The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) is a delectable noir melodrama. Adapted from Jack Patrick's story Love Lies Bleeding, it perfectly renders an improbable intersection of tawdry lives and broken dreams.Sam Masterson (Van Heflin) returns to his childhood home of Iverstown after years as an itinerant gambler. He reconnects with his old friends Martha Ivers (Barbara Stanwyck), a headstrong heiress, and Walter O'Neill (Kirk Douglas), serving as district attorney. He also befriends Toni (Lizabeth Scott), an ex-con struggling to go straight. But Martha nurses unrequited affection ...