When it comes to film noir, even the minor pictures often have something special to draw in fans of the genre. Once you have devoured the classics and want to get into something more off the beaten path, may we suggest the 1946 crime drama Step By Step from director Phil Rosen? While the RKO Pictures feature is relatively reserved when it comes to budget and runtime, there is a nice sense of urgency throughout the picture that keeps you invested from the first moment to the last. The plot involves a burgeoning Nazi uprising in California so it is not exactly tapping into the most realistic material, but these types of hard boiled tales hit the spot if it is shot with care and brought to life with actors with some talent, which this picture succeeds in doing on both fronts. As they have been known to do, Warner Archive has dug deep into the vaults to find this relatively forgotten gem and polished it up for a new generation of film lovers.
Anne Jeffreys (Dick Tracy) stars as Evelyn Smith, the new secretary working for Senator Remmy (Harry Harvey, The Pride of the Yankees). Her first day with the Senator is a bumpy one to be sure, as he is trying to coordinate the receipt of important information about a Nazi uprising in California with a key source and secrecy is of the utmost importance – plus Evelyn just might have a secret of her own. When she is asked to busy herself while Remmy prepares, she goes down to the beach for a swim where she catches the eye of Johnny Christopher (Lawrence Tierney, Reservoir Dogs), a decorated ex-Marine passing by with his lovable war pooch, Bazuka. After some brief flirtation, Evelyn returns to the house leaving Johnny and Bazuka at the beach. When Johnny tries to leave, he finds himself locked out of his car in his bathing suit, and when he goes to secure help from Evelyn there is a woman who opens the door claiming to be her but looks nothing like her. Johnny is suspicious, and for good reason as a group of post-war Nazi sympathizers have invaded the house and replaced people with lookalikes.
Of course this sounds a bit ridiculous, but when people end up dead and Johnny ends up in the possession of a classified list of underground Nazis that they are trying to intercept, your pulse is sent racing. Johnny eventually locates the real Evelyn, but the remainder of the film is a game of them versus a world believing they are responsible for all the crimes going down at this seaside home. While not as developed as we might wish, Jeffreys does a really fine job as Evelyn and has believable chemistry with Tierney. The pair typically have more on their minds than romance, but there is an undercurrent between the two that cannot be denied. The person who steals the show, though, is Capt. Caleb Simpson (George Cleveland), a kindly motel owner who gives them the benefit of the doubt when they could use it the most. The villainous Nazis are relatively threadbare in their development, but work well enough as stock characters who are stirring up a mess of trouble.
Perhaps what benefits this film the most is the incredibly spry 62-minute runtime. While that number would barely constitute a full feature these days, the story thankfully does not try to inject too much in the way of padding to the narrative. You get the necessary character development to get invested and then you are off to the races. The movie is certainly not a classic in any real way, but it is a nifty little story that offers up a good deal of intrigue. The direction from Rosen is well accomplished as he utilizes his limited budget well with a great deal of mileage earned from the coastal setting. The photography from Frank Redman captures all of the settings with a keen eye for composition. If you want a little something that has fun with its pulpy elements, Step By Step tackles its premise with gusto. Fans of film noir should have a grand time.
Video Quality
Warner Archive presents Step By Step for the first time on Blu-Ray with a 1080p transfer sourced from a brand new remaster that is simply gorgeous. The image that this overlooked film is able to show off will knock you sideways. Print damage is virtually nonexistent throughout the duration of the movie in a way that you could mistake it for brand new. It is always amazing to see how far film preservation has come for these films that are not even the typical A-list titles. This black and white feature has nice, natural film grain throughout that provides a great amount of detail to the image. The presentation has a good amount of depth to it including in the shadows where there is no evidence of any black crush. Warner Archive has offered up another stunning release with this new Blu-Ray.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray release comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that sounds simply wonderful. Lawrence Tierney has a deliberate delivery that always comes through crystal clear. None of the sound effects or the moody score from Paul Sawtell ever overpowers the dialogue on this release. The more kinetic sequences including activities with the car are appropriately lively in the speakers. There does not appear to be any damage or age related wear to the track. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles available on the disc for those who need it. Overall, this is an excellent audio presentation that suits the material really well.
Special Features
- Warner Short Drama – The Trans-Atlantic Mystery: A nearly 22-minute short film from 1932 in which a detective is sent to investigate a murder amongst a group of jewel thieves. This is a pretty enjoyable short that accomplishes a lot in a short amount of time.
- Warner Cartoon – The Great Piggy Bank Robbery: A nearly eight-minute 1946 animated Looney Tunes short featuring Daffy Duck in which he indulges in his Dick Tracy fantasies as “Duck Tracy.” This is presented in HD and is very funny.
Final Thoughts
Step By Step is more than a little bit pulpy, but this swift film noir offers a great deal of intrigue and thrills when it counts. The performances by Tierney and Jeffreys are strong enough to elevate the occasionally underdeveloped roles they play. They have a believable chemistry that develops nicely over the hour-long runtime. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray featuring a wonderful A/V presentation and a couple of entertaining shorts. Once again the company has rescued a mostly forgotten film noir for a new generation to discover. Recommended
Step By Step can be purchased directly through the Warner Archive Amazon Store or various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
