MovieChat Forums > Murder, My Sweet (1945) Discussion > Powell smelling Cigarettes

Powell smelling Cigarettes

posted 10 years ago by domhowe
17 replies | jump to latest

We were just watched Murder, My Sweet again, and my husband noted during the beginning of the beach house scene, Powell had just smelled a cigarette, seemingly to see if it was marijuana. I disagreed, noting that at the beginning of the movie, in the police station, he'd also smelled his cigarette before lighting while blindfolded, and he wouldn't be checking for pot there! Powell proceeded to continue smelling cigarettes throughout the end of the movie. Anyone have any ideas?

[–] jimmywhale 10 years ago

Just watched this last night. The only thing that came to my mind was that Marlowe was checking for tobacco freshness possibly. In the beach house scene IIRC, didn't he smell two cigarettes, and throw them both down?

Anyway, I don't agree with the theory that he was checking for marijuana. That wouldn't really fit with the characters or the plot.

To a new world of gods and monsters!

[–] DrZaat 10 years ago

You're probably correct; however, in the novel, Marriott was carrying a cigarette case with three marijuana cigarettes. So, marijuana figured in the original story.

[–] FrankRandle 10 years ago

I think he was checking whether the cigarettes were Virginia or Turkish (e.g Camel) tobacco. Most everybody preferred one over the other and only smoked one type.

[–] SAMRubinsky 10 years ago

It's about marijuana, plain and simple. He checks to see if the police are trying to dope him. Couldn't be more obvious.

[–] PhillipNoir 10 years ago

Right, it's about MJ. In the Farewell My Lovely, Jules Amthor is dope dealer to LA's rich and powerful.

[–] AssetsonFire 10 years ago

Clearly it could. Dope him with marijuana? What would be the point? They were interrogating him, they wouldn't want him dozing off or losing his trail of thought half way through. And was he also paranoid about being 'doped' at the beach house?

~.~
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[–] ridge-m-1 8 years ago

I'm confused. When did the cops begin offering joints to obtain information or a confession? I always thought cops preferred physical violence (see L.A. Confidential).

[–] vickic531 9 years ago

Most likely, since he had been previously drugged, I think he sniffed the cigarette for a couple of reasons:

1. Smelling for knockout drug(s)
2. Smelling the type of tobacco

Just my opinion.

[–] hka-3 9 years ago

Marlowe also smelled his alcoholic beverage when he met Ann Grayle's father. When Mrs. Grayle took a beverage from the same tray and began drinking it, I figured Marlowe's drink was probably okay.

Mag, Darling, you're being a bore.

[–] Soujurn 8 years ago

I don't think smelling the cigarettes has any meaning at all. Just a piece of physical business so he wasn't just standing there. Most good actors "do something" beside just recite their lines. Also, it's a means of scene stealing. Like in The Magnificent Seven. All those guys were trying to one up each other with their physical presence. At one point Yul Brynner told McQueen to knock it off, or he'd take his hat off and no one would look at him, just at Yul's bald head.

"Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government."
-Dennis

[–] Adler-99 8 years ago

I agree with Soujurn in part, that it had no meaning. It seemed to be a habit of this film's Marlowe and I think the character was only checking for freshness. Don't think the idea of marijuana had anything to do with it. Sometimes a cigarette is just a cigarette.

[–] greenbudgie 8 years ago

Marlowe was a bloodhound detective. Always smelling the air. It's strange that he didn't detect Ann's scent at the police station when he was blindfolded.

[–] 398 8 years ago

ganglehog

"It's strange that he didn't detect Ann's scent at the police stations when he was blindfolded."

My impression was he did, and then pretended not to know she was present so he could say "honestly" the BS he wanted to hand her.

One could argue that when her coat touched him, it alerted him to her presence, and that earlier he had not known she was about.

On the other hand, I think he was using the coat touching him as an excuse to pretend to suddenly know she was next to him.

[–] 398 8 years ago

Without reading what anyone else has replied, I got the impression he could make the brand of the cigarette by its smell, and as everyone was smoking all the time in his presence, he knew what brand of cigarette each favored.

So he could make an educated guess about who had recently been at the beach house.

[–] boxerrebellion 7 years ago

I concur. MJ didn't even occur to me.

[–] ddmondello 8 years ago

He also sniffed the whiskey that Prof. Grayle handed him, while in the mansion.