3rd Voice, The (1960)

The master, Alfred Hitchcock, couldn’t have done better. It’s a low-budget thriller that compels attention from the arresting credits to the alarming fade-out.

An unnamed wastrel (Edmond O’Brien) will do anything for money, even to the point of assisting in the murder of ruthless millionaire Harris Chapman (Ralph Brooks), who has made the mistake of falling foul of his secretary, Marian (Laraine Day).

Having been thoroughly schooled in the boss’s speech, life and habits by Marian, O’Brien’s “voice” assumes the millionaire’s identity. By remote telephone control from Mexico, he takes over the murdered man’s business affairs, intending to steal a quarter of a million dollars before the murder is discovered.

The plot is perfect. It’s a film that knows where it’s going and gets there without extraneous detours. It’s as intricate as a jigsaw puzzle and just as emotionless.

The characters aren’t pleasant, but they’re hair-raisingly convincing. Edmond O’Brien contrives just the right mixture of shady self-confidence and nagging nerves as the great impersonator.

Laraine Day is deliciously heartless as the secretary out for revenge.

And as a stray charmer who becomes an integral part of O’Brien’s plot, Julie London is coolly mysterious.

The Man (voice)
Edmond O’Brien
Marian Forbes
Laraine Day
Corey Scott
Julie London
Harris Chapman
Ralph Brooks
Blonde Prostitute
Olga San Juan
Judge Kendall
George Eldredge
Desk Clerk
Tom Hernández
Police Inspector
Abel Franco
Carreras
Edward Colmans
Tourist at Bar
Tom Daly
Mrs Kendall
Lucille Curtis
Carreras’ Secretary
Shirley O’Hara
Bank Official
Raoul De Leon
Hotel Miramar Cashier
Sylvia Ray
Fisherman
Roque Ybarra
Captain Campos
Jorge (George) Treviño

Director
Hubert Cornfield