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:

Paul Webster (story), Jack Sobell (story)

Stars:

Ann Sheridan, Kent Smith, Bruce Bennett

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ann Sheridan	...	Nora Prentiss
Kent Smith	...	Dr. Richard Talbot aka Robert Thompson
Bruce Bennett	...	Dr. Joel Merriam
Robert Alda	...	Phil Dinardo, Cafe Owner
Rosemary DeCamp	...	Lucy Talbot
John Ridgely	...	Walter Bailey, Heart Patient
Robert Arthur	...	Gregory Talbot
Wanda Hendrix	...	Bonita 'Bunny' Talbot
Helen Brown	...	Miss Judson, Talbot's Nurse
Rory Mallinson	...	Fleming, Talbot's Lawyer
Harry Shannon	...	San Francisco Homicide Lieutenant
James Flavin	...	District Attorney
Douglas Kennedy	...	NYC Emergency Room doctor
Don McGuire	...	Truck Driver who Hits Nora
Clifton Young	...	Policeman arresting Truck Driver

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 | nightclub singer | heart attack | heart failure | birthday party | 

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Taglines:

Loving her once is once to often!

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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

In the first scene in the doctor's office after the accident, Nora says "I see you're married", but Dr. Talbot isn't wearing a wedding ring and at no point in the film does he wear one.

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Quotes

Dr. Richard Talbot aka Robert Thompson: I'm writing a paper on ailments of the heart.
Nora Prentiss: A paper? I could write a book!

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Connections

Featured in Okay for Sound (1946)

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Soundtracks

Who Cares What People Say?
Music by M.K. Jerome
Lyrics by Jack Scholl
Sung briefly by Ann Sheridan while Nora and Talbot dance
Also sung by Ann Sheridan at the Sea Gull Cafe

User Reviews

Modern Day Version of Sister Carrie

I'm surprised that no one has picked up on the fact that Nora Prentiss is merely an updated version of Theodore Dreiser's classic Sister Carrie. Since Dreiser had died a couple of years before, he didn't pick up on it or Warner Brothers would have had a libel suit on its hands.

Sister Carrie was set in the turn of the last century and dealt with Victorian mores. Even in post World War II America, it seems that not much has changed. Respectable and proper Kent Smith is a forty something doctor, married with two children, in a respectable middle class rut. He's about to break loose for some big life crisis. The catalyst for that is Ann Sheridan in the title role. Sheridan is a sultry night club singer who gets hit by a cab and is treated in Kent Smith's nearby office.

Had the film been made at Columbia, Rita Hayworth would have been ideal for the lead. But Ann Sheridan does do a good job and even does her own singing. Hayworth would have made the film a classic.

The film does descend into melodrama though moving far afield from the social commentary that Theodore Dreiser had in mind. But Kent Smith's character's degradation is as complete as Dreiser's George Hurstwood.

I would recommend seeing this film and the film that Sir Laurence Olivier and Jennifer Jones did, Carrie, and comparing the two versions.