Death of a Scoundrel (1956)

Director:

Charles Martin

Writer:

Charles Martin (written by)

Release Date:

31 October 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Men, Women... he used them, ruined them on his fantastic march to self-destruction

Plot:

When Clementi Suborin is found murdered, his secretary recounts to the police the story of his rise from Czech refugee to ultra-rich New Yorker...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Beautiful Woman

Cast

George Sanders	...	Clementi Sabourni
Yvonne De Carlo	...	Bridget Kelly
Zsa Zsa Gabor	...	Mrs. Ryan
Victor Jory	...	Leonard Wilson
Nancy Gates	...	Stephanie North
Coleen Gray	...	Mrs. Edith Van Renasslear
John Hoyt	...	Mr. O'Hara
Lisa Ferraday	...	Zina Monte
Tom Conway	...	Gerry Monte aka Sabourin
Celia Lovsky	...	Mrs. Sabourin (Clementi's mother)
Werner Klemperer	...	Herbert Bauman (Clementi's lawyer)
Justice Watson	...	Henry (Clementi's butler)
John Sutton	...	The Actor as 'Tom' in Stage Play
Curtis Cooksey	...	Oswald Van Renassalear
Gabriel Curtis	...	Max Freundlich (as Gabriel Curtiz)
Morris Ankrum	...	Capt. LaFarge (Homicide Squad)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Baynes Barron	...	Detective (uncredited)
Raikin Ben-Ari	...	French Police Prefect (uncredited)
Marjorie Bennett	...	Angry Woman (uncredited)
George Brent	...	O'Connell (party guest) (uncredited)
Stanley Clements	...	Taxi driver (uncredited)
James Craven	...	Detective (uncredited)
Gil Frye	...	Freundlich's Assistant (uncredited)
Tom Greenway	...	Stock Market Watcher in Montage (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp	...	Backstage Well-Wisher (uncredited)
Jewell Lain	...	(uncredited)
Herbert Lytton	...	Doctor Treating Clement (uncredited)
Michael Mark	...	Mike (elevator operator) (uncredited)
Robert Morgan	...	Chuck Kelly (uncredited)
Leo Mostovoy	...	Headwaiter (uncredited)
Forbes Murray	...	Tourist on Ship Deck (uncredited)
Anne O'Neal	...	Stock Market Watcher in Montage (uncredited)
Charles Sherlock	...	Limousine Driver (uncredited)
Bert Stevens	...	Passenger Departing Plane (uncredited)
Brick Sullivan	...	Passenger at Dock (uncredited)
Ralph Volkie	...	Willie, Bartender (uncredited)

Directed by
Charles Martin

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Charles Martin		written by

Produced by
J. Herbert Klein	....	associate producer
Charles Martin	....	producer

Original Music by
Max Steiner

Cinematography by
James Wong Howe		(director of photography)

Art Direction by
Rudi Feld

Set Decoration by
Ross Dowd

Costume Design by
Waldo		(gowns)

Makeup Department
Olga Collings	....	hair stylist
Carlie Taylor	....	makeup artist (as Karlie Taylor)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Frank Fox	....	assistant director

Sound Department
John K. Kean	....	sound (as John Kean)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Charles Arrico	....	wardrobe
Rosamonde Prior	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Conrad A. Nervig	....	supervising editor (as Conrad Nervig)

Music Department
Murray Cutter	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Irwin Berger	....	technical advisor
Pat Miller	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Charles Martin Productions

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures

Also Known As:

Diary of a Scoundrel
Loves of a Scoundrel
The Loves and Death of a Scoundrel

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #17961) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Company:

Charles Martin Productions

Trivia:

This film and The Falcon's Brother are the only two films to feature Tom Conway and real life brother George Sanders. They played brothers in both films.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Worth Winning (1989)

Why We Watch Hollywood Movies

A fine example of casting and performances triumphing over material, "Death of a Scoundrel" is both ridiculous and remarkably compelling. The film's plot is basically a potboiler: we watch a highly unscrupulous man engineer his own rise from poverty to riches, while destroying or dominating everyone around him along the way. To say the least, the narrative is laden with absurd coincidences and unbelievable motivations.

So, why is "Death of a Scoundrel" so watchable? One reason is writer-director Charles Martin's ability to keep things moving at a good pace.

The other reason is the cast. George Sanders was the kind of actor who could take charge of a role (much the way his character takes charge of his own fate). He is able to overcome being too old and not attractive enough for his character. Sanders' famous British voice should work against the image of a Czech immigrant (although the actor was actually born in Russia). In fact, viewers are treated to a vocal doppelganger early in the film, when the role of Sanders' brother is given to his real-life brother (and sound-alike) Tom Conway.

Then there are the rest. Who can resist a high stakes soap opera with the likes of Yvonne De Carlo, Coleen Gray, John Hoyt, Victor Jory, Werner Klemperer, Nancy Gates and last but not least, Zsa Zsa Gabor?

Not always impressive as an actress, De Carlo does a fine job here. She is particularly good at revealing reaction shots. Each time Sanders announces an outrageous new scheme, we can see De Carlo mentally rolling her eyes. The wry delivery she had mastered by the time she will play 'Lily Munster' is fully in evidence. She seems to be having fun along the way, despite the angst and one especially silly revelation late in the film.

Coleen Gray is here given another one-note role. The stunning actress was allowed few opportunities to show she could act. Nancy Gates gets to play out a pocket-size version of "A Star is Born". And John Hoyt has a supporting role with plenty of surprises.

As for Zsa Zsa Gabor, she rarely looked more elegant and luminous. The recently ex-Mrs. Sanders was at the start of her career peak. Only two years later, she would embody the immortal 'Talleah' in "Queen of Outer Space". Despite limited acting skills, Gabor manages a couple of memorable Hungarian-accented line deliveries ("Be careful, I'm might bite you!").

While the production values of the film show a less-than-optimal budget, apparently no expense was spared on Max Steiner. The composer provides one of his continuous symphonic scores. Every scene is played out on a lush, late-romantic, sonic cushion. De Carlo's character even has her own 'sexy' theme. It's all wonderfully overdone and preposterous: an adventure into a never-never land of greed and control-obsession.

In other words, it's a riveting example of why we watch Hollywood movies.