Fallen Angel (1945)

A slick con man arrives in a small town looking to make some money, but soon gets more than he bargained for.

Director:

Otto Preminger

Writers:

Harry Kleiner (screen play), Marty Holland (novel)

Stars:

Alice Faye, Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Alice Faye	...	June Mills
Dana Andrews	...	Eric Stanton
Linda Darnell	...	Stella
Charles Bickford	...	Mark Judd
Anne Revere	...	Clara Mills
Bruce Cabot	...	Dave Atkins
John Carradine	...	Professor Madley
Percy Kilbride	...	Pop

Storyline

Eric Stanton (Dana Andrews), thrown off a bus for not having the fare, begins to frequent a diner called "Pop's Eats" , whose main attraction is a beautiful waitress by the name of Stella seems disinterested in Eric, he decides if he had money she would pay attention to his advances. He marries June Mills ( Alice Faye ) for her money, and Stella is mysteriously murdered. Even though June learns of Eric's dishonest plans, she still loves him. It is with her support that he investigates the killing on his own, eventually discovering the shocking identity of the real killer.

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Plot Keywords:

drifter | police violence | deception | small town | con man | 

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Taglines:

The creator of "Laura" does it again!

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Genres:

Crime | Film-Noir | Mystery | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 March 1946 (Argentina)

Also Known As:

¿Ángel o diablo?

Filming Locations:

409 N Shaffer Street, Orange, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,075,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Otto Preminger used much of the crew from "Laura" on this film, made one year later.

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Goofs

The windows of the San Francisco Bank and Trust Co. advertise "Safety Deposit Boxes". The correct terminology is Safe Deposit Boxes.

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Quotes

Eric Stanton: [to Joe] Don't smile. Your face looks better without it.

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits appear on the screen as a series of road signs seen through the windshield of a bus driving at night time.

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Connections

Referenced in Altered Carbon: Fallen Angel (2018)

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Soundtracks

Slowly
Music by David Raksin
Lyrics by Kermit Goell
Sung by Dick Haymes (uncredited)

User Reviews

Obsession before Vertigo

Otto Priminger was basking in the sun as a result of his classic film noir "Laura" when he followed up with this highly under-appreciated film. The key element is basically the same as in "Laura" and that key element is obsession with a beautiful but dangerous woman. The femme fatale of film noir is present at the creation of the genre, here embodied by Linda Darnell. Many men become obsessed with beautiful women who are not deserving of such adoration. In its perverted form obsession leads to stalking. In its most common form it leads to heartbreak and mental torture. It can also lead to murder. Why do men become obsessed with dangerous beautiful women? Ask your shrink for an analysis. Alfred Hitchcock made the best film on obsession with a beautiful woman, "Vertigo." Before "Vertigo," "Fallen Angel" was the best and is still one of the best. The acting is marvelous, especially Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, and all those wonderful character actors that Otto Priminger hand picked for their roles. The weakest performance is by Alice Faye, but then she is out of her element and badly miscast, not at all a good choice for a film noir. Plus my understanding is that Priminger cut many of her key scenes to make more room for the machinations of Linda Darnell. The shadowy world of midnight rendezvous, dark tones of shades of rain, a diner called Pop's Eats, all make for a classic film noir for fans and non-fans as well.