Jigsaw (1949)
A New York assistant district attorney investigates the murder of a crusading newspaper columnist who was closing in on a secretive fascist hate group operating behind a respectable front. As the inquiry pulls in nightclub singers and society figures, the prosecutor uncovers a conspiracy far larger than one man's death.
Jigsaw is best remembered today for its parade of uncredited cameos — Henry Fonda, John Garfield, and Burgess Meredith all turn up in small roles as a favor to producer-star Franchot Tone — dropped into an otherwise modest independent noir about a hate group hiding behind a patriotic front.
Background
Jigsaw was directed by Fletcher Markle, a Canadian-born director, and stars Franchot Tone, who also worked as the film’s producer. It was an independent 1949 production with Jean Wallace and Marc Lawrence in the cast. The story concerns a New York assistant district attorney who investigates the murder of a crusading newspaper columnist who was closing in on a secretive fascist hate group operating behind a respectable front. The film is best remembered for its uncredited cameos, in which Henry Fonda, John Garfield and Burgess Meredith appear in small roles as a favor to Tone.
What to watch for
The suspense comes from the prosecutor’s gradual discovery that the murder is part of a larger conspiracy, which pulls the investigation through nightclubs and society circles. Watch for the way the film presents the hate group as an organization with a respectable front, a portrait that was pointed for audiences in 1949. The cameo appearances are worth noticing as a record of the star’s favors to friends in the industry, and they add a layer of curiosity to an otherwise modest noir.
