The Damned Don't Cry (1950)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Vincent Sherman

Writers:

Harold Medford (screenplay) and
Jerome Weidman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

7 May 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir | Romance

Tagline:

Warner Bros.' Flaming Stars of 'Flamingo Road' Meet in Scarlet Shadows Again!

Plot:

A New York socialite climbs the ladder of success man by man until a life among rich gangsters gives her what she thought she always wanted.

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Socialite | Flashback | Underworld | Secret Past

Cast

Joan Crawford	...	Ethel Whitehead
David Brian	...	George Castleman
Steve Cochran	...	Nick Prenta
Kent Smith	...	Martin Blackford
Hugh Sanders	...	Grady
Selena Royle	...	Patricia Longworth
Jacqueline deWit	...	Sandra
Morris Ankrum	...	Jim Whitehead
Edith Evanson	...	Mrs. Castleman
Richard Egan	...	Roy Whitehead

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #14169) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | Belgium:16 | Germany:12 | UK:PG (re-rating) (2005) | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Palm Springs, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Loosely based upon the life of sharp-tongued moll Virginia Hill and her secretive relationship with gangster Bugsy Siegel.

Quotes:

Ethel Whitehead: He's promised me the world, Marty, and I've got to have it.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

Soundtrack:

Trade Winds

Great Title, Terrific Movie

This is one of those easy-to-miss sleepers. It makes the rounds on cable channels, like AMC, but has never received much attention. Many of Joan Crawford's post-"Mildred Pierce" efforts are unworthy vehicles. Some, like "Female on the Beach" are entertaining trash. But there are two late Film Noir classics in her canon that should not be missed: one is "Sudden Fear" (1952) and the other "The Damned Don't Cry".

A hybrid of the "woman's picture" and straightforward Film Noir, "The Damned Don't Cry" has many of the best components of both genres. There is a strong, but flawed heroine--her descent into corruption that is pure Noir--and (as the title implies) no possibility of redemption. The entire tale is told in flashback, that most compelling of Noir devices. It is tautly directed and extremely well acted by all. Crawford was perhaps a bit too old for the role in 1950, but her unique combination of austerity and vulnerability is quite effective. Other standouts in the cast include David Brian, the underrated Steve Cochran and Jacqueline Dewit (the monstrous wife in The Twilight Zone episode "Time Enough at Last") as Crawford's fellow-model companion early in the film. The photographic look of the film should appeal to any Noir aficionado: dark and threatening--the opening sequence is a perfect case in point.

A bit of trivia: the title comes from Eugene O'Neill. In "Mourning Becomes Electra", a brother tells his sister:"Don't cry....the damned don't cry."