This Gun for Hire (1942) on Netflix
Passed19421h 21mCrimeDramaFilm-Noir
Hit man Philip Raven kills a blackmailer and is paid in marked bills. Ellen Graham, a singer engaged to the detective hunting Raven, is recruited to spy on Raven's employer, Willard Gates.
- Netflix3.5/5
- IMDb7.3/1011,793 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes94%
Trailer
Plot summary
Philip Raven, a hit man, shoots blackmailer Albert Baker and recovers a stolen chemical formula. His employer, Willard Gates, pays him in marked bills and reports them stolen from his Los Angeles company, Nitro Chemical. Once Raven realizes he has been tricked, he goes after Gates. In San Francisco, Lieutenant Michael Crane is visiting Ellen Graham, a nightclub singer and stage magician, when the killing is assigned to him, and Raven gives him the slip. Gates hires Ellen for his Los Angeles club after an audition. At a clandestine meeting, Senator Burnett says the company is suspected of treason and recruits her to watch Gates. Gates and Ellen take the train to Los Angeles, with Raven following, and Raven happens to sit beside Ellen.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about This Gun for Hire (1942)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Frank Tuttle had difficulty casting the part of Raven, and claimed he looked at six stars without finding one suitable, among them Alan Baxter and DeForest Kelley. Alan Ladd screen tested, was cast by September, and signed a long-term Paramount contract.
- Yvonne De Carlo had an early role with a single line, "Cigarette, sir?", in the Neptune Club scene. Making the film got her fired from her job dancing for Earl Carroll.
- Alan Ladd received only fourth billing in This Gun for Hire, but the film made him a star on the strength of fan reaction and critical praise.
