Hollow Triumph (1948) – One Face. Two Lives.

Hollow Triumph (1948) – One Face. Two Lives.

This Film Noir was released as Hollow Triumph (1948), but it is sometimes called The Scar. This movie had a pool of talent but didn’t seem to rise to the occasion. There are a few reasons for this, including the fact that actor and producer Paul Henreid took over as the director. He tried to make himself sound demanding and tough during the gangster scenes. Still, it came off as more of a bad parody of Edward G. Robinson as Little Caesar (1931) or maybe a Duke Mantee type as Henreid’s Casablanca (1942) co-star, Humphrey Bogart played in The Petrified Forest (1936). However, the biggest weakness was casting one of the greatest Femme Fatales, Joan Bennett, as Evelyn Hahn, a jaded big-city girl with a heart of gold who only wanted love. This film misused her talents.

The film begins with John Mueller (Paul Henreid) being released from prison. They state that Mueller studied medicine for four years at university. Still, he became a con man practicing psychology without a medical license. They also mentioned that he pulled other long scams and spent money like a drunken savior.

The parole board sets up a job for him in a medical factory, but he returns to his criminal gang. He uses Little Caesar-style bullying to force the other members of the gang into robbing a casino owned by a gangster. That never turns out bad.

The robbery goes off pretty well, but they do have some trouble shutting off the power for their escape. When the gang runs outside with the loot, they are hit by generator-powered spotlights. Members of the owner’s gang open up with gunfire, shooting one robber and causing one of the cars to crash.

The men from the crashed car provide the names of the escaped robbers before they are executed by a group of criminals, including Bullseye, played by Jack Webb in his first role. The boss sends Bullseye and another man to track down the two escaped robbers.

Mueller’s partner flees to Mexico City and is eventually gunned down there by the gangsters. Mueller decides he needs to lay low, so he takes the job at the medical factory first offered by the parol board.

The job goes as well as can be expected, until one day Mueller is sent on a delivery errand. Dentist Swangron, played by John Qualen, stops him on the street, thinking Mueller is Doctor Bartok, a psychologist who works in the same building. The only difference is that Bartok has a scar on his cheek.

Being a career-minded criminal, Mueller goes directly to Bartok’s office, where he determines the types of cases the doctor undertakes and the money that can be made. Mueller is in the doctor’s office when the secretary, Evelyn Hahn, played by Joan Bennett, arrives. She gives Mueller a big kiss but soon realizes he is not the doctor. Mueller is so charming in this film that even though he has been caught breaking and entering, he gets Evelyn’s digits.

Mueller begins studying psychology and practicing to play the doctor. After some time passes, Mueller contacts Evelyn for a date. She meets for the date, and before long, they have a steamy relationship. Mueller uses Evelyn to get files and tapes from the doctor’s office so he can study to replace the medical man. Out of the blue, Mueller breaks off the relationship with Evelyn. She acts tough but takes it hard. She is jaded but definitely not a Femme Fatale.

Bullseye and another man are shown still hunting for Mueller.

After more time has passed, Mueller takes a secret picture of Dr. Bartok on the street. Once he retrieves the picture from the developing studio, he uses the picture, a mirror, and his medical skills to cut a matching scar onto his cheek.

Unknown to Mueller, the clerk at the developing studio had flipped the negative, printing the scar on the wrong cheek. Therefore, Mueller has cut the scar on the wrong side. All the mirror reflections have tipped the coming of this problem.

The next phase of Mueller’s plan is to get a job at a garage that handles the parking of wealthy clients, including Dr. Bartok. One evening, Bullseye and his pal come into the garage to get gas. Mueller hides his face and is not recognized.

Later, Mueller manipulates things, so he is alone with Dr. Bartok in the car. Mueller murders Bartok with a wrench and throws the body into the river. However, during the process, he realizes that the scar is on the wrong side of his face.

Mueller takes over Doctor Bartok’s life and practice, and it seems that Evelyn doesn’t realize there has been a change. As Bartok, he is no longer dating Evelyn. One evening, Meuller gets a call from a woman whom he is dating. He doesn’t know her name and has to trick her into wearing a carnation so he can identify her. On the date, he and the young woman go to Maxwell’s gambling hall, where Bartok is well known.

One day, Swangron comes to talk to Mueller/Bartok. He never notices that the scar is on the wrong side. Mueller now knows he can get away with the scheme. It also shows that Mueller is burning through Bartok’s assets.

Mueller’s brother, played by Eduard Franz, goes to the doctor’s office. He does not recognize his brother with the scar but says that the gangsters chasing his brother have been arrested and are no longer after him.

Evelyn realizes that it is Mueller and not Doctor Bartok. She is very upset and leaves the building. Mueller gets rid of his brother and waits for Evelyn to return to her apartment. Evelyn says that she is leaving for Hawaii. Meuller says he will go with her. Evelyn doesn’t believe the fraudster or that love can be real.

Mueller goes to the office to sell the practice as Evelyn heads for the boat. She waits on the railing, hoping Meuller will arrive. As he leaves the office, the only person who mentions his scar being on the wrong side is the lowly charwoman played by Mabel Paige. HUMP

Mueller makes it to the dock, but two gangsters are shown following him. They are not from the robbed casino but from Maxwell’s, where Mueller and Bartok have amassed a $90,000 gambling debt. They shoot Mueller, who dies on the dock, looking towards the boat. Evelyn, brokenhearted, sails away.

Henreid did a lot of moves with cigarettes in this film. I think he was trying to recapture the double cigarette bit from Now Voyager (1942). If the years were different, I would say Evelyn ended up as a jaded prostitute in Hawaii, played by Donna Reed in From Here to Eternity (1953).

This film missed big by not doing the eye cuts like was done in the Major Strasser scene in Casablanca (1942) and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966). See my cut at the end.

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