IMDb RATING
6.7/10
3.3K
YOUR RATING
An aspiring young writer insinuates herself into the life of a Broadway producer only to meet an unexpected fate.An aspiring young writer insinuates herself into the life of a Broadway producer only to meet an unexpected fate.An aspiring young writer insinuates herself into the life of a Broadway producer only to meet an unexpected fate.
Mabel Albertson
- Sylvia
- (uncredited)
Edward Astran
- Party Guest
- (uncredited)
Bea Benaderet
- Mrs. Franklin Walsh
- (uncredited)
Mary Benoit
- Party Guest
- (uncredited)
Nesdon Booth
- Police A.P.B. Man
- (uncredited)
Paul Bradley
- Party Guest
- (uncredited)
Steve Carruthers
- Party Guest
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaNunnally Johnson originally offered the role played by Ginger Rogers to Tallulah Bankhead, who called the writer-producer and, in a 25-minute phone conversation, gave him her reasons for rejecting the role. Rogers turned the part down as well, but had a change of heart after Johnson sent her a letter asking her to reconsider, on the proviso that she could take the relatively minor role and make it into a star-turn.
- GoofsIf you listen carefully for changes in presence, it appears that some of Van Heflin's dialogue was looped in post production.
- Quotes
[opening narration]
Peter Denver: The Black Widow, deadliest of all spiders, earned its dark title through its deplorable practice of devouring its mate.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits are shown over the background of a spider web made by a black widow.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Ginger Rogers at Twentieth Century Fox (2007)
- SoundtracksTheme from 'Dance of the Seven Veils'
from "Salome"
by Richard Strauss
[Played occasionally throughout the picture]
Featured review
When I watched this movie on DVD, the plot and characters seemed familiar. I realized that the story was based on an episode in the "Peter Duluth" series by Patrick Quentin. For some reason, they changed the character's name to Peter Denver - maybe they thought it was easier to pronounce.
"Patrick Quentin" was a pen name used by four different writers in various combinations from around 1930 into the 1960s. They also used the names Q. Patrick and Jonathan Stagge. See the Wikipedia article on Patrick Quentin for more details.
The best known Patrick Quentin novels are those featuring Peter Duluth, a Broadway producer, and his wife Iris, a famous actress. They solve mysteries in the glamorous New York theatre world - a bit like Nick and Nora Charles. Most of these novels have the word "puzzle" in the title - "Puzzle for Fools", "Puzzle for Players", etc. "Black Widow", published in 1952, was an exception to the title pattern. All of the Duluth novels I have read have been very entertaining "Golden Age" mysteries, and I highly recommend them to mystery fans. In fact, all of the books by Patrick Quentin or any of his pseudonyms that I have read have been very good mysteries.
I was surprised that this script was given such high-end treatment - Cinemascope Technicolor and stereo sound. The script is a bit old fashioned, with its narration and flashbacks, and the cast is so-so. I think Peter Duluth was intended to be a more dashing character than the rather frumpy Van Heflin could convey. Cary Grant would have been perfect in the role. I still found it an entertaining 90 minutes. But check out the Peter Duluth books for a truly good read.
"Patrick Quentin" was a pen name used by four different writers in various combinations from around 1930 into the 1960s. They also used the names Q. Patrick and Jonathan Stagge. See the Wikipedia article on Patrick Quentin for more details.
The best known Patrick Quentin novels are those featuring Peter Duluth, a Broadway producer, and his wife Iris, a famous actress. They solve mysteries in the glamorous New York theatre world - a bit like Nick and Nora Charles. Most of these novels have the word "puzzle" in the title - "Puzzle for Fools", "Puzzle for Players", etc. "Black Widow", published in 1952, was an exception to the title pattern. All of the Duluth novels I have read have been very entertaining "Golden Age" mysteries, and I highly recommend them to mystery fans. In fact, all of the books by Patrick Quentin or any of his pseudonyms that I have read have been very good mysteries.
I was surprised that this script was given such high-end treatment - Cinemascope Technicolor and stereo sound. The script is a bit old fashioned, with its narration and flashbacks, and the cast is so-so. I think Peter Duluth was intended to be a more dashing character than the rather frumpy Van Heflin could convey. Cary Grant would have been perfect in the role. I still found it an entertaining 90 minutes. But check out the Peter Duluth books for a truly good read.
- How long is Black Widow?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Crna udovica
- Filming locations
- 1515 Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA(Hotel Astor exterior near Times Square)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,095,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 35 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.55 : 1
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