Fallen Angel (1945)

Director:

Otto Preminger

Writers:

Harry Kleiner (screen play)
Marty Holland (novel)

Release Date:

5 December 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Mystery | Romance

Tagline:

The creator of "Laura" does it again!

Plot:

A slick con man arrives in a small town looking to make some money, but soon gets more than he bargained for.

Plot Keywords:

Waitress | Drifter | Diner | Love | Coffee Shop

Cast

Alice Faye	...	June Mills
Dana Andrews	...	Eric Stanton
Linda Darnell	...	Stella
Charles Bickford	...	Mark Judd
Anne Revere	...	Clara Mills
Bruce Cabot	...	Dave Atkins
John Carradine	...	Professor Madley
Percy Kilbride	...	Pop
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dorothy Adams	...	Stella's Neighbor (uncredited)
Robert Adler	...	Coroner at Murder Scene (uncredited)
Herbert Ashley	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Matthew 'Stymie' Beard	...	Shoeshine Boy (uncredited)
Betty Boyd	...	Bank Clerk (uncredited)
Paul E. Burns	...	News Vendor (uncredited)
Chick Collins	...	2nd Bus Driver (uncredited)
Jimmy Conlin	...	Walton Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum	...	Man Leaving Drugstore (uncredited)
Gus Glassmire	...	San Francisco Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
William Haade	...	1st Bus Driver (uncredited)
Dick Haymes	...	Himself - JukeBox Vocalist (voice) (uncredited)
Olin Howland	...	Joe Ellis (uncredited)
Adele Jergens	...	Woman at Madley's Show (uncredited)
Tiny Jones	...	Woman at Madley's Show (uncredited)
J. Farrell MacDonald	...	Bank Guard (uncredited)
George Magrill	...	Cop at Murder Scene (uncredited)
Leila McIntyre	...	Bank Clerk (uncredited)
Mira McKinney	...	Mrs. Judd (uncredited)
Dave Morris	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Horace Murphy	...	Sheriff (uncredited)
William H. O'Brien	...	Bus Passenger (uncredited)
Frank O'Connor	...	Man at Madley's Show (uncredited)
Broderick O'Farrell	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Garry Owen	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Paul Palmer	...	Detective (uncredited)
Harry Strang	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Brick Sullivan	...	Honky Tonk Dance Customer (uncredited)
Hal Taggart	...	Man at Madley's Show (uncredited)
Hal Taliaferro	...	Officer Gus Johnson (uncredited)
Max Wagner	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Martha Wentworth	...	Hotel Maid (uncredited)

Directed by
Otto Preminger

Writing credits
Harry Kleiner		(screen play)
Marty Holland		(novel)

Produced by
Otto Preminger	....	producer

Original Music by
David Raksin

Cinematography by
Joseph LaShelle		(director of photography) (as Joseph La Shelle)

Film Editing by
Harry Reynolds

Art Direction by
Leland Fuller
Lyle R. Wheeler		(as Lyle Wheeler)

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little

Costume Design by
Bonnie Cashin

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Raymond A. Klune	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Otto Brower	....	second unit director (uncredited)
Tom Dudley	....	assistant director (uncredited)
George Schaefer	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Sam Wurtzel	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Helen Hansard	....	associate set decorator

Sound Department
Bernard Freericks	....	sound
Harry M. Leonard	....	sound

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

Visual Effects by
Sol Halperin	....	transparency projection shots (uncredited)
Edward Snyder	....	transparency projection shots (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Lloyd Ahern	....	second camera (uncredited)

Music Department
Emil Newman	....	musical director
Charles Althouse	....	music mixer (uncredited)
Arthur Morton	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Paul Neal	....	music mixer (uncredited)
Murray Spivack	....	music mixer (uncredited)

Other crew
Teresa Brachetto	....	script supervisor (uncredited)
May Morris	....	research assistant (uncredited)
Frances C. Richardson	....	research director (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1945) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (1949) (France) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1953) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Teakwood Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #10940) | UK:A (original rating) | Australia:PG | Argentina:13 | UK:PG (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Alice Faye's rendition of "Slowly" (music by David Raksin, lyrics by Kermit Goell) is part of a deleted scene in which she is being driven to the beach by Dana Andrews. In the release print, the ballad is sung off screen by the "radio voice" of Dick Haymes, as waitress Linda Darnell works behind the counter. Dick's 1945 Decca recording is featured on a 2003 CD box set from the British label Jasmine, entitled "The Golden Years of Dick Haymes."

Goofs:

Factual errors: Among the works listed on the church reader board for June Mills's upcoming organ recital are a Stabat Mater by Beethoven and a Requiem by Brahms. Beethoven never wrote a Stabat Mater, and the only Requiem by Brahms is a massive choral work, highly unlikely to be played as an organ solo.

Quotes:

Joe Ellis:Get in.
Eric Stanton:I'm not going.
Professor Madley:Not going? What's wrong?
Eric Stanton:Nothing. You go ahead. I'll meet you.
Professor Madley:But Eric - we need you for the advance publicity. San Francisco's a tough town on spooks.
Joe Ellis:Come on! hit 'em like the earthquake!
Eric Stanton:When I feel like it. I made it clear to you when I took this job. You can't tie me down. Cramps my style. I always work best when a certain feeling comes over me, and right now I haven't got it.
Joe Ellis:[under his breath] Genius!
Professor Madley:Eric my boy, you're an artist. You have my sympathy. And a bus ticket on the firm.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

Paducah

Obsession before Vertigo

Otto Priminger was basking in the sun as a result of his classic film noir "Laura" when he followed up with this highly under-appreciated film. The key element is basically the same as in "Laura" and that key element is obsession with a beautiful but dangerous woman. The femme fatale of film noir is present at the creation of the genre, here embodied by Linda Darnell. Many men become obsessed with beautiful women who are not deserving of such adoration. In its perverted form obsession leads to stalking. In its most common form it leads to heartbreak and mental torture. It can also lead to murder. Why do men become obsessed with dangerous beautiful women? Ask your shrink for an analysis. Alfred Hitchcock made the best film on obsession with a beautiful woman, "Vertigo." Before "Vertigo," "Fallen Angel" was the best and is still one of the best. The acting is marvelous, especially Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, and all those wonderful character actors that Otto Priminger hand picked for their roles. The weakest performance is by Alice Faye, but then she is out of her element and badly miscast, not at all a good choice for a film noir. Plus my understanding is that Priminger cut many of her key scenes to make more room for the machinations of Linda Darnell. The shadowy world of midnight rendezvous, dark tones of shades of rain, a diner called Pop's Eats, all make for a classic film noir for fans and non-fans as well.