A friend related to me that one of his late father's favorite films was "Dark Passage."

I have always found the plot of this adaptation of a David Goodis book to be one of the kookiest in the entire film noir canon.

Bogart's character escapes from prison by rolling out the barrel quite literally. He happens upon a talented if somewhat eccentric plastic surgeon based upon a tip received form a gabby taxi cab driver who takes an interest in his fugitive passenger. The surgeon operates in his second story walk up office and builds the convict a new face.

Along the way, Bogart made another ally in the artistically inclined Lauren Bacall. She permits him to convalesce in her apartment while he is heavily bandaged.

It turns out that Bogart had been framed by his jealous wife played by Agnes Moorehead. In a showdown with Moorehead, Bogart backs her into a corner and the hysterical woman takes a swan dive from a high window to her death. Strangely enough, she looked to be five or six feet from the window when she lost her balance and took a fatal plunge.

Needless to say, Bogart and Bacall have fallen in love by the closing credits.

A newspaper photo published during the police man hunt shows that Bogart's former mug was that of Kenneth MacDonald. Cinephiles will recall MacDonald as being a villain who often harassed "The Three Stooges." Later in life, he was a judge on the popular television series "Perry Mason."

What is unusual about the film is that Bogart provides narration and dialogue throughout the beginning of the film without ever appearing on camera. Everything is shown using a first person camera perspective.