The Big Clock (1948)

After murdering someone, a magazine tycoon tries to frame an unknown, innocent man for the murder instead, while the innocent man tries to solve the murder himself.

Director:

John Farrow

Writers:

Jonathan Latimer (screenplay), Kenneth Fearing (novel)

Stars:

Ray Milland, Maureen O'Sullivan, Charles Laughton

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ray Milland	...	George Stroud
Charles Laughton	...	Earl Janoth
Maureen O'Sullivan	...	Georgette Stroud
George Macready	...	Steve Hagen
Rita Johnson	...	Pauline York
Elsa Lanchester	...	Louise Patterson
Harold Vermilyea	...	Don Klausmeyer
Dan Tobin	...	Ray Cordette
Harry Morgan	...	Bill Womack (as Henry Morgan)
Richard Webb	...	Nat Sperling
Elaine Riley	...	Lily Gold
Luis Van Rooten	...	Edwin Orlin
Lloyd Corrigan	...	McKinley
Frank Orth	...	Burt
Margaret Field	...	Second Secretary

Storyline

When powerful publishing tycoon Earl Janoth commits an act of murder at the height of passion, he cleverly begins to cover his tracks and frame an innocent man whose identity he doesn't know but who just happens to have contact with the murder victim. That man is a close associate on his magazine whom he enlists to trap this "killer" - George Stroud. It's up to George to continue to "help" Janoth, to elude the police and to find proof of his innocence and Janoth's guilt.

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Plot Keywords:

editor | frame up | magazine | manhunt | tycoon | 

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Taglines:

The Strangest and most Savage Manhunt in History!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 April 1948 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Big Clock

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Harry Morgan, though featured throughout the movie, does not have one word of dialog.

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Goofs

Killer Earl Janoth (Laughton) dispatches his employee Steve Hagen (Macready) to the crime scene to eliminate any evidence connecting him to victim Pauline York (Johnson). Hagen alters the broken clock time as well as removing the murder weapon and misc.incriminating evidence.George Stroud (Milland) subsequently enters the York apartment and changes the clock time again. What both fail to see and leave behind is the most incriminating evidence of all. A photo of the real killer, Earl Janoth, prominently displayed in the apartment.

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Quotes

Pauline York: You know, Earl has a passion for obscurity. He won't even have his biography in 'Who's Who'.
George Stroud: Sure. He doesn't want to let his left hand know whose pocket the right one is picking.

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Connections

Referenced in Where Danger Lives: White Rose for Julie (2007)

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Soundtracks

I'm in the Mood for Love
(uncredited)
Music by Jimmy McHugh
source music heard when Pauline first meets George at the bar

User Reviews

Mia's Parents Deliver

An interesting film noir. Milland is good as a Hitchcockian hero who finds himself framed for a murder. Laughton seems to be sleepwalking through his role as the actual murderer. Johnson, an attractive actress who had her career cut short by an accident and had a short and tragic life, plays the murder victim. Farrow (Mia's dad) is no Hitchcock but he directs efficiently and the cast includes O'Sullivan (Mia's mom) as Milland's nagging wife and Morgan as a menacing henchman. Lanchester (Laughton's real life wife) is hilarious as an eccentric artist. After a slow start, the pace picks up and suspense builds, not letting up until the credits roll.