''Bury Me Dead'' is a 1947 American

film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

comedy directed by

Bernard Vorhaus Bernard Vorhaus (December 25, 1904 – November 23, 2000) was an American film director of Austrian descent, born in New York City. His father was born in Kraków, then part of Austria-Hungary. Vorhaus spent many decades living in the UK. Early ...

. The drama features

Cathy O'Donnell Cathy O'Donnell (born Ann Steely, July 6, 1923 – April 11, 1970) was an American actress who appeared in ''The Best Years of Our Lives,'' ''Ben-Hur,'' and films noir such as ''Detective Story'' and '' They Live by Night''. Early life O' ...

June Lockhart June Lockhart (born June 25, 1925) is an American retired actress, beginning a film career in the 1930s and 1940s in such films as A Christmas Carol (1938 film), ''A Christmas Carol'' and ''Meet Me in St. Louis''. She appeared primarily in 1950 ...

Hugh Beaumont Eugene Hugh Beaumont (February 16, 1910 – May 14, 1982) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Ward Cleaver on the television series ''Leave It to Beaver'', originally broadcast from 1957 to 1963, and as private detec ...

and Mark Daniels.

Plot

When the remains of a woman's body are found after a fire consumes the stables on the estate of wealthy Barbara Carlin, it is assumed to be her, especially since she was wearing Barbara's diamond necklace. However, after the funeral, Barbara secretly contacts Michael Dunn, the family lawyer. He advises her to notify the police immediately, but she suspects someone is trying to murder her and wants to investigate first. A series of flashbacks reveals the possible motives of several suspects. The prime suspect is her irresponsible, philandering husband, Rod, whom she is reluctantly divorcing; he might want her wealth. But there is also Rusty, a resentful young woman who had been raised to believe she was Barbara's younger sister. When Barbara's father died, his will revealed that Rusty was just an orphan he had raised, but not legally adopted; Barbara inherited everything. Barbara was quite willing to share everything with her, but Rusty accepted only a small allowance. Rusty, it also turns out, is in love with Rod and (mistakenly) believes he loves her. And who is the woman buried under Barbara's name? Another flashback reveals that Rusty, a minor, had taken up with a dimwitted boxer named George Mandley. When Barbara went to take her home, Rod had become openly attracted to George's shapely "assistant", Helen Lawrence. Barbara began seeing George to retaliate. Rusty bitterly resented Barbara taking George away from her. Eventually, it is realized that the dead woman is Helen. (Rod had let her try on Barbara's necklace and forgotten to get it back.) More revelations follow. Helen, George's scheming girlfriend, had gotten him to date Barbara while she herself was seeing Rod. She hinted to Rod that he should kill his wife and marry her. That failed, as Rod actually loved Barbara, leaving Helen to plot to extort money out of Barbara through George. Meanwhile, Rusty, still certain that Rod loves her, boasts to him that her schemes had driven him and Barbara apart. After the power goes out in her mansion that night, Barbara is attacked by an unknown assailant in the dark. The attacker flees before finishing the job. Rod and Jeffers, their butler, show up shortly afterward, followed by Michael. Rod is taken in by the police for questioning, during which he is asked to telephone Michael for information about any insurance policies on Barbara's life. When Michael's secretary mentions that he has not been in the office all day, Rod remembers that he claimed to have received Rod's message about the latest attack. He insists that the police take him back to the mansion as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, Michael realizes he has blundered, telling Barbara that Helen was murdered with a hammer, something only the killer would know. When Rusty shows up, he decides to stage Rusty and Barbara as a murder-suicide, but is gunned down by the police just in time.

Cast

as Rusty *

as Barbara Carlin *

as Michael Dunn * Mark Daniels as Rod Carlin * Greg McClure as George Mandley *

Milton Parsons Ernest Milton Parsons (May 19, 1904 – May 15, 1980) was an American character actor. Career In 1927, Parsons performed with The Strolling Players of Boston acting company. On Broadway, he portrayed James Case in ''Unto the Third'' (1933) ...

as Jeffers, the butler * Virginia Farmer as Mrs. Haskins, the housekeeper *

Sonia Darrin Sonia Darrin (born Sonia Paskowitz; June 16, 1924 – July 19, 2020) was an American film actress, best known for her role as Agnes Lowzier in ''The Big Sleep'' (1946). Early years Darrin was born to Louis and Rose Paskowitz, the New York-born o ...

as Helen Lawrence *

Cliff Clark Cliff Clark (June 10, 1889 – February 8, 1953) was an American actor. He entered the film business in 1937 after a substantial stage career and appeared in over 200 Hollywood films. In the last years of his life, he also played in a numb ...

as Detective Archer

Reception

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, '' Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', published from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film criti ...

gave the film three out of five stars praising

John Alton John Alton (October 5, 1901 – June 2, 1996), born Johann Jacob Altmann, in Sopron, Kingdom of Hungary, was an American cinematographer of Hungarian-German origin. Alton photographed some of the most famous films noir of the classic period and w ...

's cinematography but criticized the "talky treatment and abundance of light comedy" on an otherwise intriguing premise.Turner Classic Movies Presents Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide - Google Books (pg.95)
/ref>

References

External links

* *
''The Smirking Revenant: Bury Me Dead as Screwball Noir'', a video essay by Stephen Broomer on Vimeo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bury Me Dead 1947 films 1947 crime drama films American crime drama films American mystery drama films American black-and-white films Eagle-Lion Films films Producers Releasing Corporation films 1940s English-language films Film noir 1940s mystery drama films Films directed by Bernard Vorhaus 1940s American films English-language crime drama films English-language mystery drama films American comedy films 1947 comedy films