Quicksand (1950 film)
| Quicksand | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Irving Pichel |
| Produced by | Mort Briskin |
| Screenplay by | Robert Smith |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Louis Gruenberg |
| Cinematography | Lionel Lindon |
| Edited by | Walter Thompson |
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Production
company |
Samuel H. Stiefel Productions
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| Distributed by | United Artists |
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Release date
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Running time
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79 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Quicksand is a 1950 American film noir crime film starring Mickey Rooney and Peter Lorre in a story about a garage mechanic's descent into crime. Directed by Irving Pichel shortly before he was blacklisted for suspected Communist activities, the film 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."
Young auto mechanic Dan Brady (Mickey Rooney) takes $20 (equivalent to about $200 in 2015) from a cash register at work to go on a date with blonde femme fatale Vera Novak (Jeanne Cagney). Brady intends to put the money back before it is missed, but the garage's bookkeeper shows up earlier than scheduled. As Brady scrambles to cover evidence of his petty theft, he fast finds himself drawn into an ever worsening "quicksand" of crime, each of his misdeeds more serious than the last.
He buys a $100 wristwatch ($1,000 in 2015) on installment payments and then promptly pawns the watch for $30 cash ($300 in 2015), covering the missing funds from the register at work. However, Brady is then threatened with grand larceny for violating the installment contract by selling a watch that he doesn't legally own. The finance company demands payment in full for the watch within 24 hours. After unsuccessfully applying for a payday loan and attempting to use his car as collateral for another loan, a desperate Brady resorts to mugging a tipsy bar patron known for carrying large amounts of cash.
Nick Dramoshag (Peter Lorre), the seedy owner of a penny arcade on Santa Monica Pier who has a history with Vera, discovers evidence of Brady's mugging. He blackmails the young mechanic, demanding a car from Brady's job in exchange for silence. Brady steals the car, which he trades for the evidence from Dramoshag. However, Brady's morally lacking boss Oren Mackay (Art Smith) confronts Brady with allegations that he was witnessed stealing the car. Mackay demands the return of the car or $3,000 in cash ($29,600 in 2015), or he'll go to the police.
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Wikipedia