L.A. private eye Philip Marlowe takes on a blackmail case and wears out his gumshoes trailing murderers, nightclub rogues, the spoiled rich and more. Lauren Bacall joins Bogart under Howard Hawks' brisk and atmospheric direction of ace adaptations of Raymond Chandler's novel.

To have and have not: During World War II, American expatriate Harry Morgan helps transport a French Resistance leader and his beautiful wife to Martinique while romancing a sensuous lounge singer. The big sleep: Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a rich family. Before the complex case is over, he's seen murder, blackmail, and what might be love. Dark passage: A man convicted of murdering his wife escapes from prison and works with a woman...