Special Features: 75th Anniversary

This film marked the transition of actor Dick Powell from romantic musical lead to film noir tough guy. Playing Raymond Chandler's detective and knight errant Philip Marlowe, his search for a singer named Velma leads him through a tangled web of blackmail and murder. Along the way, he finds himself embroiled with a wealthy man's unscrupulous gold-digging wife (Claire Trevor) and the stepdaughter who despises her (Anne Shirley). Mike Mazurki gives a standout performance as the mentally challenged, physically powerful ex-con Moose Malloy, who hires Marlowe to find Velma. (Note courtesy of Noir City.) DIR Edward Dmytryk; SCR John Paxton, from "Farewell, My Lovely" by Raymond Chandler; PROD Adrian Scott. U.S., 1944, b&w, 95 min. NOT RATED