| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Dan Duryea | ... | ||
| June Vincent | ... | ||
| Peter Lorre | ... | ||
| Broderick Crawford | ... | ||
| Constance Dowling | ... |
Mavis Marlowe
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| Wallace Ford | ... |
Joe
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Hobart Cavanaugh | ... |
Hotel Caretaker
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Freddie Steele | ... |
Lucky
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John Phillips | ... |
Kirk Bennett
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| Ben Bard | ... |
Bartender
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Junius Matthews | ... |
Dr. Courtney
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Marion Martin | ... |
Millie
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| Archie Twitchell | ... |
George Mitchell
(as Michael Branden)
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Maurice St. Clair | ... |
Dancer
(as St. Clair)
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Vilova | ... |
Dancer
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Kirk Bennett is falsely sentenced to death for killing blackmailer Mavis Marlowe, ex-wife of nice-guy drunk Martin Blair. Bennett's stand-up wife Catherine tries to prove him innocent, enlisting the aid of Blair, who falls in love with her. Bennett's execution draws near as the two pose as piano player and singer, trying to get the goods on sleazy nightclub owner Marko, a prime suspect. Failing to nail Marko, Catherine goes off to meet with her husband, scheduled to die the next morning, and Blair slips into an alcoholic stupor before the real killer is revealed. Written by Doug Sederberg <[email protected]>
I have stumbled onto this movie several times. It doesn't seem to make a strong impression. It's well directed and acted but packs relatively little punch.
On the other hand, it has quite an amazing cast: Dan Duryea, Peter Lorre, Broderick Crawford ...! The lead female is played by an exotic June Vincent.
What really impressed me was the composition of the scenes in the first half: Minor characters are set in the foreground and the action takes place behind them. The set decoration is brilliant.
The plot is good but it is not the best Woolrich adaptation, by any means. But it's suspenseful and a lot of fun.