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Quicksand (1950) -- After borrowing $20 from his employer's cash register, an auto mechanic is plunged into a series of increasingly disastrous circumstances which rapidly spiral out of his control.
Quicksand (1950) -- After borrowing $20 from his employer's cash register, an auto mechanic is plunged into a series of increasingly disastrous circumstances which rapidly spiral out of his control.

Overview

User Rating:
6.5/10   595 votes
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Up 18% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Irving Pichel

Writer:

Robert Smith (original screenplay)

Contact:

View company contact information for Quicksand on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

24 March 1950 (USA) more

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery more

Tagline:

A guy who yields to temptation just once...... ....and finds it's once too often! more

Plot:

After borrowing $20 from his employer's cash register, an auto mechanic is plunged into a series of increasingly disastrous circumstances which rapidly spiral out of his control. full summary | add synopsis

Plot Keywords:

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User Comments:

Rooney does melodrama more (42 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Mickey Rooney ... Daniel 'Dan' Brady
Jeanne Cagney ... Vera Novak
Barbara Bates ... Helen Calder

Peter Lorre ... Nick Dramoshag
Taylor Holmes ... Harvey
Art Smith ... Oren Mackey
Wally Cassell ... Chuck Davis
Richard Lane ... Det. Lt. Nelson
Patsy O'Connor ... Millie
John Gallaudet ... Moriarity
Minerva Urecal ... Landlady aka Old Snoop
Sidney Marion ... Shorty McCabe (as Sid Marion)
Jimmie Dodd ... Buzz Larson (as Jimmy Dodd)
Lester Dorr ... Baldy, Jewelry Clerk
Kitty O'Neil ... Madame Zaronga
Frank Marlowe ... Watchman

Alvin Hammer ... George, the Auditor
Ray Teal ... Motorcycle Officer
Tom Monroe ... Motorcycle Officer (as Tom Munro)
Red Nichols ... Himself, Red Nichols (as Red Nichols and His Five Pennies)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jimmy Cross ... Sailor in Arcade (uncredited)

Jack Elam ... Man at Bar (uncredited)
Donald Kerr ... Pier Spectator (uncredited)

David McMahon ... Smitty, Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Irving Pichel ... Voice of Radio Announcer (uncredited)
Joe Ploski ... Man at Bar / Pier Spectator (uncredited)
Suzanne Ridgeway ... Woman at Bar (uncredited)
Bert Stevens ... Nightclub Table Extra (uncredited)
Harry Wilson ... Pier Spectator (uncredited)
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Directed by
Irving Pichel 
 
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Robert Smith  original screenplay

Produced by
Mort Briskin .... producer
Samuel H. Stiefel .... executive producer
 
Original Music by
Louis Gruenberg 
 
Cinematography by
Lionel Lindon (photographed by)
 
Film Editing by
Walter Thompson 
 
Production Design by
Boris Leven 
 
Art Direction by
Boris Leven 
 
Set Decoration by
Robert Priestley 
 
Makeup Department
Mel Berns .... makeup artist
Annabell Levy .... hair stylist (as Annabelle Levy)
 
Production Management
Harold Godsoe .... unit manager
Lewis J. Rachmil .... production manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Maurie M. Suess .... assistant director
 
Sound Department
William H. Lynch .... sound (as William Lynch)
 
Music Department
Emil Newman .... musical director
 
Crew believed to be complete


Production CompaniesDistributors
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:

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Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:Unrated | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:K-16 | Finland:S | UK:PG (re-rating) (2004) | UK:A (original rating) | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, California, USA

Company:

Samuel H. Stiefel Productions more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:

This film has one of the first examples of product placement with a box of Bit-O-Honey candy bars by Jeanne Cagney's cash register. more

Quotes:

Landlady: Serves you right, you hussy! more

Movie Connections:

References The Lucky Stiff (1949) more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
14 out of 17 people found the following comment useful.
Rooney does melodrama, 28 May 2005
6/10
Author: djensen1 from northern Indiana

Wow. Mickey Rooney and Peter Lorre. Together. And with Jimmie from the Mickey Mouse Club *and* Jack Elam! I didn't know what to expect. In case you were wondering, Rooney proves he can act in the opening scenes. He's a car mechanic looking to get in good with the new waitress at the diner, but he's flat broke until tomorrow. "Danny" starts down a slippery slope by copping a few bucks from the till at work, then lets Vera (Jeanne Cagney) steer him wrong by way of a game arcade owned by her former employer, Nick (Lorre). Nick makes the creepiest possible arcade owner, and Vera pines darkly for a mink coat in a store window. These are not good people to fall in with.

While the film starts out pretty cleverly, the coincidences start to pile up fast and furious. Danny's little white theft festers into a mugging, grand theft auto, a burglary, and worse. The wrong people keep finding out too much about Danny's activities, and soon the cops are crawling all over him.

The acting is quite good, and the direction and pacing are clean. But the wild improbabilities that have piled up threaten to topple the whole house of cards, from the convenient witnesses to the convenient cops to the convenient car trouble. Remember: Danny is an auto mechanic. He can't keep his own car in running condition? Still, it's a treat to see Rooney in such desperate straits. For those looking for Raymond Chandler, tho, this isn't noir; it's still just melodrama.

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Quicksand is AWESOME !!! shotgunnergauge5150
Mickey didn't like it... coppington
Was that the Santa Monica Pier? jeremy3
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