The Man Who Cheated Himself (1950) [Film Noir] [Crime]

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Wealthy socialite Lois Frazer wants a divorce from her husband, but he’s not ready to let her go so easy. Suspecting that he intends to murder her, she calls Lieutenant Ed Cullen, with whom she’s been having an affair, in an effort to save herself from her husband’s wrath. When Ed arrives someone dies, but it’s not Lois. With his lover’s husband shot dead, Ed finds himself the ironic and dangerous position of being assigned a case that no one knows he actually witnessed. In addition to trying to control the investigation, Ed also has the misfortune of having his own younger brother, a new detective on the force, by his side every step of the way, eager to prove himself.

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Directed by Felix E. Feist, produced by Jack M. Warner, written by Seton I. Miller (screenplay), Philip MacDonald (screenplay) and Seton I. Miller (story), starring Lee J. Cobb as Lt. Ed Cullen, Jane Wyatt as Lois Frazer, John Dall as Andy Cullen, Lisa Howard as Janet Cullen, Harlan Warde as Howard Frazer, Tito Vuolo as Pietro Capa, Charles Arnt as Ernest Quimby, Marjorie Bennett as Muriel Quimby, Alan Wells as Nito Capa, Mimi Aguglia as Mrs. Capa, Bud Wolfe as Officer Blair, Morgan Farley as Rushton, Howard Negley as Detective Olson, William Gould as Doc Munson, Art Millan as United Airlines Clerk, Gordon Richards as Albert the Butler, Terry Frost as Detective, Mario Siletti as Machetti and Charles Victor as Attorney.

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Source: “The Man Who Cheated Himself” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. 17 November 2013. Web. 12 March 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Cheated_Himself.

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43 Replies to “The Man Who Cheated Himself (1950) [Film Noir] [Crime]”

  4. Great footage of Civil War era Fort Point in San Francisco.  In 1950–this would have been part of The Presidio Army base.  it was preserved from demolition when the Golden Gate Bridge was constructed in the 1930; it was thought it would cost more to demolish the fort than it was worth, to say nothing of its historical value.  But it's about the last place anyone should go to escape from cops–cold, windy–and surrounded by water.  Though there is no clear indication of fencing, one could walk to the beach from the fort, if the tide was low.  But once you got there, it would be steep uphill climb to the street and you would still be in the Military Presidio.   I think I recognized Grace Cathedral on California Street, they are heading toward Polk St.  Most of the other places were simply too generic to clearly recognize as San Francisco.

  7. Min. 47: this intermezzo was sponsored by Lucky Strike. Can you imagine if on a population of 250 miljoen 10 % smokes a packet of cigarettes each day, how much air pollution that accounts for on 1 year time ? Something the Chinese should keep in mind, apparantly…

  8. OK so she's a typical of the neurotic American socialite…wearing an evening dress because that's what she does….and she may have been going out when running into the husband and being side tracked. She was right that he was setting up the killing but …the tangled web we weave. The young detective is equally as neurotic in trying to be a success, before the wedding…As for the revolver (not gun) being left at home….well there's no chance of his being picked up with it, or coming unstuck in questioning, maybe he had someone else coming to do the job, he can then say he'd left it in the cupboard and it must have been found during a robbery when his wife was killed. The young brother is a bit of a jerk when it comes to reality…just married on his way to a quickie or a little longer and wondering where his brother WAS!!….the other night, pretty neuro!…what's today 'Wednesday'  ' Wednesday eh hmmm.that's suspicious, what time is it?…3 oclock …Hmmmm I'd better check, doesn't sound right…what's your name ? 'Joe' ..'are you sure?…doesn't sound right, where were you last year at 1 am? "… Things are getting nasty with identical bore lands in the revolver…if she goes for one she goes for three murders for a start…she'll make sure he goes I guess …you know lover boy who's brother suspects his own idealised  brother…close bond!!…I suspect he was jealous of his brother's love affairs and when suffering guilt over himself getting off over a woman decides to can his brother who must have got the same 'lewd' feelings for more than ONE woman.  It might have done to convince the American gullible the cops are deep down dedicated to truth…but today they are like raving lunatics, over-armed, over cocaine, over reacting. How many blue Dodges were there in US..if it was a Dodge. Then Cobb goes off the air I suppose to fit the movie into a time frame……the 'identified' car doesn't even have an identified number, his brother has no forensic evidence of any value (that's ok in US…just create it LOL!!) yet older brother cracks….

  9. Goofy, loveable characters, too many plot holes. Striations in a bullet never match up, not according to the FBI. Chances of that happening with a similar gun days apart at the same location are impossible. The couple discovering Cobb dumping the body never saw the shooting or heard the shots. The driver could have been just stealing, not dumping the body.

  11. Gotta see the original "12 Angry Men"…it's NOTHING like that politically correct BS that had Tom Cruise and the other Hams in it. They couldn't even make a perfect script go over!! SHAMEFUL! H. Fonda; J. Klugman; M. Balsam; Lee J. Cobb (oscar worthy); Jack Warden and more fab actors of the day!!

  23. Another interesting little tale of tangled webs woven when first we practice to deceive in which the cigarettes were almost as big of stars as the actors and actresses. The premise for the deception was a little far fetched for me when I consider that Lois Frazer had a good enough motive for plugging her husband that night. He was an intruder breaking into her house. He attempted to assault her when she surprised him in the act. She had a gun and she defended herself. At least, that's the best story she could have told the cops if she hadn't just called lover boy, the lieutenant. He came along and thought he had a better idea since her husband had bought a plane ticket to Seattle. So he dumps the body at the airport, bad idea and the incriminating evidence piles up. But there were some good car shots as well such as Cullen's '49-'50 Chevy Fleetline fastback and the '50 Nash Ramblers, one a ragtop. Those cars were too slow and cutesy to be cop cars, I'm sure.

  24. Second viewing, enjoyed it just as much as the first time. Sure, the plot's thin and it doesn't compare with the masterpieces, but not every film can be a champ. It's NOIR, and that's all that matters…..

  41. the detective should have locked her up for murder when she shot him in her expensive mansion
    I knew she was trouble since the beginning of the movie.
    And then at the end she walked out of the courtroom with a younger handsome man and didn't even know the detective,
    the one she was running away with. They. were hiding in a tower of an old prison.
    like her husband that she shot at first she threw him out of the house.
    that's just how she threw the detective away for the younger one
    that's the kind of woman to stay away from.. Ones that think that they can buy you ,
    And then throw you away !!!

  42. Mr. Lee J. Cobb, really corn holed himself in this little caper. And over what, a dame?
    Billions of Baby Dolls on the planet Earth, and this poor Sap, gets suckered. haha

    But to be honest, I would have gotten Suckered too(;)

    They should've called this movie, "The man who corn holed his own Arse, without Butter."

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