One Girl's Confession

Ill-gotten gains seldom prosper.

Sandwiched between " "strange fascination" and " bait" , "one girl's confession " ,although featuring the Moore/Haas couple is much more melodrama than film noir ; its numerous sudden new developments , its emphatic moral side ( the heroine wants to be punished for what she's done -though she has extenuating circumstances ,her father having been ruined by her boss- ,her good behavior in prison , her donation to charity , her desire to stay on the straight and narrow in spite of it all );sometimes her attitude takes naiveté to new limits : even if she may be afraid of being followed by a detective , telling where her dough is hidden to a man whose reputation is shady (an unrepentant gambler) is not very smart ,even though it provides the screenplay with another sudden new development.

The best idea is the scene with the gardener :pay attention to a moment which may be insignificant ,but has a pivotal importance for what comes next.

This film could have easily been a tawdry exploitation film. Instead, it is a solid B move acted out by very good B actors. The writer is the real star of the film, as the story has several twists and turns, and the viewer will be fooled at least once. Cleo Moore, a very strong B actress who specialized in making several entertaining B films, has the lead in this one. She plays a struggling waitress working for a man who stole her father's business.

The miser gets what's coming to him (without violence), and Cleo takes his life savings. The film moves on from there with several nuances. Supporting Moore in her role is the king of B movies, Hugo Haas, who probably made more B films than any other actor I know of; at least in major roles. He plays a gambling owner of another hangout that Cleo eventually comes to work for. There is also a fisherman as a romantic interest. Well worth viewing.

This movie has everything: murder, deception, the big house, hidden loot, a fisherman in love with a dame, and the dame, Cleo Moore. Cleo tries to right a wrong against her deceased father by stealing money gotten under suspicious means by her boss and her father's supposed friend. When he calls the law on her, she refuses to tell where she hid it and ultimately spends time in the clinker. She is let out, on good behavior, and things start happening again. Wherever she goes, there's action in this witty and fast-paced film noir, written and directed by costar Hugo Haas, who plays her new boss. She tries to start a new life and to find the right time to get "her" money without being followed by the law. Every once in a while, you'll find a movie to really talk about. It may not win any awards, but it sure was a lot of fun, with quick one-liners, her hip-shaking figure, and trouble galore with Cleo Moore.

All around great movie.....so realistic in its nature, kept me glued to it and happy at the end, seen it a few times, one thing I realized today is the mailman who is delivering to the church at movie's end is a real mailman, he holds his mail correctly, so many movies they get that wrong!

Cleo Moore stars as a blonde with a crazy plan. Near the beginning of the film, she robs her boss. He is a jerk and she feels entitled to the money--all $25,000. But, when the cops arrive, she freely admits to the robbery and goes to jail. There, she behaves well and just bides her time--waiting until she can get out and claim the money after the heat's subsided.

Three years pass. She gets out early on good behavior and continues to bide her time. Eventually, she will have her money and make it all worth while. However, in the meantime, it appears as if one of her new friends has found and stolen this money herself--and she's determined to get that money or revenge. However, there are some dandy twists that make it well worth seeing at the end of the movie.

Overall, a clever script and one of the better film noir B-movies. Moore is excellent as a 'dame' and the film is a must-see for noir fans. Fortunately, this film is now out on DVD along with another little-known noir film, NIGHT EDITOR.

By the way, this film features an appearance by one of my favorite TV actors of the 50s-70s, Burt Mustin. He alone is more than enough reason to see anything--even a tiny appearance like in this movie.