related to a white neo-fascist organization called the Crusaders and imparts this suspicion to Assistant District Attorney Howard Malloy. He also publishes this opinion in his column. Then Riggs himself is murdered, inducing Malloy to launch an investigation into the Crusaders. Because the group appears to be getting backing from organized crime, Malloy looks there, soon receiving unasked-for help from a crime boss called Angel, who recommends him for the position of special prosecutor.

Later, with further help from a prominent judge’s widow, Malloy is appointed. This is supposed to put him in the pocket of those behind the murders. But Malloy proceeds to investigate the artist who created the Crusaders recruiting poster. Seeing in the artist’s studio a painting of an attractive night club singer, Malloy then proceeds to investigate her. This leads to a series of revelations regarding all of these characters and ends with more people dead and wounded in a fiery exchange at the end.

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Directed by Fletcher Markle, produced by Edward J. Danziger and Harry Lee Danziger, screenplay by Fletcher Markle and Vincent McConnor,story by John Roeburt, starring Franchot Tone as Howard Malloy, Jean Wallace as Barbara Whitfield, Myron McCormick as Charles Riggs, Marc Lawrence as Angelo Agostini, Winifred Lenihan as Mrs. Hartley, Doe Avedon as Caroline Riggs, Hedley Rainnie as Sigmund Kosterich, Walter Vaughan as District Attorney Walker, George Breen as Knuckles, Robert Gist as Tommy Quigley, Hester Sondergaard as Mrs. Borg, Luella Gear as Pet Shop Owner, Alexander Campbell as Pemberton, Robert Noe as Waldron, Alexander Lockwood as Nichols, Ken Smith as Wylie
Alan MacAteer as Museum Guard, Manuel Aparicio as Warehouse Guard and Brainerd Duffield as Butler.

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Source: “Jigsaw (1949 film)” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. 12 July 2013. Web. 21 July 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jigsaw_(1949_film).

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23 Replies to “Jigsaw (1949) [Film Noir] [Crime] [Drama]”

  7. You know even angels can get their wings clipped.

    I wish they'd occasionally show the downside of the police and DA squelching newspaper stories, as occurred here, and once every never, let the bad guy prevail.  To my knowledge, the only time the bad guy has ever been permitted to come out on top was a preachy war propaganda film with the moral, loose lips sink ships.  

  8. 5-10-15  At 50:58 she asked to borrow $35.00, according to the Web that is $341.00 in today's dollars!  I'll stick with the freebee cutie dog at the pound.

  10. My Dad met Marc Lawrence at the Hollywood Canteen in WWII–said he was the nicest person you could ever meet—and Lawrence almost exclusively played gangsters–real shifty eyed.   That's good acting for you!

  12. The film noir – the greatest chapters in the history of cinema! Starting with the 1930 and 1955's film noir created by great directors and actors of high class! Which of the current actors can now replace Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, and Edmond O' Brian …? No one! There are no such persons, who could now mimic film noir. America, as most of these films belong to the film companies of the country, created a fashion, clothes, hats, cigars, whiskey, cars, sparkling night of advertising, casinos, restaurants, and so forth, just yet created ideal breeding ground for crime novels, which served the script for the black-and-white films. Prohibition has created a mafia and gangsters, in their turn became the heroes of many "black" films. The great director Alfred Hitchcock, Fritz Lang, John Huston, Robert Siodmak, Rudolph Mate, Billy Wilder and Otto Perminger, Raoul Walsh, Jean Negulesco, Edward Dmytryk, …….. they are not repeatable !!! See the film noir. About 200 of the immortal masterpieces of world cinema! Long live the film noir !!! My eternal love of film noir !!!

  17. Dear Timeless Classic Movies,

    Thank you for not being one of those annoying channels that inserts ads every 10 minutes in a movie!

  20. At 10.55/56 the bartender looks a lot like a young Jack Palance, though he's not credited, nor can I find any reference to Balance having a bit part in this film

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