Niagara (1953)

As two couples are visiting Niagara Falls, tensions between one wife and her husband reach the level of murder.

Director:

Henry Hathaway

Writers:

Charles Brackett, Walter Reisch,

Stars:

Marilyn Monroe, Joseph Cotten, Jean Peters

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Marilyn Monroe	...	Rose Loomis
Joseph Cotten	...	George Loomis
Jean Peters	...	Polly Cutler
Max Showalter	...	Ray Cutler (as Casey Adams)
Denis O'Dea	...	Inspector Starkey
Richard Allan	...	Patrick
Don Wilson	...	Mr. J.C. Kettering
Lurene Tuttle	...	Mrs. Kettering
Russell Collins	...	Mr. Qua
Will Wright	...	Boatman

Storyline

George and Rose Loomis are honeymooning at a Niagara Falls motel. She plots with Ted Patrick to do him in, but all does not go smoothly. For one thing, after Loomis is reported missing Polly Cutler spies him at the motel but her husband Bud thinks she's imagining it. Marilyn sings "Kiss."

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Plot Keywords:

niagara falls | murder | honeymoon | cabin | couple | 

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Taglines:

A raging torrent of emotion that even nature can't control!

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Genres:

Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

February 1953 (USA)

Also Known As:

Torrente pasional

Filming Locations:

Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$1,250,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The model car that George Loomis (Joseph Cotten) is making in the film is a 1907 Maxwell. This is a nod to co-star Don Wilson, who plays the boisterous businessman J.J. Kettering. Wilson was the longtime announcer on Jack Benny's radio show. On the show, Jack Benny's car was a 1907 Maxwell. Its sputtering, coughing, wheezing engine (a vocal sound effect provided by Mel Blanc) was a well-known recurring gag on the show.

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Goofs

Rose's dead body changes position between shots.

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Quotes

George Loomis: You smell like a dime store. I know what that means.
Rose Loomis: Sure. I'm meeting somebody, just anybody handy, as long as he's a man! How 'bout the ticket seller himself? I could grab him on the way out, or one of the kids with the phonograph. Anybody suits me. Take your pick.

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Connections

Referenced in Blonde Heat (The Case of the Maltese Dildo) (1985)

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Soundtracks

"Kiss"
(uncredited)
Music by Lionel Newman
Lyrics by Haven Gillespie
Played on the phonograph and sung in part by Marilyn Monroe

User Reviews

Lots To Look At And Admire

The great scenery and colors of Niagara Falls, two very attractive female leads, and an interesting story all add up to a very good rating for this classic film.

The DVD offers a very nice print: sharp, with color restoration that makes it look great. Niagara Falls never looked better (and I live just 25 miles away), and either did Marilyn Monroe or Jean Peters.

Everyone knows about Monroe's beauty (and, I think, underrated acting talents) but Peters was a beautiful woman with a great body, herself. She apparently fascinated billionaire Howard Hughes, too, since he married her.) It's the men in here who are goofy: Cotten and his whining and mental illness; Casey Adams with his nerd-ish personality and Adams' boss Don Wilson, who is even more of a cornball.

This crime story is a suspenseful film with several twists and turns and segments that keep you on the edge of your seat. It's film noir material even though it's color which might disqualify it for some purists.

The only weak points of the story were some very implausible circumstances (i.e. Peters going into Joseph Cotten's room right after he acted crazy and was someone obviously to leave alone; having a boat "hijacked" in plain daylight, etc.)

As someone who has lived in Western New York for almost 60 years, it was interesting to see the aerial shots on the Canadian side and see the skyline of Niagara Falls and, in the distance, Buffalo.