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Out of the Past

  • 19471947
  • GG
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
35K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer in Out of the Past (1947)
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84 Photos
CrimeDramaFilm-Noir

A private eye escapes his past to run a gas station in a small town, but his past catches up with him. Now he must return to the big city world of danger, corruption, double crosses and dupl... Read allA private eye escapes his past to run a gas station in a small town, but his past catches up with him. Now he must return to the big city world of danger, corruption, double crosses and duplicitous dames.A private eye escapes his past to run a gas station in a small town, but his past catches up with him. Now he must return to the big city world of danger, corruption, double crosses and duplicitous dames.

IMDb RATING
8.0/10
35K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Jacques Tourneur
  • Writers
    • Daniel Mainwaring(screen play by)
    • James M. Cain(uncredited)
    • Frank Fenton(uncredited)
  • Stars
    • Robert Mitchum
    • Jane Greer
    • Kirk Douglas
Top credits
  • Director
    • Jacques Tourneur
  • Writers
    • Daniel Mainwaring(screen play by)
    • James M. Cain(uncredited)
    • Frank Fenton(uncredited)
  • Stars
    • Robert Mitchum
    • Jane Greer
    • Kirk Douglas
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 262User reviews
    • 153Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:29
    Trailer

    Photos84

    Robert Mitchum and Rhonda Fleming in Out of the Past (1947)
    Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer in Out of the Past (1947)
    Robert Mitchum in Out of the Past (1947)
    Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer in Out of the Past (1947)
    Robert Mitchum, Steve Brodie, and Jane Greer in Out of the Past (1947)
    Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer in Out of the Past (1947)
    Kirk Douglas, Robert Mitchum, and Jane Greer in Out of the Past (1947)
    Kirk Douglas and Jane Greer in Out of the Past (1947)
    Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer in Out of the Past (1947)
    Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer in Out of the Past (1947)
    Kirk Douglas and Jane Greer in Out of the Past (1947)
    Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer in Out of the Past (1947)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Robert Mitchum
    Robert Mitchum
    • Jeffas Jeff
    Jane Greer
    Jane Greer
    • Kathieas Kathie
    Kirk Douglas
    Kirk Douglas
    • Whitas Whit
    Rhonda Fleming
    Rhonda Fleming
    • Meta Carsonas Meta Carson
    Richard Webb
    Richard Webb
    • Jimas Jim
    Steve Brodie
    Steve Brodie
    • Fisheras Fisher
    Virginia Huston
    Virginia Huston
    • Annas Ann
    Paul Valentine
    Paul Valentine
    • Joeas Joe
    Dickie Moore
    Dickie Moore
    • The Kidas The Kid
    Ken Niles
    • Eelsas Eels
    Brooks Benedict
    Brooks Benedict
    • Kibitzer in Blue Sky Clubas Kibitzer in Blue Sky Club
    • (uncredited)
    Oliver Blake
    Oliver Blake
    • Tillotson - Night Clerkas Tillotson - Night Clerk
    • (uncredited)
    Eumenio Blanco
    Eumenio Blanco
    • Mexican Waiteras Mexican Waiter
    • (uncredited)
    Wesley Bly
    • Harlem Club Headwaiteras Harlem Club Headwaiter
    • (uncredited)
    Mildred Boyd
    • Woman at Harlem Clubas Woman at Harlem Club
    • (uncredited)
    Hubert Brill
    • Car Manipulatoras Car Manipulator
    • (uncredited)
    James Bush
    James Bush
    • Doormanas Doorman
    • (uncredited)
    Ted Collins
    • Man at Harlem Clubas Man at Harlem Club
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Jacques Tourneur
    • Writers
      • Daniel Mainwaring(screen play by) (based on his novel "Build My Gallows High")
      • James M. Cain(uncredited)
      • Frank Fenton(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit
    Jeff Bailey, small-town gas pumper, has his mysterious past catch up with him one day when he's ordered to meet with gambler Whit Sterling. En route to the meeting, he tells girlfriend Ann his story. Flashback: Once, Jeff was a private eye hired by Sterling to find his mistress Kathie who shot Whit and absconded with $40,000. He traces her to Acapulco, where the delectable Kathie makes Jeff forget all about Sterling. Back in the present, Whit's new job for Jeff is clearly a trap, but Jeff's precautions only leave him more tightly enmeshed. —Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
    secret pastdouble crossnational film registryday for nightassumed name159 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • A MAN - Trying to run away from his past... A WOMAN - Trying to escape her future!
    • Genres
      • Crime
      • Drama
      • Film-Noir
      • Romance
      • Thriller
    • Certificate
      • G
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Robert Mitchum told Roger Ebert he smoked so much that when the camera was rolling and Kirk Douglas offered him a pack and asked, "Cigarette?" Mitchum, realizing he'd carried a cigarette into the scene, held up his fingers and replied, "Smoking." His improvisation saved the take and they kept it in the movie.
    • Goofs
      Leonard Eels' apartment at 114 Fulton Street would be part of the block then occupied by the main branch of the San Francisco Public Library (now the Asian Art Museum).
    • Quotes

      [Kathie is playing roulette]

      Jeff: That's not the way to win.

      Kathie: Is there a way to win?

      Jeff: There's a way to lose more slowly.

    • Alternate versions
      Also available in a computer colorized version.
    • Connections
      Edited into American Cinema: Film Noir (1995)
    • Soundtracks
      The First Time I Saw You
      (uncredited)

      Music by Nathaniel Shilkret

      From The Toast of New York (1937)

      Used as main theme in score

    User reviews262

    Review
    Top review
    Definitive Film Noir
    This film established the Robert Mitchum screen persona. In it he established the easy going laconic style that was to become his trademark. His Jeff Bailey is the epitome of the 1940s tragic hero.

    The story is told in flashback, a Film Noir tradition. Bailey owns a gas station in a small California town. But he is a man with a past, a past that comes back to haunt him(as in Hemingway's "The Killers")

    Bailey tells us that he was a detective in his previous life. He was hired by a gambler to find a girl who had stolen $40,000 from him. Bailey found the girl and the money , but love got in the way.

    To reveal anymore of this convoluted plot would ruin it for those who have not had the pleasure of not seeing this masterpiece.

    In addition to Mitchum, the rest of the cast excels as well. Jane Greer is the perfect Femme Fatal. Kirk Douglas is mean and sadistic as the gambler. Rhonda Fleming, Virginia Huston, Steve Brodie and Paul Valentine provide excellent support.(Greer and Valentine were in the 1985 remake "Against the Odds".

    Jacques Tourneur one of the great Noir directors does a fine job with Daniel Mainwaring's story and script(using the pseudonym Geoffery Homes) and the Roy Webb music is the perfect compliment.

    A lot of young talent went into the making of this classic. Many of the people involved went on to bigger and better things. It is easy to understand why.
    helpful•34
    9
    • JB-12
    • May 18, 2000

    FAQ13

    • How did Jeff know Kathie is in San Francisco and her adress?
    • Is "Out of the Past" based on a book?
    • Who really wrote the screenplay?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 1948 (Canada)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • American Sign Language
    • Also known as
      • Build My Gallows High
    • Filming locations
      • Lake Tahoe, California, USA
    • Production company
      • RKO Radio Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 37 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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