Impact (1949)

A unfaithful wife plots with her lover to kill her husband, but the lover is accidentally killed instead. The husband stays in hiding, and lets his wife be charged with conspiracy.

Director:

Arthur Lubin

Writers:

Dorothy Davenport (screenplay) (as Dorothy Reid), Jay Dratler (screenplay)

Stars:

Brian Donlevy, Ella Raines, Charles Coburn

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brian Donlevy	...	Walter Williams
Ella Raines	...	Marsha Peters
Charles Coburn	...	Lt. Tom Quincy
Helen Walker	...	Irene Williams
Anna May Wong	...	Su Lin Chung
Robert Warwick	...	Capt. Callahan
Clarence Kolb	...	Darcy
Art Baker	...	Eldredge - Defense Attorney
William Wright	...	Prosecutor
Mae Marsh	...	Mrs. King (as Mrs. Peters)
Sheilah Graham	...	Sheila Graham
Tony Barrett	...	Jim Torrence
Philip Ahn	...	Ah Sing
Glen Vernon	...	Ed (as Glenn Vernon)
Linda Leighton	...	Miss Revere - Telephone Operator (as Linda Johnson)

Storyline

In San Francisco, the successful self-made businessman Walter Williams has just bought three factories in Denver with the approval of the board of directors. His beloved wife Irene tells him that she is not feeling well enough to travel with him, and asks Walter to give a lift to her cousin Jim Torrance. On the highway, Jim, who is actually Irene's lover, tries to kill Walter hitting his head and throwing him off a cliff, and has a fatal fiery accident while escaping driving Walter's car. Walter is believed to be the driver and later his wife is sent to jail accused of plotting his murder. Meanwhile, the wounded Walter falls asleep in a moving van and eventually winds up in Larkspur, a small town in Idaho. He is hired as a mechanic in a gas station by the owner, Marsha Peters. For three months, Walter reads the news, expecting revenge with Irene sentenced to death, and he and Marsha fall in love for each other. When Walter discloses the truth to Marsha, she convinces him to return to ...

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Plot Keywords:

van | idaho | death | moving van | mechanic | 

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Taglines:

Wanted By Two Women! One For Love! One For Murder!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 April 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mysteriet Williams

Filming Locations:

Brocklebank Apartments - 1000 Mason Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Harry Popkin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The William's Apartment building is the Brocklebank, most famous for its appearance in Vertigo (1958).

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Goofs

The width of the verge (side of the road) where Torrance stops the car to change the tyre is markedly different between the studio shots and the location shot.

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Quotes

Mrs. King: Don't forget, it's easier to be tolerant and understanding at fifty than it is to be at twenty-five.

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Connections

Featured in Avain (2006)

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Soundtracks

It Can't Be
Written by Leo C. Popkin and Chuck Gould

User Reviews

My Personal Choice as Best Film Noir Ever.

Although there are some flaws in this film, I rate it a 10 for the best ever Film Noir if for no other reason than I've watched it over and over for 55 years. The 2005 smash hit TV show LOST is themed in the concept of renewal, as is "IMPACT." Thinking he has a perfect life, Brian Donlevy will soon find out he's standing on a mountain of betrayal. He'll go from being a top level businessman (with an apartment on Nob Hill, at the building across from the Fairmont Hotel, the one with the walled in parking lot out front, where everybody in San Francisco film noirs lived in the 1950's... Never mind!) Anyway, as he recovers from the daze of attempted murder he'll accidentally stumble upon a new and quite different life, one that most any of us could enjoy. Then come the hard choices..... I first saw this movie on a single day booking at the Silver Theatre at age 11. What stuck in my mind after seeing it is that if life ever went sour to the point of contemplating suicide, a wise alternative might be a fake suicide --- followed by a renewed and drastically different second life, as in this movie. There was no suicide, fake or otherwise, in this picture; but I thought that was a healthy idea to place into a young viewer's mind; whether intended or not. Then there's Ella Raines. Hmm! Friends, forget Marilyn Monroe or any of the other 1950's sexpots. Keep Marilyn, do what you like, I don't care. Just introduce me to Ella Raines. Pretty, thin, lithe, smart. Yum!