''Nightmare'' is a 1956 American

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

directed by

Maxwell Shane Maxwell Shane (August 26, 1905 – October 25, 1983) was an American movie and television director, screenwriter, and producer. Biography Before embarking in a career in show business, Shane studied law at USC and UCLA law schools. He later b ...

and starring

Edward G. Robinson Edward G. Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg; December 12, 1893January 26, 1973) was a Romanian-American actor of stage and screen, who was popular during the Hollywood's Golden Age. He appeared in 30 Broadway plays and more than 100 films duri ...

Kevin McCarthy Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is an American politician, serving as Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, House Minority Leader in the United States House of Representatives since 2019. A member of the Rep ...

and

Connie Russell Connie Russell (May 9, 1923 – December 18, 1990) was an American singer and movie actress. Born in New York City, she appeared in seven films from the 1930s through the 1950s. She was far better known as a singer than as an actress, as h ...

. The story is based on a novel by

William Irish Cornell George Hopley Woolrich ( ; December 4, 1903 – September 25, 1968) was an American novelist and short story writer. He sometimes used the pseudonyms William Irish and George Hopley. His biographer, Francis Nevins Jr., rated Woolrich th ...

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Cornell Woolrich Cornell George Hopley Woolrich ( ; December 4, 1903 – September 25, 1968) was an American novelist and short story writer. He sometimes used the pseudonyms William Irish and George Hopley. His biographer, Francis Nevins Jr., rated Woolrich th ...

). The book had been previously adapted as the 1947 film '' Fear in the Night'', originally titled ''Nightmare'', also written and directed by Shane.

Plot

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

big-band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

ist Stan Grayson experiences a nightmare in which he sees himself killing a man in a mirrored room, while in the background haunting dirge-like music plays. He awakens to find blood on himself, bruises on his neck and a key from the dream in his hand. Grayson tells his brother-in-law, police detective Rene Bressard, about the problem but is dismissed. Later, the two men take a picnic in the country with Grayson's girlfriend and sister. Grayson leads them to the empty house from his dream, and it begins to rain. After they find a record player and begin dancing, Grayson's girlfriend bumps into the phonograph, changing the speed. The slowed music becomes the song from Grayson's nightmare. They then discover that the house contains a mirrored room as in Grayson's dream. When he finds that a murder did indeed take place, Bressard suspects Grayson. Grayson, stressed and suicidal, protests his innocence, which makes Bressard dig deeper. They learn that a

hypnotist Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychologica ...

living in Grayson's building may have caused him to commit the murder. Bressard now must prove that although Grayson committed the murder, he was acting against his will.

Cast

as Rene Bressard *

as Stan Grayson *

as Gina, Stan's Girl *

Virginia Christine Virginia Christine (born Virginia Christine Ricketts; March 5, 1920 – July 24, 1996) was an American stage, radio, film, television, and voice actress. Though Christine had a long career as a character actress in film and television, she i ...

as Mrs. Sue Bressard * Rhys Williams as Deputy Torrence *

Gage Clarke Gage Clarke (also credited as Gage Clark; March 3, 1900 – October 23, 1964) was an American stage, television, and film character actor."Gage Clarke, Actor, Dies", obituary, ''Los Angeles Times'', October 24, 1964, part 1, p. 16. ProQuest His ...

as Harry Britten *

Marian Carr Marian Carr (born Marion Dorice Dunn; July 6, 1926July 30, 2003), sometimes credited as Marion Carr, was an American actress who appeared in a number of films in the late 1940s through the 1950s. Biography Carr was born July 6, 1926 in Providenc ...

as Madge Novick *

Barry Atwater Garrett "Barry" Atwater (May 16, 1918 – May 24, 1978) was an American character actor who appeared frequently on television from the 1950s into the 1970s. He was sometimes credited as G.B. Atwater. Life and career The son of the landscape p ...

as Capt. Warner *

Meade Lux Lewis Anderson Meade Lewis (September 4, 1905 – June 7, 1964), known as Meade Lux Lewis, was an American pianist and composer, remembered for his playing in the boogie-woogie style. His best-known work, "Honky Tonk Train Blues", has been recorded by ...

as Meade * Billy May and His Orchestra as Themselves

Production

The film was the first production of Pine-Thomas-Shane Productions, a new iteration of

Pine-Thomas Productions Pine-Thomas Productions was a prolific B-picture unit of Paramount Pictures from 1940–1957, producing 81 films. Co-producers William H. Pine (February 15, 1896 – April 29, 1955) and William C. Thomas (August 11, 1903 – April 2, 1984) were kno ...

, which had been based at

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

from 1940 to 1954. The company signed a contract with United Artists, but

William H. Pine Pine-Thomas Productions was a prolific B-picture unit of Paramount Pictures from 1940–1957, producing 81 films. Co-producers William H. Pine (February 15, 1896 – April 29, 1955) and William C. Thomas (August 11, 1903 – April 2, 1984) were kno ...

died. The company was renamed Pine-Thomas-Shane to reflect the contribution of long-time screenwriter Maxwell Shane, and the titular Pine was Howard Pine, William Pine's son. The film was intended as the first of three films for United Artists, with the others to be ''Lincoln McEever'' and ''The Mountain Has No Shadow'', although these were never produced. Filming began on October 31, 1955. Billy May and His Orchestra perform in the film as themselves. They also provide the theme song, "Nightmare in New Orleans."Drama: Simmons Music Career to Speed in 'Les Girls Los Angeles Times 21 Oct 1955: B9. Although

does not portray the hypnotist in the film, he was promoted as such in the film's promotional materials.

Reception

In a contemporary review for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', critic

Milton Esterow Milton Esterow (born July 28, 1928) is an American art journalist. Early work as a journalist Growing up in Brooklyn, he attended Brooklyn College and started writing for the ''New York Times'' while still a student. Milton worked there for deca ...

called the film "... a modest melodrama with some crooked turns but neat performances ..." The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' called ''Nightmare'' "draggy" and wrote: "Its opening scenes are effective, but things go haywire fast."

References

External links