S. Sylvan Simon directed I Love Trouble, crime film noir written by Roy Huggins from his first novel “The Double Take,” starring Franchot Tone as Stuart Bailey.
I Love Trouble | |
---|---|
Wealthy politician Ralph Johnston hires detective Stuart Bailey to investigate his missing wife. Bailey discovers that the wife was a dancer under her maiden name of Jane Breeger and had left her Oregon home town with Buster Buffin, a nightclub entertainer, who says Jane changed her name to Janie Joy and enrolled at UCLA.
But Buffin is killed before Bailey can question him further.
Norma Shannon arrives, looking for her sister Jane, but when Bailey shows her a photo of the missing woman, Norma says it’s not her. Bailey learns that the wife had used stolen papers from a girlfriend to enter college after she stole $40,000 from the club.
The detective eventually learns that Johnston had killed his wife when he had discovered her past, in order to avoid a scandal, and that he had hired the detective to frame him for the killing.
The novel and film, written by Roy Huggins, is laced with a comedic wit evident in his subsequent work. Huggins later created landmark TV series such as Maverick starring James Garner, The Fugitive starring David Janssen, The Rockford Files starring Garner, and 77 Sunset Strip starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. as Stuart Bailey.
Cast
Franchot Tone as Stuart Bailey
Janet Blair as Norma Shannon
Janis Carter as Mrs. Caprillo aka Jane Breeger aka Janie Joy
Adele Jergens as Boots Nestor
Glenda Farrell as Hazel Bixby
Steven Geray as Keller
Tom Powers as Ralph Johnston
Raymond Burr as Herb
Credits:
Directed, produced by S. Sylvan Simon
Screenplay by Roy Huggins, based on Roy Huggins (novel The Double Take)
Music by George Duning
Cinematography Charles Lawton, Jr.
Edited by Al Clark
Production company Cornell Pictures
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date: January 15, 1948 (US)
Running time: 95 minutes
Note:
TCM showed the movie on May 8, 2021.