Screwball Noir August 14, 2006
Posted by jackal in : Films, Film Noir , trackbackA lighthearted mystery romance that does a good job of blending screwball comedy and film noir, Lady on a Train is worth a look for fans of either genre.
This was the first picture I’d seen with Deanna Durbin, and I quite liked her (in fact she reminded me of Lee Remick; just slightly, well, heavier). Her bright, sunny screen presence was perfect for the role of Nikki Collins who, on a train to New York, witnesses a murder from her train carriage on Christmas Eve. After the police (in a rather silly scene) fob her off, Deanna enlists the help of her favourite mystery writer, Wayne Morgan (David Bruce), as she investigates the wealthy family of the deceased man. She’s even conveniently mistaken for a nightclub singer (well, of course) and gets to belt out a couple of numbers along the way.
Boasting the likes of Dan Duryea, Ralph Bellamy and Edward Everett Horton among the supporting cast, and with beautifully photographed studio sets of snowy New York, it’s a fun ride all the way to the end of the line.
Nikki: “I hope I haven’t caused you too much trouble.”
Wayne: “Miss Collins, we first met at 10 o’clock this morning, didn’t we?”
Nikki: “Yes.”
Wayne: ”Since that time, you’ve had me thrown out of a newsreel theatre. chasing around Manhattan in my pajamas on Christmas eve, conked on the head by a total stranger, robbed of my favourite overcoat, and my fiancee - whom I’ve begged to forgive me twice a day for the past three years - will undoubtedly never let me beg her to forgive me again. But the evening is young; you probably haven’t even got rolling yet. So …. I think I’ll stick around.”
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