Chain of Evidence (1957)

Fantastic!

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Poor Jimmy Lydon. He doesn't get a break. Either its the fact that every time he tried to play a role other than Henry Aldrich (especially if dramatic), he was compared to his fictional series counterpart or the fact that here, his character of Steve Nordstrom ends up with amnesia after being brutally whacked over the head by the vindictive Timothy Carey who ended up with a scarred face because of Lydon. Jimmy (billed here as James in hopes of lessening comparison with Henry Aldrich) just got out of prison for his assault of Carey who had initiated the fight that left him scarred. Now traipsing around Southern California without an identity, James takes on a fake identity after a flirtatious waitress (an amusingly pathetic Meg Randall) decides that he reminds her of her first love, and ends up as a handyman for wealthy Ross Elliott whose trampy wife (Tina Carver) is carrying on with one of his best friends (John Bleifer). She sees Jimmy as a successful key to having her lover knock Elliott off, and with his amnesia, it is a sure bet he'll be framed.The double bill era of American feature film was winding down, and with the second to last entry of this Bill Elliott series, the saga had perhaps its best. There are a lot of smarmy people about, and for poor Lydon, it all begins with the obviously psychotic Carey and continues with the sleazy marital triangle of the man whom he has allowed to help (as long as getting medical help for his amnesia isn't one of them). These characters are fascinatingly amoral, and as his sweet fiancée Claudia Barrett finds out, the road to matrimony isn't easy. Fortunately, the troubled couple have Elliott on their side, and he is certain that something nefarious has happened to Jimmy, later on certain that he's been framed for murder."Little House on the Prairie's" Dabbs Greer (Reverald Alden) is Lydon's doctor here, explaining to Elliott that even if somebody has amnesia, they won't do anything outside of their moral conscience, comparing it to sleepwalking and being put in a trance. The writing for this entry of the series is probably the slickest, giving little tidbits of the troubled nature of all of them. Randall, in particular, gets to show her resentful side of the character, obviously lonely and desperate for a man, accusing him of making a pass at her, something Elliott knows to be totally out of the question. The film moves at an extremely brisk pace, sometimes brutally violent (Carey's attack on Lydon is particularly gruesome, as is Elliott's demise, only imagined as it takes place), and will keep you on the edge of your seat. There is a great moment of humor at the end that is the explanation point on "The End!" that may leave you applauding in delight.

In this film where Bill Elliott is playing Lieutenant Doyle of the Los Angeles County Sheriff, he's made a reclamation project of first offender James Lydon. Six months on the honor farm and a new job.But Lydon doesn't show up for the job. He's beaten with an iron pipe and then rolled by a passing tramp so no identification. He shows up miles away in a small town and gets taken in by Ross Elliott who is giving handiwork around the house and also as a mechanic.But Lydon's arrival without any memory of who he is provides a great opportunity for Ross Elliott's wife to kill him and provide a fall guy for the crime. Shades of Double Indemnity.Again, not bad, but not anything that wasn't on network television.

After making his last western in 1954, Wild Bill Elliott made five excellent hard-boiled police films as Lt. Andy Doyle (Flynn in one). They were low-budget, streamlined films that hold up well today, and Elliott's stoic, tough persona works very well in the police genre. This one features James "Strange Illusion" Lydon as a prisoner getting out of jail for a minor offense, someone who is vouched for by Elliott as an honest man. Obviously, things DO NOT work out well for him! The supporting cast besides Lydon is excellent, including Timothy Carey as (of course) an abusive punk and Meg Randall as a cafe operator who's itching for romance. There's an amnesia-related plot, but I'll let you find out for yourself. It plays a lot like a 50s syndicated tv crime show, and like the others in this series it's got enough noir atmosphere and hard-boiled grit to satisfy the dedicated crime-film fan. It's hard to find, but if the description interests you, you'll find it worthwhile. I've now seen four of the five films in this series and all so far are great!