Crack-Up
Could I KILL ... and not remember?
1946 | 96m | English
Popularity: 0.7 (history)
| Director: | Irving Reis |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Ray Spencer, John Paxton, Ben Bengal, Fredric Brown |
| Staring: |
| Art curator George Steele experiences a train wreck...which never happened. Is he cracking up, or the victim of a plot? | |
| Release Date: | Sep 06, 1946 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Irving Reis |
| Writer: | Ray Spencer, John Paxton, Ben Bengal, Fredric Brown |
| Genres: | Mystery, Thriller |
| Keywords | hypnosis, film noir, art gallery, insurance investigator, train wreck, driven mad, forgery, x-ray, insurance scam, oil painting, art curator |
| Production Companies | RKO Radio Pictures |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 03, 2024 Entered: Apr 20, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Pat O’Brien | George Steele |
| Claire Trevor | Terry Cordell |
| Herbert Marshall | Traybin |
| Ray Collins | Dr. Lowell |
| Wallace Ford | Lt. Cochrane |
| Dean Harens | Reynolds |
| Damian O'Flynn | Museum Curator Stevenson |
| Erskine Sanford | Museum Director Barton |
| Mary Ware | Mary |
| Alex Akimoff | Man (Uncredited) |
| John Ardell | Man (Uncredited) |
| Gertrude Astor | Nagging Wife on Train (Uncredited) |
| Al Bain | Arcade Patron (Uncredited) |
| Guy Beach | Station Agent (Uncredited) |
| Edward Biby | Lecture Guest (Uncredited) |
| Bonnie Blair | Dorothy (Uncredited) |
| Robert Bray | Man with Drunk (Uncredited) |
| George Bruggeman | Cop (Uncredited) |
| James Carlisle | Lecture Guest (Uncredited) |
| Jack Cheatham | Museum Attendant (Uncredited) |
| Ellen Corby | Reynold's Maid (Uncredited) |
| Delmar Costello | Deck Hand (Uncredited) |
| Roger Creed | Card Player on Train (Uncredited) |
| Kernan Cripps | First RR Ticket Clerk (Uncredited) |
| Lee Elson | Man (Uncredited) |
| Franklyn Farnum | Man on Train (Uncredited) |
| Carl Faulkner | Detective (Uncredited) |
| J.C. Fowler | Man (Uncredited) |
| Edward Gargan | Cop in Arcade (Uncredited) |
| Jack Gargan | Second Railroad Ticket Agent (Uncredited) |
| Rudy Germane | Lecture Guest (Uncredited) |
| Belle Green | Woman in Audience (Uncredited) |
| Chuck Hamilton | Man in Ticket Line (Uncredited) |
| Alvin Hammer | Milquetoast (Uncredited) |
| Carl Hansen | Card Player on Train (Uncredited) |
| Harry Harvey | 'Dad' Moran, Museum Custodian (Uncredited) |
| Alf Haugan | Man in Audience (Uncredited) |
| Al Hill | Card Player on Train (Uncredited) |
| Fred Hueston | Man (Uncredited) |
| John Ince | Man (Uncredited) |
| John Indrisano | Detective (Uncredited) |
| Gloria Jetter | Gambler (Uncredited) |
| Tiny Jones | Old Lady (Uncredited) |
| Joseph Kamaryt | Waiter (Uncredited) |
| Colin Kenny | Lecture Guest (Uncredited) |
| King Lockwood | Lecture Guest (Uncredited) |
| Sam Lufkin | Detective (Uncredited) |
| Sam McDaniel | Porter (Uncredited) |
| Charles Meakin | Lecture Guest (Uncredited) |
| Chef Milani | Restaurant Proprietor (Uncredited) |
| Harry Monty | Midget in Arcade (Uncredited) |
| Frank Moran | Bartender (Uncredited) |
| Philip Morris | Cop (Uncredited) |
| Horace Murphy | Train Conductor (Uncredited) |
| Tommy Noonan | Bonbon Vendor (Uncredited) |
| Jimmy O'Gatty | Mate (Uncredited) |
| Eddie Parks | Drunk in Arcade (Uncredited) |
| Bob Pepper | Intern (Uncredited) |
| Rose Plumer | Impatient Woman in Ticket Line (Uncredited) |
| John Roy | Attendant (Uncredited) |
| Dick Rush | Captain of Arcadia (Uncredited) |
| Shimen Ruskin | Dissenter at Art Lecture (Uncredited) |
| Dick Ryan | Reynold's Butler (Uncredited) |
| Jeffrey Sayre | Diner in Restaurant (Uncredited) |
| Frank Shannon | Train Station Gateman (Uncredited) |
| Harry Shannon | Cop (Uncredited) |
| Cap Somers | Cop (Uncredited) |
| Tex Swan | Cop (Uncredited) |
| Eric Wilton | Lecture Guest (Uncredited) |
| Dorothea Wolbert | Old Lady (Uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Irving Reis | Director |
| Leigh Harline | Original Music Composer |
| Albert S. D'Agostino | Art Direction |
| Renié | Costume Design |
| Ray Spencer | Screenplay |
| John Paxton | Screenplay |
| Ben Bengal | Screenplay |
| Fredric Brown | Story |
| Robert De Grasse | Director of Photography |
| Jack Okey | Art Direction |
| Michael Ohrenbach | Set Decoration |
| James H. Anderson | Assistant Director |
| Russell A. Cully | Special Effects |
| Darrell Silvera | Set Decoration |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Jack J. Gross | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 7 | 16 | 2 |
| 2024 | 5 | 11 | 20 | 3 |
| 2024 | 6 | 7 | 20 | 2 |
| 2024 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 2 |
| 2024 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 3 |
| 2024 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 3 |
| 2024 | 10 | 6 | 15 | 3 |
| 2024 | 11 | 5 | 12 | 2 |
| 2024 | 12 | 4 | 11 | 3 |
| 2025 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 2 |
| 2025 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Trending Position
If only Irving Reis had cast his net a bit wider when casting his leading man, here - then we could have ended up with a quality, sophisticated crime drama. Sadly, he didn't and we are stuck with a really quite dreary performance from Pat O'Brien as "George", an art critic who finds himself caught u ... p in a train crash (or was it!?) and a well planned, psychologically driven, plot involving art fraud after he had suggested that modern day X-ray techniques be used to verify the authenticity of old masters on loan to a museum - including a Gainsborough and a Dürer. Luckily for him, Claire Trevor "Terry" and Herbert Marshall ("Traybin") are on hand to get to the bottom of it. At times it's quite gripping, and the intricacies of the plot - and of the manipulation it suggests, are clever and quite original but it's far too long, and the sagging in the middle is almost hammock-like. Still, the use of sound is effective and the film is certainly worth catching up with with some tea and a bit of carrot cake.