Hit man Philip Raven, who's kind to children and cats, kills a blackmailer and is paid off by traitor Willard Gates in "hot" money. Meanwhile, pert entertainer Ellen Graham, girlfriend of police Lieut. Crane (who's after Raven) is enlisted by a Senate committee to help investigate Gates. Raven, seeking Gates for revenge, meets Ellen on the train; their relationship gradually evolves from that of killer and potential victim to an uneasy alliance against a common enemy.
Written by
Rod Crawford
Plot Synopsis:
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The movie's poster was as #17 of "The 25 Best Movie Posters Ever" by Premiere.
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During production, stars Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake were interviewed on set during a live broadcast from Paramount's experimental television station W6XYZ. There were less than three hundred television receivers in Los Angeles at the time.
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Although the original book was published in the UK with the title "A Gun for Sale" in 1936, it was published in the US with the title "This Gun for Hire" also in 1936.
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Loosely based on "This Gun For Hire" by Graham Greene.
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Dickie Jones (Raven as a Boy) and Hermine Sterler (Raven's Aunt) are listed in studio records as members of the cast, but those scenes were cut before the film's release. Studio records also indicate a running time of about 93 minutes, indicating about 12 minutes were eventually cut from the film.
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One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since. An immediate favorite among local television audiences, its initial telecast took place in Omaha Thursday 6 November 1958, where it launched the Paramount Film Library on KETV (Channel 7), followed by simultaneous showings Friday 9 January 1959 both in Philadelphia on WCAU (Channel 10) and in San Francisco on KPIX (Channel 5), by Los Angeles Saturday 17 January 1959 on KNXT (Channel 2), by New York City Sunday 1 February 1959 on WCBS (Channel 2), and by Chicago Sunday 8 February 1959 on WBBM (Channel 2). In Milwaukee it first aired 13 April 1959 on WITI (Channel 6), in Seattle 11 July 1959 on KIRO (Channel 7), in Grand Rapids 7 August 1959 on WOOD (Channel 8), in Phoenix 6 November 1959 on KVAR (Channel 12), in Asheville 18 November 1959 on WLOS (Channel 13) and in St. Louis Saturday 28 November 1959 on KMOX (Channel 4). It was released on DVD 6 July 2004 as part of the Universal Noir Collection, again 10 November 2014 as part of Universal's Film Noir Movie Spotlight Collection, and, since that time, has also enjoyed occasional cable TV presentations on Turner Classic Movies.
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"The Screen Guild Theater" broadcast a 30 minute radio adaptation of the movie on April 2, 1945 with Alan Ladd reprising his film role.
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"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on January 25, 1943 with Laird Cregar reprising his film role.
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As Ellen and Michael leave the arcade, the shadow of a boom mic is visible on a wall behind them.
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When Gates discovers Graham and Raven sleeping, on the train. Raven's head is on Graham's shoulder, but the next shot after the one of Gates retracing his steps shows them separated.
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While unconscious, Ellen is shown lying on the couch tied up and gagged. Her wrists and upper torso are tied, but her ankles are untied. However, after she is picked up and carried into the next room, her ankles are now bound.
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When Michael Crane leaves Willard Gates' residence (at around 45 mins) only about a second, an impossibly short period of time, elapses between his stepping outside the house and the sound of his car driving away.
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After Raven demands Annie leave his room he sees the kitten on the floor with the overturned condensed milk can. The saucer is not on the floor but when the angle changes the saucer is on the floor and the kitten is drinking from it.
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The chemical formula shows fairly straightforward chemistry on page one, but page two is a meaningless jumble of letters and numbers.
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When Tully Marshal bits on a cracker, you can clearly see it's made of rubber.
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In the scene early in the movie where Raven shoots through the door to kill the female witness, the slide on his 1903 model Colt pocket automatic doesn't cycle and no empty cartridge is ejected, indicating that the pistol was loaded with a low-powered blank.
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