Sudden Fear Overview:

Sudden Fear (1952) was a Film Noir - Thriller/Suspense Film directed by David Miller and produced by Joan Crawford and Joe Kaufmann.

Academy Awards 1952 --- Ceremony Number 25 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best Supporting ActorJack PalanceNominated
Best ActressJoan CrawfordNominated
Best CinematographyCharles B. Lang, Jr.Nominated
Best Costume DesignSheila O'BrienNominated
.

BlogHub Articles:

Sudden Fear (1952)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Mar 14, 2023 From 4 Star Films

I had no prior knowledge of what Sudden Fear was about, and I was relatively taken aback to see a film set during a stage rehearsal. You have your lead actor in the middle of a passionate soliloquy. This is Jack Palance getting a go at a more substantial role. Then, there’s the writer and auth... Read full article


Day 4 of Noirvember: Irene Neves in Sudden Fear (1952)

By shadowsandsatin on Nov 4, 2021 From Shadows and Satin

Today?s Noirvember post shines the spotlight on one bad-ass sister, Irene Neves in Sudden Fear (1952). WHAT?S SUDDEN FEAR ABOUT? Successful playwright and San Francisco heiress Myra Hudson (Joan Crawford) meets actor Lester Blaine (Jack Palance) and marries him after a whirlwind romance. Their marri... Read full article


YouTube Noir — Noirvember Day 9: Sudden Fear (1952)

By shadowsandsatin on Nov 9, 2020 From Shadows and Satin

Sudden Fear (1952) holds a special place in my heart. First of all, it stars my girl Joan Crawford. Secondly, it?s one of the first noirs I ever saw on the big screen. It was at Chicago?s Music Box Theater, and as I sat there in the dark, I was practically overcome by the intelligent script, the es... Read full article


Day 28 of Noirvember: Dames Off the Beaten Path — Irene Neves in Sudden Fear (1952)

By shadowsandsatin on Nov 28, 2014 From Shadows and Satin

Everybody knows about those larger-than-life femme fatales in those famous, blockbuster noirs: dames like Phyllis Dietrichson in Double Indemnity. Kathie Moffat in Out of the Past. Kitty Collins in The Killers. Cora Smith in The Postman Always Rings Twice. Sure, we?re all familiar with these twisted... Read full article


The “Best Hitchcock Films Hitchcock Never Made” Blogathon: Sudden Fear

By shadowsandsatin on Jul 8, 2012 From Shadows and Satin

Lester turns on the charm when he encounters Myra on the train. Myra?s play opens to rave reviews about a month later ? with another actor in the starring role ? and we meet up with her as she is boarding a train for a triumphant return to her home in San Francisco. Coincidentally, it so happens tha... Read full article


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Quotes from

Lester Blaine: [Stopping short when he sees the drop alongside the staeps of the summer house] Whoa...!
Myra Hudson: What's the matter, Darling?
Lester Blaine: [Frightened] It's a precipice!
Myra Hudson: [laughs] I've been running up and down these steps ever since I was twelve.
Lester Blaine: Don't you ever do it again!
Myra Hudson: Why not? Remember what Nietzsche said: Live dangerously!
Lester Blaine: You know what happened to Nietzsche?
Myra Hudson: What?
Lester Blaine: He's dead!
Myra Hudson: [laughs]


[after being rejected for a romantic role because of his looks]
Lester Blaine: Miss Hudson, in your own native city of San Francisco, there's an art gallery in the Legion of Honor in which there's an oil painting of Casanova. It's quite obvious that you have never seen this painting. For your information, Miss Hudson, this is what Casanova looked like. He had big ears, a scar over one eye, a broken nose, and a wart on his chin, right here. I suggest, Miss Hudson, that when you return to San Francisco, you visit this gallery and see this painting!


Lester Blaine: I like to look at you.
Myra Hudson: You couldn't possibly at this hour of the morning.
Lester Blaine: Oh, anyone can look at you in the afternoon.
Myra Hudson: But I haven't even got my lipstick on! A woman has to wear lipstick. I feel positively naked without it.


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Facts about

According to a story told by Jack Palance, Joan Crawford and Gloria Grahame did not get along and got into a physical altercation at one point during the filming. The fight started after Grahame sat on the edge of the set during a Crawford closeup and very obviously sucked and smacked loudly on a lolly pop in an attempt to wind Crawford up. It worked, and Palance noted that the all male crew watched the fight for a few moments rather curiously before stepping in to end it.
Mike Connors first film role.
Marlon Brando was originally offered the role of Lester Blaine
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Best Actress Oscar 1952






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Also directed by David Miller




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Also produced by Joan Crawford


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Also released in 1952




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