Tonight's Movie: The Whole Truth (1958)

THE WHOLE TRUTH is a nifty murder mystery starring Stewart Granger, Donna Reed, and George Sanders.

The plot, about a movie producer (Granger) framed for the murder of an actress (Gianna Maria Canale) with whom he once had a brief affair, isn't anything particularly special, but it's a well-paced film with an engaging, polished trio of lead actors. The jazzy score performed by John Dankworth (billed as Johnny Dankworth) and his Orchestra gives the film an added jolt of energy and elevates it a notch above your run-of-the-mill whodunit.

Handsome Granger is sympathetic as the man who made a mistake while estranged from his wife (Reed) and is now caught in a nightmare. Reed is appealing as his spunky wife -- she has the best line in the movie -- and Sanders is quite creepy. The story zips along smoothly to a satisfying conclusion, although I must say the comedic final scene felt out of place.

As music buffs know, John Dankworth has been married to singer Cleo Laine for half a century. I saw them in concert quite a while back.

THE WHOLE TRUTH was directed by John Guillermin. It was filmed in black and white and runs 84 minutes. The movie was shot in England.

This movie can be seen on Turner Classic Movies.

August 2013 Update: This movie is now available on DVD-R from Sony/Columbia.