Hangover Square

‘Hangover Square’ offers sex, murder

LAIRD CREGAN goes into a trance and kills people in “Hangover Square.”

I had heard little about “Hangover Square” before Netflix delivered it to my door.
Most of the cast is pretty much unknown or forgotten, except for the sexy Linda Darnell and Alan Napier, who two decades later played Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne’s butler, on the campy TV series “Batman.” He didn’t change much either from 1945 when this film was made.
It opens with a harrowing murder and storefront apartment set afire. The scene was done on the cheap compared to today’s standards, but it still worked shockingly well.
The Jekyl-Hyde story centers on George Harvey Bone, played by Laird Cregar, a pianist and composer. He is torn between cultured Barbara Chapman (Faye Marlowe) and her father, the future Alfred; and classical compositions vs. the bawdy Netta (Linda Darnell), who sweettalks old George in order to get him to write original songs for her.
Not only does he have his conflict between the cultured and the sexy, he’s got that Jekyl-Hyde situation. George, when he hears a loud noise, his eyes widen, he goes into a trance and then he, well, kills people and days later finds himself wandering about, forgetting all that happened.
Lovely Netta, who dresses and dances in a pretty-darn risqué manner for 1945, appeals to George’s purulent interests. However, when he goes into his trance, she meets her end with spectacular results as part of the biggest movie fire since “Gone With the Wind.”
The DVD commentary includes some interesting backstories. Cregar had weighed 300 pounds and went on a crash diet and lost 100 pounds. But that put a strain on his heart. He ended up having stomach surgery and died four days later at age 31, long before “Hangover Square” was ever released.
Darnell lived another 20 years . On April 9, 1965 she was staying at the home of her former secretary in suburban Chicago when the house caught fire. She died the following afternoon at a Chicago hospital. She was watching her fourth movie, “Star Dust,” when the blaze broke out.
Marlowe contributes audio commentary to the DVD. She remains alive today at 83.
At only 77 minutes, this film was a lot of fun and true film noir. If you’re a fan of this genre, this is a tight, sweet little picture that will leave you pleasantly surprised.
Watch it right now by going to the Internet Movie Data Base (imdb.com) and do a search for the film. The movie can be streamed from the site.

HANGOVER SQUARE
• Directed by John Brahm
• Written by Barre Lyndon (screenplay) and Patrick Hamilton (novel)
• Runtime: 77 minutes
• Not rated but some taunt scenes for younger children
• 4 stars out of 5