When I married Gretta I kidded myself I was in love with her. Robert Young doesn’t put that kind of a blow torch to these women’s hearts because, “I must have lost my self-respect the day I married you. The next year she appeared in THE BIG CLOCK (1948, see my review). They Won't Believe Me is a 1947 black-and-white film noir directed by Irving Pichel and starring Robert Young, Susan Hayward and Jane Greer.It was produced by Alfred Hitchcock's longtime assistant and collaborator, Joan Harrison. Character actor Frank Ferguson questions Robert Young. Young’s character’d be content to string a girl along until she gets too demanding; he’d pull the old “my-wife-won’t-give-me-a-divorce” card and then VOILA! ( ) You make such a really good point too re: Robert Young being the lead. And I’m as shocked as anyone to write – “sexy” and “Robert Young” – in the same sentence. Thanks for your research and your always original point of view. In a noir? If Sanders had played the part, the women would have been scorched forever, and Sanders is not a very likable cad. Menu. Thanks for reading. She tells him that she is finished with him, but will not divorce him. In 1958 she gave the performance of her lifetime as real-life California killer, As a baby, she was winning beauty contests; as a teenager, with good looks and an attractive contralto voice, she was singing with big bands.She claimed that it was through facial exercises to overcome the paralysis that she learned the efficacy of facial expression in conveying human emotion, a skill she was renowned for using in her acting. But alas, they’re only in one scene together. (TV Movie 2018). They didn't believe me! ( ACK!!! ) Too funny! He has Hitchcock’s tv producer Joan Harrison in his corner to produce a wonderful film, well-cast and well-told. When Robert the Cad wakes up in a daze at a local hospital, he finds out that the authorities think it's his wife that was left a charred mess. When he runs into her many months later, their exchange made me smile: HE: “I’ve been meaning to look you up.” I grew up in Florida and remember when this happened. It’s 1947 and the movie is told in voice-overs and flashbacks. In many ways, this film is very reminiscent of Double Indemnity with Robert Young in the Fred MacMurray role. In the courtroom, we see witnesses who have testified against Ballantyne; when he meets these undistinguished people during the flashback, we know they'll be major figures in his downfall. She’s a woman in love. Use the HTML below. 'They Won't Believe Me' is an excellent second-rank 'noir' drama. She left some bad debts and was last seen with Young. "They Won't Believe Me" is under-rated classic, A pulpy mix of melodrama, noir and crime drama. Title: See the movie and compare him, if you will, to our dear boy, George Sanders. They Won't Believe Me gets bogged down with way too much chronicling each female character's initial excitement and later the crushing disappointment in their relationship with the vapid Larry. More like it. I liked and felt sorry for Gretta. The three major women in Young's life are played by Susan Hayward, Rita Johnson, and my favourite Jane Greer (who subsequently co-starred with Robert Mitchum in two great films 'Out Of The Past' and 'The Big Steal' in the late 1940s). Kern was also able to use elements of American styles, such as ragtime, as well as syncopation, in his lively dance tunes. would say: ‘He has no sex appeal,’ but he had a work ethic that prepared him for every role that he played. Even though she was playing, yet again, a "other woman" type role she gave her part style and class and sympathy. The temptation is too great, and Larry leaves with Greta without telling Janice goodbye. TV Shows . So here is Robert Young, smug and comfortable, and certainly not willing to leave his wife and her money, no matter how many beautiful and irresistible women he has affairs with, and who want him for themselves. Not really like "A Place In The Sun",more like a cousin, but surprisingly almost as good. She tells him she has purchased half-interest in a brokerage in Los Angeles for him. Even those conditions don't stop Young from hooking up again with good-looking Ms. Hayward. After trying to explain to the jury that these two lovely ladies just happened to turn up dead without his help, Young realizes that no one will ever believe that he was merely a victim of circumstance. Here, Robert Young is a suave ‘playa’ in “THEY WON’T BELIEVE ME.”. And I’m as shocked as anyone to write – “sexy” and “Robert Young” – in the same sentence. “Something in the Wind” 1947, * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *, “His movie career consisted of playing characters who were charming, good-looking–and bland. Just who are the three faces of Eve in his life that he tries to juggle? Miss Johnson was only 52 years old.”, “MICHIGAN KID” With Robert Young, Susan Hayward, Jane Greer, Rita Johnson. 2 days ago Governor Ron DeSantis signed his execution warrant. Crom was angered. She manages to talk her attacker into releasing her, but when she returns home, no one believes her story except for one detective, who suspects she was abducted by a serial killer. This was the film she made just before OUT OF THE PAST (1947, see my review), in which she gave an Oscar-worthy performance of staggering power and malignity. He’s at a loss for words. Late one night, Larry comes home and is confronted by Greta. Using flashbacks and a voice-over of a man on trial for murder, I love all the twisty turns movie takes. She’s still got those deadly killer eyes, but she’s uses them here for love, not profit. His movie career consisted of playing characters who were charming, good-looking–and bland. If you like older movies, beautiful starletts, solid acting, and an interesting storyline, you shouldn't pass this movie up. She plays the other Other Woman: Verna. I wanted to, but I couldn’t. Robert Young as a philanderer - that should tip you off that "They Won't Believe Me" is going to be unusual. He's about as faithful as a Tom cat in heat, but she's too dependent to care. He writes a check for $25,000 that Verna is to cash at the brokerage and leaves a note for his wife declaring he has left and suggesting she get a divorce. I couldn’t hate him though. She’s pretty much an old-fashioned girl. I found him sexy here as the mendacious philanderer, Larry Ballantyne. When he returns home, however, Greta is unwilling to give him up. Wild. But there are numerous twists to this tale, and we know, though the prosecutor does not, that Robert Young did not really kill Susan Hayward at all, because we saw her die in a car crash. It became Kern's first major song success. On trial for murdering his girlfriend, philandering stockbroker Larry Ballentine takes the stand to claim his innocence and describe the actual, but improbable sounding, sequence of events that led to her death. On 14 March 1975, after a three year struggle against the disease, Susan died at her Hollywood home. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Finally!! He had everything going for him, but screwed it up, and hardly ever made the right move. ( Log Out / That she does! He’s a coward who runs away from facing the consequences of his actions. Hmmmm, I don’t think so. Directed by Irving Pichel. No, Jim didn’t mind. It’s this film plus Cross Fire I always remember him for. They Won't Believe Me is directed by Irving Pichel and adapted to screenplay by Jonathan Latimer from a story by Gordon McDonell. Cine-Moral #630: When a man’s mistress finds outhis wife is richer than he is, all bets are off. But that rascal Robert Young having two of my favorite “who would you like with you on a desert island” actresses–not fair not fair! See the movie, watch how it all plays out. I first got an inkling of my attraction to him in my tentative baby steps towards liking. Hi Kevin…thank you so much for reading my work here. Something about this movie caught my eye, so I thought I'd watch a few minutes of it before heading back to bed. Learn how your comment data is processed. They Wouldn't Believe Me . Laura is happy for her daughter Sarah when she begins to date the popular boy from school Rob. They Won't Believe Me Photos View All Photos (13) Movie Info. Well, he is Robert Young at his most amiable, perfectly cast as a charming man of shallow feelings whose main interests are money and comfort. They Won't Believe Me is directed by Irving Pichel and adapted to screenplay by Jonathan Latimer from a story by Gordon McDonell. She was 57.”, “SMASH-UP: A STORY OF A WOMAN” Try telling that to a jury. Even his one noble gesture ends in a fiery crash. They were both in “The Big Clock.” Don’t you just love movie trivia? ) Thanks for the heads up I’m going to enjoy it. I really tried hard not to put any spoilers in this review. This was a good solid role for all four main cast members, and it made me curious about where these stars exactly were in their career at this point; the beginning…middle…the end?? Here, Young plays a man who marries a woman for her money and then cheats on her constantly - though he always goes back to the comforts of home. Mostly I was happy that the movie didn’t portray her as a shrilly shrewish harridan as most movie wives are portrayed; come on…you know the type…those shrewish homemakers that movies give us permission to hate to make it easier for us to root for our hero to hook up with his ‘true love.’ ( Johnson kept making me think of Maureen O’Sullivan. SHE: “I don’t darling, it’s my own fault. I did find the end to be... strange, let's say. The show had originated in Britain, but impresario Charles Frohman had felt it needed additional material to enliven its U.S. run. Expect to be dumped. I, too, was a human remote control when my father would tell us to get up and turn the tv channel. Love your blogs! Pichel does a great job in weaving this tale. Enabling? Previous beatings, it was alleged, had caused the old bruises. She's hell-bent on saving their marriage even if it means moving to the desert with little communication to the outside world.