Backfire (1950 film)
| Backfire | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Vincent Sherman |
| Produced by | Anthony Veiller |
| Screenplay by |
Ivan Goff Larry Marcus Ben Roberts |
| Story by | Larry Marcus |
| Starring |
Edmond O'Brien Virginia Mayo Gordon MacRae Dane Clark Viveca Lindfors |
| Music by | Daniele Amfitheatrof |
| Cinematography | Carl E. Guthrie |
| Edited by | Thomas Reilly |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
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Release date
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Running time
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91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Backfire is a 1950 American film noir crime film directed by Vincent Sherman starring Edmond O'Brien, Virginia Mayo, Gordon MacRae, Viveca Lindfors, and Dane Clark.
The film was written by Larry Marcus, Ben Roberts, and Ivan Goff. It is notable for launching the film noir careers of its writers and one of its actors.
Although Backfire was completed in October 1948, it was not released until January 1950. However, screenwriters Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts would go on to write White Heat the year after working on Backfire. Edmond O'Brien would also star in White Heat, as well as in the seminal film noir, D.O.A., in 1950.
Bob Corey (Gordon MacRae) is an American soldier badly wounded at the end of World War II, and undergoing a number of surgical operations on his spine at a military hospital in California. He is tended by a nurse, Julie Benson (Virginia Mayo), and they have fallen in love. Corey's military pal, Steve Connolly (Edmond O'Brien), arrives in early November to discuss plans for the ranch they plan to purchase and operate together once Corey is out of the hospital. The two men pool their G.I. benefits (totaling $40,000) to do so. Corey's final surgery is in mid-December, but Connolly does not appear at the hospital afterward to see his friend. By Christmas, Corey is still in recovery but Connolly still remains absent. One night, as Corey lies semi-conscious in bed after being administered a sleeping drug, a woman with an foreign accent (Viveca Lindfors) appears at his bedside. She says Connolly has been in a horrible accident; his spine is shattered and he wants to die, but she has refused to help him commit suicide. The woman asks Corey what to do, and he advises her to do nothing to harm Steve, and just to wait. Corey slips into unconsciousness, and the woman disappears.
After New Year's, Corey is released from the hospital. He is immediately stopped by police detectives and then questioned by Captain Garcia (Ed Begley) of the Los Angeles Police, who tells him that Connolly is wanted for the murder of Solly Blayne (Richard Rober), a local high-stakes gambler and racketeer. Corey denies that Connolly would be mixed up in anything criminal. How could he be, if he were injured? Corey and Nurse Benson decide to talk to Mrs. Blayne (Frances Robinson). The film engages in a visual flashback, which depicts an unseen assassin gunning down Solly Blayne in his home one night. Window shades prevent Mrs. Blayne or the audience from seeing the murderer, who was outside the home. Mrs. Blayne calls for a doctor, but he arrives too late.
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