Hold Back Tomorrow

Hold Back Tomorrow
Hold Back Tomorrow
	Poster
Directed by	Hugo Haas
Written by	Hugo Haas
Produced by	Hugo Hass
Starring	Cleo Moore; John Agar
Cinematography	Paul Ivano
Edited by	Henry DeMond
Music by	Sidney Cutner
Color process	Black and white
Production; company	Hugo Hass Productions
Distributed by	Universal International
Release date	November 1955;
Running time	75 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Hold Back Tomorrow is a 1955 American film noir drama film directed by Hugo Haas and starring Cleo Moore and John Agar.

Plot

In an unnamed country, Joe Cardos, a double murderer awaiting hanging in an isolation cell the next morning, is allowed by law to have one last request before his execution. He tells the warden that despite his earlier wishes to be left alone, he now wants to spend his final night having fun in the company of a woman and, to provide the music for his party, two musicians. Despite his misgivings, the humane warden is sympathetic to the inmate, who is an angry disturbed man who has refused any contact with his stepsister or the prison padre. After a fruitless search for volunteers at the local brothel, the police find Dora Garben, a destitute and depressed woman who has attempted suicide at the beginning of the film. After some hostile interactions, Dora breaks down Joe's anger and they realise they have much in common. Joe discloses to Dora her his dream in which the rope breaks as the trapdoor opens and the death bells ring. Apparently by law, this would mean the hanged man would be freed. The couple become closer and, in spite of their unusual circumstances, fall in love. In the absence of the musicians, Joe asks one of the warders to borrow his American radio, and the couple dance. Just before the time of the hanging, Joe persuades the prison chaplain to marry them. The warden's wife and the man's stepsister attend as witnesses. Joe reconciles with his stepsister at last. He is led down a corridor to the gallows. Dora and the stepsister go into the prison chapel and, as the death bells toll, they pray for Joe's dream miracle to come true.

Cast

Cleo Moore as Dora Garben
John Agar as Joe Cardos
Frank DeKova as Priest
Dallas Boyd as Warden
Steffi Sidney as Clara
Mel Welles as First Guard
Harry Guardino as Detective
Mona Knox as Escort Girl
Arlene Harris as Proprietress
Kay Riehl as Warden's Wife
Jan Englund as Girl
Pat Goldin as Dancing Comedian

Production

The film is inspired by novella Tonka of the Gallows by Egon Erwin Kisch, which was previously adapted into film as Tonka of the Gallows (1936).^[1] This was the second film to co-star Moore and Agar, who had appeared together in 1954's Bait, which was also directed by Hugo Haas. Agar was a Universal contract player at the time of this film, and Moore was on loan from Columbia Pictures.

External links

Hold Back Tomorrow at IMDb
Hold Back Tomorrow at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
Hold Back Tomorrow at the TCM Movie Database

References

^ Campbell, Russell (5 April 2006). Marked Women Prostitutes and Prostitution in the Cinema. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 133. ISBN 9780299212537. Retrieved 14 January 2024.

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[1] Campbell, Russell (5 April 2006). Marked Women Prostitutes and Prostitution in the Cinema. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 133. ISBN 9780299212537. Retrieved 14 January 2024.

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