''The Vicious Circle'' is a 1948 American drama film directed by

W. Lee Wilder William Lee Wilder (August 22, 1904 – February 14, 1982) was an Austrian-American screenwriter, film producer and director. He was the brother of the film director Billy Wilder and father of television comedy writer and producer Myles Wilder. ...

and based on the play ''The Burning Bush'' by Heinz Herald and Geza Herczeg. The film is also known as ''The Woman in Brown''.

Plot summary

A rich Hungarian baron discovers that there are large oil deposits underneath properties owned by the villagers. He buys up all the property except those owned by Jewish families, who refuse to sell. In order to circumvent their refusal, he has the men charged with the murder of a woman, who had recently committed suicide.

Cast

Conrad Nagel John Conrad Nagel (March 16, 1897 – February 24, 1970) was an American film, stage, television and radio actor. He was considered a famous matinée idol and leading man of the 1920s and 1930s. He was given an Academy Honorary Award in 1940 and ...

as Karl Nemesh - Defense Attorney *

Fritz Kortner Fritz Kortner (born Fritz Nathan Kohn; 12 May 1892 – 22 July 1970) was an Austrian stage and film actor and theatre director. Life and career Kortner was born in Vienna as Fritz Nathan Kohn into a Jewish family. He studied at the Vienna A ...

as Joseph Schwartz - Defendant tenant *

Reinhold Schünzel Reinhold Schünzel (7 November 1888 – 11 November 1954) was a German actor and director, active in both Germany and the United States. The son of a German father and a Jewish mother, he was born in St. Pauli, the poorest part of Hamburg. Despite ...

as Baron Arady *

Philip Van Zandt Philip Van Zandt (October 4, 1904 – February 15, 1958), sometimes billed as Phil Van Zandt, was a Dutch-American actor of stage, film, and television. He made nearly 250 film and television appearances between 1939 and 1958. Life and career ...

as Calomar Balog - Special Investigator *

Lyle Talbot Lyle Florenz Talbot (born Lisle Henderson, also credited Lysle Talbot; February 8, 1902 – March 2, 1996) was an American stage, screen and television actor. His career in films spanned three decades, from 1931 to 1960, and he performed on ...

as Prosecutor Miller * Edwin Maxwell as Presiding Judge *

Frank Ferguson Frank S. Ferguson (December 25, 1906 – September 12, 1978) was an American character actor with hundreds of appearances in both film and television. Background Ferguson was the younger of two children of W. Thomas Ferguson, a native Scottish ...

as Stark - State attorney *

Lester Dorr Lester Dorr (born Harry Lester Dorr; May 8, 1893 – August 25, 1980) was an American actor who between 1917 and 1975 appeared in well over 500 productions on stage, in feature films and shorts, and in televised plays and weekly series. Even a ...

as Andreas Molnar - Neighbor * Michael Mark as Gustav Horney - Land owner *

Belle Mitchell Belle Mitchell (September 24, 1889 – February 12, 1979) was an American stage and film actress. She appeared in more than 100 films between 1915 and 1978. She was born in Croswell, Michigan and died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. Partia ...

as Mrs. Julianna Horney - Anna's Master * Nan Boardman as Mrs. Maria Tamashy - Anna's mother *

Shirley Kneeland Shirley may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Shirley'' (novel), an 1849 novel by Charlotte Brontë * ''Shirley'' (1922 film), a British silent film * ''Shirley'' (2020 film), an American film * ''Shirley'' (album), a 1961 album by Shirley Bas ...

as Clara Tamashy - Anna's sister *

Rita Gould Rita Gould (August 8, 1890 – March 15, 1981) was an American singer and actress, born in Odessa. She performed in vaudeville in the 1920s, and in American films in the 1930s and 1940s. She was also known for her costumes and for the hats she m ...

as Ethel Mihaly *

Eddie LeRoy The Bowery Boys are fictional New York City characters, portrayed by a company of New York actors, who were the subject of 48 feature films released by Monogram Pictures and its successor Allied Artists Pictures Corporation from 1946 through 1 ...

as Samuel Schwartz (George) *David Alexander as Fisher *

Ben Welden Ben Welden (born Benjamin Weinblatt; June 12, 1901 – October 17, 1997) was an American character actor who played a wide variety of Damon Runyon-type gangsters in various movies and television shows. Early years Welden was born in Toledo, O ...

as Constable *

Nina Hansen Nina Hansen (born 8 May 1942) is a Danish athlete. She competed in the women's long jump at the 1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held fro ...

as Mrs. Schwartz *

Mary Lou Harrington Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

as Anna Tamashy *

Peggy Wynne Peggy may refer to: People * Peggy (given name), people with the given name or nickname Arts and entertainment * ''Peggy'' (musical), a 1911 musical comedy by Stuart and Bovill * ''Peggy'' (album), a 1977 Peggy Lee album * ''Peggy'' (1916 ...

as Irene Peter * Robert Cherry as Marten *

Sam Bernard Sam Bernard (born Samuel Barnett, 5 June 1863 – 16 May 1927) was an English-born American vaudeville comedian who also performed in musical theatre, comic opera and burlesque and appeared in a few silent films. Life and career Bernard was bor ...

as Herman *

Rudolph Cameron Rudolph or Rudolf may refer to: People * Rudolph (name), the given name including a list of people with the name Religious figures * Rudolf of Fulda (died 865), 9th century monk, writer and theologian * Rudolf von Habsburg-Lothringen (1788� ...

as Dr. Daroush *

Peter Brocco Carl Peter Brocco (January 16, 1903 – December 20, 1992) was an American screen and stage actor. He appeared in over 300 credits, notably ''Spartacus'' (1960) and '' One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (1975), during his career spanning over 60 ...

as Dr. Georges Samosch *

Christina Vale Christina may refer to: People * Christina (given name), shared by several people * Christina (surname), shared by several people Places * Christina, Montana, unincorporated community, United States * Christina, British Columbia, Canada * Chris ...

as Margaret Daroush - Witness *

Don C. Harvey Don Carlos Harvey (December 12, 1911 – April 23, 1963) was an American television and film actor. Life Born in Council Grove in Morris County in east central Kansas, Harvey began his acting career by performing on radio and in tent shows and ...

* Fred Fox * Manfred Fuerst * Ruben Wendorf * David Bauer (billed as Herman Waldman) *

Paul Baratoff Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

Soundtrack

External links

* * 1948 films 1948 drama films American drama films American black-and-white films American films based on plays Films directed by W. Lee Wilder Films scored by Paul Dessau Films with screenplays by Noel Langley 1940s English-language films 1940s American films {{1940s-drama-film-stub