Annie, wasn't this a brilliant movie?

The movie in question (1949) is almost Hitchcockian in theme and style. In fact, IMHO, it out-Hitchs Hitch in its suspenseful and dark way of dealing with the theme.
The famous actor-director (not a comedian) does not play the lead, but a secondary character after whom the film and the theme song is named. Based in war-torn Vienna, the actor-director's character, though not present in the first half of the film, comes to embody the corruption and racketeering that is a secondary feature of every war. The famous lines he speaks above is in justification of the depths to which his character had sunk...that greatness and development comes to a country which has only achieved what it has at great cost, and not by the easy path.

Additional giveaway hint: a famous debut film by this great actor-director is on every critics list of the 5 greatest films ever made!

Now go get it!

Orson Welles!!!!

The Wrong Door

* as recently as the 1960s, one didn't need any special training or education to call oneself a Private Investigator in Hollywood. And, chances are, you would do rather well in that land of scandal, wealth and suspicion.

* this particular case prompted Senate hearings that resulted in laws governing investigators and the methods that they use, as well as legal clarification of evidence needed to prove infidelity, etc.

* the main characters in this little drama are the beautiful actress, her suspicious husband, and the husband's friend, who went along for the ride and to provide 'moral support'.

* the husband hired a private investigator to tail his wife, the actress, because he was SURE that she was being unfaithful to him, and not with another man...she was having a long term lesbian liason.

* after following the actress to a motel in the company of her friend, the PI called the husband who called his friend; they both joined the PI at the motel.

* the PI paid off the motel manager and went to the door and, with hubby and pall at his side, kicked down the motel door. A sharp scream was heard but, when the lights were turned on, it wasn't the actress. It was a middle aged woman who had fallen asleep in front of her TV.

* the people in the next room, namely the wife and her paramour, heard the scream, assumed what was happening, and made their escape.

Can you name the actress, her husband, or the friend?

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"If the world was perfect, it wouldn't be." Y. Berra

[This message has been edited by vendome (edited 10-02-2000).]

But...wonderful guy that I am I'll give you a few more clues:

* I had frankly never heard this story about the actress and her sexual activities before...and she and her husband remain extemely popular with the American public. And their well-publicized divorce was blamed on quite a different reason.

* the husband and his good friend never spoke again after the divorce, because the actress initiated a torrid affair with the friend.

* as a result of the Senate's investigation after this incident, one of the changes made to the laws concerning proof of infidelity was that one no longer needed photos of the actual act being committed...the law was changed to state that if the people in question entered a hotel/motel room, and there was sufficient evidence to support a claim of infidelity, and more than one person witnessed the hotel/motel incident, AND the couple spent at least 20 minutes in the hotel/motel room, an assumption of infidelity could be made, and photos of the actual act were not needed.

But...wonderful guy that I am I'll give you a few more clues:

* I had frankly never heard this story about the actress and her sexual activities before...and she and her husband remain extemely popular with the American public. And their well-publicized divorce was blamed on quite a different reason.

* the husband and his good friend never spoke again after the divorce, because the actress initiated a torrid affair with the friend.

* as a result of the Senate's investigation after this incident, one of the changes made to the laws concerning proof of infidelity was that one no longer needed photos of the actual act being committed...the law was changed to state that if the people in question entered a hotel/motel room, and there was sufficient evidence to support a claim of infidelity, and more than one person witnessed the hotel/motel incident, AND the couple spent at least 20 minutes in the hotel/motel room, an assumption of infidelity could be made, and photos of the actual act were not needed.

Source of information:
"Confessions of a Hollywood PI", Crutchfield, Don
Dunhill Publishing, 1997

[This message has been edited by vendome (edited 10-03-2000).]

AND JUST WHO ASKED FOR YOUR INPUT? I DON'T RECALL ASKING FOR YOUR 2 CENTS WORTH. DID YOU HEAR ANYBODY SAY, "WHERE'S LONERANGER'S INPUT? WELL, DID YA?

What, did Cohalen whisper the answer to you? You know he cheats. I don't know how, but he does.

I'm giving you an incomplete, cause ya didn't get the friend's name.

OK..OK..so you lucked out this time. Yep, it was Marilyn and Joe. And, OK, to show you the type of guy I am, I'll give you the name of the friend. It was Frank Sinatra.

Dammit!!

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"I'm so lonesome in my saddle since my horse died."

Sure, LR, I'd like it too if I could breeze right in and force answers out of dear, sweet Annie!!

OK, wise guy..this one has been dormant in the 'Scandals' thread
so I'll reprint it here. Ok, wise guy....see what you can do wit this one:

What Hollywood actress, who hit her zenith in the 50s (as a starlet), was totally done in by her devoutly religious mother when the actress received a 9 figure (that's right...9 figures) divorce settlement from her husband. Mom had the funds frozen in the bank, and arranged for her daughter to be admitted to a psychiatric facility without so much as an examination. The'men in the white coats' were waiting for her when she arrived home from the studio one afternoon.

Of course, she had a hotel room full of guys to keep her occupied (which is also something mommy used against her). She became so disgusted with Hollywood, and Hollywood with her since this hit the headlines, she turned her back, and walked into oblivion.

Name her...go on, name her!

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If it doesn't matter if if you win or lose, why do you keep score? - Vince Lombardi

Frances Farmer is a great answer, my friend. In fact, it's better than the 'real' answer! The star in my post was what I would call a 'flash in he pan'; she became very popular very suddenly after starring in a movie now consideed a classic. Shortly thereafter, this incident happened, and it was goodbye. She didn't have the career that Frances had.

Keep guessing!.

I'm gonna give you a clue that will lay the answer right in your laps!

Young or old, you've got to be mighty dim not to know who this is! The answer has just been laid at your feet, more or less, if you know what I mean. In fact, if you don't get this, I'm gonna report you to Terry, the FunTrivia head honcho, for dereliction of duty. And no, you can't use the same answer that you did in the prior question...Marilyn, Joe and Frank have nothing to do with this.

And, my friends, I've not only given you the full name of the actress, but also the complete name of the classic film in which she starred, in the little paragraph above.

Come on, you can do it.

She's been active in film work from the fortys till this year.
See? (IMDB Listing Page)

It's Gotta be someone else...even with the hint for Mighty...Joe...Young and Terry...more (or less)
I've gotta be reading into this.
So who is it?

OK, pal, it's all yurs, as they say.