Mr. Soft Touch (1949)

(On Cable TV, December 2022) While the notion of a Christmas film noir romantic comedy may seem improbable, there’s Mr. Soft touch to assert its existence. Here, Glenn Ford plays a veteran who, upon returning from WW2, sees that his partner has stolen his share of the nightclub he helped create, and decides to steal back all he’s owed. The robbery goes so well that it’s off-screen, but the troubles start when he attempts to leave town in the days before Christmas and finds his boat escape delayed. Trying to stay low until departure, he ends up under the care of a kind social worker (Evelyn Keyes, very likable). There’s romance and mobsters tracking him down and the Christmas spirit and plenty of other things—Mr. Soft Touch is as much a case study in blended genres as it’s a demonstration of how many tones can co-exist in a single film. The San Francisco scenery is not bad, but the fun here is in watching the film go in all sorts of directions without becoming completely incoherent, or losing some of that muted Christmastime spirit. It’s not that good, but it is surprising and when combined with many of the stylistic touches of noir, it does make for a good-enough viewing experience.