Crack-Up (1946 film)
| Crack-Up | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by |
Irving Reis James Anderson (assistant) |
| Produced by | Jack J. Gross |
| Screenplay by | John Paxton Ben Bengal Ray Spencer |
| Based on | the short-story "Madman's Holiday" by Fredric Brown |
| Starring |
Pat O'Brien Claire Trevor Herbert Marshall Ray Collins |
| Music by | Leigh Harline |
| Cinematography | Robert De Grasse |
| Edited by | Frederic Knudtson |
| Distributed by | RKO Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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93 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Crack-Up is a 1946 film noir directed by Irving Reis, remembered for directing many "Falcon" movies of the early 1940s including The Falcon Takes Over. The drama is based on "Madman's Holiday", a short-story written by mystery writer Fredric Brown. The drama features Pat O'Brien, Claire Trevor, Herbert Marshall, and others.
Art critic and forgery expert George Steele (O'Brien) is stopped by a policeman as he breaks into the Manhattan Museum. He claims that he was in a train wreck. Police Lieutenant Cochrane (Wallace Ford), however, finds that there has been no recent wreck. Steele, unsure himself what happened, relates the bizarre events leading up to the present. A flashback ensues:
Museum director Barton (Erskine Sanford) reprimands staff member Steele over the sensational style of his public lectures and is annoyed that he wants to demonstrate a forgery detection method by X-raying a masterpiece that was recently exhibited, Dürer's Adoration of the Kings. Afterward, while having a drink with girlfriend and magazine writer Terry Cordell (Trevor), Steele receives an urgent telephone call informing him that his mother has been taken to a hospital. He rushes to Grand Central Station and catches the last train. About forty minutes later, Steele watches helplessly as another train crashes head on with his.
Cochrane reveals that Steele's mother was never taken to the hospital. Anxious to avoid a scandal, Barton pleads with Cochrane not to arrest the man. Stevenson, the curator and Steele's friend, and Dr. Lowell (Ray Collins), a member of the museum's board of directors, vouch for Steele's character. In private, Traybin (Marshall), an art expert with Scotland Yard investigating the suspicious loss of a Gainsborough painting, tells Cochrane he wants Steele freed, with detectives discreetly following him, as he is uncertain if Steele is involved. Steele is released but is fired by Barton at the direction of the museum board because of his alleged mental instability.
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Wikipedia