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Kiss of Death

  • 19471947
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
8.8K
YOUR RATING
Kiss of Death (1947)
Trailer for this black and white classic
Play trailer2:21
1 Video
99+ Photos
CrimeDramaFilm-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
8.8K
YOUR RATING
    • Henry Hathaway
  • Writers
    • Ben Hecht(screen play)
    • Charles Lederer(screen play)
    • Eleazar Lipsky(novel, 'The Hoodlum', 1947)
  • Stars
    • Victor Mature
    • Brian Donlevy
    • Coleen Gray
    • Henry Hathaway
  • Writers
    • Ben Hecht(screen play)
    • Charles Lederer(screen play)
    • Eleazar Lipsky(novel, 'The Hoodlum', 1947)
  • Stars
    • Victor Mature
    • Brian Donlevy
    • Coleen Gray
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 97User reviews
    • 52Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars

    Videos1

    Kiss of Death
    Trailer 2:21
    Watch 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 and Perc Launders 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 Bianco
    Brian Donlevy
    Brian Donlevy
    • Assistant D.A. Louis D'Angelo
    Coleen Gray
    Coleen Gray
    • Nettie Cavallo
    Richard Widmark
    Richard Widmark
    • Tommy Udo
    Taylor Holmes
    Taylor Holmes
    • Earl Howser
    Howard Smith
    Howard Smith
    • Warden
    Karl Malden
    Karl Malden
    • Sgt. William Cullen
    Robert Adler
    Robert Adler
    • Detective
    • (uncredited)
    Rollin Bauer
    Rollin Bauer
    • Sing Sing Guard
    • (uncredited)
    Harry Bellaver
    Harry Bellaver
    • Bull Weed
    • (uncredited)
    Dennis Bohan
    • Guard
    • (uncredited)
    Nina Borget
    • Cashier
    • (uncredited)
    Susan Cabot
    Susan Cabot
    • Restaurant Patron
    • (uncredited)
    Alexander Campbell
    Alexander Campbell
    • Train Conductor
    • (uncredited)
    Harry Carter
    Harry Carter
    • Detective
    • (uncredited)
    Dort Clark
    Dort Clark
    • Man in Car
    • (uncredited)
    Eva Condon
    • Nun at Orphanage
    • (uncredited)
    Harry Cooke
    • Taxi Driver
    • (uncredited)
      • Henry Hathaway
    • Writers
      • Ben Hecht(screen play)
      • Charles Lederer(screen play)
      • Eleazar Lipsky(novel, 'The Hoodlum', 1947)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Originally, Patricia Morison played Victor Mature's wife, who is attacked and raped by a gangster who is supposed to be watching out for her while Mature is in prison. Afterwards, she commits suicide by sticking her head in the kitchen oven and turning on the gas. Both scenes were cut from the original print at the insistence of the censors, who wanted no depiction of either a rape or a suicide, so she does not appear in the film at all. Mention is made later in the film about Mature's wife's suicide and an obscure reference is made by Nettie that the unseen gangster Rizzo contributed to the wife's downfall.
    • 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 reviews97

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    A Shocking Screen Debut
    Richard Widmark belongs to a select few players who from their screen debut became instant stars. No bit parts, no walk-ons, Widmark's first feature role netted him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and stardom.

    Widmark's portrayal of Tommy Udo in Kiss of Death shocked audiences nationwide. When Widmark tied up Mildred Dunnock and threw her down a flight of stairs, gasps aplenty came from audiences. That maniacal giggle became his trademark and fodder for impressionists from then on in. Widmark in fact had to really convince his bosses at 20th Century Fox that he was capable of more than being a psychopathic killer.

    Widmark was fourth billed in this film and so dominates it that it's forgotten that Victor Mature is the lead and contributes a good performance in his own right. Mature is a career criminal who was left holding the bag for his associates during a jewel heist. He refuses to rat them out and gets a stretch in prison for it. By his refusal to be a stoolie, Mature gains the friendship of Widmark who has a special hatred for the breed.

    Things then go bad for Mature when his wife commits suicide and his two little daughters wind up in an orphanage. At that point he rethinks becoming a stoolie for District Attorney Brian Donlevy and the main action of the film begins.

    Mature gives a very good performance of a man running out of options. He's caught between concern for his family and living up to the honor system that criminals have among themselves. Brian Donlevy, usually a villain, does a good job as the District Attorney.

    One other performance is worthy of note. Though he only has a few scenes, criminal defense attorney Taylor Holmes is also a real stand out. His Earle Houser is definitely one of the sleaziest lawyers ever portrayed on the screen.

    For all the many good performances Richard Widmark has given in his 91 years, his debut film turned out to be the only time he was ever nominated for an Oscar. That's a shame because I could think of a couple of other films like Night and the City, Pickup on South Street and Panic in the Streets that would have been worthy of consideration.

    Hopefully the American Film Institute will give Widmark a Lifetime Achievement Award and soon.
    helpful•78
    7
    • bkoganbing
    • Dec 26, 2005

    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)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Chrysler Building - 405 Lexington Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production company
      • Twentieth Century Fox
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 39 minutes
      • Black and White

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