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The Dark Corner

Play trailer Poster for The Dark Corner 1946 1h 39m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
100% Tomatometer 10 Reviews 72% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
When Bradford Galt (Mark Stevens), a tough private investigator, realizes that he's being followed, he confronts his assailant, a shifty fellow named Fred Foss (William Bendix). Galt's encounter with Foss leads to a web of intrigue involving prosperous art collector Hardy Cathcart (Clifton Webb) and his young wife, Mari (Cathy Downs). Soon Galt is in over his head -- but luckily for him, his tenacious secretary, Kathleen Stewart (Lucille Ball), is on hand to help him out.

Critics Reviews

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Don Druker Chicago Reader Apr 3, 2009
A pretty good thriller. Go to Full Review
Fernando F. Croce Slant Magazine Dec 24, 2005
2.5/4
No less than other noir classics, The Dark Corner is full of sadistic bits of business. Go to Full Review
Donald Kirkley Baltimore Sun Nov 19, 2020
When the film, directed by Henry Hathaway, is good, it is very good indeed for this sort of uninhibited whodunit. It is sparked by a most engaging performance by Lucille Ball. Go to Full Review
Mike Massie Gone With The Twins Aug 5, 2020
9/10
It's difficult to dismiss an early performance by Ball - and a serious one, after a string of comedies and musicals - before she would become immortalized as Lucy. Go to Full Review
David Nusair Reel Film Reviews Jan 18, 2007
3/4
...a compelling, surprisingly suspenseful little film noir. Go to Full Review
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Jun 28, 2005
3/5
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Audience Reviews

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Samuel Y @RT01024970 Apr 25, 2026 One of the finest film noir movies ever made. It’s packed with sharp wisecracks and great chemistry; you’ll never find Lucille Ball in a better role—she is incredibly quick and witty. Clifton Webb is also terrific in his signature "bad guy" role, as is William Bendix. See more Glenn T @RT38097883 Jun 22, 2025 Just like noir should be. Blurry office door window, tough characters, good music and loads of cigarettes. Good plot and quick ending! See more acsdoug D @acsdoug Jun 28, 2024 I thought this was a very good noir. In subpar noirs the detective finds himself embroiled with bad guys for some contrived, unconvincing reason, but in this one there's a very good plot device at work. Another nice surprise is Lucille Ball showing that she is not just a comedienne. Her tough dame portrayal is much more convincing than Mark Stevens' tough guy. See more Daniel S @RT12261166 Apr 29, 2023 Solid casting, intricate plot that moves along at a good pace, meaningful script. This film noir is a cut above others in the genre as the characters are better developed than in most film noir. Hitchcock's talent is clear here. See more Tamy L @RT62033362 Mar 19, 2023 The movie is fun but Mark Stevens is awful stinkeroo. The rest of the cast is quite good. See more Bill B @RT01438538 Mar 20, 2022 Terrific film noir. Clever, sardonic, atmospheric, well paced and performed. Nothing here to complain about. Although they're only side characters, Bendix and Webb are the scene stealers. See more Read all reviews
The Dark Corner

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Movie Info

Synopsis When Bradford Galt (Mark Stevens), a tough private investigator, realizes that he's being followed, he confronts his assailant, a shifty fellow named Fred Foss (William Bendix). Galt's encounter with Foss leads to a web of intrigue involving prosperous art collector Hardy Cathcart (Clifton Webb) and his young wife, Mari (Cathy Downs). Soon Galt is in over his head -- but luckily for him, his tenacious secretary, Kathleen Stewart (Lucille Ball), is on hand to help him out.
Director
Henry Hathaway
Producer
Fred Kohlmar
Screenwriter
Jay Dratler, Bernard C. Schoenfeld
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
Twentieth Century Fox
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 9, 1946, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Dec 6, 2005
Runtime
1h 39m
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