''The Second Woman'' is a 1950 film noir mystery-suspense film directed by

James V. Kern James V. Kern (September 22, 1909, New York City, New York – November 9, 1966, Encino, California) was an American singer, songwriter, screenwriter, actor, and director. Educated at the Fordham Law School, Kern worked for a while as an attorn ...

and featuring Robert Young,

Betsy Drake Betsy Drake (September 11, 1923 – October 27, 2015) was an American actress, writer, and psychotherapist. She was the third wife of actor Cary Grant. Early life and education Betsy Drake, the eldest child of two American expatriates, was b ...

, John Sutton and

Florence Bates Florence Bates ( Rabe; April 15, 1888 - January 31, 1954), was an American film and stage character actress who often played grande dame characters in supporting roles. Life and career Bates was the second child born to Jewish immigrant par ...

. Sequences of the film were shot on the coastal areas of Monterey, California.

Plot

This

psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting. In terms of context and c ...

tells the story of Jeff Cohalan (Young). He is a successful architect who is tormented because his fiancée, Vivian Sheppard, was killed in a mysterious car accident on the night before their wedding. Blaming himself for her death, Cohalan spends his time alone, lamenting in the state-of-the-art cliff-top home he had designed for his bride-to-be. Cohalan notices that ever since the accident, he seems to be followed by bad luck. Without explanation, his horse turns up horribly injured and he must put it down, his dog is poisoned and dies. These events lead Cohalan to wonder if he has been cursed. He meets a woman named Ellen (Drake), and they are immediately attracted to each other. She soon learns about Jeff's past and begins to suspect that he may be much more in danger than he himself realizes. It turns out that his partner in architecture, Ben Sheppard, was trying to destroy him. Sheppard, who was Vivian's father, held Jeff responsible for her death. But the driver of the car had been a married man with whom Vivian was having an affair. Ben himself had a wife run away from him, and has a psychotic break when confronted with the truth behind his daughter's car crash. Thinking Ellen is Vivian, and angry about his wife running off, Ben shoots at Ellen. Jeff gets hit protecting Ellen, but both survive.

Cast

* Robert Young as Jeff Cohalan *

as Ellen Foster * John Sutton as Keith Ferris *

as Amelia Foster *

Morris Carnovsky Morris Carnovsky (September 5, 1897 – September 1, 1992) was an American stage and film actor. He was one of the founders of the Group Theatre (1931-1940) in New York City and had a thriving acting career both on Broadway and in films un ...

as Dr. Raymond Hartley * Henry O'Neill as Ben Sheppard *

Jean Rogers Jean Rogers (born Eleanor Dorothy Lovegren, March 25, 1916 – February 24, 1991) was an American actress who starred in serial films in the 1930s and low–budget feature films in the 1940s as a leading lady. She is best remembered for ...

as Dodo Ferris * Raymond Largay as Major Badger * Shirley Ballard as Vivian Sheppard * Vici Raaf as Sue - Secretary * Jason Robards, Sr. as Stacy Rogers (as Jason Robards) * Steven Geray as Balthazar Jones *

Jimmie Dodd James Wesley Dodd (March 28, 1910 – November 10, 1964) was an American actor, singer and songwriter best known as the master of ceremonies for the popular 1950s Walt Disney television series ''The Mickey Mouse Club,'' as well as the write ...

as Mr. Nelson (as Jimmy Dodd) *

Smoki Whitfield Smoki Whitfield (born Robert Whitfield, and sometimes credited as Jordan Whitfield) was an African American actor, comedian, and musician. Biography Smoki was born in Pittsburgh to John Whitfield and Effie Walker. He attended the University of ...

as Elmer - Porter (as Smokey Whitfield) * Cliff Clark as Police Sergeant

Reception

Critical response

Film critic Craig Butler wrote: "''The Second Woman'' is an intriguing if frustrating little thriller -- frustrating because it verges on being very good but settles for being merely OK. Part of the problem is that ''Woman'' combines elements of various styles -- film noir, psychological drama, mystery, thriller, romance -- but doesn't meld them into a satisfying whole ... All in all, ''The Second Woman'' is a good attempt that is worth watching, even if it falls short of reaching its goals." Film critic Dennis Schwartz wrote: "Robert Young gives a subdued performance that is somewhat credible, but not all that endearing. The film's ultimate villain is the real estate industry that is spoiling the natural beauty in its need to make lots of money. But the brooding melodrama, thought of by many as film noir, never seemed vibrant as a thriller."Schwartz, Dennis
''Ozus' World Movie Reviews'', film review, October 3, 2004. Accessed: August 19, 2013.

References

External links