How far do you go for a book subject?
Journalist turned novelist Tom Garrett (Dana Andrews) has been putting off his wedding to his former boss’s daughter Susan (Joan Fontaine) in order to work on his next book. His publisher wants something sensational as soon as possible. His former boss Spencer (Sidney Blackmer) convinces Tom to become a suspect in a recent murder case in order to prove that a man can by given the chair based on circumstantial evidence and prove that the local district attorney has been executing too many men without solid proof. Tom agrees so he will have a topic for his book.
Fritz Lang directed this dark and twisted tale of a writer who pushes his personal life to the edge in order to have the research for a bestseller. Susan gets the detective role, attempting to fight for Tom while unraveling the truth. Also, a character dies in a car accident and his car goes up in flames after being knocked on its side. Were they lining 1950s cars with sparklers and flints?
And that is where I would draw the line. I like getting opportunities to write something different, but go through a court case and jail time to have a good story. Big. Fat. Nope. You can say that I’m not dedicated to the craft and I’d be fine with that.
I don’t want to give away the ending, but I would hope if I was a novelist like Tom, I would be better at handling a tough situation.
