While recuperating from wartime back injuries at a hospital, veteran Bob Corey is visited on Christmas Eve by a beautiful stranger with an even stranger message.
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Title: Backfire (1950)
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Cast
| Cast overview: | |||
| Viveca Lindfors | ... | Lysa Radoff | |
| Dane Clark | ... | Ben Arno / Lou Walsh | |
| Virginia Mayo | ... | Nurse Julie Benson | |
| Edmond O'Brien | ... | Steve Connelly | |
| Gordon MacRae | ... | Bob Corey | |
| Ed Begley | ... | Police Capt. Garcia | |
| Frances Robinson | ... | Mrs. Blayne | |
| Richard Rober | ... | Solly Blayne | |
| Sheila MacRae | ... | Bonnie Willis (as Sheila Stephens) | |
 |
David Hoffman | ... | Burns |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Bob Corey, recovering from a series of operations in a Veterans' hospital, learns that his friend, Steve Connelly, with whom he intended to buy a ranch, has disappeared under circumstance that indicate he may have been involved in a murder. Accompanied by his nurse, Julie Benson, with whom he has fallen in love, Bob follows a series of clues and incidents, including three more murders, that leads to a gambler, masquerading as an undertaker to avoid taxes on his illegal income, has a whole lot to do with his friend's predicament. Written by Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>
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That "White Heat" girl turns it on again!..Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
11 February 1950 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Into the Night See more »Filming Locations:
Los Angeles City Hall - 200 North Spring Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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(1739) (uncredited)
Written by Charles Wesley and Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (uncredited)
Sung during the Christmas scene at the beginning
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Features two future Best Supporting Actor Oscar winners: Edmond O'Brien and Ed Begley. See more »Goofs
Bob Corey (Gordon MacRae) and Julie Benson (Virginia Mayo) are eating dinner and discussing Steve Connelly's (Edmond O'Brien) disappearance they are drinking wine and eating and there is a bottle of wine in the middle of the table next to a burning candle. Just after a close up of MacRae when it goes to a wide shot the plates are gone as is the wine bottle and the glasses. They have been replaced by coffee cups and the waiter asking if they would like more coffee. See more »Quotes
Police Captain Garcia: [to Sgt. Pluther, who's firing a fleeing suspect] Hold it. You're liable to hit a taxpayer.See more »
Soundtracks
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing(1739) (uncredited)
Written by Charles Wesley and Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (uncredited)
Sung during the Christmas scene at the beginning
See more »
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Gordon MacRae is a wounded ex-GI who's been in an army hospital for treatment for a broken spine. He falls for the beautiful nurse who took care of him, and he and his army buddy have planned to go into business as ranchers when he was released from the hospital. However, his buddy disappears suddenly and MacRae is told by the police that's because he's the prime suspect in the murder of a notorious gambler. MacRae, refusing to believe that his pal is guilty of the crime, sets out to find his buddy and clear his name.
Director Vincent Sherman, an old Warner Brothers hand, was an expert at making tight, suspenseful thrillers--check out "Underground", a terrific 1941 little "B" he made for Warners--but this isn't one of his better efforts. He doesn't seem to have had his heart in it, as there are holes in the somewhat contrived script big enough to drive a truck through, there are way too many convenient coincidences and the identity of the real killer becomes very obvious not long into the picture. Edmond O'Brien is excellent as MacRae's army buddy but Virginia Mayo isn't much more than window dressing as MacRae's love interest (his real wife Sheila MacRae has a small part as a brassy party girl). MacRae tries hard, but he just isn't up to the part. It has a good supporting cast and does have its moments, but overall it's one of Vincent Sherman's lesser efforts, with more minuses than pluses.