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 / Don Blanchard
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:

That's not love-light... that's MURDER in her eyes!

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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

When this film was re-released in 1955 with the title "Killer Bait", it was on a double bill with Johnny Holiday (1949), which was retitled as "Boy's Prison".

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Goofs

When Don Blanchard was trying to get Lt. Breach to dredge the lake looking for the body of Alan Palmer, he could have offered as evidence that Jane Palmer held a gun on him, took the claim check, then knocked him out, all which could be corroborated by Kathy Palmer, and also that Jane was working with an accomplice that he saw coming out of her apartment. As Lt. Breach said they only act on a missing persons report "...if there's some evidence of foul play..", this should have been enough evidence that Jane was caught up in criminal activity to warrant that they would dredge the lake.

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Quotes

Jane Palmer: Now... what's this about lakes?

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Connections

Featured in Spartan (2004)

User Reviews

Solid, Tension-Filled Crime Drama

This is a solid and sometimes memorable crime drama, filled with tension, and featuring some pretty good performances from the cast. The noir atmosphere works well, and the story, while perhaps far-fetched at a couple of points, is quite involved and grabs your attention from the beginning.

Lizabeth Scott gets one of her best roles, as a hard-hearted woman who seizes her opportunity to play the male characters against each other so that she can get what she wants. Scott is slightly lacking in the glamour that would make her a really memorable femme fatale, but she has plenty of strength, and her voice works well for the character. Dan Duryea gives one of his many fine noir performances, taking good advantage of his many opportunities with his shady character. Arthur Kennedy and Kristine Miller are both sympathetic as the more innocent of the main characters. Don DeFore's character sometimes seems a little out of place, but he is often crucial in advancing the plot.

The story starts with an unlikely coincidence, with a bag of money that gets tossed into the wrong car. But from there, most of the story developments follow naturally, and the tension is built up rather well as things get more complicated. It's an entertaining movie that has most of the things that fans of film-noir and crime drama would want to see.