The Fall Guy

Tom Cochrane has no memory of the murder. What he remembers is a party, a few unusually powerful drinks, a blonde songstress, and then waking up woozy in an unfamiliar room where there's a bloody knife and a blonde stuffed lifeless in a closet. Held by the police, Tom escapes, beginning his desperate attempt to find out what happened and clear his name. The frequent noir theme of an innocent man trapped by circumstance plays out in the snappy Fall Guy, based on a story by Cornell Woolrich (Rear Window). Clifford (aka Leo) Penn, who would later have a prolific career as a TV director, portrays Cochrane. Robert Armstrong offers robust support as a cop who suspects Cochrane has been set up and helps him piece together clues. And Elisha Cook, Jr., whose career of playing seething weaklings includes the role of Wilmer in The Maltese Falcon, plays the elevator operator who may have vital information Cochrane needs.

• film
• mystery
• noir