IMDb > Kiss of Death (1947)

Kiss of Death (1947) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   2,084 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Down 13% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Henry Hathaway

Writers:

Ben Hecht (screenplay) and
Charles Lederer (screenplay) ...
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Contact:

View company contact information for Kiss of Death on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

27 August 1947 (USA) more

Tagline:

It will mark you for life as it marked him for... Betrayal more

Plot:

With his law-breaking lifestyle in the past, an ex-con, along with his family, attempt to start a new life, unknowing a betrayed someone from the past is bound to see otherwise. full summary | add synopsis

Plot Keywords:

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Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins more

NewsDesk:
(3 articles)

Actor Widmark Dies
 (From WENN. 26 March 2008, 12:11 PM, PDT)

Actor Richard Widmark Dies at 93
 (From IMDb News. 26 March 2008)

User Comments:

A Tale Of Two Crooks - One With A Heart, One Without One more (56 total)


Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Victor Mature ... Nick Bianco

Brian Donlevy ... Assistant D.A. Louis D'Angelo
Coleen Gray ... Nettie

Richard Widmark ... Tommy Udo
Taylor Holmes ... Earl Howser--Attorney
Howard Smith ... Warden

Karl Malden ... Sgt. William Cullen
Anthony Ross ... 'Big Ed' Williams
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Additional Details

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:12 (DVD rating) (2005) | UK:A (original rating) | West Germany:16 (nf) | USA:Approved (PCA #12356) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

Originally, Patricia Morison played Victor Mature's wife, who is attacked and raped by a gangster who is supposed to be watching out for her while Mature is in prison, and afterwards commits suicide by sticking her head in the kitchen oven and turning on the gas. Both scenes were cut from the original print at the insistence of the censors, who wanted no depiction of either a rape or a suicide, so although Morison's name appears in the credits, she does not appear in the film at all. Mention is made later in the film about Mature's wife's suicide and a now obscure reference is made by Nettie that the unseen gangster Rizzo contributed to the wife's downfall. more

Quotes:

Tommy Udo: I wouldn't give you the skin off a grape. more


FAQ

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20 out of 22 people found the following comment useful.
A Tale Of Two Crooks - One With A Heart, One Without One, 13 May 2006
Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

This was a 1940s film noir with a little bit different slant: the main character "Nick Bianco" (Victor Mature) being a caring father. Here's a guy torn between being a crook most of his life and the damage it did to him mentally, but at heart a real softie who is desperate to go straight and just be a regular family guy with everyone leaving him alone. In the story, he turns "stoolie" so he can earn that freedom and be that family man.

Among film noir buffs, however, this film is noted more for Richard Widmark's debut as the sadistic "Tommy Udo." One of the most famous noir scenes of all time is "Udo" throwing an old lady in a wheelchair down a flight of stairs! Widmark puts on a fake pair of choppers giving him an exaggerated overbite to go along with his insane little giggle. He also calls everyone a "squirt." His over- the-top performance puts a lot a spark into this film which, otherwise would have wound up more as a melodrama.

Two other actors have key roles in here: Brian Donlevy and Colleen Gray (making her credited film debut, too1). Donlevey plays a character who never see in modern-day films: a compassionate district attorney who goes out of his way to help "Nick." It's refreshing to see, for a change. Gray becomes Nick's love interest and is a very appealing wholesome type, as are the two sweet little girls Nick had with his former wife who killed herself while Nick was in prison. Gray becomes the step-mother.

Although not spectacular, the film is entertaining, especially the suspenseful last 20 minutes. It's quite dated in spots but Widmark's character alone is worth investigating this film if you've never seen it. I'm surprised there aren't more reviews of this.

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