Kiss Me Deadly (1955)

Director:

Robert Aldrich

Writers:

Mickey Spillane (novel)
A.I. Bezzerides (writer)

Release Date:

18 May 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

Tagline:

"I don't care what you do to me, Mike - just do it fast!"

Plot:

A doomed female hitchhiker pulls Mike Hammer into a deadly whirlpool of intrigue, revolving around a mysterious "great whatsit."

Plot Keywords:

Mike Hammer | Hospital | Mechanic | Hitchhiker | Cliff

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Ralph Meeker	...	Mike Hammer
Albert Dekker	...	Dr. G.E. Soberin
Paul Stewart	...	Carl Evello
Juano Hernandez	...	Eddie Yeager
Wesley Addy	...	Lt. Pat Murphy
Marian Carr	...	Friday
Maxine Cooper	...	Velda
Cloris Leachman	...	Christina Bailey
Gaby Rodgers	...	Gabrielle
Nick Dennis	...	Nick
Jack Lambert	...	Sugar Smallhouse
Jack Elam	...	Charlie Max
Jerry Zinneman	...	Sammy
Leigh Snowden	...	Cheesecake
Percy Helton	...	Doc Kennedy

Also Known As:

Mickey Spillane's Kiss Me Deadly (USA)

Runtime:

106 min | USA:104 min (original version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Glen Glenn Sound)

Certification:

West Germany:18 (nf) | Australia:M | Canada:PG (video rating) | Finland:(Banned) | Finland:K-16 (re-rating) | Germany:18 (DVD rating) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated | UK:A (original rating) | UK:12 (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Angel's Flight Railway, Bunker Hill, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Parklane Pictures Inc.

Trivia:

The Kefauver Commission, a federal unit dedicated to investigating corrupting influences in the 1950s, singled this out as 1955's number one menace to American youth. Because of this, Robert Aldrich felt compelled to conduct a writing campaign for the free speech rights of independent film-makers.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: (At 1:10:00) The singer is shown standing with both hands on the microphone stand. When Hammer is sitting at the bar, during the same song, the singer is shown in a reflection playing a piano and not singing, though she is still heard singing.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Mike Hammer: You almost wrecked my car! Well? Get in!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Bullets Over Hollywood (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

RATHER HAVE THE BLUES

Amazingly Modern for a 50s film

By 1950s standards this film is totally cutting edge. Just off the top of my head here is a list of things in this film that were VERY uncommon in the 50s: 1. African-Americans and non-Americans in several supporting roles 2. Main character has an answering machine (yes it's a giant wall-mounted reel-to-reel, but still..) 3. Location shooting (lots of exteriors and cool cars) 4. Risqué shots of bare legs, sexy actions by female characters, etc. It's implied the characters have a sex life (in most 1950s movies no one had sex EVER). 5. Violence - OK - there is no GRAPHIC violence, but lots of implied violence. Some of the camera angles are quite modern and unusual (punches into the camera, walking into camera to end scene, female character stepping over male characters outstretched legs, etc.) Censorship of EVERYTHING was the norm in the 50s. I don't know how this one made it past the censors but I'm glad it did - it's a quirky gem for film noir fans LK