Street of Chance (1942 film)

Plot

Frank Thompson awakens in the middle of the street after wreckage falling from a building in New York City hits him on the head. Frank soon discovers that his apartment has been rented out for a year and his wife Virginia has been living on her own elsewhere.

Frank confronts Virginia, who is shocked to see the husband who disappeared without explanation a year earlier. As Frank slowly pieces together his old life, it turns out he is running from a murder he cannot remember committing, and Joe Marucci, a detective, is shadowing his every move.

Ruth Dillon introduces herself and takes Frank to the mansion of the wealthy Diedrich family, where she has been employed as a servant. Family matriarch Grandma Diedrich was an eyewitness to the murder of son Harry, but she is a housebound invalid who also is mute. Through sign language, Harry learns from her that Ruth is the killer, Harry having caught her stealing. Harry's life is in danger as well until Marucci arrives and catches the culprit.

Cast

Reception

Film critic Dennis Schwartz liked the film and wrote, "Jack Hively efficiently directs an early film noir that establishes a number of conventions that helped define noir ... Though the murderer was too obvious by the halfway point, the film still had many disturbing moments that kept me interested."