''Paid in Full'' is a 1950 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

William Dieterle William Dieterle (July 15, 1893 – December 9, 1972) was a German-born actor and film director who emigrated to the United States in 1930 to leave a worsening political situation. He worked in Hollywood primarily as a director for much of his ...

and written by

Robert Blees Robert Blees (June 9, 1918 Lathrop, Missouri – January 31, 2015) was an American writer and producer of films and television. He died on January 31, 2015. Select filmography * ''The Glass Web'' (1953) * ''Cattle Queen of Montana'' (1954) * ''Ma ...

and

Charles Schnee Charles Schnee (6 August 1916 Bridgeport, Connecticut - 29 November 1963 Beverly Hills, California) was a screenwriter and film producer. He wrote the scripts for the Westerns '' Red River'' (1948) and '' The Furies'' (1950), the social melodrama ...

. The film stars

Robert Cummings Charles Clarence Robert Orville Cummings (June 9, 1910 – December 2, 1990) was an American film and television actor who appeared in roles in comedy films such as ''The Devil and Miss Jones'' (1941) and ''Princess O'Rourke'' (1943), and in d ...

Lizabeth Scott Lizabeth Virginia Scott (born Emma Matzo; September 29, 1921 – January 31, 2015) was an American actress, singer and model for the Walter Thornton Model Agency, known for her "smoky voice" and being "the most beautiful face of film noir during ...

Diana Lynn Diana Marie Lynn (born Dolores Eartha Loehr, July 5, 1926 – December 18, 1971) was an American actress. Early years Lynn was born in Los Angeles, California. Her father, Louis Loehr, was an oil supply executive, and her mother, Martha Loe ...

Eve Arden Eve Arden (born Eunice Mary Quedens, April 30, 1908 – November 12, 1990) was an American film, radio, stage and television actress. She performed in leading and supporting roles for nearly six decades. Beginning her film career in 1929 ...

, Ray Collins and

Frank McHugh Francis Curry McHugh (May 23, 1898 – September 11, 1981) was an American stage, radio, film and television actor. Early years Born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, of Irish descent, McHugh came from a theatrical family. His parents, Edward A. ...

. The film was released on February 15, 1950 by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

Plot

The movie opens with Jane Langley giving birth while gravely ill. She has given a fake name to the doctor, who tells her that she has the choice of giving up the baby or sacrificing her own life. She says that the child must live. A flashback shows how things came to this pass. Jane's mother died in childbirth; she raised her younger sister, Nancy. Now both work with Bill Prentice, an advertising executive, Jane as a clothing designer and Nancy as a model. Jane is in love with Bill, but Bill prefers Nancy and marries her. Nancy, who is portrayed as selfish, quickly becomes bored by married life, preferring to spend time with old friends. But the idea of having a baby excites her, even though the family doctor, Fredericks, has cautioned that childhood will be risky for both sisters. When a daughter, Deborah, is born, Nancy is possessive of her and treats Bill coldly. She begins to contemplate divorce. One night after Jane and Bill begin to realize they have feelings for one another, Nancy falsely assumes they have had an affair behind her back. After an angry scene, a distraught Jane drives off and accidentally kills Deborah. Nancy and Bill are divorced, but Nancy is traumatized by the death of her child and is undergoing therapy. The doctor tells Jane that it would help if Nancy could have an adopted child. Jane has the idea of conceiving a child with Bill and giving it to the couple. She approaches Bill and pushes for a quick marriage in Mexico. Once she is pregnant, she runs off to have the baby, knowing that she might die in the process. The doctor has contacted Nancy and Bill, who come to see Jane on her deathbed. Jane gives them the baby, hoping that they can start over as a couple. They name the baby Jane.

Cast

as Bill Prentice *

as Jane Langley *

as Nancy Langley *

as Tommy Thompson * Ray Collins as Dr. Fredericks *

as Ben *

Stanley Ridges Stanley Charles Ridges (17 July 1890 – 22 April 1951) was an English-born, American actor who made more than 100 appearances in theatre and movies from 1917 to 1951. After his American film debut in '' Success'' (1923), he appeared in films ...

as Dr. P.J. 'Phil' Winston *

Louis Jean Heydt Louis Jean Heydt (April 17, 1903 – January 29, 1960) was an American character actor in film, television and theatre, most frequently seen in hapless, ineffectual, or fall guy roles. Early life Heydt was born in 1903 (not 1905, as many sour ...

as Dr. Carter *

John Bromfield John Bromfield (born Farron Bromfield; June 11, 1922 – September 19, 2005) was an American actor and commercial fisherman. Early years Farron Bromfield was born in South Bend, Indiana. He played football and was a boxing champion at Saint Mar ...

as Dr. Clark *

Kristine Miller Kristine Miller (born Jacqueline Olivia Eskesen, June 13, 1925 – 2015) was an American film actress, best-remembered for her appearances in film noir and Westerns. A discovery of Paramount producer Hal Wallis, she appeared in ''I Walk Al ...

as Miss Williams *

Kasey Rogers Kasey Rogers (born Josie Imogene Rogers; December 15, 1925 – July 6, 2006) was an American actress, memoirist and writer, best known for playing the second Louise Tate in the popular U.S. television sitcom ''Bewitched''. Life and career Rog ...

as Tina *

Lora Lee Michel Lora Lee Michel (born Virginia Joy Willeford, September 13, 1940) is an American former child actress. She appeared in several feature films during the Golden Age of Hollywood in the late 1940s and early 1950s. In 1950, she was the focus of a cus ...

as Betsy

Production

It was based on a story by a doctor, Loomis, who said he wrote it when he couldn't sleep one night. Filming began October 1948 under the title ''Bitter Victory''.MOVIELAND BRIEFS Los Angeles Times 29 Sep 1948: 23.

References

External links

* * 1950 films 1950 drama films American drama films American black-and-white films Films scored by Victor Young Films directed by William Dieterle Films produced by Hal B. Wallis Paramount Pictures films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films {{1950s-drama-film-stub