One of my weekend rituals is to sit back on Sunday morning and watch Noir Alley on Turner Classic Movies. The day starts right when host Eddie Muller picks out another tale from the dark side of life filled with shadows. One of the hallmarks of Film Noir is reminding us that you can’t trust anyone especially those we love. Impact is a perfect example of this. The movie from 1949 reminds us that everyone wasn’t cheerful, happy and moral in post-World War II America.
Walter Williams (Brian Donlevy of The Quatermass Xperiment and How To Stuff A Wild Bikini) has it all. He’s a wealthy industrialist whose company is expanding. He has a massive mansion in San Francisco. He’s got a hot wife Irene (Nightmare Alley‘s Helen Walker). He’s an American success story. When he has business in Denver, he talks his wife into a cross-country trip. He has a convertible land yacht so they’ll see all the majestic landscape on the trip into the Rocky Mountains. Right before they leave, Irene gets sick. She mentions to Walter that she has a cousin who could use a lift to get back to Evanston, Illinois. Walter agrees to help out her relative and picks up Jim Torrence (The Mod Squad‘s Tony Barrett). The two seem to get along on the trip, but it turns out that Jim isn’t an in-law. He’s Irene’s lover and he’s there to kill Walter and make it look like a hitchhiker did it. She doesn’t want to settle for half in a divorce. Things go wrong when he makes his lethal move. Walter survives the attack, but the newspapers report him as dead. He enjoys this strange “downtime” and doesn’t call the police. Walter hides out in Idaho working as a mechanic for Marsha Peters (Brute Force‘s Ella Raines). At the same time, Lt. Tom Quincy (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes‘ Charles Coburn) is investigating and finding quite a few clues pointing at Irene. What’s going to happen when William decides to rise from the grave?
While Impact isn’t an immediate title that gets mentioned when articles are written about Film Noir, it’s a great flick. Director Arthur Lubin is mostly remembered for his comedy work that starred Abbott and Costello, Francis the Talking Mule and Mister Ed. Impact isn’t about laughs. There are plenty of dark twists such as watching a husband sharing the ride with his wife’s lover. We’re in suspense waiting for the murder to happen on the road. This is topped by what happens when William lets the San Francisco police know that he’s not dead yet. Things don’t go according to plan for him and his wife. Brian Donlevy gives a stellar performance as the rich guy who discovers he has no clue about his wife. Helen Walker pulls off being a wonderful wife and cold blooded. The movie also features silent screen icon Anna May Wong (Daughter of the Dragon) in a small, but pivotal role. She was a character in Babylon and can be found on the back of quarters. Impact keeps up the intrigue with its tale of a marriage gone completely wrong and a man rediscovering himself in his “after life.”
The Video is 1.33:1 full frame. The 1080p transfer looks sharp with the black and white showing us the shadows. The Audio is Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono. The soundtrack is clean and clear. The movie is subtitled in English.
DVD with the movie and bonus features.
Audio Commentary by Bernard M. Prokop. He points out how when the film came out, the critics hated the dictionary opening with the definition. Prokop also has reservations about the first 90 seconds, but not the rest of the movie. We learn that about the mystery of the song written by the producer.
Gallery (6:27) is a montage of press photos, cast member portraits, lobby cards and posters.
VCI Entertainment presents Impact. Directed by Arthur Lubin. Screenplay by Jay Dratler and Dorothy Davenport. Starring Brian Donlevy, Ella Raines, Charles Coburn, Helen Walker, Anna May Wong, Robert Warwick and Clarence Kolb. Running Time: 111 minutes. Rating: Not Rated. Release Date: January 21, 2025.
