D.O.A.
A Picture As Excitingly Different As Its Title!
1949 | 83m | English
Popularity: 1 (history)
| Director: | Rudolph Maté |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Clarence Greene, Russell Rouse |
| Staring: |
| Frank Bigelow is about to die, and he knows it. The accountant has been poisoned and has only 24 hours before the lethal concoction kills him. Determined to find out who his murderer is, Frank, with the help of his assistant and girlfriend, Paula, begins to trace back over his last steps. As he frantically tries to unravel the mystery behind his own impending demise, his sleuthing leads him to a group of crooked businessmen and another murder. | |
| Release Date: | Dec 23, 1949 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Rudolph Maté |
| Writer: | Clarence Greene, Russell Rouse |
| Genres: | Crime, Mystery, Thriller |
| Keywords | poison, jazz club, film noir, doctor, sadist |
| Production Companies | United Artists, Cardinal Pictures, Harry Popkin Productions |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 10, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Edmond O'Brien | Frank Bigelow |
| Pamela Britton | Paula Gibson |
| Luther Adler | Majak |
| Beverly Garland | Miss Foster |
| Lynn Baggett | Mrs. Philips |
| William Ching | Halliday |
| Henry Hart | Stanley Philips |
| Neville Brand | Chester |
| Laurette Luez | Marla Rakubian |
| Jess Kirkpatrick | Sam |
| Cay Forester | Sue |
| Frank Jaquet | Dr. Matson |
| Lawrence Dobkin | Dr. Schaefer |
| Frank Gerstle | Dr. MacDonald |
| Carol Hughes | Kitty |
| Michael Ross | Dave |
| Donna Sanborn | Nurse |
| Harold Miller | Man in Hallway (uncredited) |
| Sam Harris | Man at Fisherman Table (uncredited) |
| George Lynn | Homicide Detective (uncredited) |
| Phillip Pine | Angelo (uncredited) |
| Bill Baldwin | St. Francis Hotel Desk Clerk (uncredited) |
| Teddy Buckner | Club Trumpeter (uncredited) |
| Frank Cady | Eddie - Bartender (uncredited) |
| Roy Engel | Police Captain (uncredited) |
| Douglas Evans | Eddie - Salesman on Phone (uncredited) |
| Virginia Lee | Jeanie (uncredited) |
| Peter Leeds | Leo - Bartender (uncredited) |
| Hugh O'Brian | Jazz Fan (uncredited) |
| Jerry Paris | Bellhop (uncredited) |
| Lynne Roberts | Jane Carlyle (uncredited) |
| Ivan Triesault | Photographer (uncredited) |
| Beverly Warren | Girl at Hotel Room Party (uncredited) |
| Jadie Carson | Bandleader (uncredited) |
| Shifty Henry | Club Bassist (uncredited) |
| David Jansen | Bellhop (uncredited) |
| Ray Laurie | Club Pianist (uncredited) |
| Van Streeter | Club Saxophonist (uncredited) |
| Cake Witchard | Club Drummer (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Rudolph Maté | Director |
| Dimitri Tiomkin | Original Music Composer, Music Director |
| Arthur H. Nadel | Editor |
| Maria P. Donovan | Costume Design |
| Clarence Greene | Story, Screenplay |
| Russell Rouse | Story, Screenplay |
| Ben Winkler | Sound Recordist |
| Carl Gibson | Grip |
| Frank Tanner | Still Photographer |
| Herbert Taylor | Orchestrator |
| Duncan Cramer | Art Direction |
| Al Orenbach | Set Decoration |
| Marty Moss | Assistant Director |
| Jack N. Young | Utility Stunts |
| Gene Hirsch | Camera Operator |
| Arnold Laven | Script Supervisor |
| Irving Berns | Makeup Artist |
| Mac Dalgleish | Sound Recordist |
| Jack Fuqua | Camera Operator |
| James Potevin | Gaffer |
| Paul Marquardt | Orchestrator |
| Harry M. Popkin | Presenter |
| Ernest Laszlo | Director of Photography |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Harry M. Popkin | Executive Producer |
| Leo C. Popkin | Producer |
| Joseph H. Nadel | Associate Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 11 | 19 | 5 |
| 2024 | 5 | 11 | 19 | 6 |
| 2024 | 6 | 10 | 22 | 6 |
| 2024 | 7 | 12 | 23 | 8 |
| 2024 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 7 |
| 2024 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 6 |
| 2024 | 10 | 11 | 18 | 6 |
| 2024 | 11 | 9 | 17 | 5 |
| 2024 | 12 | 10 | 18 | 6 |
| 2025 | 1 | 9 | 18 | 6 |
| 2025 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 3 |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Trending Position
Edmond O'Brien is one of my favourite actors of the period, and if you need any startling evidence of why, just check out his performance here in Rudolph Mate's heartily original noir-shocker, 'D.O.A.'. Another great reason to check the film out, the Polish-born director, made a smooth transition fr ... om being a great cinematographer, and this is probably his most shining triumph helming a picture. If you have ever wondered why 'film noir' has been considered such a consistently rewarding and enthralling body of cinematic work, like the earlier 'Pre-Code' era, check this one out, and others of its ilk. A sheerly delightful film that holds up well today. Though I haven't checked its 80's remake out, I'm not too curious about it, other than the slight curiosity from its notoriety of it being the film in which Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan met and eventually decided to marry. Other than that, I'm more than content simply watching this.
"I was to report a murder"... "Whose?"..."Mine!"... Edmond O'Brien is cracking in this dark and atmospherically paced thriller about a man who discovers that he has been deliberately poisoned by luminous toxin and may only have a few hours/days/weeks left to live. He can't understand who would want ... to do this and sets out to find the culprits. Much of the story is recounted via his "deathbed" explanation to an unbelieving police squad room and it is superbly directed (by Rudolph Maté) with loads of twist and turns in the plot; a tension-building score and more than one potential candidate for villain. Pamela Britton "Paula" is also great as his albatross-like girlfriend who would long since have driven me to bathe in a tub of uranium and the rest of the cast, especially a truly sinister Neville Brand as "Chester" keep us interested right til the death...