"Another Man's Poison", director Irving Rapper's 1951 British melodrama features Bette Davis and then-husband, Gary Merrill in the second of three film appearances they made together, the first being "All About Eve", the third "Phone Call From a Stranger". Taken as a trio of siblings, with "Eve"as the brilliant, much-loved high achiever and "Stranger" the smart, slick youngster, "Poison" reinforces the stereotypical (if inaccurate) image of the problematic middle child. To be sure, "Another Man's Poison" has problems aplenty, none the least of which is the scatterbrained screenplay; it's hard to believe both Val Guest and esteemed dramatist Emlyn Williams (who also co-stars in this) had a hand in writing (and re-writing) this nonsense. Based on a play called "Deadlock" by Leslie Sands, the film feels stage-bound and often static, the majority of the action taking place in the main room of a remote English country house. The few outdoor scenes we see are breathtaking, indeed, shot mainly on location in a very picturesque West Riding in North Yorkshire. 

As both a suspense thriller and a follow-up to "All About Eve", the plot of "Another Man's Poison" should be mysterious, clever, and at least half as smart and witty as "Eve". Unfortunately, it is none of those things. Having said that, I must also confess that, unlikely as it seems, I love this movie. No, it is not a great film, nor even a very good one; in fact, one might argue with some success that "Another Man's Poison" is just flat-out bad. Yet, I still love it in all its inept glory.

First of all, there is Bette Davis at her most iconic Bette Daviest, the glorious image all drag queens worth their salt seek to project when impersonating her onstage. Swilling whiskey with one hand while twirling a cigarette in the other, Davis chews up the scenery as mystery writer Janet Frobisher, a glamorous loner whose only companions are her horse, Fury, her secretary, and the secretary's fiancee, with whom Janet is having an affair. Further up the road, there's a nosy, middle-age veterinarian/aspiring mystery novelist who drops in at odd times to give Janet (and the rest of the household) the third degree. From the outset, we know that Janet's estranged husband is lying dead in the library, probably murdered by Janet herself, though we are later given reason to question this assumption (Janet's a sly puss so can we really trust anything that comes out of her mouth?). Later that same day, a highly-strung character named George (Gary Merrill) shows up looking for said hubby. It seems that the two men robbed a bank in London, shooting a security guard before lamming it out of town, and now George wants his cut of the heist money. Oddly enough, no one in the village, including Janet's crew, have ever set eyes on her husband: she's always told everyone that he's off in Malaysia. Immediately, George decides it would be a good idea to pretend that he's the dead husband and live happily ever after with Janet in her big, comfy country house. Janet, on the other hand, has other ideas, but first she needs George to help her dispose of the body. Cue the nosy vet who, as it turns out, is also the town crier. Dropping in (in the middle of the night, no less) to retrieve his dictionary (don't ask), the vet wastes no time in spreading the news that Janet's long-lost husband has returned to assume his role as Lord of the Manor. No, Janet does not like this at all.. 

Davis may have shed her glitter and evening gowns for clodhoppers and tweed, but she is no hausfrau of the hinterlands, nor does she have any intention of assuming that role here. She's still every inch the imperious Margo Channing, only in a different setting and without Joseph L. Mankiewicz's sparkling dialogue to guide her. What she does have is Gary Merrill in what must be the least satisfying role of his career. As Bill Sampson in "All About Eve", he was strong and solid, an anchor for the turbulent missus; in "Another Man's Poison" he's George Bates, a sadsack loser and white-collar crook who becomes instantly obsessed with Janet. Whiny, drunk, petulant and abusive, George is simply unbearable. I'm not sure if the fault is something inherent in the script or if it's Merrill's performance, but either way, it's not hard to see why Janet loathes him. All his tearing of hair and rending of garments seems to be overheated histrionics that don't quite gel given that the script never indicates that George is an actual lunatic. Maybe George's (implied) impotency accounts for his frustration and rage (however, I seriously doubt that this ever occurred to the screenwriters). Finally, there is just no mystery to the character, no hint of an interesting backstory (other than the bank robbery) so it's hard to know where all this sturm und drang comes from. Or care. I hated, hated, HATED the whole progression of this character but the script simply doesn't work (in the sense that it works at all) without him. 

George, of course, not being the brightest bulb in the drawer, continually butts heads with Janet, even after she clearly out maneuvers him at every turn. Delicious and malevolent, Bette Davis directs her clipped barbs and bellowed insults with a deadly accuracy that, along with her more devious machinations, stifles George's efforts to control her; she chews him up and spits him out and he barely has time to react. 

That's pretty much the case for everyone else in this film, too. Emlyn Williams is actually a decent actor and certainly does his best playing the veterinarian but the part is written to be such a busybody and gossip, as well as a demanding inquisitor AND incessant trespasser, he's just completely unbelievable. It's ridiculous (to the point of insulting) to expect an audience to buy this fussy nosy-parker going around to people's homes and demanding answers to questions that are none of his business. Especially if the home belongs to a chain-smoking gargoyle who'd as soon kick you off the side of a cliff as look at you. Needless to say, the good doctor seems congenitally unable to take a hint, although, as it happens, he makes a better foil for Davis than Gary Merrill does. 

The rest of the cast might be more memorable if they weren't sharing screen time with Davis. Anthony Steel (as the illicit lover) is nice eye-candy but the script turns him into a complete bubble-head: one moment he's swearing love to his fiancee and covering her with kisses, and the next, he's off on horseback, crossing field and stream to find a secluded place in which to canoodle with Janet. The trouble is it's not even treated ironically by the script: the character really is in love with his sweet, naive fiancee so his hot and bothered sessions with Janet don't really feel authentic. Barbara Murray (the secretary/fiancee) easily has the most thankless role in the film. Her switch modes seem to be set to: capable/naive and betrayed/I'm outta here. I really don't get the whole relationship thing going on between her and the fiancee because it just seems too unreal and forced. Oh well. 

Most of the film is a cat-and-mouse game between the nosy vet and the Janet/George characters, and the repetitious standoff between Janet and George. That I love "Another Man's Poison" is simply a matter of Bette Davis being in the wrong film at the right time. I think the best way to really enjoy this movie is to imagine Bette Davis playing Margo Channing playing Janet Frobisher on Broadway shortly before kicking Bill Sampson to the curb. It is not entirely satisfying but, on the other hand, nobody does Margo Channing better than Bette Davis being herself.