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.
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Title: Out of the Past (1947)
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Edit
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Robert Mitchum | ... | Jeff | |
| Jane Greer | ... | Kathie | |
| Kirk Douglas | ... | Whit | |
| Rhonda Fleming | ... | Meta Carson | |
| Richard Webb | ... | Jim | |
| Steve Brodie | ... | Fisher | |
| Virginia Huston | ... | Ann | |
| Paul Valentine | ... | Joe | |
| Dickie Moore | ... | The Kid | |
 |
Ken Niles | ... | Eels |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
See All (148) »
Storyline
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... Written by Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
Plot Keywords:
secret past | double cross | national film registry | small town | gangster |Taglines:
A MAN - Trying to run away from his past... A WOMAN - Trying to escape her future! See more »Parents Guide:
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
December 1947 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Build My Gallows High See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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(uncredited)
from 'The Toast of New York' (1937)
Music by Nathaniel Shilkret
Used as main theme in score
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Although in later years the film was often viewed as the teaming of two major stars, at the time Kirk Douglas was virtually unknown. See more »Goofs
When Jeff drives up to the cabin to meet Kathie, not only does he say it's getting dark but as he turns off the main road into the forest, headlights are shining on Kathie. But minutes later, after Fisher is dead, Kathie leaves with the car and there are no headlights on to guide her through a supposedly-dark forest. In actuality, it was probably filmed in daylight then filtered to look dark, but someone forgot to show the headlights that were needed in the false evening. See more »Quotes
Jeff: You can never help anything, can you? You're like a leaf that the wind blows from one gutter to another.See more »
Soundtracks
The First Time I Saw You(uncredited)
from 'The Toast of New York' (1937)
Music by Nathaniel Shilkret
Used as main theme in score
See more »
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Full of atmosphere and heat, "Out of the Past" is a classic film noir, directed by a master, Jacques Tourneur. Although considered only an above-average B movie at the time of release, it's doubtful anyone thinks of it that way today, as it is superior to many "A" films. With a top-notch cast and a deceptively easy pace that belies the tension and danger underneath, "Out of the Past" makes for an intriguing, absorbing film.
Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer make a great pair - both are sultry, sexy, hard to read, and gorgeous. I found Greer's performance quite interesting. In the beginning, she appears quite warm, frightened, and sincere, as opposed to, say, Lizabeth Scott in "Dead Reckoning." When she turns hardboiled, it's subtle, with only a change in her eyes and voice, when she comments that Fisher isn't going to say anything to anybody. I love the way Mitchum sizes up women. He absolutely smolders, and 40 years later, in "The Winds of War," he was still smoldering.
Kirk Douglas is appropriately edgy in his supporting role as Whit. Rhonda Fleming has a small role, but no one that incredibly beautiful was going to go unnoticed for long.
What a wonderful film, what a perfect example of a genre.