The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers - FREE MOVIE - HD REMASTERED - Film Noir - Starring Kirk Douglas

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The Strange Love of Martha Ivers is a 1946 American film noir drama directed by Lewis Milestone. It follows a man who is reunited with his childhood friend and her husband; both the childhood friend and her husband believe that the man knows the truth about the mysterious death of the woman's wealthy aunt years prior. The screenplay was written by Robert Rossen (and an uncredited Robert Riskin), adapted from the short story "Love Lies Bleeding" by playwright John Patrick.

Plot
On a rainy night in 1928 in a Pennsylvania factory town called Iverstown, thirteen-year-old Martha Ivers tries to run away from the guardianship of her wealthy aunt, Mrs. Ivers, with her friend, the street-smart, poor Sam Masterson.

During a power failure, Sam comes for her, but Martha's aunt hears her calling to him from downstairs. While Sam slips out unnoticed, Mrs. Ivers starts beating Martha's kitten with her cane. Martha wrestles the cane away from her aunt and strikes her across the head, causing her to fall down the stairs, accidentally killing her. When the power comes back on, Martha lies about the incident to Walter Sr. Even though Walter Jr. saw everything, he backs her up. The greedy Walter Sr. makes it clear to both Walter Jr. and Martha that he knows what happened but that as long as he and his son stand to benefit, he will play along. Sam leaves town.

Seventeen years later, in 1946, Walter Sr. is now dead, and Walter Jr. is now Iverstown's district attorney and is married to Martha, who has used her inheritance to expand the Ivers milling empire. Their marriage is one-sided; he loves her, but Walter knows she does not love him.

Sam, having been a soldier and itinerant gambler while he was away, drives into the small town by chance and, after an accident, leaves his car to be repaired. While waiting, he goes to his old home, now a boarding house. He meets Antonia "Toni" Marachek, who has just been released from jail. She misses her bus, and they spend the night in adjoining rooms in a hotel. She is later picked up for violating her probation by not returning to her hometown. Sam asks Walter to use his influence to get Toni released.

Walter is convinced Sam has blackmail in mind. Sam then learns that Walter Sr. had presented Martha's version of the 1928 accidental murder to the police: that an intruder murdered Martha's aunt. With that leverage, Walter Sr. had made Martha marry his son. When the police identified a former employee of the aunt as the murderer, the two Walters and Martha helped convict him, and he was hanged.

When Martha reacts joyfully to seeing Sam, a jealous Walter forces Toni to set him up. Sam is beaten up and driven out of town, but he is too tough to be intimidated. When all else fails, Walter makes a half-hearted attempt to kill Sam himself but is easily disarmed. Walter inadvertently blurts out his fears of blackmail, only to learn that Sam had not witnessed the death. Martha breaks down and laments that he left without her all those years ago, taking her only chance for love and freedom with him.

Walter embraces and kisses Martha, who now points the gun at him, but he turns it around to point at her midriff. She puts her thumb over his finger on the trigger and presses. As she is dying, she defiantly states her name is not Martha Ivers, but Martha Smith. Outside, Sam hears the shot. He runs toward the mansion but sees Walter, holding Martha's body, shoot himself. Sam and Toni drive away together.

Cast
Barbara Stanwyck as Martha Ivers
Janis Wilson as young Martha Ivers
Van Heflin as Sam Masterson
Darryl Hickman as young Sam Masterson
Lizabeth Scott as Antonia "Toni" Marachek
Kirk Douglas as Walter O'Neil
Mickey Kuhn as young Walter O'Neil
Judith Anderson as Mrs. Ivers
Roman Bohnen as Mr. O'Neil
Ann Doran as Bobbi St. John
Frank Orth as Hotel clerk
James Flavin as Detective #1
Charles D. Brown as McCarthy
Blake Edwards as Sailor (uncredited)
Robert Homans as Gallagher (uncredited)
Gladden James as John (uncredited)