User reviews

For me, the best part about this film was the exceptional lighting which made this a great movie to see on DVD. The great black-and-white photography reminded of films like The Sweet Smell Of Success and To Kill A Mockingbird. The camera-work in this movie does not take a backseat to those great films, believe me.

Story-wise, it's a somewhat-familiar Joan Crawford movie with a bit more emphasis on the melodrama than the film noir, a la Mildred Pierce. That's a compliment because "Mildred" was a well-crafted story and so is this. It's an effective mixture of drama and noir. However, unlike "Mildred," this Crawford character ("Ethel" aka "Mrs. Forvbes") has a worldly edge to her with a chip on her big shoulders. It's tough to sympathize with her in this story, frankly.

Kent Smith plays her naive, wimpy dupe for much of the film but when David Brian enters the scene, the movie really picks up. Gangster Brian is nobody's patsy and he's fascinating, portraying the most intense character in the story.

This is another one of the fine classic movies that never got a VHS showing but finally got a break with a recent DVD release, which is all the better since the camera-work is deserving of the nice look this transfer gives it. Once more, another impressive movie from 1950, one of the better years Hollywood ever had.

The Damned Don't Cry finds Joan Crawford on a roller-coaster ride from poverty, to riches, to notoriety and then to God knows where. Her fate is by no means clear at the end of the film.

Joan is an older version of the shop girl she played in her MGM days. She leaves her hard working, but dull husband Richard Egan after their little boy is killed in a traffic accident. She has beauty, but little else in the way of work skills. The answer is obvious, become a model.

The modeling gig gets her involved with the mob and she's soon trading up men from accountant Kent Smith, to mobsters, Steve Cochran, and David Brian. Along the way Joan acquires riches, polish, and a new name and identity of a wealthy Texas oil heiress. That's only befitting the position of mistress to the gangster elite.

With Virginia Hill's testimony before the Kefauver Committee and the spectacular death of Bugsy Siegel a couple of years earlier, the recognition of the characters played by Crawford and Cochran would have been easy for the movie-going public. In fact I'm surprised Steve Cochran never got to play Siegel in a biographical picture long before Warren Beatty did his film. Cochran would have been perfect in the role. Of course it was probably too close to Siegel's demise and a lot of Hollywood people might have been burned a bit.

David Brian is a sleek version of Lucky Luciano who was not as polished in real life as Brian is here. But beneath the polish, Brian's a deadly man although he would not be doing his own work if he was really Luciano at that stage. And Kent Smith in the Meyer Lansky part is really quite the stretch.

Crawford pulls all the stops out in The Damned Don't Cry. Her fans and others will really love this film.

5 years after "Mildred Pierce" and Joan Crawford is at it again. Again, she is poor and is willing to climb to the top no matter what. In this film, she becomes involved with organized crime and becomes a real pro in being used to infiltrate other wayward mobsters.

From poverty to that Mildred Pierce mink, Crawford gave a truly memorable performance. She will stop at nothing to get to the top.

Along the way, she seduces timid accountant, played masterfully by Kent Smith, to join the mob only two realize that the two of them are trapped.

Another favorite co-star of Crawford, David Brian appears as the head mobster who is against violence but must come to grips with it when renegade hood, the always terrific Steve Cochran, seduces Crawford and then goes after her when he discovers that she is a Brian stooge.

This is a gripping film-noir at its best.

Joan Crawford portrays a young woman on the edge of poverty who decides to change her life for the better. Unfortunately, she thinks that money is the answer to every problem. A smart drama, though formula most of the time. An excellent cast includes David Brian, Steve Cochran and Kent Smith. This is a film worth seeing.

If there's one thing this unquestionably cements, it's that there's substantial, tremendous value in old movies that too many people readily overlook. It's not without its issues, including considerable sexism - though in fairness, that's just a sad reflection of society. More importantly, though, 'The damned don't cry' is fantastically sharp and engaging. I quite expected I'd enjoy this, but I can't overstate just how good it is.

To a very small extent there's a common and familiar thread woven through the picture in terms of the romantic element. Less common is the cutting intelligence and presence that courses through the length, in every way. Protagonist Ethel, or Lorna, is impressively shrewd, ambitious, strong-willed, and determined - and I can scarcely imagine anyone better to fill that role than Joan Crawford, whose piercing gaze and command of a scene handily matches the character she portrays. If anyone else in the cast provides any less vibrant of a spark, it's only because there's only one Joan Crawford, but rest assured everyone involved gives an excellent, powerful performance. There's an intensity and forcefulness of both emotion and personality that defines the acting of everybody from David Brian and Steve Cochran to Selene Royal and Jacqueline deWit, and the result is a feature that grabs our attention and doesn't let go, just on account of the actors and their parts.

This is to say nothing of the the unremitting excellence of all else about 'The damned don't cry.' The dialogue is just as snappy and biting as the complicated characters that communicate it, and the scene writing that maintains a brisk pace as hard-nosed as the figures within. And the narrative that all this builds is stupendously rich and absorbing: tense, deceptively dark, and compelling, from the very start to the bitter end. With rare exception film noir is a genre that's steadily reliable for smart, thrilling intrigue, and this fits neatly into that company. All the hallmarks are here - shady personages, dubious dealings, and bad business that gradually spirals out of control - and this rendition is just as wonderfully gripping as any of its brethren.

And that's not all! The use of lighting, especially to contrast with shadow in specific arrangements, is outstanding in lending to the dreary atmosphere pervading the film. Ted McCord's cinematography is crisp and vivid, and Vincent Sherman's direction is impeccable. The fundamental orchestration of each scene is fabulously striking, especially at the climax but hardly any less so at any other point. The entirety of the production design and art direction are splendidly fetching, providing a feast for the eyes while our minds are enraptured with the frankly bleak tale unfolding before us. Every last detail here is simply exquisite, from set design and decoration, to filming locations, to costume design, hair, and makeup.

I understand that for various reasons older movies don't sit well with all viewers; there was a time long ago when I struggled with them, too. With age comes wisdom, however, and there are more than 100 years of cinema history to catch up on. Among too many others - for as terrifically engrossing and well made as 'The damned don't cry' is, mark it as a title that you must watch if you have the opportunity.

Sure I agree that Joan Crawford was too old for THIS part, which required a 20-something bored with her slug of a husband. Then wanders off and has men chasing her skirt basically 24/7.

Nevertheless - and most ironically - the decision to strip her of the usual five layers of war paint reminds viewers just how ridiculously good-looking Joan Crawford was. And pardon me for saying so,but I had no problem - None Whatsoever - believing Joan with a more natural look, parading around in model's lingerie or dinner clothes, and sporting a cheeky attitude, would have men falling all over themselves.

She is, quite simply, a drop-ded s3xy woman, regardless of age.

As her character gains confidence with the hustle, her character just gets more interesting. And more attractive.

There's a plot involving an accountant but who cares. Those are details.

I have to say that this is one of my very favorite films. A truly entertaining movie. Briefly, Joan Crawford plays a good woman who's world is turned upside down by a tragic event. She decides to climb her way out of poverty by using everyone she comes in contact with and falling in with a lot of shady characters. She makes her way to a life of glamour and wealth, only to see it all fall apart when her bad karma comes back to haunt her. For all the Joan Crawford jokes - this is actually quite a good movie. The dialogue is crackling and all the actors are very good. Joan does not go over the top and gives a convincing portrayal of a woman who has lost her moral compass - but then regains it in the end. There are of course some melodramatic moments, but not too many. The production values are top notch - lots of location shooting - mainly in Palm Springs, to really get you into the setting of the film.

I would classify this film as a film noir - it starts out as who-done-it and features noir stalwart Steve Cochran. If you are looking for an entertaining flick - you can't go wrong with this one!

Gertrude Walker's story "Case History", known at the time for being partly inspired by Virginia Hill's life, becomes tough Joan Crawford vehicle from Warner Bros., some of it wonderfully juicy. A runaway wife (guess who?) gets a job modeling clothes for a low-rent fashion company (while entertaining the clients after-hours!); she meets a timid accountant and introduces him to a shady nightclub manager, who then introduces the couple to the governor, a crook with ties to racketeering. The governor, married but having a torrid affair with our heroine, sends her out under an alias to spy on a casino owner who may be in-cahoots with the mob, and she falls for him too! Very lively, engrossing, and ridiculous--but enjoyably so. Joan gives a tight, taut performance (one of her best from this period), and she's matched wonderfully by smoldering Steve Cochran, snarling David Brian, and a young Richard Egan as the spouse she escaped from. Only Kent Smith stumbles as the CPA (his weak profile and slack chin make him an automatic doormat for any scenario). Otherwise good fun, though the title is mysteriously irrelevant. **1/2 from ****

Absolutely love film-noir/melodrama, have done for a long time, though my main reason for seeing 'The Damned Don't Cry' was Joan Crawford. Not ever the most subtle of actresses, being prone at times to excess, but always an incredibly magnetic one who commanded the screen to transfixing effect in a vast majority of her films. 'Mildred Pierce', one of my favourite films of hers and a contender for her best performance, being a prime example of this.

'The Damned Don't Cry' turned out to be very enjoyable and well worth the time. There are better Crawford films and performances, but she is still in a role that plays to her strengths as an actress, perfect for her actually and like it was made for her, and 'The Damned Don't Cry' itself does nothing to squander her talent or over-stretch her. Crawford is wonderful and basically is the film, intense, deeply felt and played to the hilt with utter commitment, even if subtlety is not always there. She is effortlessly commanding while not over-balancing the film too much, with it not feeling too much like the Joan Crawford Show.

It's not just Crawford that's good. The rest of the cast fare quite well too, with Steve Cochran and especially David Brian exuding nastiness without over-doing it. Selena Royle is similarly good. 'The Damned Don't Cry' looks great too. Especially the noir-ish lighting, It's beautifully and atmospherically shot and the sets are similarly atmospheric. Crawford's clothes are stunning and like characters of their own. The music avoids being intrusive yet has presence with a haunting edge.

One of 'The Damned Don't Cry's' most notable elements is the script, which positively crackles and has tautness, mostly not being overwrought. The story is always compelling with its fair share of surprises and suspense, surprising steaminess too. The more melodramatic element has a lot of edge and emotion. It's non stop slickness and entertainment and the pacing never lets up.

Credulity is strained towards the end and Vincent Sherman's direction, while mostly more than competent, could have done with more restraint in places.

Faring weakest of all is Kent Smith, the character is not an interesting one to begin with but Smith plays him incredibly colourlessly and gets practically lost amongst everything else.

Overall, very well done with Crawford rightly dominating. 8/10

'The Damned Don't Cry' is an obvious attempt to capitalize on Joan Crawford's success with 'Mildred Pierce' (also made with Warner Bros.) Both films are melodrama tinged with noir, although I would certainly hesitate to classify 'Damned...' as a noir. It has a few of the noir trademarks, but is not executed particularly well enough to be considered as a true film noir.

Like 'Mildred Pierce' it begins with a murder, and is then told via Joan's (her character's name - don't laugh - is Ethel)flashback. We're then treated to some vintage down home Joan, again like her character in 'Mildred Pierce' she is a struggling mother trying to please her child. Instead of tryng to buy a dress for Veda, in 'The Damned Don't Cry' she is trying to purchase a bike for her pathetic son.

The morality of the 50s is in full effect here, again like 'Mildred Pierce'. In the latter film, when the woman leaves the family home and has desires for a professional life, chaos and misery begins. The same is true for 'The Damned...'. Ethel wants a life better than her near-poverty existence, having to leave her husband and child. Therefore, she must be punished in the eyes of the narrative. Ethel then gets mixed up in some gangster situations. There's one amusing scene where in a restaurant her date (a poor accountant) orders 'a chicken salad and a coffee' and Joan nearly has a seizure. The mise en scene changes when Ethel is involved with the criminal activities: a gothic mansion is used and the lighting begins to contrast between light and dark. But, again, not really enough to make a convincing case for this being a noir.

Joan gives a good performance as Ethel/Lorna. Certainly not one of her best, but she is particularly good in the final scenes. If you enjoyed 'Mildred Pierce' or 'Flamingo Road', this is one to watch.

Loosely based on Virginia Hill (Bugsy Seigel's moll), Director Vincent Sherman's film gives it a melodramatic gloss adapting it for star Joan Crawford. Enough of the essential underworld nastiness survives to edge it into Noir territory. Crawford plays Ethel, an unhappy housewife to an oil worker (Richard Egan). Fed up, Ethel moves to the big apple to start her life anew. She ends up as model for a fashion house, earning extra "tips" by wining and dining the firm's clients after hours. Along with the company's accountant Martin (Kent Smith), the pair end up meeting the head honcho for a crime syndicate, the oily George Castleman (David Brian). The pair finagle their way into Castleman's graces through Martin's ease with figures and Ethel's figure* (and her clawing to the top, wiles). On 'assignment' to the West Coast to keep tabs on a renegade operative in Castleman's organization, Nick Prenta (Steve Cochran), Ethel becomes further entangled. The screenplay and production are very slick. The acting smooth. DAMNED is a well done and smoothly entertaining film. Crawford gives a standout performance as the social climber who seemingly will stop on nothing to get what she wants, no matter who she has to hurt along the way. Cochran is charismatic as the Bugsy Siegel stand-in. The casting of the ultimate milquetoast Kent Smith is a master-stroke, perfectly setting up the character's story arc. David Brian has an icy frightening glare which Cinematographer Ted McCord amplifies, at one point making his eyes glow like something out of VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED! DAMNED DON'T CRY is a fine example of sunlit Noir (although there are plenty of dark scenes) and an interesting cross-over with gangster crime pictures. Using Frank Sinatra's real Palm Springs pad as Prenta's hang gives it that much extra verisimilitude. Keeping all the other superlatives in mind, this is still Crawford's picture. Her avaricious Ethel is Noir classic. Of course, any similarity to the actresses real life persona is strictly intentional!

* P.S. One aspect of the film that is the elephant in the room is that the viewer has to accept that Crawford's physical beauty is such that it makes every man she meets melt in front of her. She was an attractive woman, particularly in her earlier years, but, by the time of DAMNED she was hitting her mid-40s. Watching men drool as if Gene Tierney, Ava Gardner or Rita Hayworth had strided into the room is a bit much.

The Damned Don't Cry! Is directed by Vincent Sherman and collectively written by Gertrude Walker, Harold Medford and Jerome Weidman. It stars Joan Crawford, David Brian, Steve Cochran and Kent Smith. Music is by Daniele Amfitheatrof and cinematography by Ted McCord.

Loosely based on the relationship between Bugsy Siegel and Virginia Hill, story has Crawford as Ethel Whitehead, a weary housewife who decides to break off from her hum-drum existence to climb the social ladder: But at what consequence?

Part gangster's moll tale, part lady led melodrama, The Damned Don't Cry! Is enjoyable enough entertainment as a Crawford vehicle. At 45 years of age when she made this, some scenes, such as her doing some slinky modelling work, just don't sit right and stretch credulity, but she commands the screen like an ageless swan hiding a dark seductive heart. The film as a whole is a bit hit and miss, with its themes of disillusionment, morality and social standings jostling for attention in the narrative, while the reliance on clichés and parody for parody's sake irks a touch, but it's good and solid black and white fun. Especially if you happen to be a Joan Crawford fan. 6.5/10

Joan Crawford stars in this film noir employing the homme fatale (thanks to Eddie Muller for the knowledge drop) or fatal man in this tale of rags, riches & death. Crawford is a hard working woman involved in a loveless marriage & when the only bright spot of their lives, their son, dies in a senseless tragedy she decides to better her station in life by becoming a permanent arm fixture to some gangsters. Supposedly modeled on the life of Virginia Hill, Bugsy Siegel's squeeze, Crawford plays her part w/the proper amount of pathos & nerve which she excelled at through much of her career & she enlivens & betters this vehicle just by being in it.

Joan Crawford once again follows the familiar trajectory from poverty and discontent to affluence and deeper discontent. It was a storyline that would win her an Oscar in her comeback vehicle Mildred Pierce and would serve as a template for many of the films in the post-war decade for which she is so strongly remembered. And while it's not the best of them – it's derivative and overstuffed – it's far from the worst.

When her young son is killed, greasy-skinned drudge Ethel Whitehead (Crawford) leaves her loveless marriage and her sour parents' house next to the oilfields to seek the good life. In New York, her stint as a `model' at Fit-Right Frocks toughens her up, particularly the evenings spent entertaining out-of-town buyers (`I feel like something on sale in the bargain basement,' she gripes). Her avaricious eye lands on the firm's bookish accountant (Kent Smith), whom she propels from the poor-paying straight-and-narrow to the fat fees of cooking books for the syndicate. She has no time for his moral qualms: `Don't talk to me about self-respect! Self-respect is what you tell yourself you got when you got nothing else.'

But she drops the doting Smith like a hot brick when she finally meets Mr. Big (David Brian), who likes her spunk but opens the window on her strident perfume Temptation (`I suppose it is...in some quarters,' he sniffs). He enrolls her in a kind of finishing school for high-class molls run by Selena Royle, even sending her abroad for a year so she can tell a flowerpot from an Etruscan `vahse.' Crawford emerges in `provocative' new guise, as oil heiress Lorna Hansen Forbes – a phony clotheshorse who becomes Brian's mistress and the toast of the town.

When sedition brews in the western end of Brian's crime empire, however, he sends her out to the gambling oasis of Desert Springs to spy on Steve Cochran (playing much the same role of disloyal lieutenant he did the year before in White Heat). Crawford and Cochran, of course, fall victim to Cupid's arrows. But Brian, grown suspicious, pays an unexpected visit, while Crawford's cover is blown when she's spotted by somebody who knew her as Ethel Whitehead....

The Damned Don't Cry benefits from a frisky script which nonetheless could use some pruning (the hardscrabble first marriage and the child's death are unnecessary echoes of Mildred Pierce). And Warner's new leading man Brian stays as charmless against Crawford as he was the year before against Bette Davis in Beyond the Forest; both Smith and Cochran, however, supply some acting that's at least two-dimensional. It's a story that shows Crawford as tough but not unvanquishable. In fact, she gets knocked around more than she ever was or would be until she matched up against Davis in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (Or married Alfred Steele.)

...So announces Joan Crawford, as Ethel Whitehead, or is it Lorna Forbes? to gentleman no 1, who then dies mysteriously in a car accident. Her new suitor, played by David Brian is head of a racket involving gambling, vice and narcotics and who's fortune is in oil. Then, she gets involved in a conspiracy to eliminate him....Will Steve Cochran, as Nick Prenta become gentleman No.3?

This greatly-titled melodrama's story falls a little short of that dramatic title, though. The often cliché-ridden rags-to-riches theme is a Hollywood stalwart that can get predictable, unless there's a knockout performance or other redeeming feature.

Joan Crawford IS that redeeming feature. She's the woman on the way to the top, though the top of what is the question. Utilising her sexuality she uses men who are easily swayed, men who are on the shady side of virtuous. These men are portrayed as humourless puppy dogs that moodily and meanly leave their lines in Ms Crawford's lap. Only she gets to smile, laugh, cry and dominate the picture. Meanwhile director Vincent Sherman does a steady job with both cast and camera.

For lovers of Joan Crawford, this is an absolute must. For the rest of us, it's not as good as her best - Mildred Pierce and Grand Hotel; not by quite a margin. Hence my 7 instead of 8 or even 9/10. I watched the DVD as part of the 5 disc Joan Crawford Collection. Other films included in that are: Mildred Pierce, Possessed, Humoresque and Grand Hotel.

Capitalizing on the success of MILDRED PIERCE, Warner Bros. played it smart by giving JOAN CRAWFORD another script she could really relate to. She plays a character who starts out like a domestic shrew, realizes there are bigger fish to lure into her net, gives herself fancy airs while rubbing shoulders with gangsters who can introduce her to the cream of society, and ends up giving another Joan Crawford performance that her fans are sure to appreciate.

The men around her are relegated to supporting roles, but at least David BRIAN and KENT SMITH do have a chance to prove they had more than a little acting talent. And STEVE COCHRAN does another nifty job as a ruthless gangster smitten with the lady who appears to be quite a bit older than he is--but, hey, this is a Joan Crawford movie so what does age matter? It's got a lot of melodramatic flourishes as it goes from rags to riches for the anti-heroine that Crawford could play in her sleep. Victor Sherman does the directing in a competent style but there's no Eve Arden around for some sassy quips and his direction isn't quite as sharp as Michael Curtiz's was for MILDRED PIERCE.

It's not top-level Crawford, but it IS intriguing and that's about all that her fans could ask for.

Joan Crawford, doing what Joan does best -- trying to claw her way to the top, no matter what it takes, and no matter who gets in the way. when a mobster is dumped in the desert, the cops track down where he was staying and the current where-abouts of his girl, Lorna Forbes... who may or may not really be Lorna Forbes. also like most of Crawford's films, right after the opening scene, we jump back into the flashback to see what led up to the crime. she had started out as a poor girl with nothing, living in the oil fields, but then she vamped and took advantage of every man and every opportunity to make something of herself. there were some naughty things done along the way. right from the opening scene, we see some GREAT locations of the palm springs area... the snow covered mountain peaks, the creosote bushes along the road. the low, one story buildings in the desert resort area. co-stars the men that she climbs along the way.... David Brian, Steve Cochran, Kent Smith. Story by Gertrude Walker, directed by Vincent Sherman, one of three times he directed Crawford. it's a good noir. perfect joan crawford part.

Joan Crawford always could portray the ambitious, strong-willed character really well - and she does it here too. Living an hand-to-mouth existence with her husband and young son, tragedy befalls her and she ("Ethel/Lorna") determines to start a new life. Initially flogging cigars in an hotel, but soon her beauty helps her meet new, and increasingly influential, wealthy, friends. When she meets "Marty" (Kent Smith), a small time accountant whom she introduces to her restaurant owning pal "Grady" (Hugh Sanders), this honest fellow starts to attract attention of his own, the coat-tails of whom she is happy to travel along on, too. Before long, both are embroiled in a perilous nationwide gaming racket headed by her latest beau "George" (David Brian). When he gets suspicious of one of his underlings "Nick" (Steve Cochran), she is despatched to use her wiles on him - only, that doesn't quite go according to plan... You kind of feel sorry for poor old "Marty" - infatuated by Crawford, but not on her radar as she seeks wealth and power, inherently drawn to the wrong 'uns. The ending is a bit rushed, but the rest of it takes it's time to demonstrate this women's ability to twist men around her little finger. The pace is good, the male performances maybe just a bit stereotyped - but it's still a great opportunity for the star to be exactly that.

This is a Crawford star vehicle from start to finish; the only scene she isn't in is the short opening. After five minutes sans Crawford she from then on dominates every scene, every shot, every dialogue. Which gets a bit grating if you don't think she's the most riveting performer in cinema history. At least her great rival Bette Davis had the nerve to act opposite other great actors. Joan's co-actors here are all nonentities, bland scene fillers who get out of her way to let her emote and flutter those famous eyelashes. And suffer. Oh how she suffers! From her poor beginnings as a drudge slaving in the kitchen, seeing her only son dying under a speeding lorry; this poor woman is spared nothing. Fortunately she has her stunning (well.....) looks to help her get ahead ( men are constantly raving about her throughout the movie; it was probably in her contract). The men she meets are either pathetic weaklings or violent misogynists. Saintly Joan endures and suffers, and her public loved her for it. Personally the Crawford Cult is a complete mystery to me, and this movie a total, hammed-up ego trip. Girl Power? Star Power, more like.