The Madonna's Secret

1946 film by Wilhelm Thiele

February 16, 1946 (1946-02-16) (United States)

Running time

79 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

The Madonna's Secret is a 1946 American film noir crime film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and starring Francis Lederer, Gail Patrick, Ann Rutherford and Edward Ashley.^[1]

Plot

In an art gallery, drama critic John Earl sees a portrait of a beautiful woman painted by James Harlan Corbin [Lederer], gazing at it entranced. He asks the gallery owner who the model was; the owner says that it was the artist's only model, and is not for sale. Puzzled, Earl returns to his office; he knows the face but cannot remember her name. He phones Corbin with a proposal to buy the painting, but Corbin refuses.

Earl continues his pursuit to find out who the model for the painting was. He learns her name is Helen North, but the young woman looks nothing like the woman in the painting. He visits with her to learn Corbin's location, but she refuses, telling him that she will be singing at a local nightclub which Corbin frequents. Earl finds both of them in the gallery, and again confronts Corbin. Becoming clearly annoyed, Corbin invites the singer out for a night in his yacht. She agrees, but is later found washed ashore. Although Police Lt. Roberts initially questions Helen's suitor Hunt Mason, Mason implicates Corbin as the last person who saw Helen North. John Earl works with the police department to arrange for Helen's sister Linda to apply for modeling, in order to spy on Corbin. The two return to Corbin's boathouse. While there, Linda calls for Earl and tells his chef that she is in danger and to notify the police. There, she learns that Corbin did not murder her sister. Thereafter, she falls in love with Corbin and agrees to support him against the district attorney's allegations he killed both Helen and another model, Madonna. Although Corbin has visions that he did so, Linda tells him to make sure he is telling the truth before confessing such heinous crimes. Linda returns home with Corbin's mother, who poisons her tea and tries to inject her with a lethal substance before the police shoot. Corbin had suddenly recognized who it was that had planted evidence at the boathouse to implicate him. Police arrive just in time to save Linda from death but not Mrs. Corbin, who dies in her son's arms.