These two posters were made to promote the film noir Black Angel, which starred June Vincent, Dan Duryea, Doris Dowling, and Peter Lorre in a story credited to high concept author Cornell Woolrich. But we gather nothing survived from Woolrich except the ending. When a man is convicted of his mistress’s murder, the jailed man’s cheated upon but noble wife tries to prove her husband innocent with the help of the murdered woman’s ex-husband, who, though cuckolded, agrees that the wrong person is ticketed for Old Sparky. They set their sights on shady nightclub owner Peter Lorre and decide to infiltrate his operation in order to find proof he was the real killer. Naturally, as this heartbroken and mismatched pair dig up clues and investigate shady characters, feelings get confused. As in many noirs, there’s a final act twist, and the one used here is pretty good, helping to elevate an average thriller to something a bit more memorable. Within the genre it’s a significant film, and reasonably enjoyable to watch. Black Angel premiered in the U.S. today in 1946.
