Nobody Lives Forever (1946)

Ex-GI Nick Blake gets involved in a scheme to fleece a rich, young widow, but finds himself falling for her, much to the displeasure of his racketeer cohorts.

Director:

Jean Negulesco

Writer:

W.R. Burnett (original screenplay)

Stars:

John Garfield, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Walter Brennan

Cast

Complete credited cast:
John Garfield	...	Nick Blake
Geraldine Fitzgerald	...	Gladys Halvorsen
Walter Brennan	...	Pop Gruber
Faye Emerson	...	Toni Blackburn
George Coulouris	...	Doc Ganson
George Tobias	...	Al Doyle
Robert Shayne	...	Chet King
Richard Gaines	...	Charles Manning
Richard Erdman	...	Bellboy, The Marwood Arms (as Dick Erdman)
James Flavin	...	Shake Thomas
Ralph Peters	...	Windy Mather
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fred Kelsey	...	Railroad Conductor (scenes deleted)

Storyline

G.I. Nick Blake, a never charged con man in his pre-military life, has just received an honorable discharge from the army on medical reasons. Rather than return to his old life, he plans to settle down in New York, his hometown, with his girlfriend Toni Blackburn and the small cache of money he amassed prior to the war: $50,000. When that plan does not pan out, he decides to head to Los Angeles with his con man friend Al Doyle and live it up until he decides on a more permanent course for his life. He is informed by Pop Gruber, an aging mentor doing solely penny-ante street cons now in L.A., of a potential big mark. Doc Ganson, a former con associate, found the mark, lonely widow Gladys Halvorsen worth $2 million, but does not have either the bankroll or the charms to carry out the con on Gladys himself. With Al running interference for him, Nick agrees both to bankroll and carry out the con, he negotiating two-thirds of the take for himself, leaving Doc and his two associates a ...

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Plot Keywords:

female sexual predator | damsel in distress | homosexual subtext | bare chested male | man in bathing suit | 

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Taglines:

I killed a man for this kiss so you better make it good !

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 November 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

Amor de Salvação

Filming Locations:

Mission San Juan Capistrano - 26801 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Nick leaves the hospital at the beginning of the film, the patch on his uniform's left shoulder indicates he was a member of the U.S. Army's First Infantry Division, nicknamed "The Big Red One". Later in the film Nick mentions seeing destroyed churches in Italy. The 1st Inf. Division saw action in Sicily, as well as North Africa, the D-Day invasion at Omaha Beach, the Battle of the Bulge and through the heart of Germany, ending up in Czechoslovakia by the end of the war.

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Goofs

As Pop is proposing the con on the widow to Nick and Al, the same couple (a blonde and a man in a vertically striped robe) walks past the window along the beach from right to left twice.

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Quotes

Al Doyle: [Last Lines]
[to Windy and Ben the security guard as he hears police sirens approaching]
Al Doyle: You'll have plenty of time to dry out now.

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Connections

Referenced in The Likes of Louise (1974)

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Soundtracks

Don't Fence Me In
(uncredited)
Music by Cole Porter
Played on the juke box in the bar

User Reviews

Getting Rough with John Garfield

Home from service in World War II, roughly handsome hotshot gambler John Garfield (as Nick Blake) tries to reconnect with sexy blonde Faye Emerson (as Toni Blackburn), but learns she's used up his dough, and hooked up with another stud. Discouraged, he moves to Los Angeles, with fawning companion George Tobias (as Al Doyle). There, con artists Walter Brennan (as Pop Gruber) and George Coulouris (as Doc Ganson) persuade Mr. Garfield to bilk $2,000,000 out of wealthy widow Geraldine Fitzgerald (as Gladys Halvorsen). "She's a dish," says Tobias, and Garfield proceeds predictably...

Probably due to its release amid so many other great Garfield films, "Nobody Lives Forever" seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle. It labors somewhat, during the last act, as the production seeks to take full advantage of a moody setting. Still, this is an excellent "film noir" from the forties. A perfect lead, Garfield is magnetically smooth. He receives great assist from Jean Negulesco's stylishly hiccuping direction, Adolph Deutsch's sweet musical score, Arthur Edeson's black-and-white camera, and the usual suspects at Warner Bros. And, the players breathe some nuance into W.R. Burnett's fine script.

******* Nobody Lives Forever (11/1/46) Jean Negulesco ~ John Garfield, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Walter Brennan, Faye Emerson