The Strange Love of Martha Ivers

Infobox Film | name = The Strange Love of Martha Ivers


caption = Movie poster
director = Lewis Milestone
producer = Hal B. Wallis
writer = John Patrick (story Love Lies Bleeding)
Robert Rossen
Robert Riskin (uncredited)
starring =Barbara Stanwyck
Van Heflin
Lizabeth Scott
Kirk Douglas
music = Miklós Rózsa
cinematography = Victor Milner
editing =
distributor = Paramount Pictures
released = July 24, 1946 U.S. release
runtime = 116 min
language = English
budget =
imdb_id = 0038988

"The Strange Love of Martha Ivers" is a black-and-white film noir motion picture released in the United States in 1946, starring Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Lizabeth Scott and Kirk Douglas (in his film debut). The movie is based on a short story, titled "Love Lies Bleeding" by playwright John Patrick (using the Jack Patrick), produced and brought to the screen by Hal B. Wallis. The screenplay was written by Robert Rossen and Robert Riskin (uncredited), and was directed by Lewis Milestone.

Plot

On a rainy night in 1928 in a Pennsylvania factory town called Iverstown, Martha Ivers (Janis Wilson), a rich young girl yearning to escape from the guardianship of her domineering aunt, is caught attempting to run away with her friend, the street-smart, poor Sam Masterson (Darryl Hickman). [cite web | url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=91604 | title=Overview for The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) | publisher=Turner Classic Movies | accessdate=2008-02-17] Martha is taken home. There, she stops her aunt from attacking her cat with a cane by turning it on her aunt, with fatal consequences. The crime is witnessed by Walter O'Neil (Mickey Kuhn). His scheming father (Roman Bohnen) blackmails her into marrying his son and arranges for an innocent man to be framed for the crime and executed. Meanwhile, Sam leaves town.

Eighteen years later, Walter (now played by Kirk Douglas) is the district attorney, while Martha (now played by Barbara Stanwyck) used the money she inherited from her aunt to built a large business empire. However, their marriage is one-sided; he loves her, but the reverse isn't true. Sam (Van Heflin), now a drifter and gambler, returns to the small town, where he meets vulnerable bad girl Toni Marachek (Lizabeth Scott), who has just been released from jail.

When Walter and Martha learn that Sam is back, they worry that he has returned to blackmail them. Walter uses his influence to try to run him out of town, but Sam is too tough to intimidate. Martha, on the other hand, is very glad to see him again.

When all else fails, Walter makes a half-hearted attempt to kill Sam himself, but he is easily disarmed. Martha then inadvertently blurts out the couple's fears, but they prove to be groundless: Sam never witnessed the homicide. Martha breaks down and laments that he left without her all those years ago, taking with him her only chance for love and freedom. She tries to get him to kill her husband, but Sam leaves them to contemplate the wreckage of their lives. Before he goes, he gives Walter back his gun and turns his back on him, but Walter does nothing.

After Sam leaves, Walter embraces Martha, then points his gun at her. She, oddly relieved, puts her hand over Walter's hand on the trigger and presses. Outside, Sam hears first one shot, then soon after, a second.

Cast

*Barbara Stanwyck as Martha Ivers
*Van Heflin as Sam Masterson
*Lizabeth Scott as Antonia "Toni" Marachek
*Kirk Douglas as Walter O'Neil. Hal B. Wallis was on his way to New York to look for new talent when Lauren Bacall suggested he look up her old drama school classmate, Issur Demsky, better known as Kirk Douglas.
*Roman Bohnen as Mr O'Neil, Walter's father
*Judith Anderson as Mrs Ivers
*Janis Wilson as the young Martha Ivers

Future film director and producer Blake Edwards has an uncredited bit part as a sailor who hitches a ride.

Notes

External links

*imdb title|id=0038988|title=The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
*Title at [http://www.archive.org/details/Martha_Ivers Archive.org] , available to stream or for free download.