Tuesday's Overlooked Films: Guilty Bystander

This 1950 cop movie is a diverting film with Zachary Scott playing the alcoholic Lt. Max Thursday. The movie was adapted from the crime novel of the same title by the fine duo of writers known as Wade Miller. Robert Wade was still living and reviewing books into the early 2000s for the San Diego Union-Tribune. He reviewed (favorably) my private eye novel The Blue Cheer published in 2007. Anyway, Max Thursday has quit the NYPD and works as a house dick between his drinking binges when his young son goes missing. Faye Emerson playing his ex brings him the bad news, and Max feels obligated to get sober and go find his son. The version of the film I watched was pretty bad quality with some of the scenes almost completely dark. Plus the sound quality was scratchy and inaudible in spots. At any rate, Scott turns in a gritty, earnest performance, and his crusty landlady played by Mary Borland is also good. I liked the film and just wish there was a better copy available for watching. I'd give it a solid 6.5 rating out of a possible 10. The Max Thursday private eye series by Wade Miller is also entertaining to read.