Tuesday's Overlooked Films: Tension

I enjoyed watching this well-plotted 1949 crime noir suspense film stars Richard Basehart, Audrey Totter, Cyd Charisse and Barry Sullivan. TV's "Jake and the Fat Man" and "Cannon" William Conrad also has a bit part as a cop. Richard Basehart is Warren Quimby, a "four-eyed punk" pharmacist whose bored, restless wife Claire (Audrey Totter) messes around on him. Quimby decides to get back at her by taking on a different role as smooth-talking cosmetics salesman "Paul Sothern." He plots the perfect murder to kill Claire's rich, muscle-bound boyfriend. Meantime Warren/Paul meets the lovely Cyd Charisse, and they strike up their own romance. I like Audrey Totter, and she plays her femme fatale role with nasty glee. Barry Sullivan as the lead homicide detective uses pressure tactics known today as police entrapment, a no-no. IMDb.com rates Tension as 7.1/10.0. That fits my liking, too.