THIS GUN FOR HIRE [1942 / 2020] [EUREKA! Entertainment] [Blu-ray] [UK Release]
A Fascinating Early Attempt at the “film noir” genre and an underrated gem!
One of the most revered “film noir” hits of the 1940’s, ‘THIS GUN FOR HIRE’ was also the debut teaming of Veronica Lake, in one of her sultriest and most iconic roles, and Alan Ladd. Following the success of the film, the duo would go on to team up in several more features, although ‘THIS GUN FOR HIRE’ remains their most fondly remembered pairing. Alan Ladd as a frightening yet oddly sympathetic hit man was only fourth-billed in this defining early “film noir,” yet it became the breakout role that turned him into a star. As The New York Times said of Alan Ladd upon the film's 1942 release, "He is really an actor to watch. After this stinging performance, he has something to live up to or live down."
Veronica Lake is nightclub chanteuse Ellen Graham, and her police detective boyfriend Michael Crane [Robert Preston] is on the hunt for assassin-for-hire Philip Raven [Alan Ladd], after Raven performed a hit on a chemist with a secret formula and a taste for blackmail. When Philip Raven's employer Willard Gates [Laird Cregar] double crosses him after the job is done, and Philip Raven seeks revenge, and his path crosses with Ellen Graham after she is hired to perform at Willard Gates' club. Philip Raven learns that the stolen formula is for a poison gas that is to be sold to the Japanese, and his pangs of conscience and revelations of his tortured past turn Ellen Graham's fear into compassion, just as dangerous forces close in on Philip Raven. But Ellen Graham is still unsure if Philip Raven can be trusted.
Adapted from Graham Greene's novel, ‘THIS GUN FOR HIRE’ is a stylish wartime espionage “film noir” that was actually in the middle of shooting when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entered the Second World War. Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd were such a dynamic pairing that Univeral Pictures already teamed them again for the same year's adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's ‘The Glass Key’ before this was even released. In a touch of cinematic irony, ‘The Glass Key’ had previously been filmed in 1935 by ‘THIS GUN FOR HIRE’ director Frank Tuttle, who did not return for the 1942 film version.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1947 Picturegoer Awards: Win: Gold Medal for Best Actor for Alan Ladd.
FILM FACT No.2: Graham Greene's novel “This Gun for Hire” was published in the U.S.A. in 1936, and several film studios considered obtaining rights to the book. These included 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures. Paramount Pictures bought the rights in 1936, and announced Gertrude Michael as a possible star. Later that year, the cast was announced as being Akim Tamiroff, Ray Milland, and Ida Lupino, with Dore Schary writing the script. However, the film was not made for several more years; it was reactivated in 1941, with Frank Tuttle assigned as director. The book's plot line was kept essentially unchanged, though moved from the original European and British setting to an American one. The film features Yvonne de Carlo in an early role. She has one line, "Cigarette, sir?" in the Neptune Club scene. Making the film caused her to be fired from her job dancing for Earl Carroll.
Cast: Veronica Lake, Robert Preston, Laird Cregar, Alan Ladd, Tully Marshall, Marc Lawrence, Olin Howland, Roger Imhof, Pamela Blake, Frank Ferguson, Victor Kilian, Patricia Farr, Harry Shannon, Charles C. Wilson, Mikhail Rasumny, Bernadene Hayes, Mary Davenport, Chester Clute, Charles Arnt, Earle S. Dewey, Clem Bevans, Lynda Grey, Virita Campbell, George Anderson (uncredited), Don Barclay (uncredited), Ernest Baskett (uncredited), Jack Baxley (uncredited), Karin Booth (uncredited), Harry Brown (uncredited), William Cabanne (uncredited), Eddy Chandler (uncredited), Jack Cheatham (uncredited), Kenneth Chryst (uncredited), Yvonne De Carlo (uncredited), Gordon De Main (uncredited), Joan Evans (uncredited), Jim Farley (uncredited), Virginia Farmer (uncredited), Betty Farrington (uncredited), Chuck Hamilton (uncredited), Sam Harris (uncredited), Harry Hayden (uncredited), Charles Irwin (uncredited), Louise La Planche (uncredited), Lora Lee (uncredited), Arthur Loft (uncredited), Patsy Mace (uncredited), George Magrill (uncredited), John Marston (uncredited), Charles McMurphy (uncredited), Ivan Miller (uncredited), Charles R. Moore (uncredited), Frances Morris (uncredited), Pat O'Malley (uncredited), Sarah Padden (uncredited), Reed Porter (uncredited), Lee Prather (uncredited), Cyril Ring (uncredited), Julian Rivero (uncredited), Dick Rush (uncredited), Tim Ryan (uncredited), John Sheehan (uncredited), Oscar Smith (uncredited), Alan Speer (uncredited), Edwin Stanley (uncredited), Elliott Sullivan (uncredited), Phil Tead (uncredited), Emmett Vogan (uncredited), Fred Walburn (uncredited), Richard Webb (uncredited), Pat West (uncredited), Gloria Williams (uncredited) and Robert Winkler (uncredited)
Director: Frank Tuttle
Producers: Buddy G. DeSylva (uncredited) and Richard Blumenthal
Screenplay: Albert Maltz (screenplay), W.R. Burnett (screenplay), Graham Greene (based on the novel) and Frank Tuttle (contributing writer) (uncredited)
Composer: David Buttolph (musical score)
Costumes: Edith head
Cinematography: John F. Seitz, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Black-and-White)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Audio: English: 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English
Running Time: 81 minutes
Region: Region B/2
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Paramount Pictures / EUREKA! Entertainment
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘THIS GUN FOR HIRE’ [1942] was a key cinematic turning point for a couple of reasons, one, because it is a seminal “film noir,” and was one of the early films made in the “true” original period of the genre that sowed the seeds for many of the tropes that would follow.
‘THIS GUN FOR HIRE’ was pivotal in the careers of its stars, especially for Veronica Lake had already turned heads and impressed in the brilliant film ‘Sullivan’s Travels’ but this equally successful follow-up helped cement Veronica Lake’s stardom. Most notably also in ‘THIS GUN FOR HIRE,’ because in previous films Alan Ladd was always languishing in minor roles for a decade and despite him only getting 4th billing in other films, but here Alan Lad really shines.
Director Frank Tuttle transposes Graham Greene‘s British gangster novel to wartime San Francisco, which works well for the most part. The plot isn’t dramatically changed, but it’s given a slightly jingoistic, flag waving feel at times that is at odds with the fatalistic tone of the rest of the film.
Here Philip Raven [Alan Ladd] an assassin who we witness killing a chemist to retrieve a stolen formula for his employer Willard Gates [Laird Cregar]. Philip Raven is double-crossed; however, as he is paid in marked bills that Willard Gates tells the police have been stolen in a violent robbery. Due to this, on top of suspicion over what he was retrieving and for whom, Philip Raven becomes driven to get revenge and uncover who’s behind all of this, while at the same time is being chased by the authorities.
Meanwhile, Ellen Graham [Veronica Lake], a singer and magician, is hired by Willard Gates to perform at his club in L.A. before being approached by a Senator [Roger Imhof] to investigate Willard Gates as an undercover agent whilst in his employment. Willard Gates and the chemical company he works for are under investigation for treason. Ellen Graham agrees to help out, but on the train down to L.A., suddenly Ellen Graham bumps into Philip Raven who, overhearing she’s off to work for Willard Gates, grows suspicious of Ellen Graham. After Willard Gates spies the pair together on the train, however, Willard Gates believes they’re in cahoots and calls the police to capture Philip Raven. The assassin uses Ellen Graham to avoid capture but attempts to kill Ellen Graham instead, believing she had called the police and is one of Willard Gates’ pawns. Ellen Graham manages to escape and heads to L.A., calling her police detective fiancé Michael Crane [Robert Preston] to come to her rescue.
It’s rather a complicated plot then, as you can see, but this is one of the film’s strongest points. A lot of credit should likely go to Graham Greene for this, of course, but both screenwriters Albert Maltz and W.R. Burnett must also be applauded for their fine adaptation for the silver screen. They reportedly changed quite a bit, softening the Philip Raven character in particular. Though complex, the story never gets overly confusing and Tuttle has it race along, rarely pausing for breath.
The film is also deliciously dark, in the best “film noir” tradition. The final showdown is one of the most action packed in all of noir, and to his credit, Ladd literally throws himself into the action, contrasting dramatically with his unflappable demeanour earlier in the film, where the slightest move feels calculated. By the end he is desperately sprinting up quarries, leaping down stairs and hurling himself at the baddies. It’s a physical, energetic performance and a deliberate change that ups the stakes really well.
Wrapping things up then, ‘THIS GUN FOR HIRE’ is a fine tale of deception and revenge. It’s tough, taut and gripping like the best of its genre. The film helped influence many others films to follow and deserves to stand beside the more famous noir titles we all know and love.
THIS GUN FOR HIRE MUSIC TRACK LIST
NOW YOU SEE IT, NOW YOU DON’T (1942) (uncredited) (Lyrics by Frank Loesser) (Music by Jacques Press) [Performed by Veronica Lake and dubbed by Martha Mears]
I’VE GOT YOU (1942) (uncredited) (Lyrics by Frank Loesser) (Music by Jacques Press) [Performed by Veronica Lake and dubbed by Martha Mears]
Swan Lake, Scene II, No. 10 (uncredited) (Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky) [Played during dinner at Willard Gates' house]
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Blu-ray Image Quality – EUREKA! Entertainment presents us the film ‘THIS GUN FOR HIRE’ in a stunning black-and-white 1080p image that was helped with a 4K scan from the original film elements, and enhanced with a 1.37:1 aspect ratio. But I feel there are more than one source was used for the restoration, which would account for some visible variation in the quality and condition of the image and the presence of some reel change markers, something you only find on projection prints. The good news is that the best material and there’s a lot of that and is in excellent shape, with crisp picture detail, well-balanced contrast and only the faint traces of any brightness flicker. There is also marginal softening of sharpness, a tiny degree of picture jitter or a combination of the three. Just occasionally a shot will display some minor damage or scratches. For the most part, however, EUREKA! Entertainment has done a really professional job with this particular print. Please Note: Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – EUREKA! Entertainment brings us the film ‘THIS GUN FOR HIRE’ with just one 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio experience and does at time show its age, but is otherwise in decent shape, with very clear dialogue and sound effects, with the expected narrowing of the dynamic range, and a faint background hiss that is never intrusive. Despite some flaws, it is still a good effort on the part of EUREKA! Entertainment, and they always do their best with what is available at the time.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
1080p presentation on Blu-ray from a 4K scan of the original film elements
Uncompressed 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio
Audio commentary by Film Scholar Adrian Martin: This audio commentary is by Australian Film Scholar Adrian Martin is always a welcome addition to any Blu-ray disc, and this one is up to his usual standard. Here Adrian Martin welcomes us to his audio commentary of the film on ‘THIS GUN FOR HIRE’ and how the film title differs from that of the British title “This Gun For Hire” of the Graham Greene’s 1936 source novel and gives a welcome level of coverage to the differences between the book and the film and shows how important the novel is, because you see it behind the film credits. Adrian Martin says the character of Raven is so different from the character in the novel compared to the Raven character what we see in the film and out of interest, the name “Raven” is taken for the Poem by Edgar Allan Poe. Also the Raven character in the novel is described as very ugly and has a hair lip and the sight of him repulses everyone. Whereas Alan lad is so totally different looking, which I suspect if the character was like in the novel, it would of repulsed the cinema going audiences, so they were so right to cast the look of Alan Ladd as “Raven” and appearing in this film made him a star, which lasted over 10 years. When Philip Raven meets the character Willard Gates, who gives Philip Raven the fake Dollar bills, in the Graham Greene novel Willard Gates is even a much more nasty piece of work, perverse, and very cruel, whereas in the film Willard Gates is a very camp character and totally displaced, whereas his Chauffer in the film is more like Willard Gates as described in the Grahame Greene novel. When we meet Robert Preston as Michael Crane, but in the Graham Greene novel his name is different, and is a much more prominent character in the novel, whereas Alan Ladd has a much more prominent star role in the film. When we first meet Veronica Lake at the night club Adrian Martin is totally fascinated, in saying other people have given her character in the film with her magic act as totally unnecessary, compared in what Ellen Graham is described in the Graham Greene novel, whereas Ellen Graham in the film gives us an air of mystery towards he character, and eventually we find out that Ellen Graham has been recruited by the Government to be a spy, in the hope of bringing certain nasty characters down and justice, which we of course eventually find out, especially what is the formula information we see on those two sheets of paper that Philip Raven has now acquired when he shoots those two people in their apartment. When you see Philip Raven trapped in the building where the police are after him and he hides in the telephone booth and you see the young lady who previously got slapped in the face by Philip Raven, unknowingly does not know Philip Raven is where she makes a phone call and slightly trapped and told what to say with the phone call with a gun in her side, well Adrian Martin thinks that scene is very well directed by Frank Tuttle, and also says that probably not a lot of people may have never heard of Frank Tuttle before, and when Adrian Martin checked out certain historic cinema books on directors he could not find any references towards Frank Tuttle, but through other types of information’s on directors, he finds out this director had a very long career from 1922 to 1959, and Alan Ladd really liked this director and was insisted he direct this film and both Allan Lad and Frank Tuttle set up a long collaboration in choosing films to make and the final last couple of films he made were ‘Gunman in the Streets’ [1950], ‘The Magic Face’ [1951], ‘Hell on Frisco Bay’ [1956], ‘A Cry in the Night’ [1956] and ‘Island of Lost Women’ [1959], but also directed the famous film ‘Roman Scandals’ [1933] starring Eddie Cantor. But unfortunately his career ground to a temporary halt with the onset of the first of the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings on Communist infiltration of the movie industry. Frank Tuttle had joined the American Communist Party in 1937 in reaction to Hitler's rise to power. Unable to find work in the United States because he was on the “Black List,” because he gave 36 names to the House Un-American Activities Committee, so he moved to France, where he made ‘Gunman in the Streets’ [1950] starring Simone Signoret and Dane Clark. When we see Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake on the train together, this set up is totally different in the Graham Greene novel, on top of all that Veronica Lake is not recruited to become a spy for the Government, but instead stumbles into the plot with the people involved with selling dangerous chemicals to a foreign Government. When we see Veronica Lake rehearsing in Laird Cregar’s Neptune Night Club and he offers her a mint, Veronica Lake suddenly realises he is the one that double crossed Philip Raven with the fake Dollar bills. At the house of Willard Gates, we have Ellen Graham and he is trying to find out what she knows about the situation with Philip Raven, but at the same time we have the nasty evil chauffer in the house who knocks out Ellen Graham and ties her up, well Adrian martin informs us that this actor was a member of the Communist Party and with the House Un-American Activities Committee and moved to Italy and actually appeared in a James Bond film as a nasty evil villain. When we see Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd being pursued by the police, first through the industrial complex, but eventually get trapped in the old building, and Adrian Martin talks about Philip Raven’s character, where he describes him as glacial and a methodical assassin, but subject to sudden surges of rage, and inferring that he feels fine whenever he kills someone and only shows affection only towards cats, but, here is an important twist, that the film adds to his character, that his character is humanised in an unexpected way, through contact with a partner, and that is the Ellen Graham character, and that is due to the actor Alan Ladd and his character Philip Raven. Adrian Martin decides at this point to talks about the actor Robert Preston, because he has not talked about this well-known actor much so far, who he feels has an odd part in this film, as the scenes he is in are not very prominent, but Robert Preston went on after to this film into a very illustrious acting career, especially in very successful musical films, like ‘The Music Man’ and of course the totally brilliant and outrageous character in the film ‘Victor/Victoria,’ and of course got associated with camp Hollywood musical films. Adrian Martin again talks about the actor Alan Ladd, especially with his first starring role in this “film noir,” but eventually went onto a very illustrious acting career in top rating “film noir” genre films and eventually went onto a very big box office film entitled ‘SHANE.’ As we get near to the end of the film, Philip Raven has finally infiltrated Willard Gates office by sub diffusion and with the gun pointed at Willard Gates back, eventually is able to get into the fortress office where Willard Gates evil boss Alvin Brewster [Tully Marshall] who is the one selling very highly dangerous chemicals to the enemy in the Far East, and of course eventually, everyone else is on the trail of Philip Raven that they know is at the evil boss Alvin Brewster’s fortress office, for the final ultimate showdown. But as you will see when viewing the film, before that incident, the aid looking after the evil boss Alvin Brewster, rebels against him and eventually the evil boss Alvin Brewster gets his final comeuppance. Adrian Martin says that, what is more important here, that the direction, and the whole moral calculous aspect of the film, and here we have this triangle that plays itself out, where at this moment Philip Raven realises that he cannot be the hero of this story, that he is like the sacrificial figure, and particularly in a sense, he has to be sacrificed by the film, by the fiction, and by the whole society in a sense, and the romantic couple Veronica Lake and Robert Preston, and especially Philip Raven is now happy to fulfil that sacrificial role, and to unmask and eliminate the ultimate enemy, this killer, Philip Raven, as dark as he is, non the less takes on his further step on the path to salvation and you can see the resolution, that mixes romance with sacrifice, with something that is only suggested latent in Graham Greene’s novel, where he says, “Raven, had the idea, that thrusting finally into other people’s lives, that broke the world in which he walked alone.” So Raven, which ever version we see, either in the film or in the novel, Raven is the character who undergoes a drama of solitude of coming out of himself, and encountering other people, and encountering the world, which leads to his death, but also is a semi way, leads to his redemption. At that point this Adrian Martin quite interesting and informative audio commentary ends, and is well worth listening to, as there is a lot more in-depth information about the film ‘THIS GUN FOR HIRE’ that I was not able to include in this review and to find out what that missing information is, you will of course have to purchase this excellent EUREKA! Entertainment Blu-ray disc.
Special Feature: ‘THIS GUN FOR HIRE’ Lux Radio Theatre Adaptation #389 [Audio only] [1943] [1080p] [1.78:1] [59:59] The Lux Radio Theatre presents ‘THIS GUN FOR HIRE’ that was broadcast on the 25th January, 1943 and Sponsored by: Lux. A drama based on the film that made Alan Ladd famous. A hired gunman swears revenge on the traitors who double-crossed him. An announcement is made that Alan Ladd will enter the army the day after this broadcast. Plus Joan Blondell stars as Ellen a hostage held prisoner by a gangster named Phillip Raven played by Alan Ladd and Phillip Raven is hired to kill a blackmailer but is paid off in forged money by Willard Gates. When the money leads back to Raven he sets out to seek revenge on Willard Gates. Harold Peary appears as "The Great Gildersleeve" to promote his "Lux Radio Theatre" appearance next week. Voice cast: Jane Bierce, Joan Blondell, Arthur Q. Bryan, W R. Burnett, Torey Carleton, Leo Cleary, Jeff Corey, Laird Cregar, Alan Ladd, Vicki Lang, Jack LaRue, Joe Latham, Fred MacKaye, Harold Peary and Paula Winslowe. Graham Greene (author). Dorothy Lovett (commercial spokesman). Albert Maltz (screenwriter).
Special Feature: ‘THIS GUN FOR HIRE’ The Screen Guild Theatre Radio Adaptation [Audio only] [1945] [1080p] [1.78:1] [28:34] The Screen Guild Theatre presents ‘THIS GUN FOR HIRE’ that was broadcast on the 2nd April, 1945. Here is another beauty product-sponsored radio adaptation and this time by a skin cream company known as Lady Esther, and the broadcast is less than half-an-hour in length. The story is even more radically compressed here, resulting in far more changes to the dialogue and detail than with the Lux Radio Theatre broadcast version. This one has Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake recreating their screen roles, though here the story is told from Ellen Graham’s viewpoint, kicking off with a subject scene-setting voiceover of the sort that would become something of a “film noir” film staple. Despite following the main story outline of the film’s original scenario, and the dialogue here is not of the same calibre. Voice cast: Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake.
Special Feature: Stills Gallery [1942] [1080p] [1.78:1] [00:00] Here we get to view 80 black-and-white, some sepia and colour archival photographs and promotional ephemera, like USA and International posters and many of which are of really excellent quality. To advance the images, you have to use the right hand NEXT button on your remote control.
Theatrical Trailer [1942] [1080p] [1.37:1] [2:09] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘THIS GUN FOR HIRE.’ Yhey inform us that “Trapped in a KILLER’s web of VENGECE” and “He’s Dynamite with a GUN or a GIRL!”
BONUS: Reversible printed sleeve featuring original artwork and a Black-and-White scene from the film.
PLUS: FIRST PRESSING ONLY: A beautiful collectors 24 page booklet featuring new writings, that includes GOING GREEN: GUNS FOR HIRE by Barry Forshaw. PISTAL POLITICS THE CULTURAL CONTEXT(S) OF ‘THIS GUN FOR HIRE’ by Craig Ian Mann. VIEWING NOTES. SPECIAL NOTE. BLU-RAY CREDITS. We also get a plethora of wonderful black-and-white promotional photographs of the main actors in the film.
Finally, ‘THIS GUN FOR HIRE’ is definitely a beautiful “film noir” genre which I am a massive fan of this type of film. It's a fun story, especially with cliff-hangers, plenty of gunplay and hostage situations. The middle section is especially fun, as Ellen Graham and Philip Raven both arrive at Willard Gates's house looking for information, and collide in ways perhaps more suited to screwball comedy than a crime drama. That's not to say the life-threatening situations are funny; more that they are structured like a genre from this period, with the audience having to keep track of where four or five different people who don't necessarily want to run into each other are at any given moment. Director Frank Tuttle does a fine job of keeping things moving and was a studio workhorse for Paramount Pictures, sometimes cranking out three or four films per year. It certainly does the job, and is indeed is very entertaining. That's a valuable skill, and while it doesn't often produce memorable or important works, when everything is done as well as it is here, it produces some quality entertainment. ‘THIS GUN FOR HIRE’ would be dismissed as filler "product" today, and probably was in 1942, as well. But it's good filler, solid genre work that will entertain its audience during its running time and will definitely satisfy you as the end credits roll up the screen. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
