When I was in my adolescent phase of loving James Ellroy novels (not so much a fan anymore), I remember the crime author mentioning The Prowler (1951) as one of his favourite classic film noirs. Considering Ellroy’s past as a degenerate substance-addicted peeper before he became a writer (which he talks about in the documentary Demon Dog Of American Crime Fiction, that I taped off SBS and used to watch repeatedly), the opening scene has sleazoid vibes with a POV shot of Evelyn Keyes, playing the character of Susan, finishing a shower and wearing a towel by her open bathroom window. When she spies someone outside, she screams and slams the window shut. Cue title card!
And yet, the true slimeball is not the anonymous peeper but one of the investigating patrol officers who answers the reported crime. Van Heflin plays Webb Garwood in a great performance radiating disgruntled disappointment with his lot in life, poking around the respectable house Susan shares with her absent husband, a radio show host away at nights. Heflin gets across the surly energy of his character, crooked smile and angled look at the fancy digs, more compelled possibly by the real estate than Susan herself. Webb starts calling on Susan with concern for her safety, and when there’s a hometown connection discovered between them, his intrusive companionship starts to be received by the lonely Susan, who used to dream of being an actress and having a family.
There’s twists and turns to the film noir shenanigans of The Prowler, and almost feels like Susan might match Webb’s deceitfulness, and yet, he remains the king of it. We often see him alone, tossing a ball in his lonely room, grinning at his own manipulations. A tension brews in whether there’s anything genuine to Webb in his relationship to Susan or what comes after. Evelyn Keyes is very good, though it might be hard to see how anyone could fall for an obvious loser like Webb. I can clearly see why Ellroy would be a fan, since it’s a portrait of a law enforcement slob overridden by his own desires, and doing what he can to put himself forward through lying and murder. Directed by Joseph Losey (The Servant, The Go Between) before the Hollywood Blacklist drove him to Europe, and scripted by Dalton Trumbo (who also provides the voice of Susan’s radio announcer husband), this was an independent production that was for a long time hard to see, and only restored through the Film Noir Foundation and UCLA.
Coming in at a respectful 92 minute run time, The Prowler is a compelling example of a cheap noir with a strong sense of character through the distasteful and driven Webb, wonderfully played by Heflin in sweaty slime-ball mode. Streamed a copy on Tubi. Recommended.
VHS Tracking 