The Contact Man (1949)
"Alias Nick Beal" (original title)

A district attorney rises to political success and the governorship but loses his sense of morality once he starts associating with the shadowy and perhaps diabolical Nick Beal.

Director:

John Farrow

Writers:

Jonathan Latimer (screenplay), Mindret Lord (original story)

Stars:

Ray Milland, Audrey Totter, Thomas Mitchell

Cast

Cast overview:
Ray Milland	...	Nick Beal
Audrey Totter	...	Donna Allen
Thomas Mitchell	...	Joseph Foster
George Macready	...	Rev. Thomas Garfield
Fred Clark	...	Frankie Faulkner
Geraldine Wall	...	Martha Foster
Henry O'Neill	...	Judge Ben Hobson
Darryl Hickman	...	Larry Price
Nestor Paiva	...	Karl
King Donovan	...	Peter Wolfe
Charles Evans	...	Paul Norton
Ernö Verebes	...	Mr. Cox, the Tailor
Arlene Jenkins	...	Aileen
Pepito Pérez	...	Poster Man (as Pepito Perez)
Joey Ray	...	Tommy Ray

Storyline

Righteous district attorney Joseph Foster's main goal in life is to rid his city of the gangsters infesting it. In order to be even more efficient in his war against crime he plans to run for governor. One day he meets a strange, shadowy man, Nick Beal, who offers to help him to achieve his end. Beal convinces hesitating Foster by dint of easy money, easy sex with an alluring young woman and the promise of easy success. Joseph Foster soon becomes an influential politician but a corrupt one. A minister of God manages to show him that he has been the plaything of the so-called Nick Beal, who might be "Old Nick" , that is to say Satan himself. Foster then decides to resign and to become an honest man again.

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Plot Keywords:

district attorney | governor | judge | faustian | deal with the devil | 

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Taglines:

No man ever held more terrible power over women than this tall dark handsome stranger from nowhere!

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Genres:

Mystery | Drama | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 March 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dark Circle

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"The Screen Guild Theater" broadcast a 30 minute radio adaptation of the movie on December 8, 1949 with Ray Milland reprising his film role.

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Quotes

Martha Foster: He's gone. But where?
Rev. Thomas Garfield: I wouldn't ask. You've won. That's the important thing. Forget him. Go home.

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Soundtracks

"A Mighty Fortress"
Written by Martin Luther

User Reviews

Otherworldly fantasy meets film noir with Satan as a racketeer

A rare film-strange considering its many virtues.Ray Milland is perfect as cool diabolical devil in disguise Nick Beal.Thomas Mitchell is a modern Faust who accepts evil methods as a means of becoming Governor (ironically to do good deeds when in office!)Audrey Totter plays an archetypal 40's "dame" splendidly-tough,sexy with pretty elastic principles,but with a conscience under the varnish.This movie is full of great scenes -director John Farrow always gets it just right-I don't think he ever reached these heights again-watch the moment in the apartment where Donna realizes with horror that both she and Foster are saying exactly the words Beal said they would,and the scene where Beal surprises Donna at the station by sliding the cigarette case down the bar.The only real minus for some audiences today is the "studiobound" production,though for me this enhances the claustrophobic "noir" atmosphere of the film.The splendid Franz Waxman score nicely complements the action.