I""ve seen too many hardened arteries dragged out to make a first-night holiday.She claimed she was becoming destitute due to the high cost of entertaining visitors and living in London ("it all akes money").Plot SynopsisUnder the opening company logo and titles, the film opened in wartime Los Angeles.The disorienting opening shot was of a blinding ceiling light and sounds of accusatory voices in a dark shadowy room, and then soon after, a pull-back camera movement revealed the side of the face of tough yet vulnerable, blindfolded gumshoe detective Philip Marlowe (played by 30s musical crooner Powell in a dramatic role switch).The film hints at the possibility that both of them were prostitutes.]As they pass a small town""s water tower, graffiti reminds him of a past sexual relationship with oversexed girlfriend Annie (Jennifer Salt, the screenwriter""s daughter): "Crazy Annie Loves Joe Buck.The Mother""s Fortunes:The inter-title stated: "The woman - now a star of great prominence." The Woman had become a successful opera singer with great material success.After a recent performance, she had received a large floral arrangement with a congratulatory note: "Congratulations on your performance last night.