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

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Joan Crawford	...	Ethel Whitehead (Lorna Hansen Forbes)
David Brian	...	George Castleman (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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

"Call me CHEAP?" Nothing's Cheap When You Pay the Price She's Paying!

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Romance | Thriller

---

Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

---

Quotes

Ethel Whitehead: Don't talk to me about self-respect. That's something you tell yourself you got when you got nothing else.

---

Connections

Featured in Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Movie Star (2002)

---

Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Excellent Performances

The hard-working Joan Crawford scores again in this 1950 film. Here she plays a working-class mom who witnesses her son get killed while she's fighting with her oafish husband (Richard Egan). She bails the marriage and ends up as a two-bit model in a small dress manufacturing company. She models and takes clients out for a good time.

The she meets a timid bookkeeper (Kent Smith)and together they worm their way into a mob-like syndicate run by brutal David Brian. As they work their way up the ladder, Joan's small-town girl is transformed into a faux oil heiress/socialite with the help of a real-lie but broke socialite (Selena Royle). But when Joan is asked to head west (to Las Vegas) to get the goods on a scheming subordinate (Steve Cochran), all hell breaks loose.

Crawford is superb here. At age 45 or so she looks great and gets to display a range of emotions as the tough-and-determined Ethel/Lorna. Egan, Royle, Brian, and Cochran are all excellent. This one ranks among Crawford's best Warners films and not to be missed.

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)

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