"It was his story against mine, but of course, I told my story better. "

A Humphrey Bogart movie that is often overlooked, but tremendous is In a Lonely Place (1950). The movie was produced by Santana Pictures. I don’t quite know why it is overlooked by those writing about Humphrey Bogart. It is almost as if his career went from Treasure of the Sierra Madre to The African Queen (1951). There were a string of movies in between, most not worthy of mention, but In A Lonely Place is certainly worth noting.

Perhaps it is worth noting because according to most people who knew Bogie, the Dixon Steele character he played in the movie was the closest to the real person. At least when Bogie got drunk that is.

Dixon Steele is a washed-up screenwriter. He still has connections in the business though and actually gets an offer to adapt a novel for the screen. The problem is, Steele doesn’t want to read the book. So he has the hat check girl at the restaurant his meeting is being held at finish reading the book and then tell him the plot. Of course, being a writer, Steele can’t work in a restaurant, he wants the comforts of home. So he takes the girl home with him.

She has to break a date with her boyfriend, but doesn’t seem to mind the chance to help a Hollywood screenwriter. The girl recites the novel’s plot to Steele, who is not amused. Anyway, it is late and Steele is tired, so he sends the girl out into the cruel night with some money for a cab.

A few hours later, there is a knock on Bogie’s door and the police come to question him. Apparently the girl was murdered and Bogie was the last one to see her. He has to fight off the police and his only friend is neighbor Laurel Gray, played by Gloria Grahame. The small-time actress takes a liking to Bogie’s face and the two fall for each other.

This inspires Steele to write and the couple plans on getting married after this unfortunate incident with the police is cleared up. Unfortunately for their plans, Steele posses a temper. One that can inflict violence on another person. So the question is posed to the audience, did Dixon Steele commit murder? He certainly seems capable of doing it.

This is a good film noir. It is directed by Nicholas Ray, who directed Bogie in Knock on Any Door. It was based on the novel written by Dorothy B. Hughes, who wrote crime novels. This one takes place in Los Angeles, but the author spent most of her life in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

One of the reasons why this movie might not get as much attention as it should have, is because it came out in a year when movies about the underworld of Hollywood were popular. Sunset Boulevard and All About Eve got all the attention that year. Perhaps it was because they had more established stars and directors working on them. Plus they had the benefit of being produced by Paramount and 20^th Century Fox respectively. Had Bogie’s company not produced the movie and had there been bigger stars to join him on screen, the movie would have gotten more attention. Of course it might not have been as good as it turned out to be. At least today’s audiences have an opportunity to see this forgotten classic.