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Nightfall ()

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Through a series of bizarre coincidences, an artist finds himself falsely accused of bank robbery and murder and is pursued by the authorities and the real killers.
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Complete, Cast awaiting verification

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James Vanning
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John
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Marie Gardner
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Laura Fraser
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Ben Fraser
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Dr. Edward Gurston
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Red
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Arline Anderson ...
Hostess (uncredited)
Monty Ash ...
Clerk (uncredited)
María Belmar ...
Spanish Woman (uncredited)
Orlando Beltran ...
Spanish Man (uncredited)
Art Bucaro ...
Cashier (uncredited)
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Fashion Show Spectator (uncredited)
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Man on Bus with Radio (uncredited)
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Bus Driver (uncredited)
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Woman (uncredited)
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Woman at Fashion Show (uncredited)
Pat Jones ...
Model (uncredited)
Lillian Kassan ...
Model (uncredited)
Betty Koch ...
Model (uncredited)
Jane Lynn ...
Model (uncredited)
Eddie McLean ...
Taxi Driver (uncredited)
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Bartender (uncredited)
Walter Smith ...
Shoeshine Boy (uncredited)
Annabelle Thiele ...
Model (uncredited)
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Model (uncredited)
Maya Van Horn ...
Woman (uncredited)
Winifred Waring ...
Fashion Commentator (uncredited)

Directed by

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Jacques Tourneur ... (directed by)

Written by

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Stirling Silliphant ... (screen play by)
 
David Goodis ... (from the novel by)

Produced by

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Ted Richmond ... producer (produced by)

Music by

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George Duning ... (music composed by)

Cinematography by

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Burnett Guffey ... director of photography

Editing by

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William A. Lyon ... film editor

Art Direction by

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Ross Bellah

Set Decoration by

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Louis Diage
William Kiernan

Costume Design by

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Jean Louis ... (gowns)

Makeup Department

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Clay Campbell ... makeup artist
Helen Hunt ... hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Irving J. Moore ... assistant director (as Irving Moore)

Sound Department

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John P. Livadary ... recording supervisor (as John Livadary)
Ferrol Redd ... sound (as Ferol Redd)
Frank Bayes ... sound editor (uncredited)
Ernest Reichert ... sound editor (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department

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Richard H. Kline ... camera operator (uncredited)

Music Department

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Arthur Morton ... orchestrator
Morris Stoloff ... conductor

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

There is money missing from a bank job, an attractive model, an insurance investigator, and two extremely dangerous thugs. James Vanning (Aldo Ray) portrays an innocent man on the run, being pursued by the criminals who stupidly misplaced their take from the crime and think he has it or knows where it is hidden. Add model Marie Gardner (Anne Bancroft) who crossed paths with nice guy Vanning, while he is on the run. This all adds up to a thriller wherein the viewer is drawn into the story and becomes part of the drama. When Marie says "things that really happen are difficult to explain" it captures the theme of this film. A nice girl helps a nice guy, who is innocent and is drawn into the drama. As tension mounts she says: "I am always meeting the wrong man, and it leads to doomed relationships." Marie inadvertently leads Vanning into the hands of the villains. However, she is a pseudo-femme fatale, innocently involved in the intrigue and, like the viewer, is gradually drawn into the plot. Beside one of the more chilling murder scenes for that era, the film has a three part flashback, which takes the viewer from a cityscape and menacing oil wells to the snow-covered plains of Wyoming and back to the streets of Hollywood. The interplay of high contrast images makes it worth seeing, but the story keeps the viewer engaged. Written by Noir-Fan-en-Suisse

Plot Keywords
Taglines YOU COULD GO TO THE MOVIES EVERY DAY FOR FIVE YEARS---BEFORE YOU'D SEE ANOTHER PICTURE WITH SO MANY THRILLS AND SO MUCH SUSPENSE! (original print ad - all caps) See more »
Genres
Parents Guide View content advisory »
Certification

Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • Poursuites dans la nuit (France)
  • Al caer la noche (Spain)
  • Сумерки (Soviet Union, Russian title)
  • L'alibi sotto la neve (Italy)
  • 夕暮れのとき (Japan, Japanese title)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 78 min
Country
Language
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Filming Locations

Did You Know?

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Trivia During the fashion show, Anne Bancroft's character is introduced as wearing a ball gown by Jean Louis who was Columbia Pictures' costume designer. He designed the costumes for this film and many classics, including The Lady from Shanghai (1947) and From Here to Eternity (1953). He also was the costume designer for the 1960s TV sitcom Green Acres (1965). See more »
Goofs When John and Red first approach Marie's apartment, Red says "Maybe Vanning's inside." However, they would not have known him by that name at this point. They knew him only by his real name, Rayburn. Earlier, in the car, they asked him what name he was going by now, but he didn't answer. They were calling him Rayburn then. They also had looked at his wallet but said he was smart, carrying no identification. Therefore, they wouldn't have known him as Vanning yet. They'd never heard that name. See more »
Movie Connections Referenced in Murder of a Cat (2014). See more »
Soundtracks Nightfall See more »
Quotes James Vanning: [Walking into Marie's apartment] Nice place. I'll try not to bleed over everything.
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