Too Late for Tears (1949)

Through a fluke circumstance a ruthless woman stumbles across a suitcase filled with $60,000, and she is determined to hold onto it even if it means murder.

Director:

Byron Haskin

Writers:

Roy Huggins (screenplay), Roy Huggins (from his Saturday Evening Post serial)

Stars:

Lizabeth Scott, Don DeFore, Dan Duryea

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Lizabeth Scott	...	Jane Palmer
Don DeFore	...	Don Blake
Dan Duryea	...	Danny Fuller
Arthur Kennedy	...	Alan Palmer
Kristine Miller	...	Kathy Palmer
Barry Kelley	...	Police Lt. Breach

Storyline

One night on a lonely highway, a speeding car tosses a satchel of money, meant for somebody else, into Jane and Alan Palmer's back seat. Alan wants to turn it over to the police, but Jane, with luxury within her reach, persuades him to hang onto it "for a while." Soon, the Palmers are traced by one Danny Fuller, a sleazy character who claims the money is his. To hang onto it, Jane will need all the qualities of an ultimate femme fatale...and does she ever have them!

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Plot Keywords:

money bag | money | bag | bagman | female protagonist | 

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Taglines:

The man who loves her is lucky... if he lives!

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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:

13 August 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Killer Bait

Filming Locations:

Republic Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hunt Stromberg Productions, Republic Pictures (I), Streamline Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Both of the film's female leads enjoyed long lives with Lizabeth Scott (age 92) and Kristine Miller (age 89) each passing away in 2015.

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Goofs

Jane tells Alan that the $790 she has spent represents about one tenth of 1% of the money they found. SInce they thought they had found $100,000 (later the amount is said to be $60,000 by Danny, the blackmailer). One tenth of one percent would be $100 and she spent closer to eight tenths of one percent.

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Quotes

Alan Palmer: Jane, Jane, what's happening to us? The money sits down there in an old leather bag, and yet it's tearing us apart. It's poison, Jane. It's changing you. It's changing both of us.
Jane Palmer: I wish it were that simple, Allan, but I haven't changed. It's the way I am. You've got to let me keep that money.
Alan Palmer: Don't, don't, Jane.
Jane Palmer: No, Allan, I won't let you just give it away. Chances like this are never offered twice. This is it. I've been waiting for it, dreaming of it all my life - even when I was a kid. And ...

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Connections

Spoofed in Deep Six (1986)

User Reviews

Well acted film noir.

Jane and Alan Palmer accidently receive a satchel containing sixty thousand dollars that was intended as a blackmail payoff. Alan wants to turn the money over to the police, but money loving Jane wants to keep it. Meanwhile the blackmailer confronts Jane about his absconded payment. Greedy Jane murders her husband and then pretends to make a deal with the blackmailer. However, a ghost from Janes past returns to be her undoing.

Considering that Byron (WAR OF THE WORLDS) Haskin was never a really good director of actors, this film is very well acted. The cast turns in first rate performances, so good in fact that the performers almost make the viewer not notice that this film has a very far fetched, convoluted plot.

I have seen a lot of these "film noirs" and of all of them, TOO LATE FOR TEARS is probably one of the most cynical. Few other films I have seen have this thick air fatalism hanging over it.

Kristine Miller who plays Alan's sister Kathy, is one of the most beautiful women to grace the screen. This the first time I noticed her, and it's a shame her film career was rather short, and rarely had large roles as she had here.

One note: If you pay close attention, you will see former "Dead End" Kid leader Billy Halop in small role as a boat attendant.