''The Flame'' is a 1947 American film noir crime film produced and directed by John H. Auer and starring

John Carroll John Carroll may refer to: People Academia and science *Sir John Carroll (astronomer) (1899–1974), British astronomer *John Alexander Carroll (died 2000), American history professor *John Bissell Carroll (1916–2003), American cognitive sci ...

, Vera Ralston,

Robert Paige Robert Paige (born John Arthur Paige, December 2, 1911 – December 21, 1987) was an actor and a TV newscaster and political correspondent and Universal Pictures leading man who made 65 films in his lifetime: he was the only actor ever allowed t ...

and Broderick Crawford.

Plot

A man (Carroll) induces an ambitious nurse (Ralston) to marry for money his rich brother (Paige) who has a terminal disease.

Cast

as George MacAllister * Vera Ralston as Carlotta Duval *

as Barry MacAllister * Broderick Crawford as Ernie Hicks *

Henry Travers Travers John Heagerty (5 March 1874 – 18 October 1965), known professionally as Henry Travers, was an English film and stage character actor. His best known role was the guardian angel Clarence Odbody in the 1946 film ''It's a Wonderful Life' ...

as Dr. Mitchell *

Hattie McDaniel Hattie McDaniel (June 10, 1893October 26, 1952) was an American actress, singer-songwriter, and comedian. For her role as Mammy in ''Gone with the Wind (film), Gone with the Wind'' (1939), she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, ...

as Celia *

Blanche Yurka Blanche Yurka (born Blanch Jurka, June 19, 1887 – June 6, 1974) was an American stage and film actress and director. She was an opera singer with minor roles at the Metropolitan Opera and later became a stage actress, making her Broadway debu ...

as Aunt Margaret *

Constance Dowling Constance Dowling (July 24, 1920 – October 28, 1969) was an American model turned actress of the 1940s and 1950s. Early life and career Born in New York City, Dowling was a model and chorus girl before moving to California in 1943. She had ...

as Helen Anderson *

Victor Sen Yung Sen Yung, later known professionally as Victor Sen Young (born Sen Yew Cheung; October 18, 1914 – c. November 9, 1980); one source lists his given name as Victor Cheung Young with the birth year 1915)) was an American character actor, best kn ...

as Chang *

Harry Cheshire Harry V. Cheshire (August 16, 1891 – June 16, 1968), originally from Emporia, Kansas, was an American character actor who appeared in over 100 films, mostly playing small roles. He was also a stage actor and performed on a St. Louis radio ...

as the Minister *

John Miljan John Miljan (November 9, 1892 – January 24, 1960) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1924 and 1958. Biography Born in 1892, Miljan was the tall, smooth-talking villain in Hollywood films for almost four deca ...

as Detective *Garry Owen as Detective *Eddie Dunn as Police Officer * Jeff Corey as Stranger (uncredited)

Reception

Critical response

The critic at ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' panned the film, "The sole distinction of ''The Flame'', a rambling, inept bit of claptrap which sidled into the Gotham yesterday, is the bleakly amusing fact that most of the performers seem either bored or amused with the whole thing. And no wonder. There is a grim, unimaginative which-brother-do-I-love plot, centering on Vera Ralston." Film historian and critic Hal Erickson discussed the production values in his brief review, "In terms of both budget and histrionic level, ''The Flame'' is one of the most lavish of Republic Pictures' late-1940s productions."Erickson, Hal
''Allmovie by Rovi'', film review, no date. Accessed: 20 August 2013.

References

External links