John Farrow | The Big Clock / 1946

the big clock

by Douglas Messerli

 

Jonathan Latimer (screenplay based on Kenneth Fearing’s fiction The Big Clock), John Farrow (director) / 1946

 

The Big Clock is another of the wonderful noirs which appear to be all about the heterosexual affairs of its lead villain, but is actually about hidden attractions to his staff members and others of his magazine Crimeways.

       The lead actor, in this case, is George Stroud, happily married and with a young son, but with some home problems since he has never been given time for a honeymoon, which his wife wants to celebrate in West Virginia. Stroud had finally purchased the tickets and the date set, except that his series is going hot, and the company owner, villain Earl Janoth is not about to lose his greatest writer to a honeymoon. Ultimately he fires Stroud, who finally accepts the situation. All would still be well if it were not for the fact that Janoth’s mistress is determined to enter into the situation, get Stroud drunk and then quickly ditch him as Janoth returns. Janoth sees a man leave, but doesn’t recognize him in the dark light.  

     Now attempting to make it up with his wife who has already bolted to Wheeling, Stroud is again forced to call off the honeymoon when Janoth calls him up to use his team of writers as researchers to discover what will be an innocent man. Knowing that he is the real “criminal,” George has no choice but return to work to help in saving an innocent.

        The night with Janoth’s mistress Pauline York has involved several bars, searches for a green clock, and an eccentric painter, Elsa Lancaster. Stroud must pretend to appear to lead the investigation diligently while preventing the truth to come out and reveal him as the culprit (although he himself is innocent as well). soon after, however, he discovers himself in a further dilemma and he uncovers the fact that Janoth’s mistress has been murdered.

        As Janoth’s goons and the local police force close down the large headquarters containing a big clock in its midst, Stroud is forced up into the fine workings of the clock where one of the suspects, Janoth’s masseur (Henry Morgan), attempts to check him out. Stroud is forced to kill him and also arranges for the elevator to be open without any insides.

         Eventually, Stroud, and a false cop, gets another Janoth favorite, Steve Hagen (George Macready) to almost admit to the crime, but when the real murderer Janoth says they will get him the best lawyer possible, Hagen refuses to further serve as Janoth’s cover Janoth runs for the open elevator to his death.

      By this time Stroud’s wife (Maureen O’Sullivan) has returned to become involved and the honeymoon is restored by film’s end.

 

 

         Not only is it quite apparent that Janoth is truly committed to his men, not Pauline York; but it becomes apparent that she is a mere trophy who has gotten in his way. Janoth incidentally is performed by the great gay actor and director Charles Laughton.

 

Los Angeles, May 30, 2025

Reprinted from My Queer Cinema blog and World Cinema Review (May 2025).