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Possessed ()


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After being found wandering the streets of Los Angeles, a severely catatonic woman tells a doctor the complex story of how she wound up there.

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Awards:
  • Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 nomination.
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Cast verified as complete

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Louise Howell
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David Sutton
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Dean Graham
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Carol Graham
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Dr. Harvey Willard
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Harker
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Dr. Ames
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Dr. Max Sherman
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Wynn Graham (as Gerald Perreau)
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Pianist (as Jacob Gimpel)
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Nurse Rosen
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Elsie
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Asst. District Attorney
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Norris
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Dr. Craig
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Coroner's Assistant
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Interne
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Coroner
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Alban ...
Concert Spectator (uncredited)
Richard Bartell ...
Man in Cafe (uncredited)
Mary Bayless ...
Concert Spectator (uncredited)
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Man in Concert Audience (uncredited)
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Concert Spectator (uncredited)
Paul Bradley ...
Wedding Guest (uncredited)
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Man on Church Steps (uncredited)
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Pauline Graham (uncredited)
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Waiter (uncredited)
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Tom - Man at Concert (uncredited)
James Conaty ...
Jury Foreman (uncredited)
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Dr. Ames' Nurse (uncredited)
Bunty Cutler ...
Nurse (uncredited)
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Bar Patron (uncredited)
Harry Denny ...
Ticket Taker (uncredited)
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Cable Car Motorman (uncredited)
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Secretary at Inquest (uncredited)
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First College Girl (uncredited)
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Bartender (uncredited)
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Man in Hospital Corridor (uncredited)
Joseph La Cava ...
Concert Spectator (uncredited)
Perk Lazelle ...
Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Peggy Leon ...
Wedding Guest (uncredited)
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Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Max Linder ...
Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Robert Lowell ...
Face (uncredited)
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Cafe Proprietor (uncredited)
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Butler (uncredited)
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Wedding Guest (uncredited)
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Second College Girl (uncredited)
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Man (uncredited)
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Tommy (uncredited)
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Mrs. Norris - Caretaker's Wife (uncredited)
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Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Rose Plumer ...
Woman in Cafe (uncredited)
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Nightclub Waiter (uncredited)
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Concertgoer (uncredited)
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Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
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Bar Patron (uncredited)
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Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Henry Sylvester ...
Dean's Secretary (uncredited)
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Man in Cafe (uncredited)
Richard Walsh ...
Face (uncredited)
Eric Wilton ...
Wedding Guest (uncredited)

Directed by

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Curtis Bernhardt

Written by

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Silvia Richards ... (screenplay) and
Ranald MacDougall ... (screenplay)
 
Rita Weiman ... (story)

Produced by

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Jerry Wald ... producer
Jack L. Warner ... executive producer

Music by

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Franz Waxman

Cinematography by

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Joseph A. Valentine ... director of photography (as Joseph Valentine)
Sidney Hickox ... (uncredited)

Editing by

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Rudi Fehr

Art Direction by

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Anton Grot

Set Decoration by

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Fred M. MacLean

Makeup Department

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Perc Westmore ... makeup artist

Production Management

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Louis Baum ... unit manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Sherry Shourds ... assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department

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Robert B. Lee ... sound

Special Effects by

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Robert Burks ... special effects
William C. McGann ... special effects director (as William McGann)

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Adrian ... wardrobe: Miss Crawford
Bernard Newman ... wardrobe
Eugene Joseff ... costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department

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Leo F. Forbstein ... musical director
Leonid Raab ... orchestral arranger

Additional Crew

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Herschel Daugherty ... dialogue director
Donald P. Desmond ... set construction (uncredited)
George Thompson ... technical advisor (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

A woman wanders the streets of Los Angeles in some sort of emotional distress. She is also under some delusion as she approaches many men, strangers who she calls "David." Eventually, an ambulance is called, the attendants who take her to the hospital, where she is eventually placed in the psychiatric ward. Placing her under some medication to help her remember, Dr. Harvey Willard, the psychiatrist on duty, is able to get some semblance of a story out of her over the ensuing days. This phase of her life begins just over a year ago when she, single RN Louise Howell, is employed by wealthy Dean Graham to take care of his chronically ill and largely bedridden wife, Pauline Graham, at their lake house outside of Washington, D.C. Due to her circumstances, Pauline believes that Dean and Louise are having an affair behind her back. Louise can see that Dean does have feelings for her that way in his loneliness. The "David" in question is David Sutton, a civil engineer who lives across the lake from the Grahams, and who has been having a secret affair with Louise. That relationship was meant to be casual, but David tries to break it off with her when he sees that she has fallen in love with him to an obsessional state. Louise begins to manipulate the situation to be in David's life, even if only peripherally. Louise also begins to feel that if she can't have David, nobody else should. Louise is eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia during this time--something she does not mention to anyone in her life--which places her story to Dr. Willard in some context, including what of the story is real and what is all part of her delusion. Written by Huggo

Plot Keywords
Taglines In all your life you've seen no portrayals to match the thrill of the unquenchable love of Joan Crawford for Van Heflin in "Possessed". See more »
Genres
Parents Guide View content advisory »
Certification

Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • The Secret (United States)
  • One Man's Secret (United States)
  • Possédée (France)
  • La possédée (France)
  • Hemmungslose Liebe (Germany)
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Runtime
  • 108 min
Country
Language
Color
Aspect Ratio
Sound Mix
Filming Locations

Box Office

Budget $2,592,000 (estimated)
Cumulative Worldwide Gross $1,085,000

Did You Know?

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Trivia Star Joan Crawford reportedly said, "I will not go on with this picture unless the Epstein Boys rewrite my part." Twin brothers Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein were then on suspension from the studio. In order to get them to accede to Crawford's demands, executive producer Jack L. Warner had to take them off suspension and give them back pay for their uncredited rewrite Crawford wanted. See more »
Goofs During the opening sequence, while Louise is wandering the streets of Los Angeles, her shoes change from pumps to sling-backs and back again. See more »
Movie Connections Edited into The Time That Remains (2012). See more »
Soundtracks Carnaval, Opus 9 See more »
Quotes Dr. Harvey Williard: How many does this make?
Interne: Twenty today: 1 manic, 3 seniles, 6 alcoholics, and 10 schizos.
Dr. Harvey Williard: Going up all the time. This civilization of ours is a worse disease than heart trouble or tuberculosis, and we can't escape it.
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