Glenn Ford, Man Of Mystery

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No film noir actor could could glower or brood with as much sex appeal as Glenn Ford. His gravelly, yet purring voice was as unique as his crooked, half-mast smile.

He started acting in pictures in 1939, but then joined the Marines, going overseas for World War II. He married Eleanor Powell in 1943, with whom he had a son, who also became an actor (Peter Ford). He later starred in "Gilda", which really got the ball rolling.

These are some of the film noir movies Glenn Ford has been in, which represent only a handful of all his work. They are listed in chronological order.

Gilda (1946)
Ford is Johnny Farrell, a man who's got it bad for Gilda (Rita Hayworth), his ex-lover and the wife of his best friend and boss who doesn't know of their past. It's a complicated and agonizing triangle for all three.
"Gilda" on DVD

Framed (1947)
This film has a promising start, with Mike Lambert (Ford) careening into town in a truck with no brakes. Soon he gets involved with a waitress (Janis Carter) in the local coffee shop, who is also involved with Stephen Price, the married VP Barry Sullivan of the bank they are swindling. She plots with Stephen to embezzle a quarter of a million dollars (a lot in those days). Then they would off some poor schmuck (Ford) and pawn off the body as Stephen so the couple can leave town, free and clear. And rich. Mike is set up to be framed and murdered by the pair, until this deadly femme fatale falls in love with Mike and the plan doesn't quite play out as expected...

The Undercover Man (1949)
He's Frank Warren, an undercover agent for the IRS battling paranoia, violence and corruption in order to convict a mobster for tax evasion.

Lust For Gold (1949)
A western noir in which Glenn Ford plays a German in Arizona who is the only one who knows where the local gold mine is hidden. He's beastly, murderous and scary, until he goes sweet on the local baker (Ida Lupino). She is the most charming and deadly of femme fatales as she weaves her web around him, and her husband, then falls into it herself.
"Lust for Gold" on DVD

Convicted (1950) -- As Joe Hufford, Glenn Ford goes to jail for a murder he didn't commit. Well, it was an accident. The prosecuting attorney (Broderick Crawford) doesn't think he deserves it, but Joe's defense lawyer messes up so he's sent to prison. Joe tries his best to stay out of trouble, but temptation is everywhere. The prosecuting attorney (Crawford) is now the new warden and he and his lovely daughter (Dorothy Malone) do their best to give him a break by hiring him as their inmate chauffeur, but days before his parole he is almost convicted of a second murder...he knows who did it, but risks his freedom rather than squeal on a fellow prisoner.

The Big Heat (1953)
Ford is Sergeant Dave Barrison, who takes on the syndicate practically single-handedly. His staunch morals drive his quest for vengeance, but there's a whole lotta collateral damage along the way.
"The Big Heat" on DVD

Human Desire (The Human Beast) (1954)
He plays Jeff Warren, a train engineer sucked into an affair with a dangerous sex kitten (Gloria Grahame) and her twisted relationship with her husband (Broderick Crawford). Fritz Lang directs.
"Human Desire (The Human Beast)" on VHS

Although usually considered a western, see 3:10 To Yuma also.

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