The Damned Don't Cry (1950)

A New York socialite climbs the ladder of success man by man until a life among rich gangsters gives her what she thought she always wanted.

Director:

Vincent Sherman

Writers:

Harold Medford (screenplay), Jerome Weidman (screenplay)

Stars:

Joan Crawford, David Brian, Steve Cochran

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Joan Crawford	...	Ethel Whitehead aka Lorna Hansen Forbes
David Brian	...	George Castleman aka Joe Caveny
Steve Cochran	...	Nick Prenta
Kent Smith	...	Martin Blackford
Hugh Sanders	...	Grady
Selena Royle	...	Patricia Longworth
Jacqueline deWit	...	Sandra
Morris Ankrum	...	Jim Whitehead
Edith Evanson	...	Mrs. Castleman
Richard Egan	...	Roy

Storyline

The murder of gangster Nick Prenta touches off an investigation of mysterious socialite Lorna Hansen Forbes, who seems to have no past, and has now disappeared. In flashback, we see the woman's anonymous roots; her poor working-class marriage, which ends in tragedy and her determination to find "better things." Soon finding that sex appeal is her only salable commodity, she climbs from man to man toward the center of a nationwide crime syndicate...a very perilous position.

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Plot Keywords:

dysfunctional marriage | bare chested male | hairy chest | manipulative female | taming of the shrew | 

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Taglines:

She's the Private Lady of a Public Enemy!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 May 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Victim

Filming Locations:

1148 East Alejo Road, Palm Springs, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,233,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$1,540,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,211,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Joan Crawford and David Brian also appeared together in the previous year's film noir, Flamingo Road.

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Quotes

[Ethel and George kiss]
Ethel Whitehead: You're asking for trouble, aren't you?
George Castleman: I never got anything yet worthwhile, without trouble. Only don't take this for anything more than it's worth.
Ethel Whitehead: It might be worth more than you think.

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Connections

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

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Soundtracks

Trade Winds
(uncredited)
Music by Cliff Friend
Played at the Hacienda when Lorna meets Prenta

User Reviews

Very Nice-Looking Noir-Melodrama

For me, the best part about this film was the exceptional lighting which made this a great movie to see on DVD. The great black-and-white photography reminded of films like The Sweet Smell Of Success and To Kill A Mockingbird. The camera-work in this movie does not take a backseat to those great films, believe me.

Story-wise, it's a somewhat-familiar Joan Crawford movie with a bit more emphasis on the melodrama than the film noir, a la Mildred Pierce. That's a compliment because "Mildred" was a well-crafted story and so is this. It's an effective mixture of drama and noir. However, unlike "Mildred," this Crawford character ("Ethel" aka "Mrs. Forvbes") has a worldly edge to her with a chip on her big shoulders. It's tough to sympathize with her in this story, frankly.

Kent Smith plays her naive, wimpy dupe for much of the film but when David Brian enters the scene, the movie really picks up. Gangster Brian is nobody's patsy and he's fascinating, portraying the most intense character in the story.

This is another one of the fine classic movies that never got a VHS showing but finally got a break with a recent DVD release, which is all the better since the camera-work is deserving of the nice look this transfer gives it. Once more, another impressive movie from 1950, one of the better years Hollywood ever had.