The Stranger on the Third Floor
Directed by Boris Ingster
RKO, USA, 1940, 64 minutes
Cast: Peter Lorre, John McGuire, Margaret Tallichet, Elisha Cook Jr.
Saw this last night during TCM's Peter Lorre tribute...
Neglected RKO B-movie notable for being an early, textbook example of film noir. Great cinematography with nod to German Expressionism, tilted camera angles, surreal dream sequence and Peter Lorre as a charmingly loopy lunatic on the loose from the looney bin. And whatever happened to the beautiful female lead, Margaret Tallichet (Mrs. William Wyler)? What a face "Talli" Wyler had! Weird...her looks reminded me of my friend Nicole, a resemblance so striking it makes me believe in Hindi reincarnation now. By the way, Elisha Cook, Jr.'s cabby character is named "Joe Briggs." I wonder if drive-in movie critic Joe Bob Briggs took his moniker from this film?
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