Slightly Scarlet (1956 film)
| Slightly Scarlet | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Allan Dwan |
| Produced by | Benedict Bogeaus |
| Written by | James M. Cain (novel) |
| Screenplay by | Robert Blees |
| Starring |
John Payne Rhonda Fleming Arlene Dahl |
| Music by | Louis Forbes |
| Cinematography | John Alton |
| Edited by | James Leicester |
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Production
company |
Benedict Bogeaus Productions
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| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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99 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Slightly Scarlet is a 1956 Technicolor film noir crime film based on James M. Cain's novel Love's Lovely Counterfeit. The movie was directed by Allan Dwan, and the film's widescreen cinematography was by John Alton.
The picture tells the story of Ben Grace (John Payne), a man working for a powerful metropolitan crime boss—Solly Caspar (Ted de Corsia) -- and their involvement with two sisters (Rhonda Fleming and Arlene Dahl).
The ruthless Solly Caspar is fighting to retain control of Bay City's criminal activities when Frank Jansen (Kent Taylor), an honest man and mayoral hopeful, begins a strong anti-crime campaign. Caspar tasks his right-hand man Ben Grace to dig up some dirt on the candidate and ruin his chances of election.
Ben follows the candidate's redheaded secretary, June Lyons (Rhonda Fleming), to a jail where she's picking up her equally scarlet-tressed and sexy kleptomaniac sister Dorothy (Arlene Dahl). June is Jansen's girlfriend as well, but their relationship is still only social, and there's nothing to work with--but in the process of following her, Ben has become attracted to June.
Ben gives June incriminating evidence about Caspar, who slapped him around for not providing any dirt on June's boss. A tape Ben made proves Caspar killed a crusading newspaperman supporting Jansen, and Caspar is forced to leave the city. Ben takes over the rackets, unbeknownst to June.
Meanwhile, her sexually charged sister is attracted to Ben. She makes a play for him at a beach house previously belonging to Caspar and nearly kills Ben by accident with a spear gun. She goes for a swim in a leopard-pattern bathing suit, and afterwards we see them on the sofa, her fully dressed and looking very satisfied, while Ben looks guilty. Learning that he's never taken June there, Dorothy says "Score one for little sister", and later tells June they had sex. June later confronts Ben about this, and he never responds directly to the accusation, but says it's June he really wants. She wonders if it's really both of them he's after.
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Wikipedia