|
Detour (1945) 7.4
Chance events trap hitch-hiker Al Roberts in a tightening net of film noir trouble. Director:Edgar G. Ulmer |
| 0Share... |
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: Detour (1945)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Learn more
People who liked this also liked...
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Tay Garnett
Stars:
Lana Turner,
John Garfield,
Cecil Kellaway
He Walked by Night
(1948)
Crime
|
Film-Noir
|
Thriller
Director:
Alfred L. Werker
Stars:
Richard Basehart,
Scott Brady,
Roy Roberts
Kiss Me Deadly
(1955)
Film-Noir
|
Mystery
|
Thriller
Director:
Robert Aldrich
Stars:
Ralph Meeker,
Albert Dekker,
Paul Stewart
The Blue Gardenia
(1953)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Fritz Lang
Stars:
Anne Baxter,
Richard Conte,
Ann Sothern
The Blue Dahlia
(1946)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
George Marshall
Stars:
Alan Ladd,
Veronica Lake,
William Bendix
The House on 92nd Street
(1945)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Henry Hathaway
Stars:
William Eythe,
Lloyd Nolan,
Signe Hasso
The Stranger
(1946)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Orson Welles
Stars:
Edward G. Robinson,
Loretta Young,
Orson Welles
The Naked City
(1948)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Jules Dassin
Stars:
Barry Fitzgerald,
Howard Duff,
Dorothy Hart
The Big Clock
(1948)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
John Farrow
Stars:
Ray Milland,
Charles Laughton,
Maureen O'Sullivan
The Big Heat
(1953)
Crime
|
Film-Noir
|
Thriller
Director:
Fritz Lang
Stars:
Glenn Ford,
Gloria Grahame,
Jocelyn Brando
Ministry of Fear
(1944)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Fritz Lang
Stars:
Ray Milland,
Marjorie Reynolds,
Carl Esmond
The Woman in the Window
(1944)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Fritz Lang
Stars:
Edward G. Robinson,
Joan Bennett,
Raymond Massey
Edit
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
 |
Tom Neal | ... | |
|
|
Ann Savage | ... | |
|
|
Claudia Drake | ... |
Sue Harvey
|
|
|
Edmund MacDonald | ... |
Charles Haskell Jr
|
|
|
Tim Ryan | ... |
Nevada Diner Proprietor
|
|
|
Esther Howard | ... |
Diner Waitress
|
|
|
Pat Gleason | ... |
Joe
|
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
In flashback, New York nightclub pianist Al Roberts hitchhikes to Hollywood to join his girl Sue. On a rainy night, the sleazy gambler he's riding with mysteriously dies; afraid of the police, Roberts takes the man's identity. But thanks to a blackmailing dame, Roberts' every move plunges him deeper into trouble... Written by Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
Taglines:
He went searching for love... but Fate forced a DETOUR to Revelry... Violence... Mystery!Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
See more »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
7 November 1945 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
A Curva do Destino See more »Box Office
Budget:
$30,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
See more »
(uncredited)
Music by Harry Carroll
Lyrics by Joseph McCarthy
Performed by studio orchestra
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Ann Savage and Tom Neal made three movies together at Columbia Pictures before Detour. PRC re-teamed them for "Detour" to exploit the publicity and press buildup they had been given in 1943 and 1944. See more »Goofs
(possibly deliberate) In the Reno diner, Joe the truck driver asks Al about his plans. Al says he is headed east and Joe tells him is driving north to Salt Lake City. Salt Lake is east of Reno. See more »Quotes
Vera: Say who do you think you're talking to - a hick? Listen Mister, I been around, and I know a wrong guy when I see one. What'd you do, kiss him with a wrench?See more »
Soundtracks
"I'm Always Chasing Rainbows"(uncredited)
Music by Harry Carroll
Lyrics by Joseph McCarthy
Performed by studio orchestra
See more »
It's a tribute to Edgar Ulmer that "Detour", made for about thirty thousand dollars, still keeps an interest with new fans who discover it. According to some comments, "Detour" has not been seen in this country in quite a while, but we recall the first time we saw it when it was presented at New York's Film Forum as part of a Film Noir festival in the late eighties. The copy shown recently on TCM has a poor quality, while the print we saw at Film Forum was in better condition.
What makes "Detour" a must see, is the clever way its narrative unfolds on the screen. Al and Sue are seen first in the small bistro he plays the piano and she sings, in Manhattan. Sue sings a happy rendition of "I Can't Believe You're in Love with Me", and Al shows he can improvise on a theme by Chopin as he jazzes it up. When Sue decides to pack it and move to L.A., Tom promises he'll follow. The tragic mistake he makes is to intent crossing the country hitchhiking. Even in the forties, it's a miracle he made it alive!
In Arizona Al meets the kind Charles Haskell, who happens to be going all the way to L.A. and offers him a ride. The two men develop an easy friendship until the point when Haskell dies of an apparent heart attack. Al disposes of the body and keeps going, assuming now, Haskell's persona. At the nearest gas station he sees a pretty woman, Vera, who appears is hitchhiking, and offers her a ride. This will prove to be his biggest mistake.
Vera turned out to be Al's worst nightmare. She knows Al is not Haskell since she, herself, knows the man. Al ends up a virtual prisoner hiding in the apartment they have rented in Hollywood. He can't escape. When Vera realizes there's a lot of money to be made by having Al pretend to impersonate the dead Haskell, he refuses. She threatens to call the police and he is left on the other room pulling the telephone cord...
The film works because all the elements are in place in this satisfying 67 minutes work and because of the great performances Mr. Ulmer got out of Tom Neal and Ann Savage. Edmund MacDonald and Claudia Drake played Haskell and Sue.
"Detour" was shot in two sets and it shows. It's a small film that doesn't pretend what it's not, and that's basically why audiences seem to like it as it's discovered.