The Man in the Net (1959)

I always found Alan Ladd a rather soporific actor and sadly here he isn't any different. He was a successful graphic designer and is now an artist who is down on his luck and his marriage to "Linda" (Carolyn Jones) is looking distinctly rocky. She hankers for her previous life in the big city, has taken to the bottle and is making it clear to all she can tell that he is a brute of an husband. When she leaves a letter on his typewriter saying she has had enough and left, he sets out to find her - only to discover that something far more sinister is afoot. Self-preservation becomes the order of the day, and luckily he has the friendship of some local children who prove very effective at being his eyes and his ears! Can he get to the bottom of things before his neighbours come to the conclusion that he is the culprit of an heinous crime and take the law into their own hands? It's a bit on the slow side at the start and it does take a while to build up any sort of head of steam, but once we are clear of the structure of the mystery it develops well enough. Ladd is proficient, he lacks any spark, but Diane Brewster ("Vickie") adds a little character to what is otherwise a rather flat crime drama. The story has it's moments and maybe a bit less dialogue and a bit more characterisation would have helped it, but it's still fine to watch - you just won't remember it.