George Nader plays a reporter whose career is ruined by liquor. A comeback opportunity presents itself when he is a bystander at the arrest of a well-known criminal.George Nader plays a reporter whose career is ruined by liquor. A comeback opportunity presents itself when he is a bystander at the arrest of a well-known criminal.George Nader plays a reporter whose career is ruined by liquor. A comeback opportunity presents itself when he is a bystander at the arrest of a well-known criminal.
Ralph Brooks
- Joe - Newspaper Man
- (uncredited)
Raoul Freeman
- Burlesque Club Patron
- (uncredited)
Bill Hickman
- Farrell - Police Detective
- (uncredited)
Rusty Lane
- Pat O'Connell - Bartender
- (uncredited)
John Phillips
- Reporter
- (uncredited)
- …
Jeffrey Sayre
- Burlesque Club Patron
- (uncredited)
Charles Sherlock
- Reporter
- (uncredited)
Bert Stevens
- Burlesque Club Patron
- (uncredited)
Hal Taggart
- Burlesque Club Patron
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFilming began with Jeffrey Hunter in the lead, but a serious case of hepatitis caused him to be replaced with George Nader after one day of shooting.
Featured review
Character study meets noir
Well, I don't know about anybody else, but it gave off character study vibes to me. I'm fascinated by movies that examine someone's personal struggles, even more so if they grow and develop throughout the course of the story. Otherwise, if they're one-dimensional, and don't learn anything as they go along, that's just boring. Appointment with a Shadow is an exceptionally crafted film about former newspaper reporter Paul (George Nader) who lost his job as a result of his alcoholism. His girlfriend Penny (Joanna Moore), also a reporter, believes he has the potential to bounce back, so she gives him a tip that could help him re-launch his career. There is one condition: he has to go without a drink for 24 hours. Despite experiencing major withdrawal, he accepts the challenge. Penny's brother, Lt. Spencer (Brian Keith), thinks she's wasting her time trying to help him become sober. So essentially, Paul has to prove himself. This is one of many B films that contains brilliant performances. George Nader was so convincing as an alcoholic who was trying his hardest to stay sober for a full day. You could see the desperation, physically and emotionally. He was shaking, sweating, unable to stay focused on a task, jumpy - he got startled by every little noise. You don't see acting like that anymore. Also, a couple of amusing things were added in to lighten the mood: two beatniks playing music in a hotel room that he fell into through a window. The nerdy guy who works backstage in a gentleman's club and spends all of his time reading, completely unphased by the women around him. I just thought that was clever. The pacing was consistent and the characters were engaging. I was glad Paul wasn't made out to be a stereotypical alcoholic. He wasn't violent or nasty. He was an affable person, thus making his character likeable. Otherwise, if he was the raging type, I probably wouldn't have been interested. And to think, this was inspired by a story that was published in a magazine. It's a fantastic noir that will hold your attention. Don't pay attention to the negative reviews.
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- tiffanie_says_stay_in_your_lane
- Dec 20, 2023
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- If I Should Die
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 12 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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By what name was Appointment with a Shadow (1957) officially released in India in English?
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