FRAMED is what you get after too many drinks and the wrong waitress in a bar called the ‘La Paloma Cafe’ in some burg that isn’t friendly to start with. Yes, the dish bailed you out of a jam (crummy trucking outfit, rousting cops, jerk judge) and sure, she’s a hot blonde with a come-hither look a blind man could spot from Mt. Whitney, but you’d think a guy would wise up after the first two or three convenient plot twists. Nah, not in a noir number from 1947, a year when every second movie told you couldn’t trust anything but a loaded .45 with one in the chamber.

Brakes and breaks, two types and two kinds, good and bad. When faulty brakes on a truck he’s driving result in a minor collision with a beat-up pickup, newly hired driver ‘Mike Lambert’ (Glenn Ford) pays for the damages to the heap owned by miner ‘Jeff Cunningham’ (Edgar Buchanan). That satisfies Jeff but the trucking company supervisor arranges to have Mike get soaked for reckless driving. About to be jailed, Mike’s fine is squared by bar maid ‘Paula Craig’ (Janis Carter, femme fatale: dead ahead!) who sizes up Mike for a scheme she’s planning with ‘Steve Price’ (Barry Sullivan), slick bank manager. They need a fall guy who can serve to pose as Steve: he and Paula will abscond with a quarter mil, and fake-Steve (ala the faked-out Mike) will handily perish in a car crash/fire. While this is in motion—Mike’s suspicious of the slinky dame’s instant interest but she is Basically To Die For, so go figure on the wising up part—Mike, a mining engineer, strikes a deal with good-natured Jeff, to go in partners on a silver strike the codger has located. If only blatantly offered sex wasn’t there to mess up everything.

Would you trust Barry Sullivan? Not any farther than you could throw John Ireland or Steve Cochran.

After returning from several years in the Marines, Ford lucked out restarting his war-paused career in 1946 with two hits (Gilda and A Stolen Life) as well as the less-seen Gallant Journey. Columbia kept him busy in a variety of roles; at 31, this was his sole release in 1947. Ben Maddow wrote the script for the spirited entry, directed by the proficient Richard Wallace (48 features) who had a pair of big-budget color outings that year but while Sinbad The Sailor and Tycoon drew more notice neither are as entertaining as the pocket-fitting Framed, which covered its low-budget by grossing $3,400,000, nestling in ’47’s spot #101.

Two faced, true. And yet, a man’s gotta do…

Janis Carter, 33, was modestly talented, but was relegated to B-pictures. For sure she had sizzler looks to spare, and this betrayal tale has her playing up the provocative angle with the best of ’em. Plot logic isn’t the show’s strong suit, but the attractive stars click and the 82 minutes speed by. Well lensed by Burnett Guffey.

With Karen Morley, Jim Bannon, Art Smith, Sid Tomack and Stanley Andrews.

You don’t have be a film scholar to guess that between setups someone’s putting the moves on somebody, the vice being versa.