They Won't Believe Me

1947 "He lived a lie that led him from one disastrous love to another!"
7.2| 1h35m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 16 July 1947 Released
Producted By: RKO Radio Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

On trial for murdering his girlfriend, philandering stockbroker Larry Ballentine takes the stand to claim his innocence and describe the actual, but improbable sounding, sequence of events that led to her death.

Genre

Drama, Romance

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Director

Irving Pichel

Production Companies

RKO Radio Pictures

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They Won't Believe Me Audience Reviews

Plantiana Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.
Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.
Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.
gridoon2018 Absorbing, ultimately dark crime (?) yarn which unfolds like a good book (one chapter after another) and leads to a sudden, shocking ending. Susan Hayward is a knockout - we even get to briefly see her in a 1940s version of the bikini! *** out of 4.
davidcarniglia Unusual noir thriller. The protagonist, Robert Young, is neither a criminal type or a lawman, but a seemingly ordinary guy who gets his deck reshuffled too many times. As others have pointed out, he plays a role similar to Fred McMurray's in Double Idemnity. But Young's Larry doesn't descend gradually into depravity like McMurray's character, he's made a lifestyle out of it.He's unfaithful, but lets his wife (Rita Johnson's Greta) lure him away from two affairs with goodies (jobs, houses) "I was private property" he admits. We get the usual split between angelic women (Jane Greer's Janice) and devilish manipulators such as Greta. She seems to enjoy backing him into emotional corners with psychological blackmail. It's a symbiotic relationship centered on isolation; their house in the desert is not only remote, she makes sure it doesn't even have a phone.Susan Hayward's Verna starts out as a manipulator, a self-described "golddigger", and evolves into a sincere lover. That's unexpected, but, since we're in abysmal noir territory, she dies soon after this revelation. In a very obvious way it's Larry who's the golddigger, living off his wife while courting Janice, then Verna, abandoning each, in turn, as it suits him.His plot to cover the planned murder of Greta by letting the authorities assume that it was her who died in the accident, and not Verna, works, at least for a while. Among the heavy doses of irony in the movie is his discovery that Greta actually is dead. Larry can't win. If he reveals that it was Verna who died in their auto accident, he compromises himself with Greta. But playing it as he does forces Greta's hand anyway. Probably, on discovering his incriminating 'good-bye' note, Greta retreats to the remote pool to console herself. But she's so distraught that she loses control of the horse and plunges to her death.It sure looked like it happened that way. At worst Greta became suicidal, and deliberately fell. I can't understand why the police would assume that Larry killed the woman. I said 'the woman' because they think it's Verna. Ok, but since they know who Verna is, why don't they know what she looks like? The corpse isn't disfigured like the one in the burnt car. And how coukd Larry throw the horse into the gorge as well as the rider? It's definitely suspicious that he would mislead the cops about Verna, but there's simply no evidence for him murdering anyone. Well, that's partly 'squared' by his acquittal. But he feels trapped, fears conviction, and, with further noir irony, gets himself killed. I was half expecting Verna to show up out of nowhere. I thought the fact that the corpse was found on the driver's side of the wrecked car meant that it was a 'stowaway' or something, and that maybe Verna survived.No one, Janice excepted, is without blame in They Won't Believe Me. She's the only one who really knows what she's about, and adroitly steers clear of all the mayhem. The flashback device is another echo from Double Indemnity. It works fairly well here too. What's different in They Won't Believe Me is the lack of iconic noir settings; there's really no seedy clubs, streets, and back alleys. The drama here is psychological. The three violent scenes: the car wreck, the horseback-riding accident (?), and the attempted suicide and subsequent death in the courtroom, have greater impact because they're all surprises.Even with some uneven plot bits, They Won't Believe Me is a very watchable movie, with strong performances all around, nice pacing, and escalating tension.
HotToastyRag Usually, when Hollywood makes a courtroom movie that has a protagonist accused of a murder and through his testimony shows what really happened in flashbacks, the audience is supposed to be on the his side and hope he doesn't get punished. In They Won't Believe Me, screenwriter Jonathan Latimer manages to write a protagonist so unlikable, the audience thinks he should be punished the longer he keeps talking!Robert Young starts the movie as an accused murderer, yet he saunters up to the witness stand as if he hasn't a care in the world. He tells the audience he's going to start at the beginning, cueing a ninety-minute flashback. He's married to Rita Johnson, and while she's never shown doing anything wrong, he's incredibly unhappy and is a constant philanderer. First, he's completely in love with Jane Greer and wants to leave his wife, then we find out she's one in a long pattern, then he completely falls in love with Susan Hayward, then he completely falls in love with Jane Greer again. He has no consistency, no morals, and no barometer of his true feelings. I felt terribly sorry for Rita, putting up with his episodes and constantly rearranging their lives to start anew and keep his interest for a little while until the next tramp came along.This isn't a very good film noir flick, and it isn't particularly suspenseful since the first scene tells the audience who dies. The romances are ridiculous since he acts more like Andy Hardy than a mature, thirty-four-year-old as his character is written. And if you're in love with Susan Hayward like I am, check out The Lost Moment instead for a real mystery.
Richie-67-485852 Most excellent entertainment that triggers the viewers interest. This movie is like a fresh pie baking in the oven. Enjoy the expectation of what is to come, the smell and in time, the fist slice delivers well. Enjoy Robert Young too as he narrates this interesting story in a way where you can relate as it is being told which is a gift to be able to do. It is interesting to note that when he is finished, he says that is the truth the whole truth and is exhausted and full of sweat. You won't find that in today's courtrooms as everyone tries to lie the best way they can in most cases. I like movies where you can discuss what would you have done? This is that movie. Nice range of human emotions displayed and pay special attention to the ranch (one of three properties) they end up buying. Its got location, atmosphere, horses, nature, waterfalls, streams, charm, seclusion and who wouldn't like to live there? Answer: Someone who is not happy! Goes to show you that wherever you go, there you are and no amount of outside goodies will sooth your insides if your guilt which stems from wrong choices is not corrected. The twist compliments and soothes until the twist of twists delivers the stunning knock-out blow! Good movie to eat with, snack and have a tasty drink. There is an old saying that is appropriate for the ending: "most people pull in the reigns of their horses right before they are scheduled to jump". The idea is to let it have reign to complete its moment successfully. The reign here was pulled too tight by the movie character....The lesson? Free reign!