Impact is a 1949 film noir drama directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Brian Donlevy and Ella Raines. It was filmed entirely in California and included scenes filmed at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, California, and other locations around the city. The film was based on a story by film noir writer Jay Dratler.<></> The supporting cast features Charles Coburn, Anna May Wong, Philip Ahn and William Wright (actor).

Plot

Millionaire industrialist Walter Williams (Brian Donlevy) has a young wife, Irene (Helen Walker), who is trying to kill him with the help of her young lover, Jim Torrance (Tony Barrett). The plan falls apart when Williams survives a hit on the head from the would-be killer. Attempting to flee the scene in Williams' Packard Clipper#1948–1952 convertible, Torrance dies in a fiery head-on collision. The body is identified as Williams.
The wounded, dazed Williams ends up in the fictional small town of Larkspur, Idaho (filmed in Larkspur, California). He gets a job as a service station mechanic and falls in love with Marsha (Ella Raines), the station's owner. Meanwhile, the police arrest Williams' wife for his "murder." After Marsha eventually persuades Walter to go back to clear his wife, he is charged with murdering Torrance. Marsha enlists the help of kindly police detective Quincy (Charles Coburn) to prove Walter's innocence.

Cast

• Brian Donlevy as Walter Williams
• Ella Raines as Marsha Peters
• Charles Coburn as Lt. Tom Quincy
• Helen Walker as Irene Williams
• Tony Barrett as Jim Torrance
• Anna May Wong as Su Lin
• Robert Warwick as Capt. Callahan
• Philip Ahn as Ah Sing
• William Wright (actor) as the prosecutor
• Tom Greenway as Moving Van Driver

Background

This was Anna May Wong's first screen appearance since 1942. Character actor Tom Greenway made his first appearance on screen as an unnamed moving van driver.<>.</><>.</>

Product placement

In the 1940s, it was still uncommon for Product placement, but this was a notable exception. A Bekins moving van is prominent in several scenes. The movie trade paper Harrison's Reports typically called attention to cases in which such products appeared on screen, and always took a stand against that practice. Although its review did not mention Bekins, the Harrison’s review noted "advertising plugs worked in for such products as Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, Raleigh cigarettes, Coca-Cola, Mission Orange soda pop, Mobil oil gasoline, oil and tires, Gruen watches, and the trade name, Rexall." Accessed: August 5, 2013.</>

See also

List of films in the public domain in the United States

Category:1949 films
Category:1940s crime drama films
Category:American crime drama films
Category:Black-and-white films
Category:Film noir
Category:Films directed by Arthur Lubin
Category:United Artists films