Film Snail

6.2

Deadline at Dawn

NR·1946·83m

Mystery

Thriller

Romance

Mystery

Thriller

Romance

Summary

A young Navy sailor has one night to find out why a woman was killed and he ended up with a bag of money after a drinking blackout.

Cast

Susan Hayward

June Goffe

Paul Lukas

Gus Hoffman

Bill Williams

Alex Winkler

Joseph Calleia

Val Bartelli

Osa Massen

Helen Robinson

Lola Lane

Edna Bartelli

Jerome Cowan

Lester Brady

Marvin Miller

Sleepy Parsons

Roman Bohnen

Frantic Man with Injured Cat

Steven Geray

Edward Honig

Joe Sawyer

Babe Dooley

Constance Worth

Nan Raymond

Joseph Crehan

Lt. Kane

Ernie Adams

Waiter (uncredited)

Fred Aldrich

Nightclub Guest (uncredited)

Walter Bacon

Commuter (uncredited)

John Barton

One-Legged Man (uncredited)

Billy Bletcher

Waiter (uncredited)

Al Bridge

Detective Smiley (uncredited)

Edgar Caldwell

Dancer (uncredited)

William Challee

Ray (Newsstand Proprietor) (uncredited)

Eddy Chandler

Policeman (uncredited)

Jack Cheatham

Policeman (uncredited)

Tom Coleman

Policeman (uncredited)

Connie Conrad

Mrs. Bender (uncredited)

Roger Creed

Policeman (uncredited)

Dorothy Curtis

Giddy Woman (uncredited)

Ralph Dunn

Capt. Dill (uncredited)

Al Eben

Taxi Driver (uncredited)

Dick Elliott

Chap (uncredited)

John Elliott

Sleepy Man (uncredited)

Virginia Farmer

Building Superintendent's Wife (uncredited)

Carl Faulkner

Policeman Drawing Diagram (uncredited)

Byron Foulger

Night Attendant (uncredited)

Jerry Frank

Waiter (uncredited)

Edward Gargan

Bouncer (uncredited)

Betty Gillette

Woman with Dog (uncredited)

Eddie Hart

Policeman (uncredited)

Annelle Hayes

Society Woman (uncredited)

Earle Hodgins

Barker (uncredited)

Jack Kenney

Headwaiter (uncredited)

Colin Kenny

Birthday Party Table Guest (uncredited)

Ethelreda Leopold

Dancer (uncredited)

Larry McGrath

Whispering Man (uncredited)

Frank Meredith

Policeman (uncredited)

Philip Morris

Policeman (uncredited)

William J. O'Brien

Man (uncredited)

Emory Parnell

Police Captain Bender (uncredited)

Florence Pepper

Dancing Girl (uncredited)

Louis Quince

Markey (uncredited)

Tom Quinn

Counterman (uncredited)

Jason Robards Sr.

Policeman with Liquor Bottle (uncredited)

Dick Rush

Policeman (uncredited)

Shimen Ruskin

Sam (Taxi Driver) (uncredited)

Walter Soderling

Building Super (uncredited)

Larry Thompson

Drunk (uncredited)

George Tyne

Soft Drink Proprietor (uncredited)

Pearl Varvalle

Woman with Whispering Man (uncredited)

Alan Ward

Yerkes (uncredited)

Phil Warren

Jerry Robinson (uncredited)

Billy Wayne

Billy White (uncredited)

Larry Wheat

Derelict (uncredited)

Isabel Withers

Nurse (uncredited)

Armand 'Curly' Wright

Fruit Peddler (uncredited)

Crew

Director

Harold Clurman

Novel

Cornell Woolrich

Screenplay

Clifford Odets

Reviews

John Chard

February 16, 2020

People with wax heads should keep out of the sun!

Deadline at Dawn is directed by Harold Clurman and adapted to screenplay by Clifford Odets from the novel written by Cornell Woolrich. It stars Susan Hayward, Paul Lukas, Bill Williams, Joseph Calleia, Osa Masson and Lola Lane. Music is by Hans Eisler and cinematography by Nicholas Musuraca.

Sailor Alex Winkley (Williams) wakes up with hangover amnesia to find he has a wad of cash on his person that he didn't have before his drunken exploits. Enlisting the help of dancer June Goth (Hayward), he retraces his steps to the home of the nightclub hostess who had befriended him the night before. Finding the woman dead, Alex doesn't know if he murdered and robbed her? So with the clock ticking, Alex and his friend have to find out what happened...

"She's a blitzkrieg with hair on her head"

Amnesia formed the backbone of many a good film noir picture, here we have a familiar theme brought about by a simple social occurrence, that of a drunken night. This sets us up for a mystery to be solved as our protagonists trawl through a backlot produced night time New York that's awash with a whole array of damaged or menacing characters.

The dialogue is often sharp, where we get plenty of choice one liners and superb philosophical musings from Lukas' taxi driver who has joined the fight to prove Alex's innocence (in fact all the cabbies in this are real cool). This was Clurman's only big screen directing assignment, and in truth it's just a passable job and he's saved by strong turns from Hayward and Lukas. However, there's a nifty noir world painted and the pic constantly holds interest value. 7/10