#merle has a big speech about could any girl be afraid of marlowe

[frommybookbook]

#5: The Brasher Doubloon (1947)

This is probably the least well-known of all the Marlowe movies and certainly the hardest one to watch. I finally tracked down a full version on YouTube but it took some effort. That said, I'm really glad I did!

I liked this one a lot more than I thought I would. The plot stays really close to the source novel, The High Window, which I think is one of the more underrated Marlowe novels. Nancy Guild and Florence Bates really carry the movie, which is great to see any time but especially in this period. They’re decently well-rounded female characters with realistic motivations and actions.

George Montgomery’s (another Montgomery!) Marlowe is pretty decent—he balances the cynicism and reluctant hope pretty well, though he’s a bit too snarky and a bit too interested in romance with Guild’s Merle. One of the things that’s so beautiful in the novel is how gentle Marlowe is with Merle and how she feels safe with him in spite of her experiences with men and in spite of what a man like Marlowe seems he should be.

The thing that really knocked my socks off about this one is how important a roll of paper towels is. I had no idea paper towels were a thing in 1946!

Overall movie score: 4/5, this one follows the book plot really well and really is a pretty textbook adaptation of a hardboiled noir

Marlowe score: 3.5/5, I don't love how aggressively he pursues Merle and he's almost a touch too snarky, but he's a good investigator

Perry Mason score: 3/5, it has two supporting actors (Roy Roberts and Marvin Miller) who appeared in a total of 4 episodes

For a reminder of why I started this series and how I’m rating these movies, you can check out my master Marlowe post. I’ll be posting my reviews/rankings of the remaining Marlowe movies using the tag #Marlowe movies so if you’re interested, follow along!