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:

Entertainment that all but explodes with dramatic tension!

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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

In the opening scene Eric Stanton is seen smoking unfiltered Camel cigarettes. He obviously inhaled. Unlike.modern movies where actors are obviously uncomfortable handling "smokes" this was an era of almost universal smoking.

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Goofs

Among the works listed on the church reader board for June Mills's upcoming organ recital are a Stabat Mater by Beethoven and a Requiem by Brahms. Beethoven never wrote a Stabat Mater, and the only Requiem by Brahms is a massive choral work, highly unlikely to be played as an organ solo.

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Quotes

June Mills: I need you, Eric.
Eric Stanton: [sarcastically] You need me, right.
June Mills: You're my husband, and I'm your wife.
Eric Stanton: Right out of a book, again.
June Mills: Yes, out of a book: "We were born to tread the earth as angels, to seek out heaven this side of the sky. But they who race above shall stumble in the dark, and fall from grace."
Eric Stanton: Go on. Sounds good.
June Mills: "Then love alone can make the fallen angel rise. For only two together can enter Paradise."

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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

Featured in Biography: Linda Darnell: Hollywood's Fallen Angel (1999)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

wonderful cinematography and dialogue

I liked this a lot, somehow having managed not to see it before. I am indebted to other reviewers for the information regarding Darryl Zanuck, Alice Faye and Linda Darnell. Seemingly Zanuck, head of Fox was dating Darnell and insisted on her part being beefed up at the expense of that of Faye. When she discovered, at the preview, a whole lot of her scenes had been given the chop, she was so annoyed she stomped out not to work again in film for many years. Now, here's where I differ with some viewers, I think it was a mistake. Darnell is good as the sluttish café worker, going out with everyone who asks, but when we see Faye with her hair down towards the end and playing dynamic scenes we surely realize that without intervention, Preminger's film would have been just that little better balanced. As it is it is still great to watch for the wonderful cinematography and dialogue. What's also good is that we are left in doubt, almost till the very end, just who the murderer was and hence why there was a killing anyway. Most enjoyable.