Movie From the Past - The Strange Love of Martha Ivers - 1946

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers is a 1946 American film noir drama directed by Lewis Milestone and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Lizabeth Scott, and Kirk Douglas in his film debut. 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.

Though Milestone is the film's sole credited director, Byron Haskin temporarily took over directorial duties during production while Milestone participated in a Hollywood set decorators' strike, and the film's producer, Hal B. Wallis, also directed reshoots with Milestone's approval.

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers was entered into the 1947 Cannes Film Festival[4] and premiered in London in June 1946, before opening in New York City on July 25, 1946. It received largely favorable reviews from critics, and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Writing, Original Motion Picture Story. In 1974, the film entered the public domain in the United States because the claimants did not renew its copyright registration in the 28th year after publication.