Quicksand (1950 film)
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| Quicksand | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Irving Pichel |
| Starring | Mickey Rooney Jeanne Cagney Barbara Bates Peter Lorre |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
| Release date(s) | 24 March 1950 |
| Running time | 79 min. |
| Country | U.S.A. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Quicksand (1950) is a film starring Mickey Rooney and Peter Lorre which has been described as "film noir in a teacup... a pretty nifty little picture" in which Rooney "cast himself against his Andy Hardy goody goody image."[1]
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Young mechanic Dan Brady (Rooney) takes $20 from a cash register to go on a date with a blonde (Jeanne Cagney), intending to put the money back before it is missed. However, the garage's book keeper shows up sooner than wonted and as Brady scrambles to cover evidence of his petty theft, he fast finds himself drawn into an ever worsening "quicksand" of crime, which is sped up by his heartless and morally lacking boss (Art Smith), along with the owner of a seedy pinball arcade on Santa Monica Pier (Peter Lorre) who has a past with the blonde, but her only true interest in anyone turns out to be linked with an expensive mink coat in a shop window. Meanwhile Brady's still-loyal but unappreciated former girlfriend (Barbara Bates) tries to woo him back. Later fleeing what he believes will be a murder charge, Brady carjacks a sedan which happens to be driven by a sympathetic lawyer. By movie's end Brady is back with his faithful girlfriend, who promises to wait for him whilst he spends the next few years of his life in prison.
[edit] Production
Rooney co-financed Quicksand with Peter Lorre but their shares of the profits were reportedly left unpaid by a third partner.[2] Most of the film was shot on location in Santa Monica, California, with a few exterior scenes at Santa Monica Pier. Swing era bandleader Red Nichols and His Five Pennies are seen and heard in a nightclub scene. A display box of Bit-O-Honey candy shown by a cash register soon after the film begins is an early example of product placement.[3] A young Jack Elam, later widely noted as a character actor in Westerns, appears in an uncredited speaking role at the bar.[3]
[edit] Casting
- Mickey Rooney as Daniel 'Dan' Brady
- Jeanne Cagney as Vera Novak
- Barbara Bates as Helen Calder
- Peter Lorre as Nick Dramoshag
- Taylor Holmes as Harvey, the lawyer
- Art Smith as Oren Mackey
[edit] Critical reception
Bruce Eder of All Movie Guide wrote Rooney "...gives what many consider to be the best performance of his career" and characterized Quicksand as "one of the more fascinating social documents of its era."[2] Fifty years after the film's first theatrical release DVD Savant noted, "the quasi-downbeat ending of Quicksand doesn't simply let him off the hook, [which] makes for an unusually mature ending."[1]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Quicksand at the Internet Movie Database
- The complete film available at the Internet Archive
