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Out of the Past ()

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A private eye escapes his past to run a gas station in a small town, but his past catches up with him. Now he must return to the big city world of danger, corruption, double crosses, and duplicitous dames.
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Photos and Videos

164 photos | 1 video

Cast verified as complete

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Jeff
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Kathie
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Whit
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Meta Carson
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Jim
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Fisher
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Ann
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Joe
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The Kid
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Eels
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
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Kibitzer in Blue Sky Club (uncredited)
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Tillotson - Night Clerk (uncredited)
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Mexican Waiter (uncredited)
Wesley Bly ...
Harlem Club Headwaiter (uncredited)
Mildred Boyd ...
Woman at Harlem Club (uncredited)
Hubert Brill ...
Car Manipulator (uncredited)
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Doorman (uncredited)
Ted Collins ...
Man at Harlem Club (uncredited)
James Conaty ...
Bartender in Acapulco (uncredited)
Homer Dickenson ...
Kibitzer in Blue Sky Club (uncredited)
Lee Elson ...
Policeman (uncredited)
Jess Escobar ...
Mexican Doorman (uncredited)
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Marny - Cafe Owner (uncredited)
Rudy Germane ...
Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
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Mrs. Miller (uncredited)
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Eunice Leonard (uncredited)
Harry Hayden ...
Canby Miller (uncredited)
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Lou Baylord (uncredited)
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Kibitzer in Blue Sky Club (uncredited)
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Mexican Bellhop (uncredited)
Philip Morris ...
The Porter (uncredited)
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Croupier (uncredited)
Caleb Peterson ...
Man with Eunice (uncredited)
Jose Portugal ...
Mexican Waiter (uncredited)
Charles Regan ...
Mystery Man (uncredited)
Victor Romito ...
Mexican Waiter (uncredited)
Tony Roux ...
Jose Rodriguez (uncredited)
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Man in Nightclub Cloakroom (uncredited)
Wallace Scott ...
Petey (uncredited)
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Rafferty (uncredited)
William Van Vleck ...
Cigar Store Clerk (uncredited)
Bill Wallace ...
Kibitzer in Blue Sky Club (uncredited)
Sam Warren ...
Harlem Club Waiter (uncredited)
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Sheriff Ed Douglas (uncredited)

Directed by

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Jacques Tourneur

Written by

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Daniel Mainwaring ... (screen play by) (as Geoffrey Homes)
 
Daniel Mainwaring ... (based on his novel "Build My Gallows High") (as Geoffrey Homes)
 
James M. Cain ... () (uncredited)
 
Frank Fenton ... () (uncredited)

Produced by

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Warren Duff ... producer (produced by)
Robert Sparks ... executive producer

Music by

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Roy Webb

Cinematography by

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Nicholas Musuraca ... director of photography

Editing by

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Samuel E. Beetley

Art Direction by

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Albert S. D'Agostino
Jack Okey

Set Decoration by

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Darrell Silvera ... (set decorations)
John McCarthy Jr. ... (uncredited) (set decorations)

Costume Design by

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Edward Stevenson ... (gowns)

Makeup Department

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Gordon Bau ... makeup supervisor
Mel Berns ... makeup department head (uncredited)

Production Management

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James H. Anderson ... unit manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Harry Mancke ... assistant director
Earl Harper ... assistant director (uncredited)
Lynn Shores ... second unit director (uncredited)

Sound Department

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Clem Portman ... sound
Francis M. Sarver ... sound

Special Effects by

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Russell A. Cully ... special effects

Visual Effects by

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Linwood G. Dunn ... optical effects (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Eugene Joseff ... costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department

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C. Bakaleinikoff ... musical director

Additional Crew

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Boyd Cabeen ... stand-in: Robert Mitchum (uncredited)
Robert De Grasse ... fill-in photographer (uncredited)
Frank Fenton ... screenplay constructor (uncredited)
Margery Gutterman ... stand-in: Jane Greer (uncredited)
Leonard Shannon ... unit publicity writer (uncredited)
Crew verified as complete

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

Small-town gas pumper Jeff Bailey's mysterious past catches up with him one day when he's ordered to meet with gambler Whit Sterling. En route to the meeting, he tells girlfriend Ann his story. Flashback: Once, Jeff was a private eye hired by Sterling to find his mistress Kathie, who shot Whit and absconded with $40,000. He traces her to Acapulco, where the delectable Kathie makes Jeff forget all about Sterling. Back in the present, Whit's new job for Jeff is clearly a trap, but Jeff's precautions only leave him more tightly enmeshed. Written by Rod Crawford

Plot Keywords
Taglines Out Of A Past Black As Night comes a crime scarlet as their guilty love! See more »
Genres
Parents Guide View content advisory »
Certification

Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • Build My Gallows High (United States)
  • Build My Gallows High (India, English title)
  • Build My Gallows High (United Kingdom)
  • La griffe du passé (France)
  • Pendez-moi haut et court (France)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 97 min
Country
Language
Color
Aspect Ratio
Sound Mix
Filming Locations

Did You Know?

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Trivia Robert Mitchum told Roger Ebert he smoked so much that when the camera was rolling and Kirk Douglas offered him a pack and asked, "Cigarette?" Mitchum, realizing he'd carried a cigarette into the scene, held up his fingers and replied, "Smoking." His improvisation saved the take and they kept it in the movie. See more »
Goofs Leonard Eels' apartment at 114 Fulton Street would be part of the block then occupied by the main branch of the San Francisco Public Library (now the Asian Art Museum). See more »
Movie Connections Edited into Film Noir (1995). See more »
Soundtracks The First Time I Saw You See more »
Quotes [Kathie is playing roulette]
Jeff: That's not the way to win.
Kathie: Is there a way to win?
Jeff: There's a way to lose more slowly.
See more »
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