No Man of Her Own

1950 1h 38m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 48

DramaCrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A penniless pregnant woman adopts the identity of a rich woman killed in a train crash.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Barbara Stanwyck
Helen Ferguson
John Lund
Bill Harkness
Jane Cowl
Mrs. Harkness
Phyllis Thaxter
Patrice Harkness
Lyle Bettger
Stephen Morley
Henry O'Neill
Mr. Harkness
Richard Denning
Hugh Harkness
Carole Mathews
Blonde

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mitchell Leisen
Writers: Mitchell Leisen, Sally Benson, Catherine Turney
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

76 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mitchell Leisen, shot by Daniel L. Fapp. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Hugo Friedhofer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Alma Macrorie shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Barbara Stanwyck and John Lund and Jane Cowl carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0041694 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 48 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mitchell Leisen directs. Daniel L. Fapp behind the camera. Hugo Friedhofer scores. Alma Macrorie cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

176 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Mitchell Leisen, shot by Daniel L. Fapp. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Hugo Friedhofer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Alma Macrorie shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Barbara Stanwyck and John Lund and Jane Cowl carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0041694 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 48 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
8Classified under 9 themes, including "blackmail", "train crash", "film noir", "stolen identity".

The technical file

Cinematography: Daniel L. Fapp
Original score: Hugo Friedhofer
Editing: Alma Macrorie
Costume design: Edith Head
Makeup / hair: Wally Westmore
Runtime: 98 min · 1h 38m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: No Man of Her Own (1950)

Also by

Mitchell Leisen

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2020-02-09
★ 8/10
Identity it's a crisis can't you see! No Man of Her Own is directed by Mitchell Leisen and adapted to screenplay by Sally Benson and Catherine Turney from the novel "I Married a Dead Man" written by William Irish (Cornell Woolrich. It stars Barbara Stanwyck, John Lund, Jane Cowl, Henry O'Neill, Phyllis Thaxter, Richard Denning and Lyle Bettger. Callously jilted by the man who has made her pregnant, Helen Ferguson (Stanwyck) survives a train crash and is mistaken for another woman, Patrice Harkness (Thaxter), who was killed in the crash. The woman, who she had befriended on the train, was also pregnant and recently married to a man who also died in the crash (Denning as Hugh Harkness). The rich Harkness in-laws, having never met Patrice, take who they think is Patrice into their home and even though Helen is tormented by her deceit, she spies an opportunity to give her child a grand life. But will she be found out? Will her past come to light with dire consequences?. Film noir styles meets melodramatic verve in what is still a riveting picture, even if the implausibility of it all is hard to swallow. Stanwyck gives it the whole shebang, carrying the film on her shoulders as she hits all the right emotive beats of a double characterisation that brings guilt, shame and conflict of interests. Lund is sadly bland as the Harkness sibling love interest, but the rest of the cast do sterling work, notably Cowl as the Harkness patriarch. Cowl would pass away the year of the film's release. From a film noir perspective it's disappointing that the filmic finale is different to that of Woolrich's novel. However, the story of a destitute unmarried woman thrown a bone by the vagaries of fate is in true noir fashions - as is the turn of events when things go dark in the last third as the past comes knocking at the door of settled bliss in the form of Bettger's oily Stephen Morley. A love story, a survivalist story, one of blackmail, deceit and murder, lots going on in a hugely enjoyable entertainment. 8/10

Production companies