Larceny

Moviecut—Larceny

Shapely Shelly Winters Beginning Her Career as a High-Powered "Dame". Here She is a Mouthy Dame, Hits-Back, and is a Force Likely to Botch the Larcenous "Game" Afoot by Gangsters Dan Duryea, as the Head-Honcho, and John Payne as the Woman-Trap... "I know how we can do that, there's a Secretary that thinks I stepped out of a dream." Payne's Magnetic Looks and Silver Tongue Woos Woman with Ease, Including the Main-Mark, Joan Caufield, a Grieving War-Widow Ripe for the Picking, a Hash-Slinger, a Secretary, and the Aforementioned Moll, a Blonde with a Fur-Coat, an Attitude, and a Gun. Duryea and the Rest of the Larcenous Bunch have No Morals, and are Out for the Take Period. Regardless of Heartbroken War-Widow or the Youth Association that are the Victims. Payne, on the other hand, Slowly is Shown to Have some Scruples", and Things Get Complicated. The Film is Propelled by a Witty, Wordy, Script Filled with Conversations of a Wide-Ranging Way of Philosophizing, Moralizing, and Behavior Among the Folks. It's Done with some Minimal Norish Lighting Flourishes, but for the Most Part it's the Personalities of Duryea, Payne, and Winters that Carry the Noir Banter. Slightly Above Average for its Type and is Definitely... Worth a Watch.

Like Dick Powell, John Payne was another crooner and hoofer from ‘30s musicals – a light leading man – who saw new opportunities waiting in the changing Hollywood of the late ‘40s and seized them. Eschewing also-ran roles in prestige pictures (The Razor's Edge, Miracle on 34th Street), he found he was better off taking top billing in the grittier Bs of the newborn noir cycle. It was a smart move. With rugged good looks but no glamour boy, a strong, silent type who didn't make it a gimmick, he turned into a plausible and appealing Average Joe, without ever fading into the generic. In the half-dozen or so noirs he starred in, he straddled both sides of the law, though he usually found himself stranded in a no-man's land in the middle. In Larceny, he's one of a gang of con-men led by Dan Duryea. They've just finished a grift in Miami Beach, so Payne is sent to the far coast, to `Mission City,' to lay groundwork for the next job. He poses as an old service buddy of a slain war hero so the widow (Joan Caulfield) will spearhead a fund-raising drive for a memorial – sort of a posh Boy's Town for underprivileged youth – that, of course, is nothing more than a scheme for bilking donors. But that mischievous cherub Cupid throws a few monkey wrenches into the works. First off, Payne starts developing protective feelings for Caulfield and, more slowly, she for him (she's been playing Vestal Virgin at her husband's altar for so long she finds her own feelings a betrayal). Even worse, Duryea's moll, a `boa constrictor in high heels' (Shelley Winters, in full blonde-bombshell mode) carries such a torch for Payne that she follows him out west, by bus yet. The sicker Payne grows of her, the needier and more reckless she gets – their unstable chemistry threatens to blow them both sky high. The plot executes several quick turns when the possessive Duryea shows up (as does the victim of the Miami scam), when Caulfield reveals that she plans to put up all the money herself, and when Winters decides to take matters into her own pistol-packin' hand.... The violence in Larceny is toned way down, confined mainly to Winters' being slapped around (but she slaps back). It relies instead on a tight script, bristling with smart-mouthed cracks: `[Winters] is like a high-tension wire. Once you grab on, you can't let go – even if you want to;' `You kiss like you're paying off an election bet;' `I said I'm sorry but I'm not going to write it on the blackboard 100 times.' It allows Percy Helton and Dorothy Hart space enough to flesh out their small parts (Hart does a scrumptious riff on Dorothy Malone's bookstore clerk in The Big Sleep). All in all, Larceny proves a congenial vehicle for Payne's welcome arrival in dark city.

While 'Larceny' has a cast of nasty, amoral characters, those expecting a traditional noir with the interesting camera work and lighting might be disappointed. However, it does have a fair bit of suspense, a few twists and turns and some fine acting, so I'd rate it slightly above average. The plot revolves around a group of fraudsters who come up with elaborate fundraising schemes to bilk hundreds of thousands from wealthy investors then skip town; frighteningly relevant to today's mainstream business world. And they're very successful until one guy meets a dame and falls in love. Unfortunately, the love story isn't very convincing, nor is the main character's transformation from amoral scumbag to upstanding citizen, which really makes everything else seem a bit implausible. Regardless, there are some suspenseful moments, you do feel for John Payne's predicament, and the acting is generally quite good from Payne, Dan Duryea, character actor Percy Helton and especially Shelly Winters as the superbly annoying scorned femme fatale. She's good at being bad. Anyway, if you're a completist like me, it's worth a go.

Poor old war widow "Deb" (Joan Caulfield) is hoodwinked into donating her savings to build a memorial to her late husband by the sharp "Rick" (John Payne). It turns out that there is no such edifice, but "Rick" isn't able to be quite as cold and calculating as usual. He starts to fall for this dignified and respectable woman. That's a risky scenario, for his boss "Silky" (Dan Duryea) just wants the cash, and that's that. It doesn't help either that his bosses gal "Tory" (Shelley Winters) is pretty flaky, also quite keen on "Rick" and is quite shrewd at manipulation, too! Payne was never exactly versatile nor, for that matter, was the usually wooden Duryea but they do well enough with this solid story and whilst there is an inevitability to the ending, George Sherman manages to keep this well paced for 90 minutes and Winters plays her part really quite effectively. The lighting could have done with some extra wattage at times, but it is still good watch.

The fact that Dan Dureya is one of the leads here announces that you are in for another squalid and dirty hoodlums' cocktail with some innocents involved being turned into helpless victims, usually dames, but here is also Shelley Winters in the beginning of her career as one of the worst collaborators involved in this mess, but she ultimately pays the full price, while fortunately Joan Caulfield gets out of it alive and clean. John Payne is rather unwilling in the racket but hangs on, until he falls in love with Joan Caulfield, which actually saves his character. It's a sordid story of crtiminality and scoundrelism and repentance and maybe atonement and nothing great in the genre, just another episode out of the dark world of deceits and lies.

Based on Lois Eby and John Leming novel The velvet fleece and excellently adapted to the screen, the movie benefits from a well written script by Herb Margolis, Lou Morheim and William Bowers and from excellen performances by the whole cast. Not only John Payne and Dan Duryea provide their characters with solid credible acting. Also Shelley Winters does a good acting job as the femme fatale obsessed with Payne. She was an actress who had deserved more subtle roles that the ones she usually played. After shining in musicals, light comedies and adventure movies, Payne did several interesting film noirs with Phil Karlson: 99 river st. And excellent Kansas city confidential. Always credible, he conferred a solid presence to his works. This movie is not an exception mainly thanks to great dialogue lines. Screenwriter Bowers also did the script of several other good noirs like The web, Criss Cross, and Cry danger. Payne, Duryea and two more partners are confident men who work scamming rich people. When their last job fails they decide to go for a young wealthy war widow. But problems begin when, while payne is trying to seduce her, Duryea's girl Shelley Winters tries to seduce Payne - who is falling in love with the widow - causing complications and leading the job to fail. Deserves a watch.

Fraudster Dan Duryea (Silky) heads an operation which includes John Payne (Rick) as his main player. They fleece the wealthy by convincing their targets to raise money for a false project and then disappear with the cash. Their newest mark is war widow Joan Caulfield (Deborah) and it is Payne's task to befriend her and gain her trust. So, off he goes - game on. Added into the mix, Duryea has a brash girlfriend - Shelley Winters (Tory) - who is having an affair with Payne and she is not shy in speaking her mind. Duryea is the jealous type so Payne had better watch himself on this front. All seems to be going well for Payne... The main players in this film all give good performances. If you are familiar with the films of Miss Winters you may well guess something about her and you'd be correct. She delivers some great dialogue and is genuinely funny with it towards the end of the film. Payne should definitely have nothing to do with her. The film keeps your attention and it is a great way to learn how to fleece the rich. There are some very good pointers and important rules of psychological engagement that are set out. After watching this, you may well feel rather accomplished in this field. But do you have the heart to carry out this type of mission? Unfortunately, I don't. And anyway, love conquers all and may well be your downfall. But if you don't have a heart....this film may prove educational.

It's a gang of high-class confidence artists run by Dan Duryea. With John Payne to keep the women happy, they hit on a plan to use him as the roper to steal $100,000 from wealthy Joan Caulfield, convincing her that he's a war buddy of her deceased husband. There are immediate complications when Duryea's girl friend, Shelley Winters, prefers Payne. Instead of flying to Havana, she follows Payne to a small suburban town where they're so wealthy they go slumming in Pasadena. It's a dark movie from the get-go and everyone is good, but I found it depressing. I'm a fan of movies about con men, but it's handled with a depressive air from the beginning. Ambitious John Payne was trying to stretch himself, and the role is pretty good, but he's a bit monotonous in his role, as are most of the others. Dan O'Herlihy, as one of his confederates, has a few brief moments to shine and does so, but the movie, while always competent, turns into a soap opera with guns.

Shelley Winters: "I'm sorry, Rick. What can I do to help you?" John Payne: "Stay away from me." Shelley Winters: "I mean besides the impossible." A con man's seduction of a war widow is part of a larger scheme to bilk a small town out of a fortune. But not everything goes to plan. I cannot believe this sensational vintage noir isn't better known. It's taut as a garrote, and there are twists you won't see coming. Plus: The dialogue is great, the actors tops, and who knew Shelley Winters was such a knockout? Catch this one!