Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsKiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 4 | slideshow) |
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Harry Brown (screenplay)
Horace McCoy (from "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye")
Release Date:
4 August 1950 (USA) more
Tagline:
As only James Cagney can portray it! more
Plot:
Starting with a violent prison break, clever, ruthless Ralph Cotter corrupts everyone around him. full summary | add synopsis
NewsDesk:
Tv Versions Of Fox Noir Classics Being Planned
(From Studio Briefing - Film News. 17 June 1999)
User Comments:
Coal black, brutish, exhilarating noir! more (22 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| James Cagney | ... | Ralph Cotter | |
| Barbara Payton | ... | Holiday Carleton | |
| Helena Carter | ... | Margaret Dobson | |
| Ward Bond | ... | Insp. Charles Weber | |
| Luther Adler | ... | Keith 'Cherokee' Mandon | |
| Barton MacLane | ... | Lt. John Reece | |
| Steve Brodie | ... | Joe 'Jinx' Raynor | |
| Rhys Williams | ... | Vic Mason | |
| Herbert Heyes | ... | Ezra Dobson | |
| John Litel | ... | Police Chief Tolgate | |
| William Frawley | ... | Byers | |
| Robert Karnes | ... | Det. Gray | |
| Kenneth Tobey | ... | Det. Fowler | |
| Dan Riss | ... | District Attorney | |
| Frank Reicher | ... | 'Doc' Darius Green |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
102 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Certification:
USA:Approved (MPAA rating: certificate #14661) | UK:A (original rating) | Argentina:13 | Sweden:(Banned)
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The film that Phil Spector and Lana Clarkson were watching in Spector's chauffeured car on the way to his Alhambra mansion the night of her murder. more
Quotes:
Holiday Carleton:
He's too smart for you!
Ralph Cotter:
Oh no, he stopped being smart when he took my money.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003) more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (22 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| That Car! | williesutt |
| Barbara Payton | freakyfelix |
| The variety in Cagney roles | Tony43 |
| KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE | isleoffury |
Recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| White Heat | Unmasked | The Asphalt Jungle | Chicago | Angels with Dirty Faces |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Crime section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |




How fickle film history is! To think that this most intense crime thriller has been totally overlooked. I wouldn't say underrated, because it seems that everyone who has watched it agrees with me.
I woke up ten minutes before this movie started on TV, flicked the switch, and thought, OK cool, a James Cagney movie. I wasn't prepared for the roller-coaster plunge through abyssal night. Or the violent way with which the riders carom off into the void. The ending scene is totally classic with dialogue and revelation that pitches the film into the darkest reaches of noir.
Everything about this movie is hyped, Cotter (Cagney) hasn't got a bottle of champagne, he's got a jeroboam, he hasn't got a revolver, he's got an automatic, he hasn't got one honey, he's got two, we don't do 100 kilometers per hour, we do 100 miles per hour, and in a car the size of a carnival float. The guy's a total psycho, but not in the Robert Ryan way that turns you against his character, in the Cagney way where it's all like some big game to him.
There are a lot of totally mesmerising scenes in this movie. Two stand out just for the sheer exhilaration factor - this is the bit where you coo out loud. When Barbara (Holiday Carleton) throws a pot of coffee at Cotter he says, 'No cream?', so she throws the cream at him, 'No sugar?' so he gets the sugar, and finally 'No cigar?'. I was on the floor. Then there is the scene where Helena (Margaret Dobson) takes him out for a drive in her sporty little number. She takes it up to a hundred to scare him, and then he stamps his foot on hers and takes it to 110 whilst she frantically swerves.
Some people have commented on how the framing device of the court-case doesn't work. But for me it's total brutality, the director doesn't waste time with the minutiae of court proceedings, he just uses them to makes plain right from the very start that its all gonna end badly. It's a complete train wreck of a movie, there isn't an honest man in sight, and the casual nature of the violence just shocks you. Cutting kills people like he's taking out the trash, it's just another chore.
There's also classic support from Ward Bond, in this movie he always looks like he's gonna screw you up and toss you away. This role stands apart from the usual supporting roles he gets, either buffoonish (Fort Apache), ineffectual (Johnny Guitar), foolishly vigilante (On Dangerous Ground).
OK so we got broads with pzazz, we got dialogue to die for, we got utter magnetism from the lead actor (as only Cagney can be), and we've got total, anthracitic, ebonic, pitch-black noir. 11/10