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Stranger on the Third Floor (1940)

Rate: 4
Viewed: 6/15

3rdFloor
6/15: More of a dated hokum than a dark film noir, Stranger on the Third Floor made me laugh because of the stilted dialogue, theatrical acting, and rubbish storyline.

However, the picture is regarded as one of the earliest films noirs although some say it's the originator when I say The Maltese Falcon was the one that started it all. The first half is lame to watch. It's not until the beautifully constructed dream sequence, which might have been found in an Orson Welles picture while borrowing the concept of dark diagonal lines from Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari, that gets me in the mood.

Afterwards, I'm back to the same lameness to finish off the story with predictable results because Peter Lorre has been eternally typecast as the murderer which goes as far back as M. It's just that the coincidences are unbelievable. Plus, some of the information presented isn't consistent with reality.

John McGuire, who plays the reporter, is okay and has the noir look, but he needs to get rid of his theatrics. I also hate his voice-over narration to tell me what his character is thinking. It takes too much away from the suspense.

Margaret Tallichet gives the worst performance of the show and hams it up every chance she gets. I've laughed and rolled my eyes every time she opened her mouth. Her career only lasted for one more year which consisted of two feature films. Thereafter, she lived out her life as Mrs. William Wyler with four children until his death in 1981.

Peter Lorre gives Margaret Tallichet some competition in the acting department and is dreadful at times as the creepy killer with bulging eyes, thick lips, and white scarf. Yet he has a nice peek-a-boo scene with John McGuire while they're on the third floor. Sadly, the rest of the way is silly.

By the way, I never realized how bad Peter Lorre's teeth were. It's due to his morphine addiction which led to pyorrhea and halitosis. He eventually had them replaced with dentures. The moment that Peter Lorre attacked Margaret Tallichet's character who was suddenly repulsed, it was because he ate raw onions to achieve the effect. On the other hand, Elisha Cook, Jr., has a small but pathetic role.

All in all, Stranger on the Third Floor is hopelessly dated.