Dark Corner, The (1946; USA; B&W; 99m) ∗∗∗½ d. Henry Hathaway; w. Jay Dratler, Bernard C. Schoenfeld; ph. Joseph MacDonald; m. Cyril J. Mockridge. Cast: Lucille Ball, Clifton Webb, William Bendix, Mark Stevens, Kurt Kreuger, Cathy Downs, Reed Hadley, Constance Collier, Eddie Heywood. Secretary tries to help her private eye boss, who is framed for a murder. Film noir has many positives – including Ball’s energetic performance and Webb’s slimy art dealer. It is sumptuously shot with great use of light and shadow by MacDonald. Stevens is somewhat two-dimensional as the framed PI and there are some plot conveniences that lead to a rushed denouement, but it is a good example of the genre. Based on the serial story by Leo Rosten. [PG]