Larceny (1948)

Larceny (1948) is a con-man swindler romance drama film noir starring John Payne, Joan Caulfield, Shelley Winters and Dan Duryea.

Directed by George Sherman, this high period noir is a lot of fun — if it's not Dan Duryea's paranoia about his gal Tory being around the other members of his all male gang — and if it's not Tory's own fast-cracking dangerous barbed wire one liners — or John Payne's noir-like descent from hangdog swindler to deadbeat romantic lover, unable to fulfil any heroic role at all, either as good guy or villain — neither suit this bird.

The sacrifice of trust is at the heart of the con, as is the false identity of a man whom it appears does not even know who he is to begin with — who he loves — or even which side he might be on. The essence of film noir perhaps lies within in the short journey there is between dreams and disillusionment. 

Director George Sherman did not make a lot of film noir, but this proves that it was not for want of knowing the ropes. Larceny (1948) may serve to highlight the crossover between this style and the western genre.

Dan Duryea and Shelley Winters in Larceny (1948)

Sherman’s many westerns seem to be concerned with redemption and renewal, and he was without doubt a master of the form. Perhaps when it comes to the world of noir, these themes are less important, although morality is still key to all film noir. 

The personnel of film noir and of westerns — all of the cast seem to have made both — may not have enjoyed everything about the studio system — although it did lead to a certain diversity of material as contracted actors and crew were exposed to multiple genres and styles.

It seems hard to believe given his grim-visaged contribution to film noir that John Payne was a loveable presence in musicals and romances, but Larceny represented his first venture into the world of the tough guys, and film noir and westerns made up most of his finest work. 

The dark night of the soul in Larceny (1948) without doubt belongs to John Payne's character Rick Maxon. His moodiness and hangdog features are hard to match, and nobody in all of noir it appeared could do the lugubrious, mercurial, fateful, dismal, touchy and pensive expression quite like John Payne.

John Payne and Shelley Winters in Larceny (1948)

Rick Maxon's journey in Larceny has all the fundamentals of a noir plunge to doom. He is a petty criminal, although doesn't seem to much like his gang, which is led by Dan Duryea. Still, the gang seem to need him for his skills — particularly his way with conning women, whom he charms to bits and then swindles.

Dan O'Herlihy and Richard Rober in Larceny (1948)

All the ladies seem to go for him in fact, and he also catches the eye of a waitress (Patricia Alphin) when there is no need for this at all, other than to provide more rocket fuel for Tory (Shelley Winter's) caustic commentary.

But still his heart is not in it, like it ain't in life, and Maxon is a lost-in-the-world urban noir hero, with suggestions here and there that this is down to his veteran status, which may at least allow him to convincingly lie his way into Joan Caulfield's wealthy affections.

John Payne in Larceny (1948)

The rest of the gang feel the same, and there is a certain tension, and most of this is expressed in John Payne's longing expressions, and dour-faced demeanour. Central to the gang is the character of Tory — most brilliantly and enjoyably performed by Shelley Winters.

Identity is often a central theme to the best film noir productions — and here it covers everything. Maxon is able to swindle Deb Clark (Joan Caulfield) easily — possibly down to his great swindling prowess — but more likely because of her willingness to believe in his identity. She falls for it all, and believes him right up until the end, like 

Joan Caulfield in Larceny (1948)

Of course he is not who he says he is, but it takes so little for him to impress upon her that he is an old friend of her deceased husband, that you have to wonder at her own complicity in her downfall.

That said, John Payne as Rick Maxon does worm his way out of a few tricky situations with some quickly created lies, which again — everybody believes. Still however Maxon struggles with his conscience and therein lies his noir-like fate.

Likely the star of the show however is Shelley Winters, who did not play a lot of bad girls — although here she more than makes up for it, being a vamp, a tramp, a coquette and two timer — in it to win it and swinging across several scenes which she steals — in dark glasses and a black dress, demanding her fair share of the action and suffering the slaps and out downs of Rick Maxon (John Payne) with a fortitude that suggests she's seen a life of it.

Patricia Alphin and John Payne and Christmas in Larceny (1948)

Beautifully, Shelley Winters plays Tory as a gal with no caution whatsoever. John Payne can barely keep up, and bats away her zingers with his patented noir weariness. 

There's no doubt though that Shelley Winters' character Tory makes the movie all it is — bold and venturesome, lippy and wild, edgy and criminal — with a side order of sass.

For such a minor film noir there is an immense amount of snappy film noir style hard-boiled, hard-bitten tough and tenacious dialogue.

John Payne and Shelley Winters in Larceny (1948)

John Payne addresses her at one point in a dialogue that is hard-boiled to gun metal grey from start to finish, saying:

"You stupid little twist, here I am beating my brains out with a bunch of corny characters trying to make enough money to break with Silky, and you keep gumming up the works!"

Some lines in the movie might just sum up the entire noir canon:

"The world isn't full enough of dames that you gotta be stuck on a dead one!"

Tory and Rick share a sparring relationship throughout which gets better and better, and amounts most of the time to nothing much short of verbal violence

Tory: Say something sweet, angel.

Rick Maxon: You may have a brain, Tory, but you must've rented it out to a medical student!

and

Tory: Does the back of my neck fascinate you, dear?

Rick Maxon: Yeah. I'm just trying to work out where to break it.

and

"Heh, if you could buy a cheap horse you'd rent your mother out as Lady Godiva."

Dan Duryea in Larceny (1948)

Dan Duryea plays the pure bad guy Silky, with appropriate ease and glee, untrusting, venal, sinister and with his staked out sexual territory quite clear, there is a clash between him and his partner Maxon, on the cards, from the start.

Later he asks:

"When she asks about your background, what are you going to tell her? That you never went to Harvard? That your old man was a two-bit thief who taught you how to roll a drunk when you were 10? Or are you going to tell her that you never made an honest living, you're good short-changing the butcher, cheating at cards, selling phony oil wells."

Where this noir succeeds in the cracking, breaking loyalties felt by John Payne's character Maxon. It's this decline we watch, and we can see it from the off. Silky does not trust him, nor even seem to like him much, and the pure-of-heart widow played by Joan Caulfield doesn't melt a thing in him, in the way it does to John Payne's character. 

John Payne in Larceny (1948)

Although not a physically dark film, the morality is impure and black at heart, often played out against the sunlight of both Miami Beach and Pasadena, and watching John Payne's descent is interesting — he smiles once or twice and once you see that, you know the poor sap is never going to make it over to the good side.

Dan Duryea, Richard Rober and John Payne in Larceny (1948)

Nobody makes it out of this noir in one piece, and even the deluded heiress comes apart at the climax. John Payne doesn't get the money and he doesn't get the woman — any of the women in fact — least of all the cold hard beauty played by Shelley Winters — who takes no guff from anyone and blasts through the movie to her own devastating end.

Shelley Winters in Larceny (1948)

Some common film noir themes are all accounted for in Larceny (1948): post-war cynicism, murderous jealousy; greed and two-timing lack of morality; questions of identity; and the corrupt taking advantage of the well-meaning; and not to mention the lack of honour among thieves.

Shelley Winters in Larceny (1948)

John Payne in Larceny (1948)

A superb film noir supporting cast complete the show in this unsung and highly enjoyable dramatic caper, including:

Dorothy Hart in Larceny (1948)

Dorothy Hart, who plays a small but important part as a ravishing secretary, and one of many, and in fact every woman, who seems unable to resist the charms of Rick Maxton, the hangdog hoodlum  swindler with the ill-humoured face. 

Hart became the tenth actress to portray Jane when she appeared opposite Lex Barker as Tarzan in Tarzan's Savage Fury (1952). In the same year as Larceny she appeared in film noir The Naked City (1948) and later also co-starred in noirs Outside the Wall (1950) and I Was a Communist for the FBI (1951), playing a Communist schoolteacher who eventually repudiates the party.

Richard Rober plays tough guy testy mook and boot boy Max. Sadly dying in an automobile accident in 1952 at the age of 46, Rober never fulfilled his total noir potential — but he appears in a good few, including Call Northside 777 (1948), Sierra (1950), The File on Thelma Jordan (1950), The Tall Target (1951) and The Well (1951).

Dan O'Herlihy in Larceny (1948)

Dan O'Herlihy who plays the gangs other goon, Duke, turns up first in Odd Man Out (1947) and made a few films noir. In 1952, he starred in the Red Scare film Invasion, U.S.A. and, in 1954 in Luis Buñuel's Robinson Crusoe, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. 

Strangest of all, Dan O'Herlihy appears in both Robocop (1987) and Robocop 2 (1990) as a character called 'The Old Man' — and a few years later, there was an appearance in Twin Peaks (1990).

Finally, look out for Hollywood favourite, Percy Helton who plays a cheery, whimsical, characterful hotel owner called Charlie. 

A gentle and evocative style and familiar face and comic touch, enabled Percy Helton to appear in many films, and in many roles, from 1915 to 1978 — yes a 63 year shift in Hollywood. 

His film noir appearances include: Call Northside 777 (1948) as William Decker - Mailman (uncredited); Criss Cross (1949) as Frank; Alias Nick Beal (1949) as Lawyer (uncredited); The Set-Up (1949) as Red; The Crooked Way (1949) as Petey; Thieves' Highway (1949) as Roadside Bar Manager (uncredited); Vice Squad (1953) as Mr. Jenner (uncredited); Crashout (1955) as Doctor Louis Barnes; Kiss Me Deadly (1955) as Doc Kennedy

Percy Helton and John Payne in Larceny (1948)
Also some film noir at Christmas

Larceny (1948) at Wikipedia