No Way Out (1950 film)

No Way Out
Theatrical release poster by Paul Rand
Directed byJoseph L. Mankiewicz
Written by
Produced byDarryl F. Zanuck
Starring
CinematographyMilton R. Krasner
Edited byBarbara McLean
Music byAlfred Newman
Production
company
20th Century Fox
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release dates
  • August 17, 1950 (1950-08-17) (New York)[1]
  • October 1950 (1950-10) (United States)[1]
Running time
107 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1.3 million[2][3]

No Way Out is a 1950 American crime drama film noir[4] directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and starring Sidney Poitier in his film debut, alongside Richard Widmark, Linda Darnell and Stephen McNally. The film centers on an African American doctor who confronts the racism of a poor slum after he treats a racist white criminal.

No Way Out was controversial in its "graphic representation of racial violence" in what director Mankiewicz termed "the absolute blood and guts of Negro hating." The film marked the feature-acting debuts of Poitier, Mildred Joanne Smith, and Ossie Davis.[5][6]

Mankiewicz and Lesser Samuels were also nominated for Best Story and Screenplay at the 23rd Academy Awards, losing to Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder, and D. M. Marshman Jr. for Sunset Boulevard.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference AFI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Top Grosses of 1950". Variety. January 3, 1951. p. 58.
  3. ^ Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century-Fox: A Corporate and Financial History Rowman & Littlefield, 2002 p 223
  4. ^ Selby 1984, p. 167.
  5. ^ Quigley, 2004
  6. ^ Barnes, Mike (2015-07-24). "Mildred Joanne Smith, Actress in Poitier's 'No Way Out,' Dies at 94". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2015-08-23.