The Damned Don't Cry (1950)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Vincent Sherman

Writers:

Harold Medford (screenplay) and
Jerome Weidman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

7 May 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir | Romance

Tagline:

Warner Bros.' Flaming Stars of 'Flamingo Road' Meet in Scarlet Shadows Again!

Plot:

A New York socialite climbs the ladder of success man by man until a life among rich gangsters gives her what she thought she always wanted.

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Socialite | Flashback | Underworld | Secret Past

Cast

Joan Crawford	...	Ethel Whitehead
David Brian	...	George Castleman
Steve Cochran	...	Nick Prenta
Kent Smith	...	Martin Blackford
Hugh Sanders	...	Grady
Selena Royle	...	Patricia Longworth
Jacqueline deWit	...	Sandra
Morris Ankrum	...	Jim Whitehead
Edith Evanson	...	Mrs. Castleman
Richard Egan	...	Roy Whitehead

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #14169) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | Belgium:16 | Germany:12 | UK:PG (re-rating) (2005) | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Palm Springs, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Loosely based upon the life of sharp-tongued moll Virginia Hill and her secretive relationship with gangster Bugsy Siegel.

Quotes:

[Ethel and George kiss]
Ethel Whitehead: You're asking for trouble, aren't you?
George Castleman: I never got anything yet worthwhile, without trouble. Only don't take this for anything more than it's worth.
Ethel Whitehead: It might be worth more than you think.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

Soundtrack:

Trade Winds

minor classic

An energetic film about a woman (one of Joan Crawford's best parts) who leaves her family and gets involved with a gambling syndicate. It's surprisingly good thanks to the pace and direction which keeps the focus on the main characters, all of whom become or already are corrupted by money, crime, society, or their own jaded world views. She had been watching the "American Dream" slip by with her tightwad husband who's played in an outstanding role by Richard Egan. It could get stereotyped and clichéd but doesn't thanks to the fine acting throughout by David Brian, Steve Cochran, Kent Smith, and of course Joan Crawford, who, though she was in her mid 40's, carried a role off that was sexy and ambitious.