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Impact (1949 film)
Encyclopedia
Impact is a 1949 film noir
starring Brian Donlevy
and Ella Raines
. It was filmed entirely in California
and included scenes at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf
. The film was based on a story by film noir writer Jay Dratler
.
industrialist Walter Williams has a young wife, Irene, who is trying to kill him with the help of her young lover, Jim Torrance. The plan falls apart when Williams survives a hit on the head from the would-be killer. Torrance flees the scene in Williams' car but dies in a head-on collision. At this point, it is believed that Williams was the driver.
The dazed Williams ends up in a small town in Idaho
. He gets a job as a service station
mechanic and falls in love with Marsha, the station's owner. Meanwhile, the police arrest Williams' wife for his "murder." Marsha eventually persuades Walter to go back to clear his wife, but he is charged with the murder of the lover. That leaves Marsha and a kindly police detective named Quincy scrambling to prove his innocence.
This was Anna May Wong's first screen appearance since 1942. Character actor
Tom Greenway
made his first appearance on screen as an unnamed moving van driver in Impact.
: "As far as 'modest' Film Noirs go, this is one of the best. A simple plot idea is twisted to the max for late 1940s audiences."
, but this was a notable exception. A Bekins moving van is prominent in several scenes. The movie trade paper Harrison's Reports
typically called attention to cases in which such products appeared on screen, and always took a stand against that practice. Although its review did not mention Bekins, the Harrison’s review noted "advertising plugs worked in for such products as Blue Ribbon
beer, Raleigh cigarettes
, Coca Cola, Mission Orange soda pop, Mobiloil
gasoline, oil and tires, Gruen watches, and the trade name, Rexall
."
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
starring Brian Donlevy
Brian Donlevy
Brian Donlevy was an Irish-born American film actor, noted for playing tough guys from the 1930s to the 1960s. He usually appeared in supporting roles. Among his best known films are Beau Geste and The Great McGinty...
and Ella Raines
Ella Raines
Ella Wallace Raines was an American film and television actress.-Life and career:Born Ella Wallace Raubes near Snoqualmie Falls, Washington, Raines studied drama at the University of Washington and was appearing in a play there when she was seen by Howard Hawks...
. It was filmed entirely in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and included scenes at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf
Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, California
Fisherman's Wharf is a neighborhood and popular tourist attraction in San Francisco, California. It roughly encompasses the northern waterfront area of San Francisco from Ghirardelli Square or Van Ness Avenue east to Pier 35 or Kearny Street...
. The film was based on a story by film noir writer Jay Dratler
Jay Dratler
Jay Dratler was born in 1911 in New York City. After attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the late 1920s, he transferred to a college in France where he became fluent in French and German....
.
Plot
MillionaireMillionaire
A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. It can also be a person who owns one million units of currency in a bank account or savings account...
industrialist Walter Williams has a young wife, Irene, who is trying to kill him with the help of her young lover, Jim Torrance. The plan falls apart when Williams survives a hit on the head from the would-be killer. Torrance flees the scene in Williams' car but dies in a head-on collision. At this point, it is believed that Williams was the driver.
The dazed Williams ends up in a small town in Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
. He gets a job as a service station
Filling station
A filling station, also known as a fueling station, garage, gasbar , gas station , petrol bunk , petrol pump , petrol garage, petrol kiosk , petrol station "'servo"' in Australia or service station, is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants...
mechanic and falls in love with Marsha, the station's owner. Meanwhile, the police arrest Williams' wife for his "murder." Marsha eventually persuades Walter to go back to clear his wife, but he is charged with the murder of the lover. That leaves Marsha and a kindly police detective named Quincy scrambling to prove his innocence.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Brian Donlevy Brian Donlevy Brian Donlevy was an Irish-born American film actor, noted for playing tough guys from the 1930s to the 1960s. He usually appeared in supporting roles. Among his best known films are Beau Geste and The Great McGinty... |
Walter Williams |
| Ella Raines Ella Raines Ella Wallace Raines was an American film and television actress.-Life and career:Born Ella Wallace Raubes near Snoqualmie Falls, Washington, Raines studied drama at the University of Washington and was appearing in a play there when she was seen by Howard Hawks... |
Marsha Peters |
| Charles Coburn Charles Coburn Charles Douville Coburn was an American film and theater actor.-Biography:Coburn was born in Macon, Georgia, the son of Scots-Irish Americans Emma Louise Sprigman and Moses Douville Coburn. Growing up in Savannah, he started out doing odd jobs at the local Savannah Theater, handing out programs,... |
Lt. Tom Quincy |
| Helen Walker Helen Walker Not to be confused with the singer-actress Helen Roberts WalkerHelen Walker was an American movie actress of the 1940s and 1950s.... |
Irene Williams |
| Tony Barrett | Jim Torrance |
| Anna May Wong Anna May Wong Anna May Wong was an American actress, the first Chinese American movie star, and the first Asian American to become an international star... |
Su Lin |
| Robert Warwick | Capt. Callahan |
This was Anna May Wong's first screen appearance since 1942. Character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
Tom Greenway
Tom Greenway
Tom Greenway was an American character actor of film and television, whose career, primarily in television westerns, extended from 1949 to 1965.-Early life:...
made his first appearance on screen as an unnamed moving van driver in Impact.
Review
Gary W. Tooze, reviewer for www.dvdbeaver.com, praised the B-movieB-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
: "As far as 'modest' Film Noirs go, this is one of the best. A simple plot idea is twisted to the max for late 1940s audiences."
Product placement
In the 1940s, it was still uncommon for brand name products to be seen in moviesProduct placement
Product placement, or embedded marketing, is a form of advertisement, where branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, music videos, the story line of television shows, or news programs. The product placement is often not disclosed at the time that the...
, but this was a notable exception. A Bekins moving van is prominent in several scenes. The movie trade paper Harrison's Reports
Harrison's Reports
Harrison’s Reports was a New York City-based motion picture trade journal published weekly from 1919 to 1962. The typical issue was four letter-size pages sent to subscribers under a second-class mail permit. Its founder, editor and publisher was P. S...
typically called attention to cases in which such products appeared on screen, and always took a stand against that practice. Although its review did not mention Bekins, the Harrison’s review noted "advertising plugs worked in for such products as Blue Ribbon
Pabst Blue Ribbon
Pabst Blue Ribbon is a brand of beer sold by Pabst Brewing Company, originally established in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but now based in Los Angeles. Pabst Blue Ribbon is contract-brewed in six different breweries around the U.S...
beer, Raleigh cigarettes
Brown & Williamson
Brown & Williamson was an American tobacco company and subsidiary of the giant British American Tobacco, that produced several popular cigarette brands. It became infamous as the focus of investigations for chemically enhancing the addictiveness of cigarettes...
, Coca Cola, Mission Orange soda pop, Mobiloil
Mobil
Mobil, previously known as the Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, was a major American oil company which merged with Exxon in 1999 to form ExxonMobil. Today Mobil continues as a major brand name within the combined company, as well as still being a gas station sometimes paired with their own store or On...
gasoline, oil and tires, Gruen watches, and the trade name, Rexall
Rexall
Rexall was a chain of North American drugstores, and the name of their store-branded products. The stores, having roots in the federation of United Drug Stores starting in 1902, licensed the Rexall brand name to as many as 12,000 drug stores across the United States from 1920 to 1977...
."