D.O.A. (1950)

Frank Bigelow, told he's been poisoned and has only a few days to live, tries to find out who killed him and why.

Director:

Rudolph Maté

Writers:

Russell Rouse (story), Clarence Greene (story),

Stars:

Edmond O'Brien, Pamela Britton, Luther Adler

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Edmond O'Brien	...	Frank Bigelow
Pamela Britton	...	Paula Gibson
Luther Adler	...	Majak
Beverly Garland	...	Miss Foster (as Beverly Campbell)
Lynn Baggett	...	Mrs. Philips
William Ching	...	Halliday
Henry Hart	...	Stanley Philips
Neville Brand	...	Chester
Laurette Luez	...	Marla Rakubian
Jess Kirkpatrick	...	Sam
Cay Forester	...	Sue (as Cay Forrester)
Frank Jaquet	...	Dr. Matson (as Fred Jaquet)
Lawrence Dobkin	...	Dr. Schaefer (as Larry Dobkin)
Frank Gerstle	...	Dr. MacDonald
Carol Hughes	...	Kitty

Storyline

Small-town accountant Frank Bigelow goes to San Francisco for a week's fun prior to settling down with fiancée Paula. After a night on the town, he wakes up with more than just a hangover; doctors tell him he's been given a "luminous toxin" with no antidote and has, at most, a week to live! Not knowing who did it or why, Bigelow embarks on a frantic odyssey to find his own murderer.

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Plot Keywords:

doctor | accountant | hotel | police | murder | 

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Taglines:

A picture as excitingly different as its title!

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Genres:

Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 April 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dead on arrival

Filming Locations:

Bradbury Building - 304 S. Broadway, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cardinal Pictures (II)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scene in which Bigelow runs in panic through the streets after learning he has been poisoned was a stolen shot. The pedestrians had no idea a movie was being made and no warning that Edmond O'Brien would be plowing through them.

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Goofs

At 28:31 the way the doctor holds the paper changes.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Homicide Detective: Can I help you?
Frank Bigelow: I'd like to see the man in charge.
Homicide Detective: In here...
Frank Bigelow: I want to report a murder.
Homicide Captain: Sit down. Where was this murder committed?
Frank Bigelow: San Francisco, last night.
Homicide Captain: Who was murdered?
Frank Bigelow: I was.

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Crazy Credits

The end credits read "The medical facts in this motion picture are authentic. Luminous toxin is a descriptive term for an actual poison. Technical Adviser, Edward F. Dunne. M.D."

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Connections

Remade as Color Me Dead (1969)

User Reviews

extremely simple yet extremely effective

One of the best film noir flicks of all-time (along with The Killers). DO NOT CONFUSE THIS WITH THE REMAKE!! The film stars our unattractive hero, O'Brien, as the man who has been poisoned and is told he has only 24 hours to live. He has no idea who did it and spends almost the entire film tracking down the dirty rat that done him in. It's amazing how many wonderful noir films O'Brien appeared in over the years.

The pacing is good, acting top-rate and very noir-ish, and it manages to pull so much out of a very simple plot with minimal sets. In other words, it gives a fantastic "bang for the buck" and modern filmmakers would really benefit from learning a lesson or two from DOA.

I just checked the IMDb Top 50 Film Noir films and for some odd reason this film is not listed. How is this possible?