The Brasher Doubloon

Too often unfairly compared to the more notable Raymond Chandler adaptations, Murder, My Sweet (1944) and The Big Sleep (1946), John Brahm’s The Brasher Doubloon is entertaining in spite of its shortages of budget, star power, and running length. Based on Chandler’s The High Window, the film follows famed private detective Philip Marlowe (George Montgomery), who’s hired by sharp-tongued dowager Elizabeth Murdoch (Florence Bates) to find a valuable stolen coin, which, of course, leads to revelations of blackmail and murder. Montgomery does fine as Marlowe, handsome, slick, and skeptical at every turn, while Nancy Guild, who plays Mrs. Murdoch’s secretary, keeps viewers guessing about her culpability until the very end. An earlier adaptation of the Chandler novel was called Time to Kill (1942) and starred a fun, feisty Lloyd Nolan.