Stop, You're Killing Me
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''Stop, You're Killing Me'' is a 1952 American
black comedy film Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...
directed by
Roy Del Ruth Roy Del Ruth (October 18, 1893 – April 27, 1961) was an American filmmaker. Early career Beginning his Hollywood career as a writer for Mack Sennett in 1915, Del Ruth later directed his first short film ''Hungry Lions'' (1919) for the pr ...
and starring
Broderick Crawford William Broderick Crawford (December 9, 1911 – April 26, 1986) was an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Willie Stark in the film ''All the King's Men'' (1949), which earned him an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Of ...
,
Claire Trevor Claire Trevor (née Wemlinger; March 8, 1910April 8, 2000) was an American actress. She appeared in 65 feature films from 1933 to 1982, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in '' Key Largo'' (1948), and received no ...
and
Virginia Gibson Virginia Gibson (born Virginia Gorski; April 9, 1925 – April 25, 2013) was an American dancer, singer and actress of film, television and musical theater. Early years Gibson was born on April 9, 1925, in St. Louis, Missouri. She was of Po ...
.Stop, You're Killing Me (1952) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast - AllMovie
/ref> The film is set shortly after the
Repeal of Prohibition in the United States In the United States, the nationwide ban on alcoholic beverages was repealed by the passage of the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution on December 5, 1933. Background In 1919, the requisite number of List of state legislature ...
(1933). A former
rum-runner Rum-running, or bootlegging, is the illegal business of smuggling alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law. The term ''rum-running'' is more commonly applied to smuggling over water; ''bootlegging'' is applied to smuggl ...
attempts to operate a legitimate
brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of b ...
, but is soon
bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the de ...
due to poor sales. He has to deal with several personal and professional problems at the same time, including his daughter's engagement to a
police officer A police officer (also called policeman or policewoman, cop, officer or constable) is a Warrant (law), warranted law employee of a police, police force. In most countries, ''police officer'' is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. ...
.


Plot

When the Eighteenth Amendment of the Constitution is
repealed A repeal (O.F. ''rapel'', modern ''rappel'', from ''rapeler'', ''rappeler'', revoke, ''re'' and ''appeler'', appeal) is the removal or reversal of a law. There are two basic types of repeal; a repeal with a re-enactment is used to replace the law ...
, former prohibition baron Remy Marko ventures into the legal production and marketing of beer. The poor quality of his product leads him to bankruptcy. His daughter Mary intends to marry policeman Chance Whitelaw, heir to a wealthy family. Remy and his wife Nora organize a lavish reception at a fancy hotel in Saratoga, but the party is disrupted by the murder of four gangsters at the hands of a mobster who works for Remy's creditors. Remy must juggle his family, his daughter's future marriage, his bankrupt business and the police investigation in order to save his new image.


Cast

*
Broderick Crawford William Broderick Crawford (December 9, 1911 – April 26, 1986) was an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Willie Stark in the film ''All the King's Men'' (1949), which earned him an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Of ...
as Remy Marko *
Claire Trevor Claire Trevor (née Wemlinger; March 8, 1910April 8, 2000) was an American actress. She appeared in 65 feature films from 1933 to 1982, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in '' Key Largo'' (1948), and received no ...
as Nora Marko *
Virginia Gibson Virginia Gibson (born Virginia Gorski; April 9, 1925 – April 25, 2013) was an American dancer, singer and actress of film, television and musical theater. Early years Gibson was born on April 9, 1925, in St. Louis, Missouri. She was of Po ...
as Mary Marko * Bill Hayes as Chancellor "Chance" Whitelaw *
Margaret Dumont Margaret Dumont (born Daisy Juliette Baker; October 20, 1882 – March 6, 1965) was an American stage and film actress. She is best remembered as the comic foil to the Marx Brothers in seven of their films; Groucho Marx called her "practically ...
as Mrs. Harriet Whitelaw


Production

The script is based on the 1935 play ''A Slight Case of Murder'' by
Damon Runyon Alfred Damon Runyon (October 4, 1880 – December 10, 1946) was an American journalist and short-story writer. He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway theatre, Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Proh ...
and
Howard Lindsay Howard Lindsay, born Herman Nelke, (March 29, 1889 – February 11, 1968) was an American playwright, librettist, director, actor and theatrical producer. He is best known for his writing work as part of the collaboration of Lindsay and Crouse ...
. Warner Bros. had previously adapted Runyon and Lindsay's play into a 1938 film under the play's title starring Edward G. Robinson and directed by
Lloyd Bacon Lloyd Francis Bacon (December 4, 1889 – November 15, 1955) was an American screen, stage, and vaudeville actor and film director. As a director, he made films in numerous genres, including westerns, musicals, comedies, gangster films, and c ...
. The film was in production from mid-June to late August 1952.


References


External links

* * 1952 films 1952 black comedy films 1950s crime comedy films 1950s English-language films Films set in 1933 American crime comedy films Films directed by Roy Del Ruth Films scored by David Buttolph Films scored by Ray Heindorf Films scored by Howard Jackson (composer) Remakes of American films American films based on plays 1950s American films Films about businesspeople Films about beer Films about father–daughter relationships Films about prohibition in the United States Films based on works by Damon Runyon English-language black comedy films English-language crime comedy films {{1950s-US-drama-film-stub