178. IN A LONELY PLACE, 1950
- Jay Jacobson
- Jul 22
- 17 min read
A hauntingly romantic noir about fear, doubt, and self-destruction
Surprising in many ways, “In a Lonely Place” is an extraordinary dive into the desire for love that drives us together and the inner demons that keep us apart. Not your run-of-the-mill action and suspense-filled noir, it provides an unnerving psychological tension that cuts so deep, it leaves a lasting impression. Showcasing the top-tier talents of Humphrey Bogart, Gloria Grahame, and Nicholas Ray, and an unusually introspective page-turning script riddled with spunky dialogue, it's completely original, sometimes poetic, and a movie that lingers long in the mind after it ends. For those reasons and more, it’s come to be recognized as one of the best film noirs ever made.
This haunting love story centers around “Dixon (‘Dix’) Steele”, a once-respected Hollywood screenwriter who hasn’t written anything since his last film flopped years ago. Cynical and world-weary, he holds Hollywood in contempt, and beneath his sharp wit and charm lies an uncontrollably volatile temper. Sensitive yet unpredictable, brilliant yet threatening, “Dix” is magnetic and fearsome at the same time.
“In a Lonely Place” begins as “Dix” heads to Paul’s Restaurant to meet his agent, “Mel”, to discuss a possible job. Though “Dix” lives by the motto “I won’t work on something I don’t like”, “Mel” urges him to adapt a popular melodramatic pulp novel. Dismissing the book as trash and not wanting to read it, “Dix” instead invites the restaurant’s hat check girl, “Mildred” (who’s just read it), to come back to his place and summarize it for him. She agrees, and after she recounts the story, “Dix” gives her cab fare and sends her on her way. And so, the drama begins...
“Dix” lives in a hacienda-like apartment complex, and while “Mildred” is there, he becomes instantly intrigued with his new neighbor, “Laurel Gray”, whose apartment looks directly into his. “Laurel” also takes notice of “Dix”, particularly while in her nightgown, looking directly at him while he looks at her through his apartment window.
Without giving away much of the plot, “Dix” takes the writing job, and the next morning is paid a visit by his former war buddy “Brub Nicolai”, who was recently promoted from being a cop to a police detective. “Brub’s” there on business, for his boss, “Captain Lochner”, suspects “Dix” of committing murder, and “Dix’s” only alibi is his elusive, yet intriguing neighbor “Laurel”. Instantly infatuated with each other, “Dix” and “Laurel” quickly fall in love in the midst of this murder investigation, and as they get closer, she begins to question whether or not he committed murder. I’ll let you discover the rest as you watch the film.
A point I need to say about “In a Lonely Place”, is that is was made during the McCarthy Era, when people (mostly liberals, gays, Jews, and other minorities) were being targeted as communists and blacklisted, including many in Hollywood. It was an atmosphere of witch hunts, paranoia, fear, and ruined lives, and this film can certainly be seen as an allegory of that time (both Bogart and Ray had brushes with the House Un-American Activities Committee or HUAC — you can read more about HUAC and McCarthyism in my post on “High Noon”).
Plot points resolve, but parts of characters remain unknown, such as the source of “Dix’s” violence or “Laurel’s” past relationship with “Mr. Baker”. As “Brub” says about “Dix”, “Nobody could ever figure him out, but he was a good officer and his men liked him”. When “Mildred” visits “Dix” to discuss the book, she pointedly says she’s not there for sex, yet by the time she leaves, we’re no longer 100% sure. “In a Lonely Place” approaches its characters in a very real way, for as in life, we never fully uncover people’s secrets or understand what truly drives them. There’s always something unknowable — always a trace of mystery. It’s one of the reasons I love coming back to watch this film time and time again.
Set in a sea of mistrust, paranoia, and moral ambiguity, “In a Lonely Place” stands apart from other films for how it seamlessly moves between humor, suspicion, violence, desire, and murder — all while keeping its focus squarely on the emotional and psychological terrain of its characters. The investigation, murder, and “Dix’s” screenplay are important catalysts, but fade into the background as the film becomes about characters watching, guessing, and analyzing each other — trying to solve the mystery, not just of a crime, but of what’s buried in another’s heart.
Making a film propelled by the inner worlds of guarded characters is a monumentally daredevil feat, and “In a Lonely Place’s” director, Nicholas Ray, brilliantly does so in a myriad of interesting ways, beginning with the film’s very first shot. As the opening credits roll, we drive down a city street at night, from the point of view of “Dix”, its driver. Through the windshield we see where he’s heading while also seeing his eyes in the rearview mirror — a subtle way of saying “Dix” is bringing his past with him wherever he goes.
Through interesting camera angles, having characters move about (sometimes squirm) within a frame, and many close-ups of reaction shots, Ray highlights the inner workings of these people and their hunger to ascertain the truth in others. Characters watch, interpret, second-guess, and study others (often through windows), adding tension and mystery. Watch how intently “Sylvia” (“Brub’s” wife) studies “Dix” over dinner, or the chilling scene in the car at night as we see “Dix” and “Laurel's” inner worlds fall apart. Then there's the film’s profoundly impactful ending which is rich, subtle, and emotionally devastating.
A large reason this film carries such tension and packs such a wallop is due to Ray’s personal touch. In addition to how he shot the film and helped the actors flesh out their characters, he had a large hand in crafting the script, refining scenes and dialogue all through the shoot, pouring a lot of himself into it. In many ways, “In a Lonely Place” was autobiographical — something virtually unheard-of in Hollywood movies at the time. Directors shaping films into personal visions didn’t become common in Hollywood for another decade or so.
As Ray said of “In a Lonely Place” in the 1975 documentary “I’m a Stranger Here Myself”: “It was a very personal story — a very personal story. The last part of it I had written [uncredited] with Andrew Solt… I had separated from my wife, Gloria Grahame, who was playing [“Laurel”] opposite Bogie [Bogart], and if I had let the producer Bobby Lord, or Bogie know that, they would have gone crazy. So I said, ‘Look, I’m having trouble with the third act. Make an apartment for me out of a couple dressing rooms cause I don’t want to drive to Malibu every night and I want to get downstage and work at night, which I did. Gloria behaved beautifully… nobody knew we were separated”.
While “In a Lonely Place” is not the story of Ray and Grahame’s marriage, Ray imbued the film with his own emotions from its demise, coloring the character of “Dix” with his own feelings of suspicion, hurt, and anger. In addition, “In a Lonely Place” contains themes dear to Ray’s heart that pervade many of his films, such as setting them in social communities (in this case, Hollywood), exploring the American identity, and showing outsiders having some sort of emotional crisis. Ray’s repeated themes and ability to inject personal meaning into his movies gained him the reputation of being a true auteur, and this film is considered to be among his finest. You can read more about the life and career of Nicholas Ray in my post on "Johnny Guitar" and a bit more in "Rebel without a Cause”. Jut click on the film titles to open them.
“In a Lonely Place” came about because of its star, Humphrey Bogart. By the late 1940s, Bogart had become such a big star that his new 15-year Warner Brothers contract — which bound him to make one film a year for the studio — also allowed him to form his own production company, which he did in 1948, naming it Santana Productions (after his yacht). Santana released its movies through Columbia Pictures, and their first was 1947's "Knock on Any Door", starring Bogart and directed by Ray. After that, Bogart requested Ray direct Santana’s third film, “In a Lonely Place”.
“In a Lonely Place” was based on a 1947 Dorothy B. Hughes novel with the same name. It was first adapted into a screenplay by Bogart’s friend, Edmund North, who followed the book’s story while altering the character of “Dix” around Bogart. Eventually, screenwriter Andrew Solt was hired to write a new script, which he did, drawing from some of North's adaptation, with input from Ray and the film's producer Robert Lord. The new version varied from the novel in many ways, most blatantly the character of "Dix" and changing the setting to Hollywood.
Bogart had a lot in common with “Dix" — both took pride in their work, loved to drink, and had easily ignitable, violent tempers. In Ann Sperber's biography "Bogart", several of the actor’s friends recalled this, such as screenwriter Allen Rivkin, who said, "Sober, Bogart was great. Drunk, he was a dirty bastard", and actress Cynthia Lindsay, "He was either perfectly charming or totally belligerent, but his belligerence was never against somebody who was either bigger or stronger or more mentally powerful. He would come in and be sweet and charming and then find somebody who looked weak and defenseless and get him". By all accounts I’ve ever read by people who knew Bogart, the character of “Dix” is the closest to Bogart he ever played.
Perhaps as a result, Bogart gives a paramount performance as “Dixon Steele”, the easily angered Hollywood screenwriter grappling with his inner demons. Stripped of his iconic, heroic confidence, Bogart twists his natural charm, charisma, and tough-guy into a darker, more intimidating man. It's an impressively multifaceted portrayal, as “Dix” wrings his hands when nervous, is sarcastically calm when interrogated by the police, tenderly looks at “Laurel”, and is wearily amused hearing “Mildred” relay the book. While keeping his sensitivity, Bogart deftly shows “Dix’s” troublesome side, with an always-ready-for-a-fight attitude, a maniacal frenzy when directing “Brub” and “Sylvia” at reenacting the murder, or rage at a kid in a car, which is overwhelmingly frightening — made deeply real and heart-wrenching the moment he looks up at “Laurel” and realizes he’s gone too far. Bogart truly offers a spectacular portrait of a very human, strong, and dangerously troubled soul.
Not only is this perhaps Bogart’s darkest role, but it's also one of his greatest performances and is said to have been his personal favorite of all the films he made. That’s no small statement considering his iconic work in so many classics. With his new found partial freedom from Warners, Bogart began broadening his roles, moving away from the tough guy anti-hero he immortalized, venturing into comedy and playing more overtly flawed and vulnerable characters. “In a Lonely Place” jumpstarted this last third of his peak years, which ended with his death. He'd make thirteen more films, including "Sabrina", "Beat the Devil", "The Barefoot Contessa", "We're No Angels”, "The Caine Mutiny" (which earned him a Best Actor Academy Award nomination), "The African Queen” (which won him a Best Actor Oscar), and his final, 1956’s “The Harder They Fall”. He was one of the biggest stars of his era, and the American Film Institute (AFI) voted him cinema’s #1 Greatest American Male Screen Legend. You can read more about the life and career of Humphrey Bogart in my previous posts on "The Big Sleep", “Casablanca”, “The Maltese Falcon”, "The African Queen", “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre”, and "Dark Victory”. Check them out.
Going toe to toe with Bogart in magnetism, believability, and casting a haunting spell is his co-star, Gloria Grahame as “Laurel Gray”, the unsuccessful actress who lives across from “Dix” and falls for him. As “Dix” says to her early on, "You know 'Miss Gray', you're one up on me. You can see into my apartment but I can't see into yours”. That’s true about her as well, for she gives us the sense that she’s hiding some great pain or trauma that we never uncover (it’s no coincidence her name is “Gray”). It takes true talent and star quality to make such a cryptic character bewitchingly real.
Grahame's luminous portrait is rich with complexity. She’s sultry and coy, as when stopping by “Dix’s” apartment to ask him to keep her name out of the newspapers, yet unflinchingly blunt, telling the police she noticed him because “I like his face.” She’s also strong-willed, as seen when "Dix” quips, "Good thing you like my face”, and as he moves in for a kiss, she stops him with, "I said I liked it. I didn’t say I wanted to kiss it”. She can be sweet and even humorous, as when she teases "Dix” while he’s buried in his writing. Her emoting in the car scene is extraordinary, as she cycles through sorrow, humor, nerves, and finally a chilling terror, captured in the instant “Laurel" becomes overwhelmed by fear but tries to mask it with calm detachment, offering “Dix” a cigarette. Grahame infuses “Laurel” with cool elegance, unwavering confidence, emotional fragility, and a smoldering sexuality as if she's on fire beneath a placid surface. She is utterly riveting. Being a high-profile, A-list project with Bogart and Ray, “In a Lonely Place” was a major turning point in her career, elevating her from a talented supporting actress to a recognized and gifted movie star.
Grahame was not the first or second choice for “Laurel”. Ginger Rogers was first, and when that didn’t work out, Bogart requested his wife Lauren Bacall play the role, but Bacall was under contract to Warners, who wouldn’t loan her out. So Ray pushed for Grahame, knowing what it could do for her career. As intensely as they fought, Grahame and Ray completely respected each other as artists. He even worked continually to adjust “Laurel’s” dialogue to perfectly fit Grahame.
Being a long-time married man, the film’s producer, Robert Lord, insisted that Grahame sign a contractual provision that (keep in mind this was 1950), according Vincent Curcio’s book “Suicide Blonde: The Life of Gloria Grahame”, read: “My husband shall be entitled to direct, control, advise, instruct, and even command my actions during the hours from 9am to 6pm, every day except Sunday, during the filming of ‘In a Lonely Place’… that in every conceivable situation his will and judgment shall be considered superior to mine and shall prevail”. And she was forbidden to “nag, cajole, tease or in any other feminine fashion seek to distract or influence him”. Grahame was furious by this, but knowing what an opportunity the film could be, signed it. It paid off, for she received critical and popular acclaim and moved from mostly low-budget films to mostly A movies, including "The Greatest Show on Earth", 'Sudden Fear", "The Big Heat", and grabbed an Oscar win for "The Bad and the Beautiful".
“In a Lonely Place” marked Grahame’s second collaboration with Ray, the first being 1948’s “A Woman’s Secret”, where the two first met and quickly became infatuated — she by his creativity and intellect, and he by her charm. Their affair began during that production, and when Grahame became pregnant, Ray insisted on “doing the right thing”. They married four months later in Las Vegas, just five hours after Grahame finalized her divorce from her first husband, actor Stanley Clements. A man who loved alcohol and gambling, Ray had to be pulled away from a casino crap table to attend the wedding, only to return to the casino immediately after the knot was tied. That chaotic beginning set the tone for a tumultuous marriage. Ray was frequently absent, often gambling and lost in alcohol (and later drugs), with Grahame paying off his massive gambling debts. Somehow, around the release of “In a Lonely Place”, they somewhat reconciled, until their marriage completely collapsed about a year later, after Ray discovered Grahame in bed with his thirteen-year-old son from a previous marriage, Anthony. Grahame and Ray divorced in 1952, and she married Anthony in 1960, once the scandal became public. A fascinating woman and highly versatile and talented actress, you can read more about the life and career of Gloria Grahame in my previous posts on "It's a Wonderful Life”, “Crossfire”, and “The Bad and the Beautiful”.
Because “In a Lonely Place” is chockfull of fascinating supporting payers, I’ll give a quick rundown of some of them, beginning with Frank Lovejoy, who plays “Detective Sergeant Brub Nicolai”, “Dix’s” friend, and one of the detectives investigating “Dix” for murder. In this world of fear and uncertainty, “Brub” is the steady, loyal presence and good-hearted anchor who keeps the story rooted in reality. Lovejoy brings him to life with quiet conviction as the believable everyman who does his job and is caught between duty and friendship.
To earn money after the Stock Market Crash of 1929, Bronx-born Frank Lovejoy began acting on stage, making his Broadway debut in 1934's "Judgement Day". While continuing in theater, he worked extensively on radio, becoming one of the medium's most recognizable voices, featured in hundreds of shows of all sorts, most notably detective dramas like "Dragnet" and "Nightbeat", and in the title role as "The Blue Beetle". He transitioned to movies with 1948's "Black Bart", often typecast as cops, detectives, soldiers, reporters, and in a standout role co-starred in the 1953 Ida Lupino noir, "The Hitch-Hiker". He appeared in 31 films through 1958, including "The Sound of Fury", “House of Wax", "Try and Get Me", "Home of the Brave", "Julie", and "Ill See You in My Dreams", as well as two dozen TV shows, including starring in "Man Against Crime" and "The Adventures of McGraw", and earning an Emmy Award nomination for "Double Indemnity" (a 1954 episode of "Lux Video Theatre"). He was married twice. Frank Lovejoy died in 1962 at the age of 50.
One of the many casualties of the blacklist was Art Smith, who plays “Mel Lippman”, “Dix’s” long-suffering agent and friend. With his usual warmth and compassion, Smith make “Mel” memorable and someone with whom we sympathize.
Chicago-born Art Smith made his Broadway debut in 1929's "Broken Dishes", and became a member of New York's Group Theater, working non-stop on Broadway through 1942, when he began appearing in movies, often in small parts as doctors, butlers, and such, starting with 1942's "Native Land". After appearing in about three dozen films, Smith’s steady film career abruptly ended in 1952, when he was unjustly blacklisted. Watchers of the films on this blog will certainly remember him as the kindly "Dr. Walters" in "Brute Force", and his other films include "Edge of Darkness", "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn", "Body and Soul", "A Double Life", "Arc of Triumph", and "The Sound of Fury". He returned to the screen once with an uncredited role in 1961's "The Hustler". Once his film career ended, he appeared a bit on TV, and went back to Broadway, where he most notably originated the role of "Doc" in the 1957 production of "West Side Story". It's unclear if he was ever married. Art Smith died in 1973 at the age of 73.
Jeff Donnell plays "Sylvia Nicolai" (yes, the actress's name is Jeff), the wife of "Brub", who has a smaller but important role in the narrative. Outwardly warm and sociable, she’s quite perceptive and is given a time to shine scrutinizing "Dix" during the dinner scene, which Donnell does with a very natural sincerity.
Maine-born Jean Marie Donnell named herself after half of a cartoon strip she loved, ”Mutt and Jeff". She made her way to the Yale School of Drama, began performing in regional theater, and started the Farragut Playhouse before Hollywood called and cast her in her film debut, 1942's "My Sister Eileen". And so began a very prolific film and TV career, which encompassed over 130 films and TV shows over 45 years. Her other films, largely B movies, include "What's Buzzin', Cousin?", "A Thousand and One Nights", "Eadie Was a Lady", "Gidget Goes Hawaiian", and the A list "The Sweet Smell of Success", and she graced TV shows such as "Dr. Kildare", "Julia", "Matt Helm", and played "Stella Fields" on the soap opera "General Hospital" from 1979 to 1987. She first met Grahame when they both appeared in the 1949 Western, "Roughshod", and became very close friends (one of only two female friends Grahame had as an adult). Donnell was married and divorced four times, including a brief marriage to actor Aldo Ray. Jeff Donnell died in 1988 at the age of 66.
Martha Stewart plays “Mildred Atkinson”, the cheerful, uncomplicated, friendly hat check girl who goes to “Dix’s” home to describe the book he is to adapt for the screen. Ray has her look directly at us when describing the novel — a creative way to underscore the superficiality of the novel. Stewart is fittingly charming, light, and full of life, making “Mildred” the only truly happy character in the film. And her mispronunciations are hysterical.
Raised in Brooklyn, Kentucky-born Martha Stewart began singing in New York clubs when she was sixteen (pretending to be older) after winning a singing contest. She worked steadily as a singer, including stints as a big band singer with Glenn Miller, Harry James, and Claude Thronhill, and on radio (such as on the popular show "Your All-Time Hit Parade"). While singing at the Copacabana, Hollywood beckoned and she began a brief film career starting with the 1945 musical "Doll Face”. Eight more films followed through 1952, including "Daisy Kenyon", "Johnny Comes Flying Home", and "Convicted", and she returned to the screen one last time for 1964's "Surf Party". Stewart also made three TV appearances and two on Broadway. She slowed down her career in the mid 1950s, focusing her attention on her third husband and her new found religion, Christian Science. "In a Lonely Place" remains her most famous film and role. She was married three times, and one of her children was blues and rock musician David Shelley. Martha Stewart died in 2021 at the age of 98.
The last actor I’ll mention is one I wrote about in my previous post, and that’s James Arness, who plays the young detective working with “Brub” and “Captain Lochner” to investigate “Dix”. We first see him escorting “Laurel” to and from the police station, and he appears a couple more times, most notably entering the piano bar as “Dix” and “Laurel” exit, telling his wife "I can see why that guy gets into a lot of trouble”. It’s not much of a role, but indicative of how many small roles and bit parts permeated films of this era, fleshing them out to make them feel real. These bit parts were nearly all actors under contract (on salary), who could easily be assigned to work in any film in which the studio needed someone like them. Because the studio system is gone, a film like this, with so many speaking parts, would cost a fortune to make today. Arness began in films in 1947, and this was his eighth. He would very soon work his way up to bigger roles in movies before becoming an international TV icon as "Matt Dillon” in the long-lived series "Gunsmoke". You can read more about that and the life and career of James Arness in my post on "Them!".
While it didn’t make a huge profit, "In a Lonely Place” was a critical and commercial success, and over time has become more and more revered. It’s often listed as one of the best films ever made about Hollywood. Though not directly about Hollywood, it brilliantly shows the way the people in it operate.
"In a Lonely Place" features crisp cinematography by Burnett Guffey, a gorgeously lush musical score by George Antheil, and gowns by Jean Louis.
As mentioned before, this week's film is not your typical noir, and it's certainly not your run-of-the-mill romance. It's also unforgettable. Enjoy “In a Lonely Place”!
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Another drastic change from the novel to the screen was the ending, which in the film is devastating. Ray didn’t like the original ending but filmed it out of obligation, and then (as he recalled in the “I’m a Stranger Here Myself” documentary): “[I] kicked everybody off stage except Bogart, Art Smith, and Gloria, and we improvised the ending as it is now. The original ending we had written so that it was all tied up into a very neat package, with Frank Lovejoy coming in and arresting him as he was writing the last lines having killed Gloria. And I said, ‘Shit, I can’t do it, I just can’t do it’. Romances don’t have to end that way. Marriages don’t have to end in violence for Christ sake. Let the audience find out and make up its own mind about what’s going to happen to Bogie when he goes out of the apartment area — which was the first apartment I lived in in Hollywood by the way". It was actually a set modeled after his first apartment.