The film begins with a $300,000 robbery and murder in New York City; a year later, in Los Angeles, one of the bills from that job turns up, and police officers Cal Bruner (Steve Cochran) and Jack Farnham (Howard Duff) are assigned to the case. After tracing the path of the stolen bill, the detectives eventually come to Lily Marlow (Ida Lupino), a singer in a local nightclub, who informs them she was given the money as a tip. Needing her help to identify the man who gave her the hot $50, the police pressure Lily to get involved; though she would prefer to stay out of it, she reluctantly agrees to help, and eventually, as they work together on the case, Cal and Lily get involved with one another. Lily has grandiose dreams and champagne tastes, causing Cal to wonder how he can afford her on his cop's salary.
Days of staking out the local horse track finally pay off, and Lily spots her man. Cal and Jack give chase, but just as they are about to overtake the suspect's car, he careens off the road and lands in the bottom of a ravine. Not only is the man killed, but the stolen money---which he had in his possession---spills forth from his dislodged suitcase; as Jack shovels the cash back into the case, he pauses momentarily, knowing that if he slipped a few of the bills into his pocket, he and his wife would be on easy street. An honest man, though, Jack pushes the thought aside and places the money back in the case; Cal, however, has no qualms about slipping a few bundles into his pocket.
While Jack insists that Cal put the money back, Cal maintains that since nobody can prove how much money was there in the first place, no one will ever know they took any. Besides, says Cal, he knows Jacks wants the money as badly as he does---he could see the look of wanting all over Jack's face, to which Jack responds that "wanting it and taking it are two different things." Railroaded by Cal, Jack reluctantly agrees to go along with the theft, and the cash is hidden in a very seedy-looking trailer park, unit #36. Jack's conscience never stops bothering him, however, and he eventually comes to the place of being unable to look at himself in the mirror.
Meanwhile, Lily is suspicious of Cal's new-found wealth, and the police captain (Dean Jagger) has his own questions about his detectives' actions at the accident scene. Will Jack crack under the pressure? Will he be able to convince Cal to come clean? How it all plays out is the balance of this very exciting movie.
While this is probably considered a B movie, I went into it with high hopes...and I absolutely was not disappointed. Although it took about 45 minutes before the meat of the story took place (the officers' theft of the money), even up to that point, the film---a classic noir---was interesting and well-acted. Ida's character was definitely rough around the edges, which, I think, is when she often shined the brightest. Howard Duff was incredibly believable as the guilt-ridden family man struggling to make ends meet. Oh, and he has an amazing voice!! And Steve Cochran...wow! This was his show all the way...he was totally fantastic...probably one of his best roles. Although it would at first appear that Cal's descent into corruption was because of his desire to satisfy Lily's extravagant tastes, it quickly becomes evident that, down deep, he was a sleazy scoundrel---and Steve Cochran was completely stellar in roles like that!!
The chemistry between Cochran and Lupino was absolutely incredible...they sizzled and smoked the entire time. At one point, he nonchalantly---as though it was as natural as breathing---untied the strings of her halter dress to massage her shoulders, and another time, he massaged her feet. Even though both characters were fully clothed, there was incredible sensuality in those scenes!
The film's ending was quite unexpected and a little unsettling; still, though, I completely enjoyed this movie and easily count it among my favorite Ida Lupino films.
This film is not out on DVD; however, I believe it is available on VHS; additionally, it is available through Net Flix instant viewing. Definitely try to track this one down; if you are a fan of Ida Lupino, Steve Cochran, or film noir, I think you will thoroughly enjoy every minute of Private Hell 36.
Happy viewing!!
