Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

Kiss of Death

  • 19471947
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
8.3K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Kiss of Death (1947)
Trailer for this black and white classic
Play trailer2:21
1 Video
99+ Photos
  • Crime
  • Drama
  • Film-Noir

Nick Bianco is caught during a botched jewellery heist. The prosecution offer him a more lenient sentence if he squeals on his accomplices but he doesn't roll over on them. Three years into ... Read allNick Bianco is caught during a botched jewellery heist. The prosecution offer him a more lenient sentence if he squeals on his accomplices but he doesn't roll over on them. Three years into the sentence an event changes his mind.Nick Bianco is caught during a botched jewellery heist. The prosecution offer him a more lenient sentence if he squeals on his accomplices but he doesn't roll over on them. Three years into the sentence an event changes his mind.

IMDb RATING
7.4/10
8.3K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Henry Hathaway
  • Writers
    • Ben Hecht(screen play)
    • Charles Lederer(screen play)
    • Eleazar Lipsky(story)
  • Stars
    • Victor Mature
    • Brian Donlevy
    • Coleen Gray
Top credits
  • Director
    • Henry Hathaway
  • Writers
    • Ben Hecht(screen play)
    • Charles Lederer(screen play)
    • Eleazar Lipsky(story)
  • Stars
    • Victor Mature
    • Brian Donlevy
    • Coleen Gray
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 94User reviews
    • 52Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 3 wins & 2 nominations total

    Videos1

    Kiss of Death
    Trailer 2:21
    Kiss of Death

    Photos131

    Victor Mature in Kiss of Death (1947)
    Victor Mature, Richard Widmark, and Brian Donlevy in Kiss of Death (1947)
    Victor Mature, Richard Widmark, and Tito Vuolo in Kiss of Death (1947)
    Victor Mature and Coleen Gray in Kiss of Death (1947)
    Karl Malden, Victor Mature, Brian Donlevy, and Millard Mitchell in Kiss of Death (1947)
    Brian Donlevy in Kiss of Death (1947)
    Karl Malden, Victor Mature, Brian Donlevy, and Millard Mitchell in Kiss of Death (1947)
    Victor Mature and Coleen Gray in Kiss of Death (1947)
    Victor Mature and Richard Widmark in Kiss of Death (1947)
    Kiss of Death (1947)
    Kiss of Death (1947)
    Victor Mature and Coleen Gray in Kiss of Death (1947)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Victor Mature
    Victor Mature
    • Nick Biancoas Nick Bianco
    Brian Donlevy
    Brian Donlevy
    • Assistant D.A. Louis D'Angeloas Assistant D.A. Louis D'Angelo
    Coleen Gray
    Coleen Gray
    • Nettie Cavalloas Nettie Cavallo
    Richard Widmark
    Richard Widmark
    • Tommy Udoas Tommy Udo
    Taylor Holmes
    Taylor Holmes
    • Earl Howseras Earl Howser
    Howard Smith
    Howard Smith
    • Wardenas Warden
    Karl Malden
    Karl Malden
    • Sgt. William Cullenas Sgt. William Cullen
    Robert Adler
    Robert Adler
    • Detectiveas Detective
    • (uncredited)
    Rollin Bauer
    Rollin Bauer
    • Sing Sing Guardas Sing Sing Guard
    • (uncredited)
    Harry Bellaver
    Harry Bellaver
    • Bull Weedas Bull Weed
    • (uncredited)
    Dennis Bohan
    • Guardas Guard
    • (uncredited)
    Nina Borget
    • Cashieras Cashier
    • (uncredited)
    Susan Cabot
    Susan Cabot
    • Restaurant Patronas Restaurant Patron
    • (uncredited)
    Alexander Campbell
    Alexander Campbell
    • Train Conductoras Train Conductor
    • (uncredited)
    Harry Carter
    Harry Carter
    • Detectiveas Detective
    • (uncredited)
    Dort Clark
    Dort Clark
    • Man in Caras Man in Car
    • (uncredited)
    Eva Condon
    • Nun at Orphanageas Nun at Orphanage
    • (uncredited)
    Harry Cooke
    • Taxi Driveras Taxi Driver
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Henry Hathaway
    • Writers
      • Ben Hecht(screen play)
      • Charles Lederer(screen play)
      • Eleazar Lipsky(story)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

    More like this

    Where the Sidewalk Ends
    7.6
    Where the Sidewalk Ends
    Cry of the City
    7.2
    Cry of the City
    The Blue Dahlia
    7.1
    The Blue Dahlia
    Born to Kill
    7.2
    Born to Kill
    The Street with No Name
    7.1
    The Street with No Name
    Road House
    7.2
    Road House
    The Glass Key
    7.0
    The Glass Key
    Criss Cross
    7.4
    Criss Cross
    I Wake Up Screaming
    7.2
    I Wake Up Screaming
    Call Northside 777
    7.4
    Call Northside 777
    Thieves' Highway
    7.5
    Thieves' Highway
    Panic in the Streets
    7.2
    Panic in the Streets

    Storyline

    Edit
    Small-time crook Nick Bianco gets caught in a jewel heist and despite urgings from well-meaning district attorney D'Angelo, refuses to rat on his partners and goes to jail, assured that his wife and children will be taken care of. Learning that his depressed wife has killed herself, Nick informs on his ex-pals and is paroled. Nick remarries, gets a job and begins leading a happy life when he learns one of the men he informed on, psychopathic killer Tommy Udo, has been released from custody and is out for revenge against Nick and his family. —Doug Sederberg <vornoff@sonic.net>
    • district attorney
    • death of wife
    • prison visit
    • shot multiple times
    • parolee
    • 75 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • It will mark you for life as it marked him for... Betrayal
    • Genres
      • Crime
      • Drama
      • Film-Noir
      • Romance
      • Thriller
    • Certificate
      • Approved
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Film debut of Richard Widmark.
    • Goofs
      When Assistant District Attorney D'Angelo comes to the cell to talk to Bianco, Udo is sharing the cell with Bianco. D'Angelo then again proposes a deal for Bianco to turn in his accomplices in exchange for leniency; however, Udo is still in the cell within hearing distance. A District Attorney proposing a deal to a prisoner in the presence of another prisoner is highly unrealistic and against policy. As a precaution, these deals are proposed in private to safeguard the inmate's life.
    • Quotes

      Tommy Udo: I wouldn't give you the skin off a grape.

    • Alternate versions
      For the theatrical release in Manitoba, the shot of the woman in the wheelchair going down the staircase had to be shortened.
    • Connections
      Edited into Myra Breckinridge (1970)
    • Soundtracks
      Street Scene
      (uncredited)

      Music by Alfred Newman

    User reviews94

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    two words: Tommy Udo!
    Victor Mature had no illusions about his acting; when he was rejected for membership to a golf club because he was an actor, he said, "I'm no actor, and I've got 65 movies to prove it." However unpretentious he was, when he was cast in the right role, he came off well, as he does here in the noir "Kiss of Death." Mature plays Nick Bianco, a con who becomes a stool pigeon for the D.A. (Brian Donlevy) so that he can get a parole and retrieve his kids from an orphanage. He marries a friend of his late wife's (Coleen Gray) and uses another name so that his kids won't be tainted by his old criminal life. It all goes well until he has to testify in court against Tommy Udo. Then his life and that of his family are in grave danger.

    "Kiss of Death" is notable for being the auspicious debut of Richard Widmark, and few actors have had such a powerful introduction to an audience. As the sadistic Tommy Udo, Widmark's raw laugh and smirk are chill-inducing. His famous scene - maybe the most famous scene of his career, as well as being a famous scene, period - occurs when he throws an old woman in her wheelchair down a flight of stairs. And laughs. A fantastic performance.

    The beautiful Coleen Gray plays Nettie, Nick's wife. Despite her looks and good acting, Gray never achieved big stardom, though she had some excellent roles. I wonder if she just wouldn't play ball with Zanuck. Now 89, she is an attractive woman who continues to make public appearances, usually at screenings of the film "Nightmare Alley." Here she's perfect as a loving, worried woman. She also narrates.

    Mature gives a solid performance as Nick -- he was really in his métier here and in films like "I Wake Up Screaming," though he graduated (or was demoted) to beefcake roles in period pictures later on. He had the physique but he wasn't a great actor and somehow, it was more apparent in those movies.

    I feel very privileged to have met and spoken with Coleen Gray and to have heard the remarkable Richard Widmark speak in person, so I have an affection for this film. Even if I didn't, it's still good and well worth seeing.
    helpful•10
    0
    • blanche-2
    • Dec 6, 2011

    FAQ1

    • Why are Patricia Morison and Robert Keith billed on the film's poster? They don't seem to be in it.

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 1947 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Blind Date
    • Filming locations
      • 14th Street, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production company
      • Twentieth Century Fox
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,520,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 39 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

    ‘Willy’s Wonderland’ VOD Review
    ‘Willy’s Wonderland’ VOD Review
    Feb 12Nerdly
    Review: "Brighton Rock" (1948) Starring Richard Attenborough; Blu-ray Special Edition
    Review: "Brighton Rock" (1948) Starring Richard Attenborough; Blu-ray Special Edition
    Jun 3Cinemaretro.com

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Kiss of Death (1947)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Kiss of Death (1947) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The 10 Most Anticipated Marvel and DC Movies
    See the full list
    Image caption not available
    2:14
    The Most Anticipated Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    Watch the video

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.