Kiss of Death (1947)

Director:

Henry Hathaway

Writers:

Ben Hecht (screenplay) and
Charles Lederer (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

27 August 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir

Tagline:

It will mark you for life as it marked him for... Betrayal

Plot:

With his law-breaking lifestyle in the past, an ex-con, along with his family, attempt to start a new life, unknowing a betrayed someone from the past is bound to see otherwise.

Plot Keywords:

Psychopath | Beautiful Woman | Stairs | New York | Wheelchair

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins

Cast

Victor Mature	...	Nick Bianco
Brian Donlevy	...	Asst. Dist. Atty. Louis D'Angelo
Coleen Gray	...	Nettie
Richard Widmark	...	Tommy Udo
Taylor Holmes	...	Earl Howser, Attorney
Howard Smith	...	Warden
Karl Malden	...	Sgt. William Cullen
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert Adler	...	Detective (uncredited)
Rollin Bauer	...	Sing Sing guard (uncredited)
Harry Bellaver	...	Bull Weed (uncredited)
Dennis Bohan	...	Guard (uncredited)
Olga Borget	...	Cashier at Luigi's (uncredited)
Susan Cabot	...	Restaurant extra (uncredited)
Alexander Campbell	...	Train conductor (uncredited)
Harry Carter	...	Detective (uncredited)
Dort Clark	...	Man in car (uncredited)
Eva Condon	...	Nun at Orphanage (uncredited)
Harry Cooke	...	Taxi driver (uncredited)
Harold Crane	...	Mr Moremann (uncredited)
James Doody	...	Sing Sing guard (uncredited)
Arthur Foran Jr.	...	Sing Sing guard (uncredited)
David Fresco	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Harold Gary	...	Doorman (uncredited)
Don Giovanni	...	Tommy's henchman (uncredited)
Marilee Grassini	...	Rosaria (uncredited)
Eda Heinemann	...	Mrs Keller (uncredited)
Lou Herbert	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Herbert Holcombe	...	City Jail guard (uncredited)
Arthur Holland	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Jo Jones	...	Jazz drummer (uncredited)
Harry Kadison	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Robert Karnes	...	Tommy's henchman (uncredited)
Arthur Kramer	...	Mr Sulla (uncredited)
John Kullers	...	Prisoner (uncredited)
Harry Landers	...	Convict (uncredited)
Perc Launders	...	Lieutenant (uncredited)
Paul Lilly	...	City Jail guard (uncredited)
Pat Malone	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Iris Mann	...	Congetta (uncredited)
John Marley	...	Convict (uncredited)
Gregg Martell	...	Guard (uncredited)
Charles McClelland	...	Detective (uncredited)
Norman McKay	...	Capt. Dolan (uncredited)
Richard Midgley	...	Guard (uncredited)
Carl Milletaire	...	Customer (uncredited)
Mary Morrison	...	Mother Superior (uncredited)
Consuela O'Connor	...	Girl (uncredited)
Gloria O'Connor	...	Girl (uncredited)
William O'Leary	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Wendell K. Phillips	...	Tony 'Pep' Mangone (uncredited)
Stephen Roberts	...	Guard (uncredited)
Yvonne Rob	...	Customer (uncredited)
Mel Ruick	...	Moremann's assistant (uncredited)
Jack Rutherford	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Lee Sanford	...	Chips Cooney (uncredited)
Bernard Sell	...	Policeman (uncredited)
George Shelton	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Irene Shirley	...	Nun (uncredited)
A. George Smith	...	Policeman (uncredited)
John Stearns	...	Harris (uncredited)
Richard Taber	...	Taxi driver (uncredited)
Victor Thorley	...	Sing Sing guard (uncredited)
Lawrence Tiernan	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Tito Vuolo	...	Luigi (uncredited)
Milton Wallace	...	(uncredited)
Jesse White	...	Taxi driver (uncredited)
Bill Zuckert	...	Sing Sing guard (uncredited)

Directed by
Henry Hathaway

Writing credits
Ben Hecht		(screenplay) and
Charles Lederer		(screenplay)
Eleazar Lipsky		(story)

Produced by
Fred Kohlmar	....	producer

Original Music by
David Buttolph

Cinematography by
Norbert Brodine		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
J. Watson Webb Jr.

Art Direction by
Leland Fuller
Lyle R. Wheeler		(as Lyle Wheeler)

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Abe Steinberg	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
W.D. Flick	....	sound
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)

Special Effects by
Fred Sersen	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
Rodney Amateau	....	stunts (uncredited)
Herbert Holcombe	....	stunts (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Charles Le Maire	....	wardrobe director
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)

Music Department
Earle H. Hagen	....	music arranger: orchestral arrangements (as Earle Hagen)
Lionel Newman	....	conductor

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1947) (USA) (theatrical)
• CBS/Fox Home Video (1990) (USA) (VHS)
• Centfox (1950) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Media Cooperation One (MC-One) (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:16 (nf) | UK:A (original rating) | USA:Approved (PCA #12356) | UK:12 (DVD rating) (2005) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

14th Street, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Originally, Patricia Morison played Victor Mature's wife, who is attacked and raped by a gangster who is supposed to be watching out for her while Mature is in prison, and afterwards commits suicide by sticking her head in the kitchen oven and turning on the gas. Both scenes were cut from the original print at the insistence of the censors, who wanted no depiction of either a rape or a suicide, so although Morison's name appears in the credits, she does not appear in the film at all. Mention is made later in the film about Mature's wife's suicide and a now obscure reference is made by Nettie that the unseen gangster Rizzo contributed to the wife's downfall.

Quotes:

Tommy Udo: I'm askin' ya, where's that squealin' son of yours?
[weird laugh]
Tommy Udo: You think a squealer can get away from me? Huh?
[crazy laugh]
Tommy Udo: You know what I do to squealers? I let 'em have it in the belly, so they can roll around for a long time thinkin' it over. You're worse than him, tellin' me he's comin' back? Ya lyin' old hag!
[maniacal laugh]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The A-Team: Water, Water Everywhere (#2.10)" (1983)

Brief review

Richard Widmark as a giggling, heartless hoodlum pushing a wheelchair bound old lady down the stairs, that's what everyone remembers of this superb classic. The film follows luckless Nick Bianco (Victor Mature's best role), a NYC holdup man who is caught during an Xmas season hit. Sent to prison, he needs to be near his now parentless children (His wife committed suicide). He becomes an informant, and is released. Widmark, as hoodlum Tommy Udo (All film fans have no trouble remembering that name) targets stoolie Mature for death. The film begins (with the failed robbery) and ends (the showdown between Widmark, Mature and DA Brian Donlevy) with superb suspense sequenses played almost silent.