No Man of Her Own (1950)

Helen Ferguson, pregnant, penniless and dumped by her boyfriend Steve Morley, takes the identity of the pregnant Patrice Harkness, when she and her husband are killed in a train crash. The ... See full summary »

Director:

Mitchell Leisen

Writers:

Sally Benson (screenplay), Catherine Turney (screenplay),

Stars:

Barbara Stanwyck, John Lund, Jane Cowl

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Barbara Stanwyck	...	Helen Ferguson / Patrice Harkness
John Lund	...	Bill Harkness
Jane Cowl	...	Mrs. Harkness
Phyllis Thaxter	...	Patrice Harkness
Lyle Bettger	...	Stephen 'Steve' Morley
Henry O'Neill	...	Mr. Harkness
Richard Denning	...	Hugh Harkness
Carole Mathews	...	Irma - the blonde
Harry Antrim	...	Ty Winthrop
Catherine Craig	...	Rosalie Baker
Esther Dale	...	Josie
Milburn Stone	...	Plainclothesman
Griff Barnett	...	Dr. Parker

Storyline

Helen Ferguson, pregnant, penniless and dumped by her boyfriend Steve Morley, takes the identity of the pregnant Patrice Harkness, when she and her husband are killed in a train crash. The rich Harkness in-laws, and their other son Bill, had never seen Patrice, so they accept her and her newborn son into their family. However Steve eventually finds her and starts to blackmail her.

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Plot Keywords:

pregnant | blackmail | train | expectant mother | inscribed ring | 

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 November 1950 (Finland)

Also Known As:

I Married a Dead Man

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Remade as "Mrs. Winterbourne" with Ricki Lake and Shirley MacClaine in the roles played by Stanwyck and Jane Cowl.

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Quotes

Bill Harkness: [returns to car after dumping a dead body onto a moving train] He stayed on, caught on the catwalk or whatever it is, but his hat and... came off.
Helen Ferguson: Don't.

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Connections

Version of Mrs. Winterbourne (1996)

User Reviews

Stanwyck can bull doze her way through any silly story

Stanwyck and the other actors (Cowl Lund) make this unbelievable story come to life and be suspenseful and fun to watch. The timing is quick so you don't have time to let impossible things bother you.

Stanwyck penniless and pregnant reluctantly falls into an identity swap following a train wreck. Stanwyck at 43 is too old for the new bride role but that would be one of the more minor impossible things in this story. She is an unstoppable force (you don't dwell on plot holes) and the pace of the movie is fast---so suspending disbelief is easy.

Yes, this is a film noir but the overly complicated ending mars what could have been an even better gem. Still it is entertaining and fun.

Trivia: Jane Cowl (Mrs. Harkness) died of cancer shortly after making this movie (she dies of illness in the movie).

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