The Irony of Hollow Triumph

Officials at a prison are reviewing the resume of John Muller, who is to be released today. His resume is imposing, but several red flags exist: practicing psychoanalysis without a license, owning stock in non-existent oil wells in Ohio, and several other peculiarities; of most of these charges, he was never convicted. Finally, being sentenced to prison, his prison cell resembles an office with a desk and a library. The prison warden offers him a job at a medical supply company, a good job, and his history will be known only to one person and remain unknown to the rest. But Muller refuses the gesture, and the warden predicts he will be back here. Giving him a bus ticket to Los Angeles and good-luck wishes, Muller leaves. Outside, Muller is picked up in a car by his associate, Marcy (Herbert Rudley), who plans to rejoin his gang after serving his prison term. Johnny is lying in bed, playing with his gun, as Marcy walks in. Muller asks about the rest of the boys. Muller asks about Marcy’s setup, and he claims he’s doing great, earning at least 90 dollars a week. “ Safe and sure, you’re beginning to sound like my brother,” Muller states. Another one of the gang welcomes Johnny back. Finally, two other gang members enter the scene. With the old gang present, having fun drinking, Johnny lays out plans for the next heist.

“Now listen! I had a long time to think; I got it all worked out. We’re going to knock over the Rocky Stansyck’s gambling joint.” Marcy says in shock, “Not Stansyck. You need an army to take him.” Members of the gang inform Johnny how difficult it will be to pull off this job. Johnny accuses the boys of getting soft, “that there ought to be $200,000 for us.” Johnny lays out how the heist will go down, but Marcy reminds Muller that one guy tried to job the casino once and got away without any money, but he was found dead in Paris two years later. “That’s the way Stansyck operates!” All the boys, except Marcy, go along with the heist idea, but Johnny remembers he worded things in court so Marcy would stay out of person when Muller did time. Marcy reluctantly agrees to do the job out of guilt.

In the next scene, Johnny and two gang members enter the casino, surveying the area. The gang members approach the cash window with pistols concealed in paper valises and demand the money. Everything remains calm as people focus on their gambling, and no one notices anything wrong. However, things begin to go off-plan when a casino employee overpowers one of the gang members waiting near the entrance. They struggle until the gang member strikes the casino employee on the head. One of Johnny’s boys turns off the lights, and the gang quickly flees. The now-conscious casino employee awakens and turns the lights back on as the getaway car arrives a few seconds late, causing one gang member to be shot as the men pile into the two vehicles. In their attempt to escape, the casino employees fire at the two vehicles, causing one car to drive off the curb and into the bushes. Rocky Stansyck (Thomas B. Henry, who played military officials in a slew of 1950s science fiction films) and his men force the two men to reveal who escaped in the other car. Stansyck orders, “Get ’em, if it takes 20 years, get ’em!”

The great John Alton returns as cinematographer, just as he was in The Big Combo, transforming another “B” movie into cinematic perfection with his sense of the visual. The sequence at the casino, dingy and claustrophobic, is dimly lit, with harsh white overhanging lights that contrast with the shadows and overhead shots looking down at the clients, all of which enhance the feel of the casino. It’s low-rent gambling all the way, but Alton makes the environment breathe. In the room where the gang plays cards and drinks, as Muller persuades the gang to join the heist, we again have deep shadows contrasted with the well-lit people, creating a dark environment that fosters crime.

Aboard the train, Marcy panics, knowing that the Stansyck gang will eventually catch up with them. Muller, drinking a beer, remains calm. “Shut up! You got the money, you got 60 grand.” Marcy plans to run to South America … alone. Muller thinks of the job offer from the Meikle John Company that the warden extended to him and heads toward Los Angeles. As Muller calmly sits in a seat, the resource personnel man tells him, “I’ll give you every protection you need,” and assures him that this will be a fresh start, with nobody knowing his past. Then, in a John Alton-created montage, we view Muller’s mundane daily work schedule routine in contrast to his handling of the heist money at home. While back at work, Muller’s boss harasses him, giving him a delivery job at the end of the day. The boss accuses him of thinking he’s too good for the job and suggests he quit. But Muller, acting respectfully, tells Mr. Thompson, "Yes,” rises, picks up the delivery package, and leaves.

While out on the street, Muller notices a well-dressed man with a cigarette following him, Swangron (John Qualen), and he ultimately corners the man in a cul-de-sac. “What do you want?” Muller asks. The man answers, “It was all a mistake. I thought I recognized you. I thought you were somebody I knew. You look exactly like him … the same features, the same build.” Muller responds, “There’s nobody who looks like me.” The man insists that he looks just like him, “except for the scar. “Yes, he’s got a scar on his right cheek. No, I mean his left cheek. Well, I don’t remember … His name is Bartok. He’s a professional colleague. I mean, we have offices in the same building … He’s a doctor, and I’m a dentist.” Muller tells him to beat it.

We see a wooden door with the inscription “Dr. Victor Bartok, Consulting Psychologist,” followed by a moody point-of-view shot from Alton as Muller surveys the inner office. A woman enters from another room while Muller remains perfectly calm. She asks what he’s doing there so early, to which he replies, "Why not? “I just talked to you on the phone … how did you get here so fast?” the woman, Evelyn Hahn (Joan Bennett), inquires. He responds that it wasn’t easy to do. She greets him with a long, warm kiss but appears upset by his affectionate response and soon realizes he is not Bartok. He then shares some Freudian jargon with her, causing her to become abruptly distant from Muller, partly out of embarrassment. Then, Muller asks her out on a date tonight, but she immediately declines. Besides, the distinguished Dr. Bartok is now exiting his car.

Later, Mr. Thompson reminds Muller that he’s been away from his desk for three hours. Muller says he was delayed. Explaining further, he took a long walk. Thompson puts his hands on Muller and punches his boss unconscious, and he walks away. In the bathroom, while cleaning up, another employee comes in and states, “You got yourself fired, you know that?” Muller says, “I had enough of this place.” The man says Muller’s brother Freddy called and wants to see him at the Hotel Frasier. With this notice, the otherwise calm Muller is highly concerned about receiving a phone call until he learns it is from his brother.

Muller is in a hotel room talking to Freddy—the set flourishes under the cinematography of John Alton. Harsh light shines down from two light bulbs above and one very bright one from behind. The bed is brightly lit as Muller sinks into half-darkness in a chair in front of it. The brother seems to have a halo. And shadows are everywhere.

Freddy Muller (Arthur Franz) says, “The minute I found out you took that job at Meikle John … they started coming around looking for you … friends of yours … but they were no friends of yours. They were Rocky Stansyck’s boys.” It’s been four weeks since they first came, and Johnny Muller says they will lose interest, that it will blow over. Freddy shows him a newspaper about his friend Marcy, who was shot dead in Mexico. He tells Johnny, “You ran around, good times, girls … You were special. You never followed the rules. There were no rules for you. Would you believe it? I wanted to see you get away with it. You were everything I wasn’t, everything I wanted to be, everything we all would like to be. Only we know better. We don’t take the chances. We know sooner or later, it always catches up with you.” Johnny tells his brother Freddy that he doesn’t want any lectures.

Johnny exits the hotel at night, constantly scanning his surroundings and remaining cautious of any man approaching him. In fear, Johnny dashes back inside the hotel as two of Stansyck’s men come closer, one of whom is Bullseye (Jack Webb). In another striking series of scenes shot by John Alton, Muller climbs outside the building, metal rails and ladders clinking amidst gigantic shadows while silhouettes loom constantly. Bright lights shine in the background as indistinct figures move in the foreground. Stansyck’s men fire a shot, illuminating the night as smoke billows. Johnny charges toward the mist again, spotlighted by harsh lights ahead of him. Johnny makes it downtown, but Bullseye and his partner are in pursuit. The cityscape is awash with shadows, patches of light, and sharply defined faces. Tram trains slice through the night, accompanied by the sounds of jazz music and the aroma of food stands. The trams cast a blinding light, offering Johnny a chance to escape from the killer hot on his heels. He boards one, kicking one of his pursuers off the tram as he speeds away to safety.

Muller goes back to his apartment and quickly packs a few essential items. But as he gazes into an illuminated mirror, he thinks and remembers he is a dead ringer for Dr. Bartok, and he sees his replacement of the doctor as his only portal to safety and freedom. Later, on a date at the zoo, Evelyn from Bartok’s office watches an ant exhibition, and Muller promptly compares her to the ants, doing their duty every day and following the same routine at night. She sees gears turning in Johnny’s eyes and asks what this is really about. But he smiles to say he is getting acquainted with a girl on a Sunday afternoon.

Later, standing outside of a café in the rain, Evelyn is suspicious and weary of Muller, but he keeps turning on the charm. She thanks him for dinner but sums up Muller, “You’re one of those … trying to take somebody.” Muller asks, "What are his chances?" She responds, “When you start walking on your head. If you think I’m going to get mixed up with you, you’re crazy. You’re pretty good, and you’ve got style, but first comes you, second comes you, third comes you, and after that comes you. You’re one of those egotistical smart-alecks with big ideas. You think you’ve got a right to get away with murder, and I imagine you often do, but not with me.” Then Bennett and Muller go on a date, and at the finale, she kisses him.

Muller is in Bartok’s office, sifting through files, when the real Bartok walks in, prompting Muller to hide behind the door. Both men are in view at that moment. After Bartok leaves, Evelyn storms in, venting about being fired for bringing personal friends to the office. “A very complicated kind of life you lead,” Muller observes. Right in front of Evelyn, Muller swipes a canceled check signed by Bartok and practices his signature at home to perfect the handwriting. He also steals recordings of sessions with Bartok’s clients to accurately mimic their speech patterns. Furthermore, he spends his free time studying clinical psychology. He familiarizes himself with the type of symphonic music Bartok enjoys and even finds time to buy expensive jewelry for Evelyn. However, Evelyn quickly realizes that Muller is about to end their relationship. She says, “I’ve saved you a couple of hours, but what’s the story he would tell? Simply put, he is moving to Paris. Yet, Evelyn reveals that she has fallen for Johnny and has feelings for him. She urges Johnny to reconsider, suggesting that perhaps they could build a good life together. Yet, Evelyn acknowledges, “It’s no use.” Johnny agrees. After Johnny leaves, Evelyn breaks down in tears, not yet realizing that Johnny is merely using her to get closer to Bartok.

Johnny, after some time, reappears well-dressed with a mustache, applying for a job at Clover Garage, the same garage where an employee transports Bartok to work every day. He patiently listens to his potential new boss, but the boss wants at least one reference. Johnny tells the boss that he worked for the Meikle John Company but was fired for getting into a fistfight. The boss seems sympathetic and offers him the job, instructing him on where to pick up his uniform. Meanwhile, Muller compares a photo of Batok’s face and scar to his face and uses medical equipment to replicate Batok’s scar, closely studying the photo in the mirror. Opening an envelope and discovering something missing, Muller calls the photographer who did the enlargement, saying, "What happened to the negative? I want the negative back!” In anger, Muller says he’ll pick it up. When he does, he immediately storms out of the shop, the owners not having the chance to tell him the negative was mistakenly flipped, so Bartok’s scar is on the right side of his face instead of on the left.

Bullseye and partner coincidentally pull into the Clover Garage, and just as coincidentally, Muller steps up to pump gas for them. He almost immediately recognizes the men in the car. In another superlative John Alton shot, the three men are in a dimly-lit underground garage, with a sign illuminated by a bright light that reads, “Clover Garage, you’re lucky to do business here.” Again, harsh overhead lights shine down, casting shadows throughout the garage. Checking under the hood, Muller turns in such a way as to be unrecognizable to the men inside the car. As Muller walks away, thinking he is safe, the boys in the vehicle honk their horns to ask a question. “Hey, you, how much do you get for overnight parking?” Without turning around, Muller, with a worried face, says 75 cents, and the Stansyck boys yell they will be back later.

The scene features an extreme close-up of Muller on the right, illuminated to reveal his nervous, sweaty expression, contrasted with the two men in the shadowy left background, also clearly distinguished against the total blackness. Muller, accompanied by an attendant who is whistling and dancing, picks up a heavy wrench from a work table amidst the billowing smoke from his cigarette. Bartok arrives in his car, and Muller volunteers to take this one, leaving the other attendant to practice his ballroom dancing. Bartok immediately orders Muller (unseen and unknown) to the back seat as loud opera music resonates. Bartok doesn’t want any conversation either. Then, in another John Alton montage, Muller recalls Marcy and his claim that the Stansyck gang will eventually find them since Marcy was shot dead in Mexico. The exceptional visuals conclude with a shot of a stop signal changing to go as we see Muller climb over to the front seat of the car, having killed Bartok. Stopping on a bridge to seemingly dump the body, another passing vehicle halts to help, but Muller, dressed in his garage uniform, kindly declines the offer, stating his motor is only flooded. Returning to the car and pulling up the corpse, he realizes that his scar is on the wrong side of his face.

The next day, Evelyn tries to call Muller at home, as a patient is already waiting for Bartok. Muller has taken on Bartok’s identity, mimicking his mannerisms and personality. In another subjective shot, Muller enters the office to hear a typewriter clicking and sees Evelyn. If he can fool her, he can fool anyone. She asks why he’s late and mentions that one patient has already canceled. Evelyn notices that Victor is exhausted and hasn’t slept the previous night. Then, the dentist, Qualen, rushes into the office, telling the story of a man he met last month who looked exactly like Bartok, except he didn’t have a scar. He fails to recognize Muller or note that his scar is on the right side.

Through regular patient visits, we gather little snippets of their sessions. Muller does not have to say much, as the patient does most of the conversing. At night, he checks his payroll balance sheets as money continues to roll in. As he checks his accounts, the office phone rings, but with so many phones in the office, he becomes frustrated by the one ringing. When he locates the live one, it's his wife, Virginia (Leslie Brooks), calling to ask why he’s late. Instead of coming home, he invites his wife to meet him at a local hotel. She finally arrives wearing the orchid he told her to buy. When he asks who will be at Maxwell’s, she tells him the usual crowd. Victor tells Virginia to drive his car to Maxwell’s. Observing the environment, he observes opulence, hanging chandeliers, spinning gambling machines, and a crowd of people. One attendant tells Victor he has been coming to Maxwell’s three times a week. As he is a frequent gambler, all the employees there seem to know Victor. But Muller makes a mistake, calling one of the employees by the wrong name.

The next day at the office, business is back to normal. Victor walks Mrs. Nielson from his office. She notes, “I didn’t think of it until just now. New methods. I don’t know what it was, but they weren’t quite the same today, were they?” Victor answers her, “We vary our procedures from time to time, Mrs. Nielson,” as Evelyn listens in disbelief. To her, something is the matter. Bartok invites Evelyn into his office and asks why she has been observing him all day. “You’ve been so strange. You’ve been avoiding me.” Bartok answers her, “Do you blame me? What do you think I am, Evelyn? Don’t you think I know … You’ve been seeing somebody. Well, isn’t it true?” Evelyn responds that it is not and bitterly tells of avoiding heartbreak. Evelyn says you can fire me anytime, but Bartok thoughtfully expresses that he would miss her badly. You don’t know how much I would miss you.”

Freddy is desperately trying to find his brother, Johnny, and receives a phone number to call a garage. Soon after, Freddy is at Bartok’s office speaking with Evelyn about his brother. The people at the garage informed him that Johnny was in contact with Dr. Bartok when he disappeared. When Bartok steps out of his office, Freddy exclaims, “That’s my brother!” as Bartok tries to remain relaxed. Evelyn appears confused and begins to piece things together. Bartok remains calm, and Freddy notices the resemblance is striking but not exact, especially with the scar. Then Evelyn reveals, "And his name was John Muller.” As she leaves the room, she adds, “He went to Europe, to Paris. That’s all I know, leave me alone!” Muller follows Evelyn into another room, and it’s clear she has uncovered the scam. The two bitterly argue, but Muller reveals all the essentials and tells her to wait for him after he sees the next patient. Freddy informs Bartok that Stansyck is no longer pursuing him. "I work for the government; I know people. They tip me off. We got this man, Stansyck, on income tax charges. They’re deporting him in another month or so. They’ve already broken up his crowd. My brother’s safe, in the clear, and he doesn’t know it. There’s no telling what he might do. You don’t know him. He’s smart, has big ideas, and is willing to take any chance. I’ve got to stop him before it’s too late … I’m sorry for the trouble I caused you.”

Muller is searching for Evelyn in the office, but she's not there. Soon, a cab pulls up with Evelyn, and Muller rushes back to the office to talk to her. Muller asks, “What are you doing? Honolulu, you’re sailing tonight. What kind of deal did you make? You turned me into the police?” Evelyn answers casually that he need not worry. “How do you think I feel?” she asks. Muller tells her to give it time, “You’ll get over it.” Muller says, “Now is the time to cash in, both of us.” Evelyn, in disgust, says it’s not worth it.

Evelyn rants, “I’m sick of being smart, waiting for time to pass, waiting to get over it … I booked passage on the first boat going out because I want to get away as fast and as far as I can.” Evelyn screams that she hates everything. “I hate, I hate, I hate.” In frustration. Muller slaps her to the floor. Lying there, hurting, she whimpers and cries. Muller slowly picks Evelyn off the floor and declares he’s leaving with her tonight. Evelyn knows he has a good thing going and will never meet her. “It’s rich. You’ll never let it go,” Muller calls doctors to cover for him while he’s gone. As he prepares to exit the office, a charwoman tells Bartok it’s about the scar.” Did you notice that?” She comments. “I know I’m mistaken, but the scar, I mean. Of course, I’m wrong …” Muller, smiling, says yes and leaves.

Men in the shadows seem to be waiting for Muller to leave and then follow in their car. As Muller’s taxi stops at Pier 22, Muller is told the ships are sailing in a few minutes, and he carries his bags. People are rushing around to meet their departure schedule. Evelyn, from onboard the boat, looks out for any sign of Muller. The two men following him catch up and finally push him into a dark corner, saying they are from Maxwell’s. “You owe us a lot of money … 90 grand!”

They address him as Dr. Bartok, but Muller says he’s not Bartok. “You've got the wrong guy.” He says his name’s Muller and that he looks just like Bartok, except his scar is on the right side. When Muller makes a run for the boat, the Maxwell men gun him down as life on board the ship continues as usual. Evelyn still surveys the people outside on the dock. Muller is back on his feet, obviously in pain, sweating, and barely able to walk. He tries to make it to the boarding area but collapses. Evelyn looks despondent, turns, and walks away as Muller half rises, looking at the waving people aboard the ship, finally collapsing for the final time. People notice his fallen body in the shadows but continue on their way, as the end credits roll.

Hollow Triumph (also known as The Scar and other titles) is mostly forgotten today. Still, it marks Paul Henreid’s uncredited directing debut after the credited director Steve Sekely was fired from the project, and producer/star Henreid took over the reins. It’s a fine movie, but a quirky noir featuring a complicated and hardly believable plot. But it is ironic, primarily due to a series of many real coincidences, and that aspect fascinates me the most. Along with perhaps Detour, it should be remembered as the ironic noir.

For instance, it is coincidental that Muller, working at Clover Garage, is the very attendant who has to attend to men in the car trying to kill him, but they don’t recognize him. But he can assume poses where they will never really see him.

It is coincidental when Muller’s brother Freddy enters the Bartok office and recognizes Johnny, who is impersonating Bartok. However, he is convinced that Bartok is merely a close physical resemblance to his brother, so it is ironic when Freddy returns to the Bartok office a second time, trying to locate his missing brother, and tells the entire situation to Johnny, never realizing that Bartok is his brother.

It is ironic when Johnny copies Bartok’s scar using a photograph of Bartok as his guide. He is compelled to disfigure his face. And then later, when he hurriedly picks up the negative, he is too busy to wait for the explanation that the negative has been accidentally flipped and Bartok’s scar is on the wrong side. Muller can’t undo what he’s already done.

It’s a coincidence when stopping on a bridge in the middle of the night to dump Bartok’s corpse, a neighborly man suddenly appears behind him and stops the car, volunteering to help, thinking Muller’s car has broken down.

It is ironic when the fallen, dying, or already dead Muller lies slumped in the shadows as good people notice him but keep walking on their merry way, refusing to help him.

It is ironic when Evelyn, aboard the ship, looks downward at the crowd to see Johnny. But he never appears, and just as she assumed he would never leave his lucrative criminal life to join her, she turns in sadness, thinking Johnny never had any intention of coming. But he is dying, having been shot, and is almost within eyesight of the ship, coming to join her.

Ironically, Johnny is killed for impersonating Bartok, who owes a hefty gambling debt to Maxwell’s casino, when, in fact, he initiated the impersonation to be safe from the Stansyck mob, who were after him. And it turns out he is killed for the sins of the man he impersonates, not the Stansyck mob.

Ironically, Evelyn is romantically involved with both Bartoks, the actual doctor, and the criminal impostor. And she seems to prefer the impostor because he is more complex and interesting.

It is ironic that Marcy escapes with $60,000 but doesn’t get any joy from the heist because deep in his heart, he realizes the Stansyck mob will ultimately catch up with him, which they do in Mexico, killing him.

It is ironic when Swangron confesses to Muller about his resemblance to a man he works with, a psychoanalyst. Later in the film, Swangron is talking to the Bartok impersonator, telling him that he met a man who looks just like him, not realizing he is talking to that same man he met weeks ago, not his colleague, Bartok.

But let’s stop here, although a few more examples of irony might exist. Hollow Triumph is generally regarded as a superior film noir, characterized by a clever and twisty script that keeps its audience guessing with every turn. The script might defy credibility, but it's a fun ride that keeps you engaged from the first frame to the last.

JOHN ALTON'S MOODY PHOTOGRAPHY CAPTURES THE MOMENT THAT MULLER REALIZES THE MEN IN THE CAR ARE TRYING TO KILL HIM.

JOHN ALTON'S PHOTOGRAPHY IS KNOWN TO CAPTURE THE MOOD OF NOIR