Glenn Ford and Janis Carter in “Framed”

After an August hiatus, Eddie Muller came back with Noir Alley on Sunday mornings on TCM. First up was “Framed,” a 1947 noir that starred Glenn Ford with Janis Carter as the femme fatale.

Ford played Mike Lambert, a mining engineer who had taken a temporary job driving a truck for a shady operator who didn’t bother to tell him that the truck had no brakes. He got in some trouble right at the beginning of the film over that, and he met Jeff Cunningham (Edgar Buchanan) and Paula Craig (Janis Carter) who both figure into the rest of the story, as does Barry Sullivan as Steve Price, the vice president of Empire Bank. Karen Morley had a little role as Steve’s rich wife, Beth. That was put in there just to show what a creep Steve is.

Mike Lambert was right to be suspicious of why a hottie like Paula would be washing glasses in La Paloma Cafe. She didn’t really like the work. She was scouting for a man who was about the same height and weight as her lover, Steve. Paula and Steve have a plan worked out to steal a huge sum from the bank and they need a stand-in to make it look like Steve died in a car crash. Jeff Cunningham, in the meantime, has hit a silver strike about 50 miles out of town and offers Lambert a job. Paula and Steve have to work fast to make sure this does not ruin their plans. The plans do get changed and it’s quite a Big Twist!

Glenn Ford was pretty cute in this, contrary to Eddie Muller’s opinion that he was an ordinary looking guy. His character wasn’t a natural born sucker, but an honest manly man with a few weaknesses, like being a blackout drinker! He just wanted a job in his own field.

According to Muller, Janis Carter was in a film called “Night Edition” the year before this, playing an outrageous bad girl and that’s what landed her this role. She is outrageous in this one, too. Outrageously beautiful and seductive. Interestingly, in the 1950s, Janis was a hostess on a quiz show called “Feather Your Nest” with Bud Collyer. I found that out when looking her up to see what other films she was in and I also found an episode of the quiz show. Check that out– it’s pretty cool!

Edgar Buchanan was in a bunch of other films with Glenn Ford besides this one, including “Texas” (1941), “The Desperadoes” (1943) and “Lust for Gold (1949). Buchanan is well-known as Uncle Joe on the 1960s TV series, “Petticoat Junction,” a role he also played on “Green Acres” and “The Beverly Hillbilles.” It’s lesser known that before he became an actor, Buchanan was a dentist and sometimes helped fellow actors with their dental emergencies, including Glenn Ford.

Watch “Framed” on TCM on Demand until September 10th.

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8 Responses

  1. rhonda says:

    I very much enjoyed this movie, VJ. And that really was quite a twist!

    • VJ says:

      Yes, that was quite unexpected! And it made the movie better than the run of the mill crime story.

      I wonder if my parents ever saw it. They were just dating the year it came out. Maybe they went to the movies and it was a Glenn Ford double feature with “Gilda” and this. lol.

      • rhonda says:

        Mine were married in 1946. I wonder if they ever went out on dates after that lol?

        • VJ says:

          Sure they did– there wasn’t all that much TV yet so dinner and a movie was likely a treat every now and then.

          Little did my parents know that by the end of the next decade, they would be the parents of 4 with one on the way and they would be sending the oldest three to the movies on Saturdays just to get some peace and quiet. lol!

        • rhonda says:

          And there were good double features back then, too, along with cartoons first. I remember sitting in the children’s section with a matron in a uniform walking up and down the aisles with her flashlight. I also remember one time my dad walking in the theater to find me and drag me out because I liked the first movie so much I decided to stay and watch it over again lol. Can’t remember which one it was that had me so enthralled.

        • VJ says:

          LOL, Rhonda, that’s funny! I remember the cartoons. I must have seen a ton of horror movies, too. There was The Tingler and Creature from the Black Lagoon. These other two always stuck with me — The She Monster, because the ending scared everybody in the theater and we all jumped out of our seats! And The Tree Monster, where they killed this guy unjustly and he came back in a tree for revenge. Tabanga! Apparently, Tree Monster is just what I thought the title was– this article says it was “From Hell It Came.”

  2. rhonda says:

    I’m happy that Noir Alley is back. As always, thanks so much for posting this, VJ. Feather Your Nest was quite a game show.

    • VJ says:

      I’m glad Noir Alley is back, too, Rhonda. I like Eddie Muller’s intros a lot, even if I don’t always agree with him. He’s a very engaging and enthusiastic host.