Tonight's Movie: Abandoned (1949) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

I've had a wonderful time revisiting a favorite film, ABANDONED (1949), thanks to the recently released Dark Side of Cinema III Blu-ray collection from Kino Lorber.

Three Dark Side of Cinema film noir sets were released over the course of the summer by Kino Lorber. Also in this Vol. III collection are the previously reviewed THE SLEEPING CITY (1950), along with THE LADY GAMBLES (1949), which will be reviewed here at a future date.  I'll also be reviewing additional films from the other two volumes. All three sets are well worth classic film fans' attention.

I first saw ABANDONED at the 2015 Noir City Hollywood Festival, and I liked it so much I was happy to rewatch it just a month later at the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival.

The movie makes me smile from the start of the opening credits, shown over a shot of Los Angeles City Hall. In short order we meet the lead characters: Paula (Gale Storm), a small-town girl just arrived in the big city to search for her sister Mary, an unwed mother; Mark (Dennis O'Keefe), an investigative reporter Paula chances to meet at the Missing Persons Bureau; District Attorney McRae (Jeff Chandler), who collaborates with Mark to investigate a potential baby adoption racket; and Kerric (Raymond Burr), a shady P.I. tailing Paula at her father's request.

I find this movie a terrific 79 minutes. Everything about it works for me, from the cast to the L.A. locations to the crackling good script. ABANDONED may not be a film a lot of people have heard of, but I've found it enjoyable enough to watch at least four times in the last five years, so there you go.

O'Keefe, Storm, and Chandler are all completely likeable and natural in their interactions with one another; I like Storm's quiet self-possession despite being in a difficult situation...while simultaneously getting to know a cute and obviously interested guy (O'Keefe).

Burr is as creepy as always, and he's backed by Mike Mazurki as a goon and Marjorie Rambeau as the head of the adoption racket. Rambeau oozes elegant sweetness with potential "clients" while being hard-edged and outright evil when dealing with her co-racketeers. In one of my favorite scenes, she's just had someone beaten to death and then, in very annoyed fashion, has to deal with unwed mother Dottie (Meg Randall) going into labor. It's deliciously played.

The Irwin Gielgud screenplay has "additional dialogue" by the great William Bowers, and it was easy to pick out Bowers' influence in some of the sharp and funny lines. As I recounted back in 2015, I happened to watch the movie seated next to Bowers' widow Marjorie, who told me her husband "didn't know he was writing 'film noir'" -- she said they called them "crime films" -- and that he would be gratified to know his movies are still enjoyed today.

ABANDONED was directed by Joseph M. Newman (711 OCEAN DRIVE). It was beautifully photographed in black and white by William H. Daniels. The supporting cast includes Jeanette Nolan, Frank Cady, Billy Gray, Will Kuluva, and David Clarke.

Kino Lorber's new Blu-ray looks terrific, and I'm certain to be pulling this disc out to enjoy again in the future. The Blu-ray includes the trailer and a commentary track by Samm Deighan which I hope to enjoy in the next few days.

This lovely release of ABANDONED is a "must" for anyone who loves L.A. film noir...or should I say, in Mrs. Bowers' words, "crime films."

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.