STEP BY STEP [1946 / 2021] [Warner Archive Collection] [Blu-ray] [USA Release]
You Can’t Use Kid Gloves On A Killer . . . or a Blonde!
The stars of 1945’s ‘Dillinger’ are reunited in this fast-paced espionage thriller from director Phil Rosen. Lawrence Tierney stars as Marine veteran Johnny Christopher, who meets and is immediately drawn to the beautiful Evelyn Smith [Anne Jeffreys]. Evelyn Smith’s new job as secretary to a U.S. senator in California soon brings unexpected intrigue and trouble for Evelyn Smith and Johnny Christopher. The machinations of a sinister group of Nazi spies lead to mysteries and mistaken identities, and the two soon find themselves framed for murder!
Cast: Lawrence Tierney, Anne Jeffreys, Lowell Gilmore, Myrna Dell, Harry Harvey, Addison Richards, Ray Walker, Jason Robards Sr., George Cleveland, Bonnie Blair (uncredited), Lee Bonnell (uncredited), Robert Clarke (uncredited), Hal Craig (uncredited), Ralph Dunn (uncredited), Lee Elson (uncredited), Don Evers (uncredited), Pat Flaherty (uncredited), James Flavin (uncredited), John Hamilton (uncredited), Tommy Noonan (uncredited), Robert Seiter (uncredited), Bill Shannon (uncredited), Alan Ward (uncredited), Phil Warren (uncredited), Larry Wheat (uncredited) and William Yetter Sr. (uncredited)
Director: Phil Rosen
Producer: Sid Rogell
Screenplay: Stuart Palmer (screenplay) and George Callahan (based on an original story)
Composer: Paul Sawtell
Costume Design: Renié (gowns)
Cinematography: Frank Redman, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Black-and-White)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Audio: English: 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English
Running Time: 61 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: RKO Radio Picture / Warner Archive Collection
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘STEP BY STEP’ [1946] feature the stars of the 1945’s ‘Dillinger’ film and are reunited in this fast-paced espionage thriller from director Phil Rosen. Lawrence Tierney stars as Marine veteran Johnny Christopher, who meets and is immediately drawn to the beautiful Evelyn Smith [Anne Jeffreys]. Evelyn Smith’s new job as secretary to a U.S. senator in California soon brings unexpected intrigue and trouble for her and Johnny. The machinations of a sinister group of Nazi spies lead to mysteries and mistaken identities, and the two soon find themselves framed for murder!
‘STEP BY STEP’ is a nifty little thriller that you can see informing things that occur in many mysteries that would come. Stuff that would be tropes are fresh and more new here. Accidentally picking up a piece of information the bad guys want without knowing it. Meeting a woman who disappears but then finding another woman who claims to be that woman and has never met you. A staged scenario where people are acting normal but you know they know they aren’t. Those are three biggies that are the make-up of ‘STEP BY STEP.’
A young, studious Lawrence Tierney leads this cast. And it’s quite the shocker for someone like myself where I can’t recall ever seeing him in a film this young. I’m used to the rather aged, worn, gruff bully of man that didn’t give a shit and tough talked anyone. Here he’s heroic, suave and romantic. And he pulls it off quite well, too. There is never a frame he doesn’t appear in and he is able to carry the load with a relative amount of comfort and ease.
With ‘STEP BY STEP,’you get classical, talented “film noir” filmmaking. The camera’s language is quite on point here with really nice visual cues and the ability to make its moments interesting. This was a fun blind spot to see, and see it in such good quality. And at just 61 minutes, it doesn’t ask much and keeps itself running and moving from start to finish and might leave you breathless and wanting more.
* * * * *
Blu-ray Image Quality – RKO Radio Picture and Warner Archive Collection presents the film ‘STEP BY STEP’ with a really rather beautiful 1080p Black-and-White image and of course with the 1.37:1 aspect ratio that was the standard presentation in the 1940’s. Details and sharpness are strong and grain is kept intact. It has a very nice contrast to it and well-kept film print look to it overall. This is a very satisfactory image. Depth of field works out quite well here with very good spacing and scale on display in the film, which is enhanced with the cinematography of Frank Redman. Movement is natural and cinematic with no issues regarding motion distortion. Blacks are deep and provide a palette of many different shades and tints that hold on and carry good texture and pattern information throughout. Skin tones are a white/grey and are consistent from start to finish of the film. Facial features and textures are clear and visible from any reasonable distance in the frame. So all in all, top marks for Warner Archive Collection!
Blu-ray Audio Quality – RKO Radio Picture and Warner Archive Collection brings you the film with the standard 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio experience that greatly enhances the on-screen action. Subtleties like chirping birds and the ocean surf's ebb and flow come through cleanly, while sonic accents like gunfire, shattering glass, sirens, and a jarring tire blowout grab attention. A wide dynamic scale embraces all the highs and lows of the melodramatic music score without a hint of distortion, and all the dialogue is clear, well prioritized, and easy to comprehend. No age-related hiss, pops, or crackle intrude either. It’s very well balanced and mixed with vocals being the pronounced leader of the mix. There’s a solid audio foundation that adds to the classic feel of the film. There layering and depth allows for the film to have a nice warm engaging feeling. Vocals are clear and crisp with a bit of an hiss as a base. But despite this, once again, top marks for Warner Archive Collection!
* * * * *
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Warner Short Drama: The Trans-Atlantic Mystery [1932] Vitaphone presents this two-realer ‘THE TRANS-ATLANTIC MYSTERY’ by S.S. Van Dine where we find a couple of murderous crooks try to smuggle the famous Stanhope diamonds into New York but they're double-crossed and killed before reaching New York that chronicles the efforts of a criminologist Dr. Crabtree [Donald Meek] to solve two cold-blooded murders and a jewel heist. A young Waite [Ray Collins] co-stars in this atmospheric but rather dull short mystery.
Cast: Donald Meek, John Hamilton, Betty Pierce, Harry T. Morey, Ray Collins, Walter Kingsford (uncredited) and Charles C. Wilson (uncredited)
Director: Joseph Henabery
Screenplay: S.S. Van Dine and Burnet Hershey (adaptation)
Cinematography: Edwin B. DuPar (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Black-and-White)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Audio: English: 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: No Subtitles
Running Time: 21 minutes
* * * * *
Special Feature: Warner Vintage Cartoon: The Great Piggy Bank Robbery with Daffy Duck [1946] [1080p] [1.37:1] [7:33] Daffy Duck stars as Duck Twacy in this slapstick Looney Tunes mystery yarn that features cameo appearances by Porky Pig and Sherlock Holmes. The central character of the cartoon is Daffy Duck. While reading his beloved Dick Tracy comic book, Daffy knocks himself out—upon which he enters a fantasy in which he is Duck Twacy, who has to investigate a conspicuous piggy bank robbery crime wave — if only because his own precious piggy bank was stolen. What ensues is a very atmospheric parody of a typical detective movie, albeit peppered with typical mainstays of Bob Clampett's shorts, including strong emphasis on musical timing, plenty of wordplay, dynamic background layouts, and some of the most bizarre, expressive animation displayed on the Silver Screen since the heydays of Fleischer Studios. Voice Characterization: Mel Blanc. Directors: Bob Clampett and Michael Sasanoff (uncredited). Producer: Eddie Selzer (uncredited). Screenplay: Warren Foster. Musical Direction: Carl W. Stalling. Animation: Bill Melendez, Izzy Ellis, Manny Gould and Rod Scribner. The cartoon short is Bob Clampett's penultimate Warner Bros. cartoon, produced shortly before he left the studio.
Finally, Warner Archive Collection release of the “film noir” ‘STEP BY STEP’ has now been restored and brought to the Blu-ray format for the very first time. ‘STEP BY STEP’ was one of the last films directed by Phil Rosen who had done a good handful of the popular Charlie Chan films. Rosen’s career has 143 directorial credits to his name which is an insane amount of films, but that was the way the studio workhouse produced back in those early days. ‘STEP BY STEP’ is a solid little “film noir” thriller/mystery that runs quite quickly at just over an hour in length. This Blu-ray comes with a terrific presentation of the film. Perhaps my favourite aspect of the film is the creativity when it comes to the extras. Sure, Looney Tunes cartoons have been included on this Warner Archive Collection before, but a short film mystery from the pre-TV days is a really cool touch. Definitely a solid recommend for you “film noir” collectors out there. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
