Tonight's Movie: Undercover Girl (1950) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

The Dark Side of Cinema sets from Kino Lorber continue to be among my favorite Blu-ray releases over the course of each year.

The latest set to be released, Volume XIV, contains ONE WAY STREET (1950), APPOINTMENT WITH A SHADOW (1957), and the film reviewed here, UNDERCOVER GIRL (1950).

UNDERCOVER GIRL is 83 minutes of L.A. noir fun directed by Joseph Pevney, who had a real knack for turning out consistently entertaining movies at Universal Pictures. I've seen 20 or so of his films and with maybe one exception liked them all.

Alexis Smith plays the title role. Her character, Chris Miller, is training at the police academy in New York when she's informed by an L.A. detective, Lt. Mike Trent (Scott Brady), that her cop father (Regis Toomey) had been in league with drug dealers when he was killed.

Chris is recruited to work undercover for Trent in Los Angeles, making connections with mobsters Doc (Edmon Ryan) and Menig (Gerald Mohr). Her cover is almost blown when her New York boyfriend (Richard Egan) shows up in town, but she perseveres.

It's a dirty job in a world filled with disreputable characters. Meanwhile Mike and Chris begin developing feelings for one another...

While UNDERCOVER GIRL isn't the best of the numerous Universal Pictures crime films I've enjoyed, it's entertaining. I think I would have liked it better with a little more interaction between Brady and Smith -- in part so their romantic feelings for one another have more foundation -- and a little less of Smith undercover with the bad guys. But it moves pretty fast and overall is a fun watch.

Smith does a good job embracing her inner hard-edged dame when she transforms from Chris Miller to "Sal Willis," and Brady has become a real favorite. (I was musing the other day that he would have been great in a '50s version of THE BIG EASY!) Egan has a thankless role putting down Chris's career interests and generally getting in her way. Based on stills seen online, he had a scene cut before Chris travels to L.A.

The supporting cast includes Royal Dano, Gladys George, Angela Clarke, and Connie Gilchrist. Gilchrist is always a welcome presence and has a nice two-scene part as a senior policewoman in New York.

Scott Brady's younger brother, Edward Tierney, is seen briefly as a cop. Brady and Tierney's older brother was, of course, Lawrence Tierney.

Carl E. Guthrie filmed the movie in black and white. One of the best shots in the movie is at the very beginning, when Brady's car pulls up to the scene of an L.A. murder; a Coca-Cola sign gleams in the dark over the entrance to a Rexall corner drugstore. It's a thing of beauty, encapsulating a world now gone.

Disc extras consist of a a trio of trailers for other films available from Kino Lorber and a commentary track by Julie Kirgo. I've enjoyed Kirgo's work in the past and look forward to listening soon.

Two more Dark Side of Cinema sets have been announced; Volume XV will be out in July and XVI will be out later in the year.

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

Tweet