Jennifer (1953 film)

Jennifer
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Joel Newton
Screenplay by	Bernard Girard Richard Dorso
Based on	the Feb. 1949 Cosmopolitan short story "Jennifer" by Virginia Myers[1]
Produced by	Berman Swarttz
Starring	Ida Lupino Howard Duff Robert Nichols Mary Shipp
Cinematography	James Wong Howe
Edited by	Everett Douglas
Music by	Ernest Gold
Production company	Monogram Pictures
Distributed by	Allied Artists Pictures
Release date	October 25, 1953 (1953-10-25) (United States)
Running time	73 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Jennifer is a 1953 American film noir drama mystery film directed by Joel Newton and starring Ida Lupino, Howard Duff, and Robert Nichols.^[2][3] The film is notable for the introduction of the jazz standard "Angel Eyes," composed and performed by Matt Dennis.^[4]

Down on her luck, Agnes Langley (Ida Lupino) is hired by Lorna Gale (Mary Shipp) to replace the "missing" Jennifer as caretaker for the Gale family's currently unoccupied Southern California estate. Agnes is immediately affected by the mysterious house and, after she finds a diary apparently belonging to Jennifer, becomes obsessed with determining the cause of the woman's "disappearance".

• Ida Lupino as Agnes Langley
• Howard Duff as Jim Hollis
• Robert Nichols as Orin
• Mary Shipp as Lorna Gale
• Ned Glass as Grocery Clerk
• Kitty McHugh as Landlady
• Lorna Thayer as Molly, Grocery Clerk
• Matt Dennis as himself

Time Out magazine (London) writes of the film, "This is gothic romance crossed with early-'50s noir, worth a look for the sake of the great Wong Howe. Grey-listed and taking what work he could get, he tackles even this B-picture for Monogram with unfailing artistry, creating images that are strong without being showy, atmospheric yet perfectly naturalistic."^[5]

• Jennifer at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
• Jennifer at IMDb
• Jennifer at AllMovie
• Jennifer at the TCM Movie Database
• Jennifer essay by Kimberly Lindbergs at TCM's Movie Morlocks