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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   599 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 6% 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:
more
User Comments:
Never trust a blond dame or a guy named Buzz more (43 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:
Add content advisory for parents
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 South of St. Louis (1949) more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
21 out of 21 people found the following comment useful.
Never trust a blond dame or a guy named Buzz, 11 August 2005
8/10
Author: Tom Willett (yonhope) from Central Midwest, USA

Hi, Everyone, Drama hogs... that's an anagram for Peter Lorre's character name in this excellent old movie. Peter plays the part of Nick Dramoshag.

Lots of drama from all the cast. Best bad guys here are the car dealer, Oren Mackey, played by Art Smith, and the landlady, played by Minerva Urecal. They are so rotten, but they are not in any trouble with the law.

If you are a fan of the classic cars of the 40s and 50s, there are some delightful motor carriages awaiting you in this movie. Mickey works at a garage which apparently is a dealership also. There is a line of Studebaker pickup trucks parked just behind Mickey's old jalopy when we first see his car. I believe his car is a '31 Chevy. In front of his car is a Studebaker Starlight Coupe' from about 1949.

Mickey makes one mistake in this movie. He loans $20 to a guy named Buzz who is a future Mousketeer (Jimmie Dodd). Dodd is in no rush to pay it back. Naturally Mickey has to steal some money to take the new dish out on a date. $20 for a date seems a little high when the lunch costs 40 cents. A brand new car is $3000 list price. It looks like a 1949 Mercury. I think they actually were only about $1800. Why does the Studebaker dealer sell Mercurys? It could happen.

The lunch is only 40 cents because you have to look at Jack Elam with his hair slicked down while you are eating. Jack has only one line here, but you can tell he will someday make it big when he is allowed to be less beautiful.

Mickey is very agile in this. He was about 30 when he made this film, but his character is only 26. Mickey does his own slide down a fire escape and he runs around with great speed and agility under the Santa Monica Pier. I remember him dancing in many movies and he was obviously in great physical condition.

Peter Lorre is so good just looking at someone. He had the voice of a guy who enjoyed raising bats.

Peter was very good in Casablanca.

Mickey Rooney was excellent in Bridges at Toko Ri. I bet you've never seen that. He of course was superb in Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

The car that drives off with Mick at the end of the movie is a Packard. It is probably also a 1949 model. Packard was an expensive automobile. It was a competitor with Cadillac.

It is also fun to watch this now, especially with a teen ager, so you can see what life was like before credit cards.

Tom Willett

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Mickey didn't like it... coppington
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