cigarette smoking   mirror   private detective   motel   double cross   screwball   based on novel   christmas   family relationships   missing person   car chase   marriage   criminal   prison break   brother sister relationship   falling down stairs   film within a film   face slap   father son relationship   los angeles california   corpse   new york city   fire   gangster   urban setting   character appears in newspaper   manhattan new york city   security guard   stockings   strait jacket   dumb criminal   death threat   deception   father daughter relationship   private eye   alcohol   jail break   siren   confession of crime   1930s   detective   taxi   ex husband ex wife relationship   beautiful woman   lawyer   attempted murder   heist   divorce   dinner party   american flag   shot in the shoulder   dinner   mysterious man   radiator   amateur detective   cocktail party   boyfriend girlfriend relationship   insanity   dead body   california   honeymoon   dead woman   christmas tree   truck   radio   anti hero   burnt face   gas chamber   seizure   motorcycle   macguffin   gasoline   false identity   whistle   person in car trunk   wink   cigarette holder   lieutenant   wanted poster   solitary confinement   high society   mercy killing   megaphone   inventor   criminal gang   migraine headache   fedora   suitcase of money   europe   innuendo   sophisticated comedy   soup   morgue   mistress   station wagon   bandaged face   fist fight   knocked unconscious   whodunit   finding a dead body   los angeles city hall   drive in theater   keep out sign   strawberry   cocktail   orchestral music score   christmas eve   murder of mother   arm sling   trojan horse   gun battle   illinois   prison cell   whispering   payroll robbery   state penitentiary   hearing aid   shot in the belly   long distance call   domestic dispute   bigamy   mama's boy   alibi   oedipus complex   pouring alcohol down someone's throat   detention   mobile home   scalded face   tailing a suspect   train robbery   firearm   tear gas   hotel suite   female stockinged feet   guard tower   grocery   mother's boyfriend   springfield illinois   booze   chorus line   booze drinking   couple sleep in separate beds   fox terrier   grant's tomb manhattan new york city   hidden safe   husband and wife sleuths   married detective   mutt   nick and nora charles   pet owner relationship   sparse music score   wiseguy dialogue   sophistication   title same as book   pet dog   wit   lip reading   triangulation   black sedan   communications equipment   direction finder   disobey direct order   fishing reel   gang banger   indiscretion   infiltrate the gang   killed in explosion   knock down woman   lake tahoe   laundered money   letter a   letter b   ma barker   mail train   mink coat   oil refinery   oscillator   passing message   policeman shot   shoot the lock   blocked road   car on train tracks   death of main character   shot through door   sierra nevada mountains   surrender to authority   track switch   vaccination   dog   cult favorite   betrayal   escape   murder   shot in the back   mistaken identity   martini   restroom   handgun   irreverence   explosion   police chase   tunnel   undercover   undercover cop   loss of mother   mother son relationship   on the run   revenge   nipples visible through clothing   tough guy   husband wife relationship   montage   villain played by lead actor   title spoken by character   newspaper headline   gas station   gun   drunkenness   punched in the face   party   fisherman   mother daughter relationship   psychopath   pay phone   police   sex   shotgun   tank car   wisecrack humor   wedding   prison   police detective