No Way Out (1950)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Writers:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz (written by) and
Lesser Samuels (written by)

Release Date:

16 August 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir

Tagline:

Is it a question ...or an answer

Plot:

The Biddle brothers, shot while robbing a gas station, are taken to the prison ward of the County Hospital; Ray Biddle...

Plot Keywords:

Brothers | Hospital | Race Riot | Death Of Brother | Shot In The Leg

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Richard Widmark	...	Ray Biddle
Linda Darnell	...	Edie Johnson - Mrs. John Biddle
Stephen McNally	...	Dr. Dan Wharton
Sidney Poitier	...	Dr. Luther Brooks
Mildred Joanne Smith	...	Cora Brooks
Harry Bellaver	...	George Biddle
Stanley Ridges	...	Dr. Sam Moreland
Dots Johnson	...	Lefty Jones - Orderly
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert Adler	...	Assistant Deputy (uncredited)
Ernest Anderson	...	School Teacher (uncredited)
Jessie Arnold	...	Woman (uncredited)
Eleanor Audley	...	Wife (uncredited)
Polly Bailey	...	Woman (uncredited)
Betsy Blair	...	Telephone Operator (uncredited)
Eileen Boyer	...	Telephone Operator (uncredited)
Harry Carter	...	Orderly (uncredited)
Ken Christy	...	Officer Ed Kowlaski (uncredited)
Charles J. Conrad	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Jack Daley	...	Man (uncredited)
Ossie Davis	...	John Brooks (uncredited)
Ruby Dee	...	Connie Brooks (uncredited)
Wade Dumas	...	Jonah (uncredited)
Ralph Dunn	...	Sam (uncredited)
Elzie Emanuel	...	Student (uncredited)
Francine Everett	...	(uncredited)
Charles Flynn	...	Deputy (uncredited)
Bert Freed	...	Rocky Miller - Beaver Canal Resident (uncredited)
Alyce Goering	...	Woman (uncredited)
Fred Graham	...	Wilson - Ambulance Driver (uncredited)
Joe Hartman	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Gil Herman	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Don Hicks	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Ralph Hodges	...	Terry (uncredited)
Ray Hyke	...	Orderly (uncredited)
Thomas Ingersoll	...	Priest (uncredited)
Johnnie Jallings	...	Telephone Operator (uncredited)
Frank Jaquet	...	Mr. Reilly - Edie's Landlord (uncredited)
J. Louis Johnson	...	Elderly Black Man (uncredited)
Stan Johnson	...	Intern (uncredited)
Doris Kemper	...	Wife (uncredited)
Victor Kilian	...	Father (uncredited)
Don Kohler	...	Orderly (uncredited)
Jack Kruschen	...	(uncredited)
Marie Lampe	...	Telephone Operator (uncredited)
Harry Lauter	...	Orderly (uncredited)
Herbert Lytton	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Kathy Marlowe	...	Woman (uncredited)
Charles McAvoy	...	Riley (uncredited)
Eda Reiss Merin	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Daniel Meyers	...	Man (uncredited)
Howard M. Mitchell	...	Bailiff (uncredited)
Ann Morrison	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Al Murphy	...	Cab Driver (uncredited)
Frederick O'Neal	...	(uncredited)
Kitty O'Neil	...	Landlady (uncredited)
Frank Overton	...	Intern (uncredited)
Dick Paxton	...	Johnny Biddle (uncredited)
Barbara Pepper	...	Woman (uncredited)
Maudie Prickett	...	Woman (uncredited)
William Pullen	...	Ambulance Doctor (uncredited)
Amanda Randolph	...	Gladys - Dr. Wharton's Housekeeper (uncredited)
Frank Richards	...	Mac (uncredited)
Jerry Sheldon	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Kathryn Sheldon	...	Mother (uncredited)
Maude Simmons	...	Luther's Mother (uncredited)
Emmett Smith	...	Joe (uncredited)
Ray Teal	...	Day Deputy in Hospital Prison Ward (uncredited)
Art Thompson	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Gertrude Tighe	...	Telephone Operator (uncredited)
Jim Toney	...	Deputy Sheriff (uncredited)
Phil Tully	...	Sergeant (uncredited)
George Tyne	...	Whitey (uncredited)
Ann Tyrrell	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Ruth Warren	...	Sam's Wife (uncredited)
William Washington	...	Student (uncredited)
Duke Watson	...	Gas Station Attendent (uncredited)
Jasper Weldon	...	Henry (uncredited)
Leola Wendorff	...	Polish Wife (uncredited)
Ruben Wendorf	...	Polish Husband (uncredited)
John Whitney	...	Assistant (uncredited)
Mack Williams	...	Husband (uncredited)
Ian Wolfe	...	Watkins (uncredited)
Will Wright	...	Dr. Cheney - Coroner (uncredited)

Directed by
Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Writing credits
Joseph L. Mankiewicz		(written by) and
Lesser Samuels		(written by)

Produced by
Darryl F. Zanuck	....	producer

Original Music by
Alfred Newman

Cinematography by
Milton R. Krasner		(director of photography) (as Milton Krasner)

Film Editing by
Barbara McLean

Art Direction by
George W. Davis
Lyle R. Wheeler		(as Lyle Wheeler)

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little
Stuart A. Reiss		(as Stuart Reiss)

Costume Design by
Travilla

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist
Irene Brooks	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Gladys Witten	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Sid Bowen	....	production manager (uncredited)

Sound Department
Bernard Freericks	....	sound
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)

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

Camera and Electrical Department
Paul Lockwood	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Anthony Ugrin	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Charles Le Maire	....	wardrobe director

Music Department
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator (as Edward Powell)

Other crew
Weslie Jones	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1950) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (195?) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Centfox (1952) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Japan (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
• Fox Video (USA) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | American Sign Language

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #14257) | West Germany:16 (f) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Zanuck wanted to schedule the release of "No Way Out" a year after "Pinky," a 1949 movie about racial prejudice, because he wanted "a gradual buildup of audience receptivity."

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Biography: Linda Darnell: Hollywood's Fallen Angel" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Don't Get Around Much Anymore

Solid entertainment. Can't wait for the DVD!

I heard a rumor that this was coming out on DVD in 2006. I hope it's true because this is a fascinating film. Actually, "shocking" might be a better word.

Bigotry is the main theme and there is no beating around the bush here. The "n- word" is used at least 20 times in this film in one form or another which is shocking to hear in a classic film. Richard Widmark plays the main bigot and he is fascinating to watch. Few people in his day could play the wild-eyed fanatical villain as well as he could (see "Kiss Of Death" for the best example).

This was Sidney Poiteir's screen debut and he looks about 16 years old! He looks too young to be a doctor even if he is portrayed as someone in their first year of practice. Anyway, with Widmark and Poitier, and a fine supporting cast with some famous names, you have a very, very interesting movie that is long overdue to be made available to the public.

To the film's credit, this shows bigotry on both sides: black and white, although it concentrates more on white against black. Linda Darnell plays perhaps the most interesting role because she is the one person who switches back and forth, unable most of the time to figure out what side to take! For those who remember the Naked City TV series, it's also fun to see Harry Bellaver in here, playing Widmark's deaf-mute brother.

This movie could easily be very dated.....but it isn't.