The Man Who Cheated Himself

"...the unpredictable way of a man's love for an evil woman!"

1950 1h 21m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 56

CrimeThriller

Synopsis

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A veteran homicide detective who has witnessed his socialite girlfriend kill her husband sees his inexperienced brother assigned to the case.

“...the unpredictable way of a man's love for an evil woman!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Lee J. Cobb
Lt. Ed Cullen
Jane Wyatt
Lois Frazer
John Dall
Andy Cullen
Lisa Howard
Janet Cullen
Harlan Warde
Howard Frazer
Tito Vuolo
Pietro Capa
Charles Arnt
Ernest Quimby (as Charles E. Arnet)
Marjorie Bennett
Muriel Quimby

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Felix E. Feist
Writers: Seton I. Miller, Philip MacDonald, Seton I. Miller
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

81 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

76 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Felix E. Feist, shot by Russell Harlan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Louis Forbes. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor David Weisbart shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Lee J. Cobb and Jane Wyatt and John Dall carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "...the unpredictable way of a man's love for an evil woman!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0042707 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Felix E. Feist directs. Russell Harlan behind the camera. Louis Forbes scores. David Weisbart cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

181 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
276 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Felix E. Feist, shot by Russell Harlan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Louis Forbes. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor David Weisbart shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Lee J. Cobb and Jane Wyatt and John Dall carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "...the unpredictable way of a man's love for an evil woman!".
8IMDB entry: tt0042707 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 56 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Russell Harlan
Original score: Louis Forbes
Editing: David Weisbart
Production design: Van Nest Polglase
Costume design: Jack E. Miller
Makeup / hair: Abe Haberman
Runtime: 81 min · 1h 21m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Man Who Cheated Himself (1950)

Also by

Felix E. Feist

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2017-01-03
★ 8/10
She's no good, but she's good for me! The Man Who Cheated Himself is directed by Felix E. Feist and written by Seton I. Miller and Phillip MacDonald. It stars Lee J. Cobb, Jane Wyatt, John Dall and Lisa Howard. Music is by Louis Forbes and cinematography by Russell Harlan. Ed Cullen (Cobb) is a cop who is having an affair with wealthy Lois Frazer (Wyatt). When Lois, in a fit of panic shoots dead her husband, it cause Cullen no end of grief. You see, he was there as well, a witness to the crime... Don't forget to change your will. This is a film noir entry that contains most of the elements that form that brand of film making. Something of an under seen - and undervalued - piece, it manages to rise above a few minor itches to play out as potent. Cullen (Cobb excellent) gets spun into a vortex of self inflicted trouble on account of his eye for a dame, essayed by a cast against type Wyatt. Both are unfaithful, she's unreliable and he's quick to break his own laws with dishonesty and a corruptible soul. Things spice up when Cullen's younger brother, Andy (Dall), himself a police officer, joins his brother in investigating the "now" mysterious murder case. So we have a family crisis brewing as the younger Cullen tries to crack the case, all while his elder brother tries to throw him off the scent of his own complicity. Wonderful, because like a few other great noirs (Scandal Sheet, The Big Clock et al) we have a protagonist effectively investigating himself. And with the brothers being polar opposites in life values, it keeps things simmering nicely in the intrigue pot. The dialogue is often clippy and the police procedural aspects are finely played with believable strokes. Close calls come and go as the detective work lurches from almost solved and closed to "hang on a minute something smells fishy here" , while tricky collusion's smile like a Cheshire cat. The great Russell Harlan (Gun Crazy/Riot In Cell Block 11) continually keeps things moody with shadows and low lights, whilst simultaneously bringing to life the splendid San Francisco locations. None more so than for the finale filmed out at a derelict and decrepit Fort Point, a perfect setting for noir if ever there was one (Hitchcock and Boorman thought so too!). Wyatt is just about convincing enough as a femme fatale, but you can't help but ponder what one of the true noir actresses could have done with the role. While you can't get away from the fact that really both Cullen and Frazer simply had to front up for a self defence case at the beginning and there would have been no hassle. But as weak as that aspect is, there wouldn't have been this noir tale to tell, all of which is helmed with careful and knowing hands by Feist (Tomorrow is Another Day). 7.5/10
CinemaSerf2022-12-27
★ 6/10
This is quite a decent little crime noir with Lee J. Cobb as a veteran police officer called in to investigate a murder. Thing is, the murdered man just happens to be the young (soon to be ex) husband of his wealthy lover Jane Wyatt ("Lois"). It isn't long before we start to suspect some sort of cover up, and so does his partner and younger brother John Dall ("Andy"). It's a solid detective mystery with Cobb and Wyatt on good form. Dall always was a bit of an effort to appreciate - his looks did most of his acting for him, and here they don't really shine. The dialogue is quite sharp, the pace likewise and there are just about enough red herrings to keep the plot interesting, with quite an exciting last ten minutes. Worth a watch.