Mystery Street (1950)

[Raquelle]

Vivian Holden (Jan Sterling) is having some problems. She’s dead broke, owes her landlady two weeks worth of rent and the mysterious Hyannis 3633 man she keeps trying to reach on the phone is giving her the run around. In desperation, Vivian takes advantage of innocent-bystandard Henry Shanway (Marshall Thompson), a sad man drinking away his sorrows in attempt to forget his sick wife current hospital stay. Vivian drives Henry’s yellow Ford down to Hyannis from Boston, abandoning Henry along the way. When Vivian finally confronts the Hyannis man that has been eluding her, she finds herself face-to-face with the barrel of his gun.

Six months later, Vivian Holden’s bones are found at a beach, but only we, the audience, know that those bones are hers. It’s up to Lieutenant Peter Moralas (Ricardo Montalban) solve the mystery of both the crime and to identity the victim. What results is an intriguing film noir, directed by John Sturges, that blends murder mystery with forensic science. If anyone tells you forensic science is a new phenomenon in contemporary entertainment, just direct that person to Mystery Street (1950) and they will be in for a pleasant surprise.

Even decades before DNA analysis and other technological advancements in criminal science, the forensis used in this film are still very advanced and relevant. With very little to go one, besides the partial skeleton of Vivian, the doctor is able to determine age, gender, time of death, cause of death and even the victim’s occupation from his vast knowledge of human anatomy and plant pathology. Even a jaded CSI-watching contemporary could still appreciate the intricacies and the methods used in the film’s forensic study.

[Raquelle]

Montalban plays Lietuenant Moralas, a local officer who has just been put on his first murder case. This is a considerably difficult case because all the detective is left with to go by are bones, hair and leaves. He works together with a Harvard scientist Dr. McAdoo (Bruce Bennett) who specializes in using his science to solve particularly difficult criminal cases. McAdoo brings an unbiased viewpoint to this mystery. To him, the solving of the mystery boils down to scientific study. He doesn’t make assumptions or come to any early conclusions, rather he allows the evidence and the revelation of the clues tell him the story.

Moralas (Montalban) on the otherhand is McAdoo’s polar opposite. He’s the streetsmart to McAdoo’s booksmart and has developed his detective skills from working with people rather than science. Moralas watches people intently and deals with them on an individual basis. He uses neither agression nor complaince but basically charms his way into people’s confidence by his own charisma. However, his major flaw is that, unlike McAdoo, Moralas jumps to conclusions and this can alienate key witnesses in the investigation that he could have alternately brought into his confidence.

The dynamic between Montalban and Bennett in their differing temperments and the juxtaposition of their characters makes for an interesting film. However, I would be remiss to not point out the wonderful performance of Elsa Lanchester as the landlady Mrs. Smerrling. Smerrling is a live wire; a neurotic who can easily throw the investigation for a loop. Moralas is suspicious of her motives at the very beginning but is also intrigued by what information she can provide. Smerrling is nosy, money-hungry and uses Vivian’s life and death for her own selfish purposes. She leads a drab life and becomes intoxicated by the power her connection with Vivian and her knowledge has over the various men involved in the case. Lanchester does a superb job tapping into the Smerrling’s neuroses bringing us a character who is both apalling and enthralling to watch on screen.

Besides the blend of forensic science and old-fashioned gumshoe work, what is also interesting about this film is that it is shot entirely on location in Boston, Cambridge, Roxbury, Hyannis and Barnstable, Massachusetts. As a Boston local, my heart went pitter patter when I saw the familiar sites of the gate entrance of Harvard University on Massachusetts Avenue and Harvard Yard. In the short documentary “Mystery Street: Murder at Harvard”, we learn that after WWII, more and more films were shot on location and that Mystery Street might be the earliest example of a film shot entirely in the Boston area. What we get is the added element of real locations becoming part of the story which in my opinion enhances the movie watching experience.

[JohnChard]

Interesting read Raquelle. I enjoyed the film but as my own little review says, it`s only really the presence of Alton on photography that gives it a noirish sheen.


45 Calibre Killed Skeleton Girl!

Mystery Street is a police procedural film noir mystery directed by John Sturges with cinematography by legendary lensman John Alton. It stars Ricardo Montalban, Sally Forrest, Bruce Bennett, Elsa Lanchester, Marshall Thompson & Jan Sterling. It's shot on location in Boston and Cape Cod with both Harvard Medical School in Roxbury, Massachusetts and Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, also featured.

Tho a bit too aware of the vogue for semi-documentary stylings, Mystery Street is a solid mystery thriller that is expertly shot and acted with subtlety by the cast. The plot sees Sterling's blonde "bar worker" shot and killed on the roadside by a cloaked in darkness assailant. The police, led by Montalban's Hispanic detective, Pete Morales, think they have their man when it emerges that she was seen leaving the Grass Skirt bar with a drunk Henry Shanway (Thompson). However, aided by Dr. McAdoo at Harvard Medical School (Bennett), Morales starts to unravel the mystery and identity of the killer.

Not the classic film noir piece that some DVD marketers want you to believe it is (strip away Alton's brilliant shades and shadow work and it's just a forensic based who done it), the film however triumphs on account of its wrong man premise and the interesting characters woven into the plot (Lanchester walks away with the movie as a devious and batty landlady). The procedural aspect of the story is given weight by the forensic angle used (the CSI film noir tag that comes with the film is an apt one), while some social awareness is deftly slotted in via Morales' immigrant background.

Good writing, visually impressive and paced with no little skill, Mystery Street is recommended to the mystery thriller fan. 7/10

[MartinTeller]

(review from 4/24/10)

Highly entertaining police procedural/wrong man flick with Ricardo Montalban trying to solve the mystery of an unidentified skeleton. The film is loaded with black humor and colorful characters... especially Elsa Lanchester, who absolutely steals the show as the unscrupulous landlady Mrs. Smerrling. I tend to put procedurals in a separate category or offshoot of noir, but I still enjoy them. I like watching the evidence unfold, and chasing down clues, and blind alleys and the interplay of luck and skill. This movie handles those elements quite well and always manages to keep things interesting. And with John Alton behind the camera, you're guaranteed fantastic noirish visuals. I've read some other reviews online, and a lot of people seem to think it drags, but I didn't think so at all. I was pretty engaged throughout the length of the film. It does have a bizarre, fragmented narrative, but it totally worked for me. One unusual aspect is that this is one of the few noirs (maybe the only one) I've seen that was shot on location in Boston. It ends on a very out-of-place plug for Harvard (some kind of thank you for their participation, I suppose). Rating: 8