Sweets to the Sweet

Picked up Murder, My Sweet (1944) from the library - had seen it before, but didn't remember it well. It was a doozy.

It starts with Dick Powell as Philip Marlowe, with bandages over his eyes being interrogated about some murders. He tells the cops they know most of it, but they want him to tell them the whole thing. So he starts at the beginning. 

Moose Malloy, played by Mike Mazurki, wants Powell to help him find his girl Velma. He's been "away" and she doesn't work at the bar she used to sing at anymore. He takes Powell there, kind of against his will. Moose ("on account of I'm large") has a way of convincing you. He describes Velma as "cute as lace pants", one of my favorite quotes, and pretty racy too. 

Anyway, they don't find Velma, and Moose vanishes, promising to get back to Marlowe.

As Powell works on the case, another one shows up. Pretty, fae Douglas Walton wanted Powell's help in getting some stolen jewels back by paying a ransom. But he winds up dead. The cops don't like it, but don't want to charge Powell - yet.

Now we get to the heart of the matter. Young Anne Shirley takes Powell to meet a new her father, Miles Mander, at his mansion. He is a rich old man with a passion for jade, and a young wife, Claire Trevor. The jewels were taken from her, and he wants them back. When it turns out that Powell doesn't have them (not as crooked as they think), he turns Powell over to Trevor. She is a piece of work, with a range of extracurricular activities.

One is Jules Amthor (what a great name!). played by Otto Kruger. He is a (failed?) artist and spiritual guru, but of the Will and Self variety,  not the Peace and Light type. He uses his powers to manipulate Moose into attacking Powell, then drugs him and stuffs him in a clinic, keeping him under for three days - but Powell shakes it off.

This is all great stuff. a femme fatale, a cultist, murders, doping, and most of all, Moose Malloy. He finally finds Velma, but it doesn't end happily. This is one of the best noirs ever (is it a noir? Well, best hard boiled detective movies). The dialog is snappy, villains are villainout, femmes are fatale (except Shirley, she's sweet). Who would have thought that Powell, one of "Broadway's most promising juveniles" had it in him.