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Tension
Directed by John Berry
A man who had planned to murder his wife's lover becomes the prime suspect when somebody beats him to it.
1949 1h 35m Suspense/Mystery TV-PG
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![Richard Basehart, Warren Quimby [also known as Paul Southern]](https://prod-images.tcm.com/Master-Profile-Images/RichardBasehart.11095.2.jpg?w=200)
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Warren Quimby, a pharmacist and night manager at a twenty-four-hour drugstore in Los Angeles, is a devoted husband to his wife Claire, even after he finds evidence that she has been unfaithful to him. Claire, who is more interested in the gifts she receives from her mysterious male friends, than her marriage, shows little appreciation for the long hours Warren works to support her. When Warren finally saves enough money to buy a house in the suburbs, Claire announces that she will not to live outside the city. She eventually leaves Warren to live with her paramour, Barney Deager, who has impressed her with his new car. Refusing to accept Claire's desertion, Warren vows to fight to save his marriage, and goes to Deager's house in Malibu to attempt to win back Claire. Warren finds Claire on the beach with Deager, and when an argument ensues, Deager gives Warren a severe beating, and warns him never to return. Humiliated, Warren returns to his drugstore and tells his co-worker, Freddie, about the incident. When Freddie declares that he would have killed Deager had he been treated in such a manner, Warren takes Freddie's idea seriously and lays out a plan to kill the man who stole his wife. As part of his methodical plot, Warren exchanges his eyeglasses for contact lenses and creates a new look for himself. He then picks a new name for himself, Paul Sothern, and moves into a new apartment, where he plans to live during weekends. While moving some of his possessions into his ...
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This film is introduced and intermittently narrated by "Lt. Collier Bonnabel," the character played by Barry Sullivan. An October 1948 Hollywood Reporter news item notes that M-G-M purchased the rights to John Klorer's unpublished story as a starring vehicle for Robert Taylor and Van Heflin. A pre-production news item in Hollywood Reporter indicates that Harry Antrim was cast, but his appearance in the released film has not been confirmed. Although Hollywood Reporter production charts list George White as the film's editor, onscreen credits list Albert Akst.