Alias Nick Beal (1949)

March 4, 1949 (US) • Drama, Crime, Fantasy • 93m

Overview

After straight-arrow district attorney Joseph Foster says in frustration that he would sell his soul to bring down a local mob boss, a smooth-talking stranger named Nick Beal shows up with enough evidence to seal a conviction. When that success leads Foster to run for governor, Beal's unearthly hold on him turns the previously honest man corrupt, much to the displeasure of his wife and his steadfast minister.

Director

John Farrow

Writers

Jonathan Latimer, Mindret Lord

Top Billed

Ray Milland

Keywords

prostitute fog politician moral conflict pact with the devil faust film noir soul selling devil district attorney temptation rise to power mob boss political corruption false evidence docks faustian pact fixer valiant wife political machine lost souls deal with the devil run for governor

Where to watch

Rent

Buy

Top Billed Cast

Ray Milland

Nick Beal

Audrey Totter

Donna Allen

Thomas Mitchell

Joseph Foster

George Macready

Thomas Garfield

Fred Clark

Frankie Faulkner

Geraldine Wall

Martha Foster

Henry O'Neill

Judge Ben Hobbs

Darryl Hickman

Larry Price

Nestor Paiva

Karl

King Donovan

Peter Wolfe

Charles Evans

Paul Norton

Ernö Verebes

Mr. Cox

Douglas Spencer

Henry T. Finch

Arlene Jenkins

Aileen

Pepito Pérez

Poster Man

Joey Ray

Tommy Ray

Leon Alton

Supporter

Edward Biby

Party Guest

Danny Borzage

Accordionist

James Burke

Bum

James Carlisle

Man at Press Conference

Helen Chapman

Stenographer

James Conaty

Man at Press Conference

Frank Darien

Assistant Tailor

Jimmy Dime

Barfly

Ray Dolciame

Tony

Lester Dorr

Commercial Fisherman

Jimmie Dundee

Tough Politician

Franklyn Farnum

Supporter

Julia Faye

Reformer

Al Ferguson

Pedestrian

Charles Flickinger

Page Boy

Bess Flowers

Woman at Press Conference

Maxine Gates

Josie

Everett Glass

Party Guest

Dick Gordon

Man at Press Conference (uncredited)

Herschel Graham

Campaign Worker (uncredited)

Theresa Harris

Opal

Percy Helton

Lawyer

Stuart Holmes

Minister

Jerry James

Phone Worker

Richard Kipling

Reformer

Ethan Laidlaw

Commercial Fisherman

Orley Lindgren

Boy Who Brings Note

Alyn Lockwood

Woman in China Coast Cafe

Frank Mayo

Committee Man

Russell Meeker

Supporter

Harold Miller

Man at Press Conference

Howard M. Mitchell

Committee Man

Ralph Montgomery

Pedestrian

Frances Morris

Reformer

Richard Neill

Supporter

Monty O'Grady

Campaign Worker

Pat O'Malley

Committee Man

Steve Pendleton

Det. Sgt. Hill

Pat Phelan

Photographer

Elaine Riley

Telephone Woman at Mitchell's Election HQ

Jean Ruth

Adding Machine Worker

John Shay

Assistant District Attorney

John Sheehan

Reformer

Don Shelton

Banker

Charles Sherlock

Campaign Worker

Billy Snyder

Politician

Cap Somers

Campaign Worker

Robert R. Stephenson

Truck Driver

Bert Stevens

Supporter

Sid Tomack

Bartender

Philip Van Zandt

Watchman

Harold Vermilyea

Chief Justice

Joe Whitehead

Minister

Bob Coleman

James Cornell

James Davies

Donya Dean

Allan Douglas

Tom Dugan

Howard Gardiner

Jack Gargan

Bret Hamilton

Sam Harris

Supporter at Campaign HQ (uncredited)

Weldon Heyburn

Geraldine Jordan

Jean Marshall

Diana Mumby

Anton Northpole

Tim Ryan

Louise Saraydar

Bill Sheehan

Kippee Valez

Crew

John Farrow

Director

Jonathan Latimer

Screenplay

Mindret Lord

Story

Endre Bohem

Producer

Franz Waxman

Original Music Composer

Eda Warren

Editor

Lionel Lindon

Director of Photography

Charles Morton

Script Supervisor

Van Cleave

Orchestrator

Leonid Raab

Orchestrator

George Parrish

Orchestrator

Sidney Cutner

Orchestrator

Eda Warren

Supervising Editor

Stanley Williams

Gaffer

Charles Sickler

Grip

William Rand

Camera Operator

Ed Henderson

Still Photographer

Philip Wisdom

Sound

Gene Garvin

Sound

Francisco Day

Assistant Director

John L. Murphy

Production Manager

Stanley Goldsmith

Production Manager

Merle Reeves

Hairstylist

Gale McGarry

Hairstylist

Ted Larsen

Makeup Artist

Delven Armstrong

Makeup Artist

Wally Westmore

Makeup Supervisor

Mary Kay Dodson

Costume Designer

Ross Dowd

Set Decoration

Sam Comer

Set Decoration

Hans Dreier

Art Direction

Franz Bachelin

Art Direction

Reviews

John Chard

⭐ 8/10

April 22, 2015

Old Nick - Crafty Devil.

Alias Nick Beal (AKA: A few other titles...) is directed by John Farrow and adapted to screenplay by Jonathan Latimer from the Mindret Lord story. It stars Ray Milland, Audrey Totter, Thomas Mitchell and George Macready. Music is by Franz Waxman and cinematography by Lionel Lindon.

It's the Faustian legend filmed through film noir filters as Thomas Mitchell's politician unwittingly makes a deal with Ray Milland's suspicious Nick Beal.

Nicholas Beal - Agent.

It's all fogs, smogs and smoky pubs here, it's 1949 and John Farrow and his team are having a great time of things blending Faust with politico machinations. Narrative thrust comes by way of corruption and character disintegration, sprinkled naturally with your good old cinematic staple of good versus evil in bold type.

Don't touch him! He doesn't like it!

Milland is superb here, his Nick Beal is the ultimate Machiavellian Mannipulator, and the chief film makers really bring these traits to the fore. Beal is a bundle of smug grins and glinting eyes, he just appears in scenes, Farrow cunningly using various props and persons to suddenly unleash his little old devil when he is least expected. Around Nicky there are subtle changes of clothes and snatches of dialogue that hit the requisite devilish notes, Totter is our darling who is caught in Old Nick's trap, Mitchell (great) even more so.

The last time I was here was quite exciting. City was on fire. Picked up quite a lot of recruits that night. Made quite a transportation problem.

Lionel Lindon and Franz Waxman are also key components to what makes the pic work. Waxman (Sunset Blvd.) deftly shifts between big bass drums for thunder clap effects, to delicate swirls that give off other worldly - eerie - effects. Lindon (I Want to Live!) does great work isolating the eyes in light, while his fog and shadows work wouldn't be amiss in a Val Lewton picture.

This is a criminally under seen movie, it's far from perfect because the collage of genre influences give it a very unbalanced feel, but there's so much fun, spookiness and technical craft on show to make it a must see movie for fans of the stars, noir and supernatural tinged pictures. 8/10

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Alias Nick Beal (1949)

Jonathan Latimer, Mindret Lord

Where to watch

Top Billed Cast

Crew

Reviews

John Chard

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