Cover Up, Suicide or Murder

The cynical insurance investigator, as Fred MacMurray was in "Double Indemnity," carries our movie today. In this entry we have an outstanding companion film to that MacMurray/Barbara Stanwyck classic. Double Indemnity will pay twice as much, but no one seems to want the extra $20K.  As far as Film Noir films are concerned, the final reveal here will be shocking.  Merry Christmas!  Our feature today is 1949's "Cover Up," directed by Alfred E. Green.

Sam (Dennis O'Keefe) shows up in a small midwestern town to investigate the suicide of some bloke named Phillips.  On the train to Cleberg he befriends the sultry Anita (Barbara Britton). She's beautiful and seemingly as pure as the white driven snow. Her family are all great peeps and very esteemed in the town. The two are sweet on one another. Then Sam checks in with Sheriff Best (William Bendix) and he is anything but helpful.  In fact Sam leaves that meeting, which was filled with  veiled threats, believing Phillips was murdered and Best may have been involved in it, not just the subsequent cover up.  Uh oh, everyone Sam speaks to seems they had a motive to murder Phillips.  Sam also talks to the niece, and beneficiary, of Phillips...and she is content with the suicide verdict even though she would be granted double indemnity if it was ruled a murder.

Sam and Anita get quite close.  They even swap a lot of spit.  Uh oh...as Sam accumulates suspects, the one that stands out is Stu Weatherby (Art Baker), Anita's dad.  Now Anita is sad and even she believes her dad killed Phillips.  Sheriff Best presents more veiled threats to Sam to get him to drop his investigation and leave town. Sam is in it for the long haul and is hot for Anita. This film will finally present itself as a cross between "Double Indemnity" and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance." 

Anita is so sultry and pure...can she be the killer?  Is Sheriff best really an enemy of Sam, or is he trying to protect him?  Will Sam keep trying to solve the case even if it means he loses Anita?  As the pre-Christmas snow falls on small-town America, the bodies will continue to pile up, and even the babe Anita will adopt a threatening persona.  See "Cover Up," and rethink ever trusting a dame again.