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The Two Mrs. Carrolls - 1947
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1947's thriller "The Two Mrs. Carrolls" is up next. This film tells the story of an artist who is obsessed with the women he marries until they are of no further use to him. Once they stop being his muse, he plots to get rid of them.
The film's cast includes Humphrey Bogart, Barbara Stanwyck, Alexis Smith, Nigel Bruce, Isobel Elsom, Patrick O'Moore, Ann Carter, and Anita Sharp-Bolster.
On a quiet getaway, Geoffrey Carroll, an artist, sketches his girlfriend, Sally Morton. The two are head over heals in love and have a wonderful time exploring the outdoors.
By chance, Sally finds a note which states that Geoffrey is married. When she confronts him and he confirms it, she breaks things off immediately.
On his way home, Geoffrey stops in at a chemist's shop, where he buys some poison.
When he reaches his residence, Geoffrey is greeted by his daughter. They look upon Geoffrey's latest work, a portrait of his wife as the Angel of Death.
We find out that Geoffrey's wife is an invalid. Geoffrey slips the poison in to a glass of warm milk. The poison isn't meant to kill immediately but over time. The first Mrs. Carroll eventually dies.
Two years later, we find that Geoffrey is living with his new wife and his daughter in the cathedral town of Ashton, England.
The portrait of the first Mrs. Carroll is on full display in the parlor. Mr. Charles Pennington, a visitor to the new Mrs. Carroll, is a bit taken aback by it. Geoffrey's daughter Beatrice explains that at first it's a bit creepy, then you get used to it, then you think it's brilliant.
We find that the new Mrs. Carroll is indeed the former Miss Sally Morton. Charles tells his old friend that he's bringing some people around and would love it if she would have them to tea, which she agrees to.
We also find that Geoffrey is having a hard time with his artwork and finding the inspiration to get him to do good work. He's also insanely jealous of Sally. "I’m jealous of anything or anybody that takes
your mind off me for a single second," he tells Sally.
When Charles brings the guests round to the house, Geoffrey is drawn to one guest in particular. Her name is Cecily Latham, and she seems to have an attraction to Geoffrey as well.
When he shows her his artwork, including the portraits he's painted of his wives, Cecily asks if he always marries the women he paints. She gets him to agree to paint her portrait.
It isn't long before the two start an affair. Sally eventually becomes aware of Geoffrey's infatuation with Cecily.
The chemist whom Geoffrey bought the poison from to kill his first wife complicates matters. It turns out that he's blackmailing Geoffrey.
Soon, the normally robust and healthy Sally is falling ill frequently and inexplicably. She's at a loss, and so is the doctor.
And while Sally is resting upstairs, Geoffrey and Cecily are carrying on downstairs.
Geoffrey becomes upset when Cecily tells him that she's tired of waiting for him and is planning a trip to South America. Fearful of losing her, Geoffrey tries desperately to get her to stay, but her mind is made up.
While thinking of what to do, he continues to act as the doting husband to the ailing and unsuspecting Sally.
While helping Beatrice pack for boarding school, Sally learns a few hard truths. Bea tells her about how her mother died. Bea tells Sally that her mother became very ill after a short trip to Scotland (the one where he had met with Sally). After she became ill, Geoffrey began to paint her as the Angel of Death. Bea also says that Geoffrey would bring her mother a glass of milk just the way he does for Sally at night. This upsets Sally greatly.
Sally comes to the understanding that Geoffrey is trying to poison her. She's not sure about it, but she wrestles with her conscience just the same.
And Geoffrey is on a mysterious trip to London. Instead of going where he said he was going, we find him on a visit to the chemist's, where he murders the man who is blackmailing him.
Sally finds her way into Geoffrey's locked studio, where her worst suspicions are confirmed. She finds he is painting her as the Angel of Death, just like his first wife. Sally collapses into a heap on the floor.
Later, Sally tries to confront Geoffrey, and he senses that something is amiss. He tells her that he's going to get her a glass of milk.
She pours it out and hides the evidence of it from Geoffrey, but he discovers it later. In a panic, he realizes that he's got to get rid of Sally now. He makes the house look like it was burglarized and he intends on choking her.
However, Sally is not caught completely unawares, and it's a race to see who will prevail before help comes.
Cast rundown:
Humphrey Bogart.............................Geoffrey Carroll
Barbara Stanwyck.............................Sally Morton Carroll
Alexis Smith....................................Cecily Latham
Nigel Bruce.......................................Dr. Tuttle
Isobel Elsom.....................................Mrs. Latham
Patrick O'Moore.................................Charles Pennington
Ann Carter........................................Beatrice Carroll
Anita Sharp-Bolster............................Christine
And that's it for The Two Mrs. Carrolls. This is the only film in which Humphrey Bogart and Barbara Stanwyck star in together. The two were at the height of their popularity when this was filmed in 1945. However, it was not released until 1947. Bogart refused to deviate from the tough guy image that he cultivated in his films. When it was requested that he wear an artist's smock and beret, he categorically refused. Later, Barbara Stanwyck snuck those items onto his wardrobe rack. When he saw them, Bogart was furious! The two had a good laugh when she revealed it was a practical joke.
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