{"id":59675,"date":"2026-03-20T08:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T12:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/?p=59675"},"modified":"2026-03-18T14:54:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T18:54:15","slug":"lets-open-the-file-on-thelma-jordon-1949","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/?p=59675","title":{"rendered":"Let’s Open The File on Thelma Jordon<\/i> (1949)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

A few months ago, I wrote a piece<\/a> about the bad girls of cinema. And Barbara Stanwyck<\/a> was one of them. One of her films I didn\u2019t include on her femme fatale list was The File on Thelma Jordon<\/em><\/a>, a 1949 minor noir gem that doesn\u2019t disappoint because of her. Stanwyck pulls out all the stops here; she\u2019s manipulative, lies like there\u2019s no tomorrow, and commits completely to the melodrama. Falling for her deceptiveness is Cleve Marshall (a weak Wendell Corey<\/a>), an unhappily married assistant district attorney with a strong penchant for alcohol. They meet accidentally when Thelma comes to report some attempted robberies at her Aunt Vera\u2019s house where she lives.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It just happens to be Cleve\u2019s wedding anniversary. He doesn\u2019t want to go home to a party that includes his always intruding father-in-law, though, so he\u2019s been \u201cpartying\u201d by himself with a bottle. He convinces Thelma to go to a bar with him, and sparks fly as their affair begins. They start having clandestine meetings down the road from Aunt Vera\u2019s mansion, being careful not to be seen. But they are being watched. As their relationship continues, Thelma\u2019s stories continue to change (She\u2019s married, she\u2019s not married), but Cleve accepts it all hook, line, and sinker. Patsy must be imprinted on his forehead.<\/p>\n

When Aunt Vera (Gertrude Hoffman<\/a>) is murdered right after a will change, Thelma becomes the main suspect and is arrested. Facing the death penalty, she enlists Cleve to help her, which he willingly does by providing the $5000 lawyer fee for her. And that\u2019s just the beginning. Thelma\u2019s clever lawyer Kingsley Willis (scenery chewer Stanley Ridges<\/a>) finds a way for Cleve to be assigned the case. Meanwhile Cleve is also dealing with his neglected but ever patient doormat\u2026oops, I mean wife Pam (Joan Tetzel). Suspecting infidelity, she confronts Cleve and he admits there is another woman, but assures Pam, he still loves her and their two children (played by Corey\u2019s real-life offspring). Also lurking around is tough guy Tony Laredo (Richard Rober), Thelma\u2019s co-conspirator boyfriend.<\/p>\n

The trial ends with Thelma being found not guilty. She is now a rich heiress and plans to take off with boyfriend Tony for adventures in the high life. Cleve shows up and she admits she did murder her aunt and that she loves Tony. Cleve was just the fall guy. I won\u2019t spoil the explosive ending.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Barbara Stanwyck must have had strong shoulders, because she carries this film all on her own. Her role is similar to the one she played in the 1944 classic Double Indemnity<\/em> but shaded more, especially in the beginning, because you do<\/em> believe her lies. In Double Indemnity<\/em> we know immediately she\u2019s rotten. In this one, her ruthlessness takes time to show its devious face. Wendell Corey is just no match for her. He comes off weak, but maybe that\u2019s the point. He’s the perfect mark for her. Offering solid support is Paul Kelly<\/a> as Miles Scott, Cleve\u2019s suspicious work colleague who was aware that Cleve\u2019s father-in-law was having him followed and sensed his involvement.<\/p>\n

The film is directed by Robert Siodmak<\/a>, known for other noir films The Killers<\/em> (1946) and Criss Cross<\/em> (1949). With the help of George Barnes’ lighting, he creates a tense and creepy atmosphere on the night of the murder.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A few months ago, I wrote a piece about the bad girls of cinema. And Barbara Stanwyck was one of them. One of her films I didn\u2019t include on her femme fatale list was The File on Thelma Jordon, a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":87,"featured_media":59677,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[1442,5589,5587,8524],"coauthors":[1739],"class_list":["post-59675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movie-articles","tag-1940s-movies","tag-barbara-stanwyck","tag-film-noir","tag-wendell-corey"],"yoast_head":"\nLet's Open The File on Thelma Jordon (1949) - MovieFanFare<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/?p=59675\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Let's Open The File on Thelma Jordon (1949) - MovieFanFare\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A few months ago, I wrote a piece about the bad girls of cinema. 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