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IMDbPro

Sudden Fear

  • 19521952
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 50m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
6.7K
YOUR RATING
Joan Crawford in Sudden Fear (1952)
Official Trailer
Play trailer1:20
1 Video
19 Photos
Film-NoirThriller
After an ambitious actor insinuates himself into the life of a wealthy middle-aged playwright and marries her, he plots with his mistress to murder her.After an ambitious actor insinuates himself into the life of a wealthy middle-aged playwright and marries her, he plots with his mistress to murder her.After an ambitious actor insinuates himself into the life of a wealthy middle-aged playwright and marries her, he plots with his mistress to murder her.
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
6.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • David Miller
  • Writers
    • Lenore J. Coffee(screenplay)
    • Robert Smith(screenplay)
    • Edna Sherry(based upon story "Sudden Fear")
  • Stars
    • Joan Crawford
    • Jack Palance
    • Gloria Grahame
  • Director
    • David Miller
  • Writers
    • Lenore J. Coffee(screenplay)
    • Robert Smith(screenplay)
    • Edna Sherry(based upon story "Sudden Fear")
  • Stars
    • Joan Crawford
    • Jack Palance
    • Gloria Grahame
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 120User reviews
    • 40Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 4 Oscars
      • 2 wins & 5 nominations total

    Videos1

    Sudden Fear
    Trailer 1:20
    Watch Sudden Fear

    Photos19

    Joan Crawford and Jack Palance in Sudden Fear (1952)
    Joan Crawford in Sudden Fear (1952)
    Joan Crawford and Jack Palance in Sudden Fear (1952)
    Jack Palance in Sudden Fear (1952)
    Joan Crawford in Sudden Fear (1952)
    Sudden Fear (1952)
    Sudden Fear (1952)
    Sudden Fear (1952)
    Sudden Fear (1952)
    Joan Crawford in Sudden Fear (1952)
    Joan Crawford, Jack Palance, and Gloria Grahame in Sudden Fear (1952)
    Joan Crawford in Sudden Fear (1952)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Joan Crawford
    Joan Crawford
    • Myra Hudson Blaine
    Jack Palance
    Jack Palance
    • Lester Blaine
    Gloria Grahame
    Gloria Grahame
    • Irene Neves
    Bruce Bennett
    Bruce Bennett
    • Steve Kearney
    Virginia Huston
    Virginia Huston
    • Ann Taylor
    Mike Connors
    Mike Connors
    • Junior Kearney
    • (as Touch Conners)
    Rodney Bell
    • Aggressive Drunk on Street
    • (uncredited)
    George Chan
    George Chan
    • Julius - the Butler
    • (uncredited)
    Estelle Etterre
    Estelle Etterre
    • Eve Ralston
    • (uncredited)
    Bess Flowers
    Bess Flowers
    • Reception Guest
    • (uncredited)
    Sam Harris
    Sam Harris
    • Reception Guest
    • (uncredited)
    Taylor Holmes
    Taylor Holmes
    • Scott Martindale
    • (uncredited)
    Selmer Jackson
    Selmer Jackson
    • Dr. Van Roan
    • (uncredited)
    Lewis Martin
    • Bill - the Play Director
    • (uncredited)
    Harold Miller
    Harold Miller
    • Reception Guest
    • (uncredited)
    Ewing Mitchell
    • Bridge Party Guest
    • (uncredited)
    Arthur Space
    Arthur Space
    • George Ralston
    • (uncredited)
    Bert Stevens
    Bert Stevens
    • Opera Patron
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • David Miller
    • Writers
      • Lenore J. Coffee(screenplay)
      • Robert Smith(screenplay)
      • Edna Sherry(based upon story "Sudden Fear")
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      As the film's executive producer, Joan Crawford was heavily involved in all aspects of the production. She personally hired Lenore J. Coffee as the film's screenwriter, David Miller as director and suggested Elmer Bernstein as composer. She insisted on Charles Lang being hired as the film's cinematographer and personally cast Jack Palance and Gloria Grahame as her co-stars.
    • Goofs
      When Junior brings Irene to her apartment and refuses to leave, she tries twice to close the door. Each time, a stagehand's hand can be seen reaching for the knob from out in the hall, a common practice on stage sets if a door doesn't latch properly or stay closed.
    • Quotes

      Myra Hudson: I was just wondering what I'd done to deserve you.

    • Crazy credits
      One of the few films with an itemized credits listing for each wardrobe category designer.
    • Alternate versions
      The previous 1999 DVD release was slightly altered. The sudden fear sequence eliminates only about 8 seconds but noteworthy ones, showing Joan Crawford's falling from a building, and being smothered by the Jack Palance character. These have been restored in the new 2016 Cohen Media Group blu-ray release.
    • Connections
      Edited into Mrs. Harris (2005)
    • Soundtracks
      Afraid
      by Elmer Bernstein and Jack Brooks

    User reviews120

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Joan Crawford thinks she's Ayn Rand when in fact she's the object of a murder planned
    Well, close enough. At least the title rhymes.

    Joan Crawford is playwright Myra Hudson. She has great independent wealth, but she likes the satisfaction of creating her written works and the appreciation and accolades that it brings her. Lester Blaine (Jack Palance) is auditioning for the lead in one of her plays when Myra uses her veto power because she just doesn't see him as the romantic type. Lester doesn't take this too well, and tells her off.

    Later, on her way back to San Francisco, she sees Lester on the train home and ironically he woos her in a whirlwind courtship. Now there is something that happens before they get married that lets you know that Lester is manipulating her, but you can't be sure if it is because he truly loves her and wants her to feel like she is losing him or he just wants to marry a rich woman. It's door number two.

    So the two have a romantic honeymoon, and Myra thinks everything is fine. For that matter, so does the audience. But a girl (Gloria Grahame as Irene) that Lester knew before he met Myra shows up at a party of Myra's as a date of one of her lawyers, Junior Kearney. It can't be a good sign when the perennial bad girl of the noirs shows up accidentally on purpose with Mannix as her date. If you are under sixty you likely have no idea who Mannix is, but I digress.

    So it turns out Lester was a con man pre-Myra, but it looks like he is OK with just being the kept husband of a rich wife until Irene shows up looking for a piece of the action. The two resume their affair and soon they are planning to kill Myra.

    How does Myra find this out? There is a clever plot device introduced earlier in the film that leaves no doubt as to what is going on in Myra's mind. But she is the only person who is witness to it. The two plan to kill her sometime during the next three days - that is when she is signing a new will. She is naturally revolted and terrified at what Lester is up to, but she is also a playwright, and so she conceives a cunning plan to murder the murderers first. So why didn't she just use her great wealth to, I dunno, take the train to Seattle and then contact her lawyer and divorce the guy? I guess because there would be no film?

    Actually Myra's plan has a couple of huge plot holes in it which I won't divulge. But among the more long running of the plot holes is that if New York is the city that never sleeps, then in 1952, San Francisco is the city that is fast asleep at 10PM and also everybody is stone deaf after sundown. Mayberry didn't roll up their sidewalks as tight as Frisco in this film. If you want to see what I mean, watch and find out. The film is neatly divided into two parts. The part before Myra finds out what is going on and is chuck full of dialogue - the first 45 minutes. And then the last 45 minutes where Myra has discovered what is going on and is trying to keep from being killed. The second half is practically a silent film, but the tension never lets up.

    There is really some good acting going on in this film, especially by leads Crawford and Palance. Very subtle in that you can tell what they are thinking by just their facial expressions and body language in many cases. Joan Crawford was unlucky to be tied to MGM for 17 years and only be free when MGM fired her in 1942. The studio really did put her in some dreck especially in the late 30s and then blamed her when things didn't pan out. Her1940s and 1950s work was in much better quality films and this is one of them. I highly recommend it.
    helpful•17
    0
    • AlsExGal
    • Nov 5, 2020

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 15, 1952 (Canada)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Strah
    • Filming locations
      • 2800 Scott Street, San Francisco, California, USA(Myra's residence)
    • Production company
      • Joseph Kaufman Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $720,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $24,476
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $11,126
      • Aug 14, 2016
    • Gross worldwide
      • $24,759
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 50 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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