IMDb RATING
7.0/10
2.6K
YOUR RATING
Three strangers, each dealing with a serious problem, share a sweepstakes ticket which they wished upon together before a Chinese idol.Three strangers, each dealing with a serious problem, share a sweepstakes ticket which they wished upon together before a Chinese idol.Three strangers, each dealing with a serious problem, share a sweepstakes ticket which they wished upon together before a Chinese idol.
Norman Ainsley
- Mr. Giesing
- (uncredited)
Edward Biby
- Man on the Street
- (uncredited)
Benny Burt
- Drunken Stranger
- (uncredited)
John Burton
- Narrator
- (uncredited)
Woodrow Chambliss
- Man in Pub
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to Robert Osborne of TCM, this film was at one point intended to be a sequel to The Maltese Falcon (1941). Following the success of that film, Warner Bros. wanted to make a sequel. "Falcon" writer/director John Huston said he'd previously written an un-filmed script for Warner Bros. that would be appropriate and would only require the character names to be changed to the Humphrey Bogart, Sydney Greenstreet and Mary Astor characters. However, Warner Bros. discovered they did not own the rights to the characters except for their appearance in "The Maltese Falcon."
- GoofsWhen David is in Crystal's apartment - she kisses him, he turns away, and she burns the back of his right hand with her cigarette. He yanks it away and yells in pain while holding it, yet later that day when he's sitting at a table with his girlfriend Janet, the back of his right hand can briefly be seen a few times and there is no burn or mark of any kind on it at all.
- Quotes
Johnny West: Don't ever get mixed up with a Chinese goddess. That's the worst thing that can happen, the very worst.
- Alternate versionsAlso available in a computer colorized version.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Frances Farmer Presents: Three Strangers (1959)
- SoundtracksWaltz No. 15 in A-flat major Op. 39
(uncredited)
Music by Johannes Brahms
Played on the piano by Johnny
Featured review
Three Strangers (1946)
A woman entices two strangers to her home to fulfill an unusual Chinese prophecy, granting a wish... in this case, a horse race ticket that they hope to be a winner. With a screenplay by John Huston and appearances by Lorre and Greenstreet, and a figurine as a major plot device, you might expect a MALTESE FALCON retread. But this is a very different story. I hesitate to call it noir, although it does have some of the visual stylization and explores some of man's darker impulses. But it's really more of a triptych character study. The three represent different moral stances: Fitzgerald is conniving and ruthless, Greenstreet does something wrong but at least has enough decency to be conflicted about it, and Lorre is simply a carefree drunk who trusts the wrong people. I didn't count the minutes, but it felt like Lorre got the most screen time, and deservedly so. I don't know if I've ever seen a better performance from him, certainly not a more likable one. He's a charming character with a thoughtful outlook on life. His story also has the benefit of wonderful turns by Peter Whitney and especially Joan Lorring, a very appealing actress I've never seen before, but I'm delighted to see appears in a few more noirs I intended to see. Greenstreet's and Fitzgerald's plot threads are interesting as well, and the way all they come together and resolve at the end is satisfying. It's a quirky film with a very good script, quite fulfilling.
- MartinTeller
- Jan 2, 2012
- Permalink
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $457,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 32 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content