I Wake Up Screaming (1941)

Why is Inspector Ed Cornell trying to railroad Frankie Christopher for the murder of model Vicky Lynn?

Director:

H. Bruce Humberstone (as Bruce Humberstone)

Writers:

Dwight Taylor (screen play by), Steve Fisher (from the novel "I Wake Up Screaming" by)

Stars:

Betty Grable, Victor Mature, Carole Landis

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Betty Grable	...	Jill Lynn
Victor Mature	...	Frankie Christopher
Carole Landis	...	Vicky Lynn
Laird Cregar	...	Ed Cornell
William Gargan	...	Jerry MacDonald
Alan Mowbray	...	Robin Ray
Allyn Joslyn	...	Larry Evans
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Harry Williams
Chick Chandler	...	Reporter
Cyril Ring	...	Reporter
Morris Ankrum	...	Asst. District Attorney
Charles Lane	...	Keating--Florist
Frank Orth	...	Cemetery Caretaker
Gregory Gaye	...	Headwaiter
May Beatty	...	Lady Handel (as Mae Beatty)

Storyline

Promoter Frankie Christopher, being grilled by police in the murder of model Vicky Lynn, recalls in flashback: First meeting her as a waitress, Frankie decides to parlay her beauty into social acceptance and a lucrative career. He succeeds only too well: she's on the eve of deserting him for Hollywood...when someone kills her. Now Frankie gets the feeling that Inspector Ed Cornell is determined to pin the killing on him and only him. He's right. And the only one he can turn to for help is Jill, the victim's sister, who's been cool toward him...

---

Plot Keywords:

waitress | frame up | model | death of sister | new york city | 

---

Taglines:

Three of the most exciting people you ever had in a picture!

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

---

Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 October 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hot Spot

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to the DVD, this film was originally titled "Hot Spot" and a title sequence was shot using this (included on the DVD without music), but subsequently dropped in favor of "I Wake Up Screaming." However, the title "Hot Spot" was retained for its UK release, and British prints incorporate the original title sequence. Fox sent out posters, lobbies, and other publicity materials under the title "Hot Spot," and the surviving ephemera is highly prized by collectors.

---

Goofs

When Cornell asks Christopher for a lift he tells him to drop him at 58th and Madison.The car pulls up in front of brownstone apartments. There are only stores on 58th and Madison in NYC, no brownstones.

---

Quotes

Ed Cornell: When I get all my evidence together, I'm gonna have you tied up like a pig in a slaughterhouse.

---

Connections

References Dracula (1931)

---

Soundtracks

Street Scene
(uncredited)
Music by Alfred Newman
Played over main titles, then heard as background music throughout the movie

User Reviews

nifty sleeper

I Wake Up Screaming is an odd and oddly satisfying film. It is in the noir mold but it's a little earlier than most. The studio that made it was not noted for making thrillers, and the stars,--Victor Mature, Betty Grable and Carole Landis--were not the types one would expect to find in this sort of dark movie. Yet it is fun from the start to finish, and at times creepy, thanks mostly to the presence of Laird Cregar as a cop determined to nail Mature for the murder of a heartless showgirl that he, Cregar, was himself infatuated with. The studio New York of the film is much less intimidating than one might expect in a mystery, and overall the tone is bright and bouncy,--call it noir light. But it's Mr. Cregar who makes the film work. He dominates the picture as soon as he enters it with an authority and sense of himself that most actors would kill for. Cregar was, in short, a genius. The supporting cast, which includes Allyn Joslyn and Alan Mowbray, make the best of their lines, which are often quite witty, and the script is, overall, far better than average.