‘The Strange Love of Martha Ivers’ is a noir classic featuring the first role for Kirk Douglas

Many will remember 1946’s The Strange Love of Martha Ivers as the cinematic debut of Kirk Douglas. And it’s hard not to be influenced by the young actor’s impressive performance as an alcoholic district attorney with his eyes set on becoming the mayor of Iverstown.

But Douglas is only one piece of this devilish good noir tale featuring Barbara Stanwyck as the title character. Director Lewis Milestone and screenwriter Robert Rossen have put together a story with four plum parts, all filled out nicely by Douglas, Stanwyck, Van Heflin and Lizabeth Scott. This quartet of mayhem is linked by dark secrets, cutthroat ambitions and a little too much booze.

Martha Ivers (Stanwyck) and Sam Masterson (Heflin) were childhood friends when growing up in Iverstown. But all was not idyllic. Martha lived with an abusive aunt, and the young girl yearned to break free from the family estate. Time and time again, she ran away with Sam by her side, but time and time again, the police brought her back.

One night, frustrated with her existence, Martha committed the unimaginable: The young girl pushed her aunt down a flight of stairs, instantly killing her. The problem, besides the murder, is that both Sam and another kid by the name of Walter O’Neil (Douglas plays him as an adult) witness the crime and become involved in the murderous plot.

Rather than telling the police, the three children keep the crime to themselves. A pact, born of blood, is sealed that night, and everyone has guilt on their shoulders.

Many years later, Martha and Walter are married and quite successful. Martha inherited her family’s profitable business, while Walter is vying for the mayoral position in the city. All is going well and any hint of past indiscretions are completely gone.

It’s only when Sam crashes his car near the city limits that the one person who left Iverstown finally comes back, and he’s not as forgetful as Martha and Walter.

Toni (Scott) enters the picture as a strangely alluring woman who has actually done hard time. The day she’s released from prison is the same day Sam returns to Iverstown. The two take an almost instant liking of each other, and together they seek justice and a little revenge.

All of the actors are enjoyable in their flashy parts. Stanwyck is her usual skilled self, especially near the end of the movie when she’s unable to contain her true feelings anymore. Douglas is also quite good, and it’s no wonder he went on to such an illustrious career. For a first-time movie actor, the part of Walter O’Neil must have been difficult. The district attorney always has a drink in his hand, and he’s pained to see his wife falling once again for this mysterious out-of-towner. Douglas never overplays he part. Instead, he comes off all smiling and conciliatory, hiding his true emotions.

Scott is also sexy and sassy, while Heflin is spot-on as the no-regrets central character. Heflin holds much of the movie together with his brilliant line deliveries and dedication to the noir elements of the script. This many years after the movie’s original release, it’s truly a marvel to still be entranced by the part of Sam Masterson. He’s quick with a witty retort and never takes “no” for an answer. He’s the type of guy you want to keep on your good side.

The script features some great 1940s gems:

“What happened,” a guy asks Sam after the car accident. “The road curved, I didn’t,” he responds.

Or, my favorite line: “I wasn’t going to shoot.” “I wasn’t going to wait and see.”

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers is a classic that’s often overlooked by lovers of noir. It’s not riddled with coppers, gumshoe detectives and murderous villains. It’s actually much more subtle, and that’s one of the reasons it works so well.

The movie was recently released on DVD as part of The Legacy Collection: Kirk Douglas, a three-disc retrospective of the famous actor’s career. Unfortunately, the presentation on the DVD is atrocious. The first part of the film features an annoying echo, and much of the black-and-white imagery is blurry. Halfway through the movie, the color brightens and the sound realigns. For a Hollywood classic, the DVD transfer leaves something to be desired.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• The Strange Love of Martha Ivers

• 1946

• Directed by Lewis Milestone

• Written by Robert Rossen; based on a story by John Patrick

• Starring Kirk Douglas, Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin and Lizabeth Scott

• Running time: 116 minutes

• Rating: