Naked Alibi

• Directed by Jerry Hopper
• October 1, 1954

A police detective fired for brutality tries to get evidence on a man suspected of a series of violent robberies and killing several officers.

I love an old movie with a salacious title. Generally sets the tone for the whole thing though what exactly that tone creates is another matter. Naked Alibi is supposed to be edgy and dangerous Film Noir based on the title filled with seedy locations and a cop pushed to the edge. Instead between the dialogue and other elements it gets a little campy and maybe a touch cheesy.

It opens with Chief Detective Joe Conroy (Sterling Hayden) and the young Capt. Owen Kincaide (Chuck Connors) discussing a string of violent robberies while landing the audience square in Conroy’s obsession with proving seemingly upstanding local baker Al Willis (Gene Barry) did it all. One of the crimes mentioned is the killing of three cops with a bomb whose explosion I swear is only seen in the trailer and not the movie. That explosion is significantly underwhelming so maybe it was a smart move.

What is shown to the public is a timid character but we as the viewer get peeks into the true character of the man. It is pretty much bluster and serious jerkiness. He has a wife and kid but director Jerry Hopper and pals let you know it is most for appearance purposes. There is little ambiguity in this wannabe noir.

After a picture of Conroy assaulting Willis is taking by a conveniently waiting photographer, Conroy gets fired from the force yet still pursues the investigation all the way to Border City, Mexico and promptly gets bloodlessly stabbed leading him conveniently into the tender care of Marianna (Gloria Grahame) who is Willis’s mistress.

Despite the presence of such notables as Sterling Hayden and Gene Barry, this is much more a minor Gloria Grahame vehicle than a generally classic Noir. She has a tough and wise yet fragile nature in her performance as a woman of ill repute with a good heart. With her classically stunning looks she becomes instantly a person you care for who is caught in a situation she does not want. That mild gangster girl accent that worked well for Violet Bick is an ill fit for a woman living in Mexico and perhaps the major issue for her acting here.

As a plot and film, Naked Alibi is tame for the day. Conroy is not swooned or tricked by what should be a femme fatale. The criminals are tough but not too dangerous feeling. Events proceed with no true surprises though it does not become painfully boring. The title makes it sound dirtier than it actually is.

Maybe it’s the modern viewer in me, but I was expecting Grahame’s character to be revealed as the actual villain. Willis might have been bad but she was worse. Or at least Marianna would have been responsible for the firecracker that killed the cops. It would’ve been a shocking yet natural twist and certainly more believable than this quiet family man who runs a baking business is actually some kind of criminal committing crimes with no hints coming to the attention of the cops.

Barry is fine portraying the duality of his character, but Hayden makes a marble statue look positively dynamic as the morally certain detective who is ridiculously in control of the situation as needed to keep things moving. He knows all the right moves until he does not. He treats it casually rather than seriously like hunting down a killer on his own with no support is just another day. Breakfast is a bigger concern for him that catching a killer or getting his job back.

The great plan to get the goods, clear Conroy’s name, and get his job back is for Conroy to kidnap Willis with the aid on the mononymous Marianna and then let Willis get away where he will retrieve a hidden gun that will prove every suspicion and theory. Pretty shaky idea really.

I’m calling this a mid-tier attempted Film Noir. It has its moments yet comes off very much like a basic detective show of the time. As demonstrated by the minor bit of fireworks on the police car it is cheaply done or poorly executed (take your pick) with neither the acting or possible twists in the script making it something a little more.

I was entertained enough but not wowed. Despite a seedy title, Naked Alibi is a tame movie but not a bad time.