Ruthless (1948)

Horace Vendig shows himself to the world as a rich philanthropist. In fact, the history of his rise from his unhappy broken home shows this to be far from the case. After being taken in by ... See full summary »

Director:

Edgar G. Ulmer

Writers:

Dayton Stoddart (novel), S.K. Lauren (screenplay),

Stars:

Zachary Scott, Louis Hayward, Diana Lynn

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Zachary Scott	...	Horace Woodruff Vendig
Louis Hayward	...	Vic Lambdin
Diana Lynn	...	Martha Burnside / Mallory Flagg
Sydney Greenstreet	...	Buck Mansfield
Lucille Bremer	...	Christa Mansfield
Martha Vickers	...	Susan Duane
Edith Barrett	...	Mrs. Burnside
Dennis Hoey	...	Mr. Burnside
Raymond Burr	...	Pete Vendig
Joyce Arling	...	Kate Vendig
Charles Evans	...	Bruce McDonald
Robert J. Anderson	...	Horace Vendig as Child (as Bob Anderson)
Arthur Stone	...	Vic Lambdin as Child
Ann Carter	...	Martha Burnside as Child
Edna Holland	...	Libby Sims

Storyline

Horace Vendig shows himself to the world as a rich philanthropist. In fact, the history of his rise from his unhappy broken home shows this to be far from the case. After being taken in by richer neighbours he started to exhibit an obsessive and selfish urge to make more and more money, loving and leaving women at will to further this end.

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Plot Keywords:

rescue from drowning | young version of character | actress playing multiple roles | based on novel

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Taglines:

Lovely! (Diana Lynn) Reckless! (Lucille Bremer) Loyal! (Louis Hayward) Power-Mad! (Zachary Scott) Vicious! (Sydney Greenstreet) Innocent! (Martha Vickers)

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Genres:

Film-Noir | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 May 1949 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Prelude to Night

Filming Locations:

Motion Picture Center Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arthur S. Lyons Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Buck Mansfield quotes twice from the Bible. The first occasion is when he is being 'pursued by his creditors' and he reads from Proverbs 31:10 -12 and 21 (...Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies....). The second instance is when he speaks to the bartender at Vendig's function and the quote is from Obadiah 1: 2-4 (...Though you set your nest among the stars, From there I will bring you down ...).

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Quotes

Mrs. Burnside: [to unhappy young Horace] Be brave. Be a man.
Horace Vendig as Child: I don't want to be a man. Never! I wish there weren't any men in the whole world.

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Connections

Referenced in Let's Go to the Movies (1949)

User Reviews

from Bobby Anderson to Zachary Scott

Apparently a brief exchange between the adolescent boy (Bobby Anderson) and his father (Raymond Burr) in which the father tells him that opportunity only comes around once, is the reason why Anderson morphs into the social climbing and ruthless business tycoon played by Zachary Scott. It hardly seems like enough of an influence to change a nice kid into a prototypical (and stereotypical) greedy capitalist millionaire. Though it's difficult to establish a connection between the two, Scott makes a believable social climber, and the story has a pretty good trajectory from his adolescence through dark mansions and well furnished offices with New York skyline views, to a finale gala event where Scott is organizing a philanthropy to unload some of his millions and ease his conscience. Ulmer doles out the action in bits and pieces, but delivers a pretty memorable ending.