| Detour (1945) is a film noir thriller that stars Tom Neal, Ann Savage, Claudia Drake and Edmund MacDonald. The movie was adapted by Martin Goldsmith and Martin Mooney (uncredited) from Goldsmith's novel of the same name and was directed by Edgar G. Ulmer. The 68-minute film was released by the Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC), one of the so-called "poverty row" film studios in mid-twentieth century Hollywood. Although made on a small budget with bare sets and straightforward camera work, Detour has gathered much praise through the years and is held in high regard. Tom Neal as Al Roberts Ann Savage as Vera Claudia Drake as Sue Harvey Edmund MacDonald as Charles Haskell Jr Tim Ryan as Nevada Diner Proprietor Esther Howard as Holly, Diner Waitress Pat Gleason as Joe, Trucker at Diner Don Brodie as the Used Car Salesman In 1972, Director Ulmer said in an interview that the film was shot in six days. In a 2004 documentary Ulmer's daughter Arianne presented a shooting script title page which noted, "June 14, 1945-June 29. Camera days 14."[2] Ann Savage was contracted to PRC for the production of Detour for three six-day weeks. She later said the film was shot in four six-day weeks with an additional four days of location work in the desert at Lancaster, California.[3] While popular belief long held that Detour was shot for about $20000, Noah Isenberg, in doing research for his book on the film, discovered that the film's actual cost was upwards of $100000. As detailed in ... |
