Themes: Cons and Scams, Femmes Fatales, Treacherous Spouses
Main Cast: Lizabeth Scott, Don DeFore, Dan Duryea, Arthur Kennedy, Kristine Miller
Release Year: 1949
Country: US
Run Time: 99 minutes
Plot
When Lizabeth Scott's Jane Greer husband Arthur Kennedy accidentally gets his mitts on $60,000 in stolen money, she insists that he keep the dough rather than turn it over to the authorities. Two-bit private eye Dan Duryea catches on to Scott's subterfuge, and demands that she turn the cash over to him. Scott persuades Duryea to split the money with her--then, determining that Kennedy might be too honest for everyone's own good, she murders her husband. To cover her tracks, Scott reports her husband as missing. This brings in yet another fly in the ointment: Don DeFore, the brother of Scott's first husband, who died under mysterious circumstances. The already knotted webs of intrigue become even more tangled before Scott's ironic comeuppance. Too Late for Tears was scripted by Roy Huggins, who later produced such TV detective series as The Rockford Files. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Too Late for Tears is a low-budget film noir that, if not quite a real gem, is a mighty good cubic zirconia. Coincidence is a noir staple, a not surprising fact when you consider that so many of these films deal on one level or another with the inexorability of fate; but some may find the level of coincidence in Tears a little off-putting. The screenplay also gets a little talky in places; this in itself is not bad, but the dialogue just misses having that little extra punch and crackle that the best noirs pride themselves on. Still, these little deficiencies don't seriously damage the film; and the plot, basic set-up and characters more than make up for these flaws. Also of considerable help are the performances of crime film staples Lizabeth Scott and Dan Duryea. Deep-voiced and throaty, Scott can always be counted on to give a femme fatale her all, but she goes all out in the role of Jane Palmer, using her many considerable wiles to great effect and creating a character that the viewer can't help but root for, even as he waits for her to get her comeuppance. Duryea matches her as Danny Fuller, the tough guy who finds he's out of his depth with Jane. Arthur Kennedy is fine as husband Alan Palmer, but Don DeFore is a bit weak as Don Blake, the mysterious stranger claiming to be a friend; a stronger personality is needed to hold the screen against Scott. Byron Haskin directs with skill and creates fine tension and atmosphere, also making good use of location shots. Too Late for Tears is no Double Indemnity, but fans of such films will be delighted to come across it. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Barry Kelley - Lt. Breach; Jimmy Ames - Fat Man; Gregg Barton - Clerk; Robert Bice; John Butler - Little Man; David Clarke - Sharber; Jimmie Dodd - 2nd Bindlestiff; Charles Flynn; Billy Halop - Boat Attendant; Perry Ivins - Attendant at Stand; Robert Kellard; George Mann - Texan; John Mansfield - Carlos; Alex Montoya - Customs Officer; Virginia Mullen - Woman; Robert Neff - Man in Black Car; Jim Nolan - Parker; Garry Owen - Officer at Switchboard; Denver Pyle - Youth; June Storey - Girl; Carlos Thompson - Young Boy; Harry Vejar - Teniente; Billy Wayne - Gas Station Attendant; Smoki Whitfield - Pete; Richard Irving - 1st Bindlestiff; Jack Shea - Policeman; Renee Donatt - Young Girl; George Backus - Policeman
Credit
James Sullivan - Art Director, Adele Palmer - Costume Designer, Dick Moder - First Assistant Director, Byron Haskin - Director, Harry Keller - Editor, R. Dale Butts - Composer (Music Score), Morton Scott - Musical Direction/Supervision, Bob Mark - Makeup, William C. Mellor - Cinematographer, Hunt Stromberg - Producer, John McCarthy - Set Designer, Charles Thompson - Set Designer, Howard Lydecker - Special Effects, Theodore Lydecker - Special Effects, Howard Wilson - Sound/Sound Designer, Earl Crain, Sr. - Sound/Sound Designer, Roy Huggins - Screenwriter
Too Late for Tears is a 1949 black-and-whitefilm noir, starring Lizabeth Scott and Dan Duryea. Scott and Duryea appeared in many films noir during this era; however, they only appeared in one other film together; the western Silver Lode. This film, shot in film noir style, has been available in the public domain for years, but there are many different edits of the film available and it's very difficult to find a complete edit. The movie, also known as Killer Bait (in a 1955 reissue), was seen on beach house television in the 2004 neo-noir movie Spartan. Byron Haskin directed the film. He later went on to be the associate producer of Star Trek:The Cage (1966).
Alan Palmer (Kennedy) accidentally gets a hold of $60,000 in stolen cash. His plotting wife Jane (Scott), one of the great movie femme fatales, insists that they keep the money instead of going to the police. A drunken private detective (Duryea) becomes wise to the plan and tries to take the money from them. Jane works out a deal to split the money with the P.I. Then, realizing that her husband can't be trusted, Jane murders him on a romantic lake boat ride with the help of the detective. When she reports her husband missing, the plot thickens as the brother of Jane's ex-husband, who also died mysteriously, shows up. He's working with Alan's sister Kathy who is growing more suspicious of Jane's shaky story. Jane eventually escapes to Mexico but is tracked down by the snooping pair.
