The Damned Don't Cry

Last updated
The Damned Don't Cry
Damned don't cry poster 1950.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Vincent Sherman
Screenplay byHarold Medford
Jerome Weidman
Gertrude Walker
Based onCase History
1950 novel
by Gertrude Walker
Produced by Jerry Wald
Starring Joan Crawford
David Brian
Cinematography Ted McCord, A.S.C.
Edited by Rudi Fehr
Music by Daniele Amfitheatrof
Color process Black and white
Production
company
Warner Bros.
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date
  • May 7, 1950 (1950-05-07)(United States)
Running time
103 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1,233,000 [1]
Box office$2,211,000 [1]

The Damned Don't Cry is a 1950 American film noir crime-drama directed by Vincent Sherman and featuring Joan Crawford, David Brian, and Steve Cochran. It tells of a woman's involvement with an organized crime boss and his subordinates. The screenplay by Harold Medford and Jerome Weidman was based on the story "Case History" by Gertrude Walker. The plot is loosely based on the relationship of Bugsy Siegel and Virginia Hill. The film was directed by Vincent Sherman and produced by Jerry Wald. The Damned Don't Cry is the first of three cinematic collaborations between Sherman and Crawford, the others being Harriet Craig (1950) and Goodbye, My Fancy (1951). [2]

Contents

Plot

Ethel Whitehead, a married woman living in a squalid factory town with an abusive husband and unsupportive parents, is only attached to her young son. After he dies in a tragic accident, she abandons her marriage and leaves town, determined to discover a worthwhile life at any cost. With no education or work experience, she works at a low-wage job until she attracts the attention of a customer, who invites her to model dresses at his department store. Before long, she finds herself shedding her morals to become an escort for wealthy clients on the side.

Ethel meets the store's mild-mannered accountant, Martin Blackford, who accepts her invitation to dine out with herat the club where she usually entertains out-of-town clients. After learning that Martin's financial situation is hardly better than her own, she engineers a meeting between the club's boss, Grady, who badly needs a competent accountant. Needing the money, Martin reluctantly takes the extra work.

As Martin's friendship with Ethel deepens and his reputation grows, Ethel manages to ingratiate him further into the criminal underworld by encouraging him to join in with a casino gambling plot masterminded by George Castleman, an organized crime boss and former smalltime crook. The honest Martin initially balks at the idea of aiding a criminal enterprise, but Ethel encourages him to likewise abandon his morals, arguing that money and power are the only things that matters in life, and that all people must look after themselves. In order to please Ethel, Martin agrees, and the two share a kiss. However, Ethel and Castleman share a mutual attraction based on a shared ambition to claw their way to the top, and she reciprocates his advances when meeting with him to discuss Martin's pay.

With Martin's assistance, Castleman's plans flourish, but he faces difficulties with Nick Prenta, an underling who he had sent west in order to be rid of him, but who found success and is rumored to be planning a rebellion following the murder of Grady. Castleman orders Ethel to join Nick and uncover his plans. Ethel (now going by Lorna Hansen Forbes, a glamorous socialite cover invented by Castleman) obeys his command out of love for him.

Ethel successfully seduces Nick Prenta, but falls in love with him after learning of his circumstances and becoming sympathetic. She chafes under her responsibility after a meeting with Martin informs her that a vindictive Castleman intends to murder Nick if his suspicions about a rebellion are true. Ethel, disillusioned with Castleman, reluctantly attends one of Nick's meetings and learns the names of the associates who intend to support his double-cross. However, she is unable to conceal the information, as Castleman ambushes her at home and accuses her of falling in love with Nick. He confronts Nick and reveals than Ethel was nothing more than a mole before shooting him dead.

Ethel flees back home to her parents, but Martin soon locates her; he admitted that Castleman murdered Nick to the police, and warns her that Castleman also knows of her location and intends to kill her as well. Before Ethel can escape, Castleman arrives and attempts to kill Martin. Ethel wrestles for the gun and is shot, while Martin manages to kill Castleman. Ethel, wounded but alive, convalesces in bed as two reporters predict that she'll try once more to make it out of her roughshod hometown once she recovers.

Cast

Uncredited (in order of appearance)

Reception

L. to R.: Joan Crawford, Steve Cochran, Richard Egan & David Brian - publicity still for The Damned Don't Cry! The Damned Don't Cry! 1.jpg
L. to R.: Joan Crawford, Steve Cochran, Richard Egan & David Brian - publicity still for The Damned Don't Cry!

Box office

The movie was a hit. According to Warner Bros., it earned $1,540,000 in the U.S. and $671,000 in other markets. [1] [3]

According to Variety, the film earned $1.4 million in the U.S. and Canada in 1950. [4]

Critical response

When the film was released, the reviews were mixed, even though the box office was considered good. The New York Times critic Bosley Crowther was tough on the film in his review. He wrote "Miss Crawford as the 'fancy lady' runs through the whole routine of cheap motion-picture dramatics in her latter-day hard-boiled, dead-pan style...A more artificial lot of acting could hardly be achieved" He added "And Kent Smith, as a public accountant whom Miss Crawford lures into the syndicate, plays a Milquetoast so completely that his whole performance seems a succession of timid gulps. Steve Cochran as a tricky West Coast mobster and Selena Royle as a vagrant socialite do their jobs in a conventional B-story, A-budget way. Vincent Sherman's direction is as specious as the script." [5]

Modern critics are generally more sympathetic. James Travers in 2012 stated: "It is not hard to account for the popular appeal of The Damned Don't Cry. The plot may be far-fetched and the characters absurdly exaggerated, but the film is otherwise well-constructed (using the familiar film noir device of the extended flashback) and well-performed by a well-chosen ensemble of acting talent. [6]

Film critic Craig Butler called the film "a ridiculous melodrama that is fairly poor as real drama but is quite enjoyable as camp." He added "Damned starts out as if it were one of Crawford's earlier 'poor gal makes good' flicks, but it quickly becomes lurid and unbelievable. As is often the case in her later vehicles, Damned finds Crawford in a one-dimensional world and asks that she find ways of giving the illusion of depth to her character." [7]

Critic Dennis Schwartz liked the film, Crawford's work and its direction. He wrote "A dreary crime drama following the formula of Flamingo Road , which also starred Joan Crawford. It is efficiently directed by Vincent Sherman...Joan Crawford gives a solid performance as the gangster's moll who discovers when it's too late that she took the wrong path." [8]

Slant critic Jeremiah Kipp wrote "The direction by hack Vincent Sherman is adequate and humble before Joan, though some scenes feel like the transition into the editing room was hardly smooth. (At least two insert shots feel wobbly and jarring.) But Crawford gets what she wants, and that's all we really came for, no? Like the star in question, this diva showcase knows what it is and what it's good at. If you don't like it, why are you still here?" [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Crawford</span> American actress (190?–1977)

Joan Crawford was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion picture contract by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1925. Initially frustrated by the size and quality of her parts, Crawford launched a publicity campaign and built an image as a nationally known flapper by the end of the 1920s. By the 1930s, Crawford's fame rivaled MGM colleagues Norma Shearer and Greta Garbo. Crawford often played hardworking young women who find romance and financial success. These "rags-to-riches" stories were well received by Depression-era audiences and were popular with women. Crawford became one of Hollywood's most prominent movie stars and one of the highest paid women in the United States, but her films began losing money. By the end of the 1930s, she was labeled "box office poison".

<i>Dead Men Dont Wear Plaid</i> 1982 film by Carl Reiner

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid is a 1982 American neo-noir mystery comedy film directed, co-written by, and co-starring Carl Reiner and co-written by and starring Steve Martin. Co-starring Rachel Ward, the film is both a parody of and a homage to film noir and the pulp detective films of the 1940s. The title refers to Martin's character telling a story about a woman obsessed with plaid in a scene that was ultimately cut from the film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Wald</span> American screenwriter and producer (1911–1962)

Jerome Irving Wald was an American screenwriter and a producer of films and radio programs.

<i>Mommie Dearest</i> (film) 1981 film by Frank Perry

Mommie Dearest is a 1981 American biographical psychological drama film directed by Frank Perry and starring Faye Dunaway, Steve Forrest, Mara Hobel, and Diana Scarwid, with supporting performances from Xander Berkeley in his feature film debut along with Rutanya Alda and Jocelyn Brando. Adapted from Christina Crawford's 1978 autobiography of the same name, the film follows her and her brother Christopher's upbringing under their adoptive mother, actress Joan Crawford, depicting her as abusive, controlling, and manipulative, prioritizing her Hollywood career over her family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Cochran</span> American actor

Steve Cochran was an American film, television and stage actor. He attended the University of Wyoming. After a stint working as a cowboy, Cochran developed his acting skills in local theatre and gradually progressed to Broadway, film and television.

<i>Nora Prentiss</i> 1947 film by Vincent Sherman

Nora Prentiss is a 1947 American film noir directed by Vincent Sherman and starring Ann Sheridan, Kent Smith, Bruce Bennett, and Robert Alda. It was produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The cinematography is by James Wong Howe and the music was composed by Franz Waxman. The film's sets were designed by the art director Anton Grot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vincent Sherman</span> American film director (1906–2006)

Vincent Sherman was an American director and actor who worked in Hollywood. His movies include Mr. Skeffington (1944), Nora Prentiss (1947), and The Young Philadelphians (1959).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Damned Don't Cry (song)</span> 1982 single by Visage

"The Damned Don't Cry" is a song by British synth-pop group Visage, released as a single by Polydor Records in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Brian</span> American actor (1914–1993)

Brian James Davis, better known as David Brian, was an American actor. He is best known for his role in Intruder in the Dust (1949), for which he received critical acclaim and a Golden Globe nomination. Brian's other notable film roles were in The Damned Don't Cry (1950), This Woman Is Dangerous (1952), Springfield Rifle (1952), Dawn at Socorro (1954), and The High and the Mighty (1954).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Crawford filmography</span> List of film appearances of American actress Joan Crawford

The Joan Crawford filmography lists the film appearances of American actress Joan Crawford, who starred in numerous feature films throughout a lengthy career that spanned nearly five decades.

<i>Mildred Pierce</i> (film) 1945 American melodrama/film noir film by Michael Curtiz

Mildred Pierce is a 1945 American melodrama/film noir directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, and Zachary Scott, also featuring Eve Arden, Ann Blyth, and Bruce Bennett. Based on the 1941 novel by James M. Cain, this was Crawford's first starring role for Warner Bros., after leaving Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. In 1996, Mildred Pierce was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected for preservation in the United States Library of Congress National Film Registry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Grady</span> American actor and musician (1944–2012)

Don Grady was an American actor and musician. He was best known as one of the Mouseketeers on the Mickey Mouse Club, and as Robbie Douglas on the long-running ABC / CBS television series My Three Sons. During his short-lived career in music he was a solo singer and the drummer for the pop band The Yellow Balloon.

<i>Harriet Craig</i> 1950 film

Harriet Craig is a 1950 American drama film starring Joan Crawford. The screenplay by Anne Froelick and James Gunn was based upon the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1925 play Craig's Wife, by George Kelly. The film was directed by Vincent Sherman, produced by William Dozier, and distributed by Columbia Pictures. Harriet Craig is the second of three cinematic collaborations between Sherman and Crawford, the others being The Damned Don't Cry (1950) and Goodbye, My Fancy (1951).

<i>Goodbye, My Fancy</i> (film) 1951 film by Vincent Sherman

Goodbye, My Fancy is a 1951 American romantic comedy film starring Joan Crawford, Robert Young, and Frank Lovejoy. The film was directed by Vincent Sherman and produced by Henry Blanke. Distributed by Warner Bros., the film was based on the 1948 play of same name by Fay Kanin and adapted for the screen by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts. Reinforcing social changes brought on by World War II and movies portraying women as successful on their own, such as 1945's Academy Award-winning Mildred Pierce, the plot follows an influential Congresswoman who returns to her former college to receive an honorary degree only to find her old flame as the university president.

<i>The Champ</i> (1979 film) Remake by Franco Zeffirelli

The Champ is a 1979 American neo noir drama sports film directed by Franco Zeffirelli and a remake of the 1931 Academy Award-winning film of the same name directed by King Vidor. It stars Jon Voight as Billy Flynn, a former boxer who attempts to support his son and reconcile with his ex-wife by fighting in the ring again.

<i>Born to Be Bad</i> (1950 film) 1950 film by Nicholas Ray

Born to Be Bad is a 1950 American film noir melodrama directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Joan Fontaine, Robert Ryan and Zachary Scott. It features Fontaine as a manipulative young woman who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. It is based on the bestselling novel All Kneeling by Anne Parrish (1928).

<i>The One and Only</i> (1978 film) 1978 comedy film by Carl Reiner

The One and Only is a 1978 comedy film starring Henry Winkler, directed by Carl Reiner and written by Steve Gordon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edith Evanson</span> American actress (1896–1980)

Edith Evanson was an American character actress of film, stage and television during the Golden Age of Hollywood.

<i>The Wife</i> (2017 film) 2017 film by Björn Runge

The Wife is a 2017 drama film directed by Björn L. Runge and written by Jane Anderson, based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Meg Wolitzer. It stars Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce, and Christian Slater, and follows a woman (Close) who questions her life choices as she travels to Stockholm with her husband (Pryce), who is set to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.

The Damned Don't Cry is a 2022 French-Belgian-Moroccan drama film written and directed by Fyzal Boulifa. It premiered at the 79th edition of the Venice Film Festival, in the Giornate degli Autori sidebar.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Warner Bros financial information in The William Shaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p 30 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551
  2. The Damned Don't Cry! at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films .
  3. IMDb business section. Accessed: August 16, 2013.
  4. "Top Grosses of 1950". Variety. January 3, 1951. p. 58.
  5. Crowther, Bosley. The New York Times , film review, April 8, 1950. Accessed: August 16, 2013.
  6. James Travers. Films de France, film review.
  7. Butler, Craig. Allmovie by Rovi, film/DVD review, no date. Accessed: August 16, 2013.
  8. Schwartz, Dennis. Ozus' World Movie Reviews, film review, November 10, 2004. Accessed: August 16, 2013.
  9. Kipp, Jeremiah. Slant Magazine , film review, June 12, 2005. Accessed: August 16, 2013.