D.O.A. is a 1949 American film noir directed by Rudolph Maté, considered a classic of the genre. The frantically paced plot revolves around a doomed man's quest to find out who has poisoned him and why. This film marks the debuts of Beverly Garland (as Beverly Campbell) and Laurette Luez.
The film stars Edmond O'Brien and Pamela Britton.
The film begins with what a BBC reviewer called "perhaps one of cinema's most innovative opening sequences." The scene is a long, behind-the-back tracking sequence featuring Frank Bigelow (Edmond O'Brien) walking through the hallway of a police station to report his own murder. Oddly, the police almost seem to have been expecting him and already know who he is.
The key to the mystery is a bill of sale for what turns out to be stolen iridium. Bigelow had notarized the document for Eugene Phillips six months earlier on behalf of Phillips' business associate George Reynolds. He connects Phillips' mistress, Marla Rakubian (Laurette Luez), to gangsters led by Majak (Luther Adler). They capture Bigelow and take him to Majak, where he learns that Reynolds, actually Majak's nephew, Raymond Rakubian, died months earlier, after the sale. Since Bigelow has learned too much, Majak orders his psychopathic henchman Chester (Neville Brand) to kill him. However, Bigelow manages to escape and Chester is killed by the police while attempting to kill Bigelow.
Bigelow thinks Stanley and Miss Foster are his killers, but when he confronts them he finds Stanley has been poisoned too—after having dinner with Mrs. Phillips. He directs them to call an ambulance and tells them what poison has been ingested so that, in Stanley's case at least, prompt treatment may save his life. Stanley tells Bigelow he found evidence that Halliday and Mrs. Phillips were having an affair. Bigelow realizes that the theft was merely a diversion. Eugene discovered the affair and Halliday killed him.
Halliday and Mrs. Phillips used the investigation of the iridium as a cover for their crime, making it seem that Eugene Phillips had killed himself out of shame. However, when they discovered that there was evidence of his innocence in the notarized bill of sale, Halliday murdered anyone who had knowledge of the bill of sale. Bigelow tracks Halliday down and shoots him to death in an exchange of gunfire.
The flashback comes to an end. Bigelow finishes telling his story at the police station and dies, his last word being "Paula." The police detective taking down the report instructs that his file be marked "D.O.A."
Cast:
Edmond O'Brien as Frank Bigelow
Pamela Britton as Paula Gibson
Luther Adler as Majak
Lynn Baggett as Mrs. Phillips
William Ching as Halliday
Henry Hart as Stanley Phillips
Beverly Garland as Miss Foster
Neville Brand as Chester
Laurette Luez as Marla Rakubian
Additional cast members:
- Jess Kirkpatrick as Sam
- Cay Forrester as Sue
- Frank Jaquet as Dr. Matson
- Lawrence Dobkin as Dr. Schaefer
- Frank Gerstle as Dr. MacDonald
- Carol Hughes as Kitty
- Frank Cady as Eddie the bartender in Banning (uncredited)
- Michael Ross as Dave the bartender in San Francisco
- Donna Sanborn as the nurse
For more information read Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D.O.A._(1949_film)
For your viewing pleasure the full 1 hour 23 minutes movie
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