Remember when we used to win wars. Soldiers would come back from the Pacific or the ETO and have shell shock. They called it shell shock. Shrinks would take their patients out for a few drinks and all the fears of loud noises would dissipate into a bourbon. Today we lose all our wars. Shell Shock has been replaced by PTSD and the bourbon is forbidden, but replaced by a free service dog and a monthly disability check that you only get if you don't get a job. Russia and China are laughing at us, no doubt. But back in the day, no smelly service dogs, but blondes that spelled danger and the thugs that loved them might have been the best medicine. Today we look at 1946's "The Chase," directed by Arthur Ripley.
Chuck (Robert Cummings) comes home from the war in the Pacific with shell shock. No free mutts for him! Nope, the good-hearted navy vet lands a job as the chauffer for a sadistic thug. Eddie (Steve Cochran) lives in a mansion and his henchman, Gino (Peter Lorre), is always by his side. When we meet Eddie, he is b#@$h slapping a babe manicurist (Shirley O'Hara), as she did not do such a good job. Today she would have asked for a 5-star rating, but when men were men, she gets slapped. Oh, Eddie is married to the sultry blonde Lorna (Michele Morgan). Lorna is miserable and is often slapped by Eddie, whether she deserved it or not might be a good question. When Lorna sees the new chauffer, and the chauffer sees Lorna...sparks fly and both are in love.
In a bold move, after Eddie murders a rival during dessert, Chuck and Lorna make plans to run off...or sail off, to be more specific. Both decide to take a midnight steamer to Havana and start a life together. A good idea? Ha! Still, a sultry blonde dame, that may be a femme fatale, is preferrable than a mangy mutt. Back to the story. Eddie is smart and him and Gino head to Havana. What happens next...well, that's a great questions. Seriously, do you see happiness, unicorns, and rainbows for Lorna and Chuck. Try knives, guns, passion, kissing, murders, and dames in peril.
Is it at all possible that shell shocked Chuck will end up with the sultry blonde Lorna? What is Eddie's side of the story regarding his marriage to Lorna? Can't Lorna do better than a shell shocked navy vet? This is ultimately a weird film and when it is over, you will know exactly what has happened, though your sultry date will have her own idea of how this thing ended. See "The Chase" and reflect on a time when we won wars, kept our dames in check, and kissed them like they have never been kissed before.
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