Ajouter une intrigue dans votre langueGeorge Nader plays a reporter whose career is ruined by liquor. A comeback opportunity presents itself when he is a bystander at the arrest of a well-known criminal.George Nader plays a reporter whose career is ruined by liquor. A comeback opportunity presents itself when he is a bystander at the arrest of a well-known criminal.George Nader plays a reporter whose career is ruined by liquor. A comeback opportunity presents itself when he is a bystander at the arrest of a well-known criminal.
- Réalisation
- Scénario
- Casting principal
- Joe - Newspaper Man
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- Burlesque Club Patron
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- Farrell - Police Detective
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- Pat O'Connell - Bartender
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- Reporter
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- Burlesque Club Patron
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- Reporter
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- Burlesque Club Patron
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- Burlesque Club Patron
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Avis à la une
Thankfully, highly organized and stunningly beautiful girlfriend Joanna Moore (what does she see in Nader?!) manages to convince her cop brother Brian Keith to give Nader another chance and let him witness the capture of rotten criminal Dutch Hayden. Whether that would have been approved by police leadership even back in 1957 is highly debatable. Incidentally, Hayden is believably played by Frank deKova, who is rumored to have undergone cosmetic surgery, and might now look completely different. Still, that is the only extant photographic record of the wanted criminal, and all Nader can guide himself by when he spies from the rooftop with the Lawson whiskey advertisement.
In order to get that job-saving breaking news, Nader must follow a very specific time table drawn up by his meticulous sister, who demands that he scuttle the bottle for good.
Feeble Nader kinda promises her that he will try, but neither Moore nor Keith are convinced... and rightly so, for a while, with repeated shots of Lawson's whiskey (that must have paid for production) shining in neon to emphasize the point.
But!... when Nader begins to beat the libation habit by the hour, resulting in rising self-confidence, you can tell that he will meet Moore's demand.
APPOINTMENT WITH A SHADOW is not particularly memorable, but not bad either - certainly worth watching and my 7 stars.
When the story starts, you see that Paul Baxter (Nader) is a falling down drunk...and it's pretty much ruined his career as a reporter. His girlfriend, Penny (Joanna Moore), is almost ready to walk, but she gives him an ultimatum and one more chance. Although it's very tough, Paul tries his best to stay away from alcohol and write an article he can be proud of creating. The problem is when he sees a murder, the cops don't believe him...and assume he's drunk. So he has to find someone who believes him, as his reputation is so bad, no one seems to believe him. And, in the meantime, a mobster is out to keep Paul quiet...permanently!
Nader was very good playing a drunk. He didn't overplay it (an easy trap to fall into) and was quite good in this noir movie. It also helped that the writing was exceptional. Overall, a terrific film...one that deserves to be more well known.
George Nader is quite empathetic as a down & out alcoholic news scribe, given one last chance by his selfless girlfriend, Joanna Moore with an alluring pixie hairdo. Aided by her brother, tough-guy cop Brian Keith, she's got all the research ready for George to hand in a scoop, the capture of wanted hoodlum Frank de Kova, delivered on a silver platter, and guaranteed to revive Nader's newspaper career, That's if things go as planned.
A terrific plot twist at the movie's halfway mark sets in motion a quite suspenseful test of our hero's commitment to sobriety and his resourseulness, leading to a solid climax and denouement.
Rooting for an underdog is a classic Hollywood staple, and is engaging escapism heightened by this familiar B-movie cast (of couse Keith becoming quite the TV star later on).
He gives a pretty good performance as an alcoholic newspaper reporter given one last chance at redemption. His haggard appearance that is strikingly different from his normal robust healthy anc handsome film persona certainly helps sell him being an alcoholic but he does some good layering of twitches and mannerisms that impressed me and had me question my previous opinion he was just an average leading man type of the era.
Besides Nader the film had a great supporting cast including the always capable Brien Keith plus the beautiful lady who starred in "Invaders From Mars" whose name escapes me.
Kudos go to fine direction by Richard Carlson but the best thing about the film is a really suspenseful script that I'm surprised wasn't used in an A list production with a big name star in the leading role. The story is that good with a load of twists and turns once the action starts going in the second act.
I highly recommend this very entertaining suspense film and quite frankly am surprised it had not been remade with a big budget and top line actors and directors.
Nader was never a big star, even by the standards of Universal, taking the roles that Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis turned down. Here, under the direction of Richard Carlson, he turns in a fine performance of a drunk on his last legs. Director Richard Carlson -- he was much better known as an actor -- also gets a fine performance out of Miss Moore, who is far sexier here than stripper Virginia Field. It's a movie worth watching for the performances.
Le saviez-vous
- AnecdotesFilming began with Jeffrey Hunter in the lead, but a serious case of hepatitis caused him to be replaced by George Nader after one day of shooting.
- Citations
[In an apartment, a woman can be seen approaching a door when she hears the bell ringing. This is Penny Spencer. When she opens the door, she sees Police Lieutenant Spencer carrying a man, the latter is Paul Baxter]
Lt. Spencer: Do you mind if I say I'm glad this is the last time I'm gonna have to do this?
Penny Spencer: [starts walking towards another room] Bring him in here, Spence.
Lt. Spencer: [looks at the intoxicated Baxter] Come on...
[Penny and the Lieutenant enter a room where they lay Baxter on a bed. After positioning him, they take a closer look at him]
Lt. Spencer: Look at him. Paul Baxter and clean sheets they just don't add up. Do they, sis?
Penny Spencer: A shower and shave will help.
Lt. Spencer: It'll take a lot more than a shower and a shave to make anything add up for him again.
Penny Spencer: You just don't have any faith in him at all. Do you, Spence?
Lt. Spencer: Penny, I got more faith in these guys than most people have. In fact, I got so much faith in them I can predict exactly what'll happen when you clean them up and turn them loose. He'll go get drunk again.
Penny Spencer: Anybody deserves another chance.
Lt. Spencer: We got him another chance on every newspaper in town.
Penny Spencer: [turns towards the door] Well, he still needs help.
Lt. Spencer: Oh, come on, sis, why don't you just settle for being a good newspaper woman till the right guy comes along, huh?
Penny Spencer: He is the right guy.
Lt. Spencer: And the top reporter in town at twenty-five and he's an alcoholic bum before he's thirty. You call it right?
Penny Spencer: You made me a promise, Spence.
Lt. Spencer: I know, I know, I just don't want to see you through your life away, I want to see you happy, that's all.
Penny Spencer: Then keep your promise... I love him.
Lt. Spencer: Alright, you'll love him. You're my sister, I happen to love you. Believe me, that's the only reason I'm going through with this deal. I took me a long time to make Lieutenant you know, I could be back pounding a beat in thirty seconds if the department found out what I'm up to. So I think that gives me a right to make you promise.
[Penny remains silent]
Lt. Spencer: Look, if he goofs this one up, you see him for the last time. I mean it, Penny. I want you to promise me this is the end of the line.
Penny Spencer: [softly] It's the end of the line.
Lt. Spencer: [puts his hand on his sister's shoulder] Good night, sis.
[the Lieutenant leaves the apartment]
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Détails
- Date de sortie
- Pays d’origine
- Langue
- Aussi connu sous le nom de
- If I Should Die
- Lieux de tournage
- Société de production
- Voir plus de crédits d'entreprise sur IMDbPro
- Durée1 heure 12 minutes
- Couleur
- Rapport de forme
- 2.35 : 1
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