Nora Prentiss (1947)

Quiet, organised Dr Talbot meets nightclub singer Nora Prentiss when she is slightly hurt in a street accident. Despite her misgivings they become heavily involved and Talbot finds he is ... See full summary »

Director:

Vincent Sherman

Writers:

N. Richard Nash (screen play), Paul Webster (story)

Stars:

Ann Sheridan, Kent Smith, Bruce Bennett

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ann Sheridan	...	Nora Prentiss
Kent Smith	...	Dr. Richard Talbot
Bruce Bennett	...	Dr. Joel Merriam
Robert Alda	...	Phil Dinardo
Rosemary DeCamp	...	Lucy Talbot
John Ridgely	...	Walter Bailey
Robert Arthur	...	Gregory Talbot
Wanda Hendrix	...	Bonita Talbot
Helen Brown	...	Miss Judson
Rory Mallinson	...	Fleming
Harry Shannon	...	Police Lieutenant
James Flavin	...	District Attorney
Douglas Kennedy	...	Doctor
Don McGuire	...	Truck Driver
Clifton Young	...	Policeman

Storyline

Quiet, organised Dr Talbot meets nightclub singer Nora Prentiss when she is slightly hurt in a street accident. Despite her misgivings they become heavily involved and Talbot finds he is faced with the choice of leaving Nora or divorcing his wife. When a patient expires in his office, a third option seems to present itself.

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Plot Keywords:

woman | character name as title | two word title | nightclub singer | heart attack | 

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Taglines:

A mouth like hers is just for kissing not for telling

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 February 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Sentence

Filming Locations:

Ferry Building, San Francisco, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sheilah Graham reported that Ann Sheridan had an infection in one ear during production, and during the final shots of the film, could only be photographed from one side.

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Goofs

When Nora and Talbot are driving across the bridge, near the end of the scene, cars are suddenly passing them on the wrong side going the other direction, and a sign for Old Gold cigarettes in the background is reversed, revealing the rear projection screen images have been flipped.

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Quotes

Police Lieutenant: I wish I knew what was in this note - or who burned it. Do you think he was being blackmailed?
Dr. Joel Merriam: [a bit taken aback] Blackmailed?
Police Lieutenant: Yes.
Dr. Joel Merriam: What would anybody have on him? He led such an exemplary life.
Police Lieutenant: That's the way a blackmailer works, doctor. He finds out something nobody else knows, and then sells it for a price.

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Connections

Featured in Okay for Sound (1946)

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Soundtracks

Deep in a Dream
(uncredited)
Music by Jimmy Van Heusen
[Played when Nora introduces Dinardo to Talbot]

User Reviews

Smith Shows his Stuff

The rap on Kent Smith was that he was duller than dried cement. Probably that's why he was cast here as the emotionally repressed doctor. The doc is so colorless and unemotional in the early scenes, we see why wife Lucy (DeCamp) has withdrawn into her own bubble. Then too, his household appears to run on the proverbial dime, with only daughter Bunny (Hendrix) showing any real spark. Of course, all of this is necessary background to his eventual transformation once he meets sexpot Prentiss (Sheridan). From dutiful husband to reluctant philanderer to obsessed lover and finally to repentant criminal, Smith brings off the stages in low-key effective fashion, and I expect more than a few married spouses left the theater unsettled by what they had seen lurking under the doctor's calm exterior.

All in all, it's a grim little film, depicting a civilized man's descent into emotional darkness. I'm not sure why it's titled after Prentiss since the doctor is for all intents and purposes the main character. But Sheridan does get to show a lot of leg and mature appeal, although her character seems not very plausible once the doc becomes a burden. Someone called the movie a "woman's noir", and with its soap-operish overtones, the description seems to fit. Then too, noirish elements surface in those dark entrapment scenes, especially in the hotel room, (but why do they have separate rooms after they've run away together?). And especially noirish is heart patient Walter's existential lament amidst the big city-- if he dies, he wonders, who would know or care. The scene passes quickly, but is chillingly revealing.

The movie's underrated, probably because of Smith and the unrelentingly grim atmosphere. I just wish someone had scrubbed Alda's smarmy nightclub owner. He's totally unbelievable and compromises what could have been a memorably atmospheric very last shot. Nonetheless, it's an engrossing little morality tale, as long as you're not feeling too depressed.