I Wake Up Screaming (1941)
When chanteuse Vicky Lynn is found murdered the police bring in promoter Frankie Christopher for questioning. Frankie had been organizing Vicky's career until she suddenly took a Hollywood offer just before her death, and suspicion increasingly falls on him. Only Vicky's sister Jill seems to have evidence that could point elsewhere, while the detective in charge of the case, Ed Cornell, seems particularly keen on nailing him.
Cast and Information
Directed By: H. Bruce Humberstone
Written By: Steve Fisher, Dwight Taylor
Starring: Alan Mowbray, Charles Lane, Elisha Cook Jr., Morris Ankrum, William Gargan, Betty Grable, Victor Mature, Chick Chandler, Allyn Joslyn, Carole Landis, Laird Cregar, Cyril Ring
Genres: Romance, Suspense/Thriller, Crime, Mystery
Country: USA
Where to Stream
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I Wake Up Screaming belongs to 17 collections
1. Film Noir (public: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 55 stars)
2. They Shoot Pictures 250 Quintessential Noir Films (public: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 38 stars)
3. Netflix Instant (public: moderated by somnivore - 29 stars)
4. They Shoot Pictures' Recommended Viewing (public: moderated by Cinephile - 19 stars)
5. Films available in HD (public: moderated by kubricksucks - 12 stars)
6. 1,000 Noir Films: They Shot Dark Pictures, Didn't They? (public: moderated by lisa- - 9 stars)
7. Whodunit (public: moderated by iceblox - 8 stars)
8. BFI 100 key Noir films (public: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 8 stars)
9. Film Titles That Are Complete Sentences (public: moderated by Maaxwell - 7 stars)
10. Available on YouTube (public: moderated by utube-cinema - 4 stars)
11. Remade (public: moderated by Ag0stoMesmer - 4 stars)
12. The Films Mentioned In American Grindhouse (2010) (public: moderated by Coheed - 3 stars)
13. List: Noir of the Week (public: moderated by KasperL - 3 stars)
14. FOX Film Noir (public: moderated by iceblox)
15. List: TSPDT's 100 Noir Films (private: KasperL - 1 star)
16. Noir, Not Hardboiled (private: Russ Bedford - 1 star)
17. Forrest Watch List (private: ForrestQ)
Browse the full list of collections
| Date | User | Rating | |
| Aug 16, 2020 |  |
mrarn | 55 70% |
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Enjoyable murder mystery moved by flashbacks to an unexpected ending,
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| Jun 07, 2020 |  |
Darren | 80 75% |
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The detective character was so cool and unnerving and the way he was shot was near perfection. Like the best "noir" movies the use of shadows was great. Blew it with the ending
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| Mar 16, 2020 | lance20000 | 80 64% |
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My brain hurt from I Wake Up Screaming's tonal whiplash. My brain hurt from I Wake Up Screaming's tonal whiplash. It's like they took two films, a dark and gritty thriller and a light romantic comedy, and spliced the reels together to make one movie. I counted three groan-worthy jokes in a movie where a young woman has to help track down her sister's murderer. But it doesn't suck and everything makes sense! Strong visuals, a breakneck plot and a villain who is possibly the best I've ever see.
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| Oct 03, 2019 | braddad68 | 94 74% |
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Finally saw this one, classic film noir.
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| Mar 01, 2018 |  |
Paxton | 81 89% |
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I genuinely apologize to every female I've ever thought of as being beautiful. I hadn't seen Betty Grable yet.
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| Jun 19, 2017 | PUNQ | 70 96% |
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Betty Grable is almost too sweet for her role, but give a little shadow to Victor Mature's face and you have the right contrast! There is no doubting the real star was Laird Cregar. Such a nasty talent which was lost too soon. Thankfully he got to do creepy roles like this to be remembered by before passing away in 1944 at the age of 30. He was so important in making this great, that you can rightfully say it was his movie.
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| Dec 25, 2014 | Zipster | 85 68% |
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Often considered the first of the film noir canon, it's very nifty, clever mystery that plays with our expectations in its use of light-hearted tone contrasted deftly with the sharp angles, smoke-filled lamps and bold fedora-wearing shadows on the walls. The casting is a delicate balance that works, and so is the plot. Its ultimate surprises are easily foreseen because of the sheer amount of formula films in its wake, and yet those revelations still turn out to be more complex than we expect.
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| Nov 06, 2014 |  |
graveyardtan | 75 44% |
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It's always a treat to see Elisha Cook Jr, but I Wake Up Screaming is a B-picture for sure.
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| Jun 11, 2012 |  |
Nathan S | 3 45% |
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The cinematography is stellar, and Laird Cregar is great as the imposing detective. Despite a bit of telegraphing early on, it's still a fun ride.
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| Nov 27, 2011 |  |
PeaceAnarchy | 88 90% |
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What an incredibly enjoyable film. It may not be groundbreaking or complex, but it hits every beat perfectly with great performances from the principles and superb photography. The interrogation that opens the film is about a third of the runtime with all the flashbacks but feels like five minutes. It all feels so effortless in the way it creates these very compelling characters and situation and just lets things develop with just enough doubt as to how things will resolve themselves.
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| Jun 14, 2011 |  |
Red_Falcon_ | 62 16% |
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A generic plot and weak acting makes this in no way a classic or must watch film in the Film-Noir genre.In the end this was a decent film that was serviceably entertaining.
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| Mar 20, 2008 |  |
tonydal | 70 40% |
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Grable is good. Mature chews it a bit at first, but he gets better as the story progresses. Best of all is Laird Cregar as one of the film's two psychos; he and Mature truly have a hate/hate relationship (as memorably weird as Edmond O'Brien vs Neville Brand in DOA). Score by and large alternates between Gershwin (I think it was) and "Somewhere over the Rainbow"--which becomes rather annoying after a while. Maybe the best thing about this movie is the title--irrelevant though it is.
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| Mar 12, 2007 |  |
MartinTeller | 84 81% |
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While I don't consider it one of the greats, it is well worth a look. Cregar, Mature and Grable are all terrific in it, and although the film could use a little zing, it has nice photographic stylization, particularly in the lighting. The soundtrack (frequently recurring cues from "Over the Rainbow" and "Street Scene") is definitely eccentric, but it works. The plot unfolds much more fluidly than in the remake, and the relationship between Mature and Grable develops naturally and feels genuine.
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| Average Percentile 60.24% from 122 Ratings |  |