The Flame (1947)

The Flame: Directed by John H. Auer. With John Carroll, Vera Ralston, Robert Paige, Broderick Crawford. A woman falls for the victim of an intended blackmail plot.

“u0026quot;The Flameu0026quot; stars John Carroll, a second-tier actor who made a living mostly playing sleazy or cocky guys. In many ways, heu0026#39;s Republic studiou0026#39;s answer to Dan Duryea. In the second lead is Vera Ralston, the girlfriend of the head of the studio that made the picture. While her Czech accent was problematic, she was pretty good in this movie…although she has a reputation as a terrible actress who only got to where she did because of her connections. Regardless, sheu0026#39;s good in this picture.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe story begins with George (John Carroll) shooting someone to death. In the process, he himself is shot. Soon, he phones the police to report the killing…and then the film goes into flashback mode where it stays most of the picture. Oddly, occasionally the viewpoint changes from his to his ex-girlfriend (Ralston)…something that seems sloppy when they both address the camera. In other words, is it his story to tell or hers? Regardless, the tale is about blackmail and itu0026#39;s an odd case where another blackmailer discovers the blackmail and begins to blackmail the original blackmailer! What exactly is going on here? Watch the film.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDespite the changing narration and Ralstonu0026#39;s odd accent (sheu0026#39;s supposed to be French…but just sounds Czech), the plot is quite engaging and the film is very well written considering it comes from Republic…a studio mostly known for B-movies…and mostly with cowboys. It is a very unique film…one that is excellent for folks who want to see something gritty and different.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBy the way, although Victor Sen Yung was not a big-time actor, mostly assigned to secondary roles such as playing sons for Charlie Chan, here he really showed his talents in a scene late in the movie. A tiny scene…but an amazingly well acted one.”