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:

small town | concussion | corporation | prayer | female 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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ella Raines's character is a WW2 widow, saying her husband was killed in the battle of Okinawa. At the time, Raines was married to WW2 ace fighter pilot Robin Olds.

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Goofs

The end credits list the name of the character played by Mae Marsh as "Mrs. Peters." Mae Marsh played the mother of the gas station owner. The only time the mother's name is mentioned in the film is when Walter Williams first comes to the house for supper and he calls her "Mrs. King." Marsha Peters (the gas station owner) and her mother would not have had the same last name, since Marsha explains when she first meets Walter that her husband was killed in World War II.

When this movie was made, and in the small town where this character lived, a woman would not have kept her maiden name when marrying or returned to it after being widowed. She would have remained Mrs. Peters unless she remarried.

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Quotes

Lt. Tom Quincy: Are you Ah Sing? Understand? You understandee English?
Ah Sing: [nods] Also French, Italian, and Hebrew.

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Connections

Remade as Kraft Suspense Theatre: Doesn't Anyone Know Who I Am? (1964)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Film noir meets Frank Capra.

Although the final third gets in the way and is finally disappointing,it does not keep "impact" from being absorbing and entertaining.One of the rare film noirs -maybe the only one - which takes a look on the brighter side of the road:sandwiched between two very dark parts,the second one has Capra accents:the country town is some Shangri-la where time stood still ,with its very nice people ,the girl who owns a garage but of course does not know anything about mechanics(woman's lib supporters will cringe),the young father proud of his new-born son ,the Sunday service,the old lady cooking tasty little dishes.All of this is unusual in a film noir.Some might say that "shadow of a doubt"(1942) had already that ,but evil could enter this world,as the heroine 's uncle came to town.Here,the evil is elsewhere ,in San Francisco.Only in San Francisco.Or on the dark road where anything can happen:first part is effective,and shows some "Postman always rings twice" (1946) influence.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 April 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Impact

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$900,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cardinal Pictures Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1