Impact (1949)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Arthur Lubin

Writers:

Jay Dratler (story)
Dorothy Davenport (writer) ...
(more)

Release Date:

26 September 1949 (Sweden)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery

Tagline:

Wanted by two women! One for Love! One for Murder!

Plot:

In San Francisco, the successful self-made businessman Walter Williams has just bought three factories...

Plot Keywords:

Mechanic | Small Town | Maid | Falling In Love | Murder Plot

Cast

Brian Donlevy	...	Walter Williams
Ella Raines	...	Marsha Peters
Charles Coburn	...	Lt. Tom Quincy
Helen Walker	...	Irene Williams
Anna May Wong	...	Su Lin
Robert Warwick	...	Capt. Callahan
Clarence Kolb	...	Darcy
Art Baker	...	Eldridge (defense attorney)
William Wright	...	District Attorney
Mae Marsh	...	Mrs. King
Sheilah Graham	...	Herself
Tony Barrett	...	Jim Torrance
Philip Ahn	...	Ah Sing
Glen Vernon	...	Ed (as Glenn Vernon)
Linda Leighton	...	Telephone operator
Jason Robards Sr.	...	Judge (as Jason Robards)
Erskine Sanford	...	Dr. Henry Bender
Ruth Robinson	...	Apartment manager
Lucius Cooke	...	Burke
Tom Greenway	...	Moving van driver
Ben Welden	...	Moving van helper
Hans Herbert	...	Station master
Joel Friedkin	...	Uncle Ben
Joe Kirk	...	Hotel clerk
William Ruhl	...	Fingerprint expert (as Bill Ruhl)
Mary Landa	...	Della
Harry Cheshire	...	Irene's attorney
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sherry Hall	...	Court clerk (uncredited)
Arthur Hecht	...	(uncredited)
Thomas Browne Henry	...	Walter's business assistant (uncredited)
Stuart Holmes	...	Board member (uncredited)
Bob Perry	...	Wisecracking courtroom spectator (uncredited)
Hil Probert	...	Himself (gas station customer) (uncredited)

Directed by
Arthur Lubin

Writing credits
Jay Dratler		(story)
Dorothy Davenport		(writer) (as Dorothy Reid) and
Jay Dratler		(writer)

Produced by
Joseph H. Nadel	....	associate producer
Harry M. Popkin	....	executive producer
Leo C. Popkin	....	producer

Original Music by
Michel Michelet

Cinematography by
Ernest Laszlo

Film Editing by
Arthur H. Nadel

Art Direction by
Rudi Feld

Set Decoration by
Jacques Mapes		(as Jacque Mapes)

Costume Design by
Maria P. Donovan		(as Maria Donovan)

Makeup Department
Lee Greenway	....	makeup artist
Helen Lierly	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Lillian Shore	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Maurie M. Suess	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Mac Dalgleish	....	sound recordist (as W.M. Dalgleish)
Hugh McDowell Jr.	....	sound recordist (as Hugh McDowell)

Camera and Electrical Department
Henry Schuster	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Frank Tanner	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Music Department
Herschel Burke Gilbert	....	orchestrator (as Herschel Gilbert)
Chuck Gould	....	composer: song "It Can't Be"
Michel Perriere	....	conductor
Leo C. Popkin	....	composer: song "It Can't Be"
Dr. Samuel Hoffman	....	musician: theremin (uncredited)

Other crew
George T. Clemens	....	choreographer (uncredited)
Cora Parmentier	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Cardinal Pictures (II)

Distributors

• United Artists (1949) (USA) (theatrical)
• Beverly Pictures (1953) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Englewood Entertainment (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• United American Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Englewood Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• SlingShot Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• E-Realbiz.com (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• E-Realbiz.com (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (VHS)
• Reel Media International (2005) (worldwide) (TV)
• Passport Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Exposure Cinema (2009) (UK) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Triton Video (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Triton Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Turner Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• I. Magnin & Co.  jewelry
• I.J. Fox  furs
• Laykin et Cie  jewelry

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

Corriganville, Ray Corrigan Ranch, Simi Valley, California, USA

Company:

Cardinal Pictures (II)

Trivia:

The failure of the original copyright holder to renew the film's copyright resulted in it falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of the film. Therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market are either severely (and usually badly) edited and/or of extremely poor quality, having been duped from second- or third-generation (or more) copies of the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: Marsha's mother, is identified in dialogue by the name Mrs. King. Yet in the closing credits, she is identified as Mrs. Peters.

Quotes:

Jim Torrance: I grabbed a hamburger while I was waiting for you; I can still taste the harness.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Avain (2006)

Soundtrack:

It' Can't Be

Film noir meets Frank Capra.

Although the final third gets in the way and is finally disappointing,it does not keep "impact" from being absorbing and entertaining.One of the rare film noirs -maybe the only one - which takes a look on the brighter side of the road:sandwiched between two very dark parts,the second one has Capra accents:the country town is some Shangri-la where time stood still ,with its very nice people ,the girl who owns a garage but of course does not know anything about mechanics(woman's lib supporters will cringe),the young father proud of his new-born son ,the Sunday service,the old lady cooking tasty little dishes.All of this is unusual in a film noir.Some might say that "shadow of a doubt"(1942) had already that ,but evil could enter this world,as the heroine 's uncle came to town.Here,the evil is elsewhere ,in San Francisco.Only in San Francisco.Or on the dark road where anything can happen:first part is effective,and shows some "Postman always rings twice" (1946) influence.