Kiss of Death (1947)

Director:

Henry Hathaway

Writers:

Ben Hecht (screenplay) and
Charles Lederer (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

27 August 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

Tagline:

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

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.

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Suicide | Wheelchair | New York | Murder

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert Adler	...	Detective (uncredited)
Rollin Bauer	...	Sing Sing Guard (uncredited)
Harry Bellaver	...	Bull Weed (uncredited)
Dennis Bohan	...	Guard (uncredited)
Olga Borget	...	Cashier at Luigi's (uncredited)
Susan Cabot	...	Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
Alexander Campbell	...	Train Conductor (uncredited)
Harry Carter	...	Detective (uncredited)
Dort Clark	...	Man in Car (uncredited)
Eva Condon	...	Nun at Orphanage (uncredited)
Harry Cooke	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Harold Crane	...	Mr. Moremann (uncredited)
James Doody	...	Sing Sing Guard (uncredited)
Mildred Dunnock	...	Mrs. Rizzo (uncredited)
Arthur Foran Jr.	...	Sing Sing Guard (uncredited)
David Fresco	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Harold Gary	...	Doorman (uncredited)
Don Giovanni	...	Tommy's Henchman (uncredited)
Marilee Grassini	...	Rosaria (uncredited)
Eda Heinemann	...	Mrs. Keller (uncredited)
Lou Herbert	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Herbert Holcombe	...	City Jail Guard (uncredited)
Arthur Holland	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Jo Jones	...	Jazz Drummer (uncredited)
Harry Kadison	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Robert Karnes	...	Tommy's Henchman (uncredited)
Arthur Kramer	...	Mr. Sulla (uncredited)
John Kullers	...	Prisoner (uncredited)
Harry Landers	...	Convict (uncredited)
Perc Launders	...	Lieutenant (uncredited)
Paul Lilly	...	City Jail Guard (uncredited)
Pat Malone	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Iris Mann	...	Congetta (uncredited)
John Marley	...	Convict (uncredited)
Gregg Martell	...	Guard (uncredited)
Charles McClelland	...	Detective (uncredited)
Norman McKay	...	Capt. Dolan (uncredited)
Richard Midgley	...	Guard (uncredited)
Carl Milletaire	...	Customer (uncredited)
Millard Mitchell	...	(uncredited)
Mary Morrison	...	Mother Superior (uncredited)
Consuela O'Connor	...	Girl (uncredited)
Gloria O'Connor	...	Girl (uncredited)
William O'Leary	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Wendell K. Phillips	...	Tony 'Pep' Mangone (uncredited)
Stephen Roberts	...	Guard (uncredited)
Yvonne Rob	...	Customer (uncredited)
Mel Ruick	...	Moremann's Assistant (uncredited)
Jack Rutherford	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Lee Sanford	...	Chips Cooney (uncredited)
Bernard Sell	...	Policeman (uncredited)
George Shelton	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Irene Shirley	...	Nun (uncredited)
J. Scott Smart	...	(uncredited)
A. George Smith	...	Policeman (uncredited)
John Stearns	...	Harris (uncredited)
Richard Taber	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Victor Thorley	...	Sing Sing Guard (uncredited)
Lawrence Tiernan	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Tito Vuolo	...	Luigi (uncredited)
Milton Wallace	...	(uncredited)
Jesse White	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Bill Zuckert	...	Sing Sing Guard (uncredited)

Directed by
Henry Hathaway

Writing credits
Ben Hecht		(screenplay) and
Charles Lederer		(screenplay)
Eleazar Lipsky		(story)

Produced by
Fred Kohlmar	....	producer

Original Music by
David Buttolph

Cinematography by
Norbert Brodine

Film Editing by
J. Watson Webb Jr.

Art Direction by
Leland Fuller
Lyle R. Wheeler		(as Lyle Wheeler)

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Abe Steinberg	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
W.D. Flick	....	sound
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)

Special Effects by
Fred Sersen	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
Rodney Amateau	....	stunts (uncredited)
Herbert Holcombe	....	stunts (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Charles Le Maire	....	wardrobe director
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)

Music Department
Earle Hagen	....	music arranger: orchestral arrangements
Lionel Newman	....	conductor

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1947) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (1948) (France) (theatrical) (as Fox-Europa)
• Centfox (1950) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• CBS/Fox Home Video (1990) (USA) (VHS)
• Media Cooperation One (MC-One) (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

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

Filming Locations:

14th Street, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The background musical theme at the start and finish of the film is the same one used in the opening scene of Gentleman's Agreement (1947).

Quotes:

Tommy Udo: I'm askin' ya, where's that squealin' son of yours?
[weird laugh]
Tommy Udo: You think a squealer can get away from me? Huh?
[crazy laugh]
Tommy Udo: You know what I do to squealers? I let 'em have it in the belly, so they can roll around for a long time thinkin' it over. You're worse than him, tellin' me he's comin' back? Ya lyin' old hag!
[maniacal laugh]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Atomic Brain (#6.18)" (1993)

Powerful Film-Noir

In the New York Christmas, the family man Nick Bianco (Victor Mature) has bad luck and criminal record, and can not find a honest job. He is caught in a jewelry heist, but he does not accept the proposal of the Assistant District Attorney Louis D'Angelo (Brian Donlevy) to be a squealer and denounce his accomplices and he goes to prison. Three years later, his depressed woman commits suicide and his two daughters are sent to an orphanage. Nick makes a deal with Mr. D'Ángelo and rats his former partners; then he marries Nettie (Collen Gray), moves to another to town with a new identity, where he finds a honest job. However, when the psychopathic killer Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark) is sentenced not-guilty in a trial where Nick was forced to testimony against the criminal, the desperate Nick uses one last attempt to save his family from the psychotic killer.

"Kiss of Death" is a powerful film-noir, with an engaging and credible plot, fantastic direction of Henry Hathaway and great performances of Victor Mature and Richard Widmark. Among the movies that I have watched of the great actor Richard Widmark, this is his best performance and he really deserved his nomination to the Oscar. His sadistic character is really a scary cold-blood killer. The black and white cinematography is amazing, with great use of shadows valorized by the image of the DVD. Karl Malden in the beginning of his successful career has a minor participation. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Beijo da Morte" ("Kiss of the Death")