Too Late for Tears

Too Late for Tears
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Byron Haskin
Screenplay by	Roy Huggins
Based on	Too Late for Tears by Roy Huggins[1]
Produced by	Hunt Stromberg
Starring	Lizabeth Scott Don DeFore Dan Duryea Arthur Kennedy Kristine Miller
Cinematography	William C. Mellor
Edited by	Harry Keller
Music by	R. Dale Butts
Production company	Hunt Stromberg Productions
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date	July 3, 1949 (1949-07-03)
Running time	100 minutes[2]
Country	United States
Language	English

Too Late for Tears is a 1949 American film noir starring Lizabeth Scott, Don DeFore, and Dan Duryea. Directed by Byron Haskin, its plot follows a ruthless woman who resorts to multiple murders in an attempt to retain a suitcase containing US$60,000 ($609,000 in 2023) that does not belong to her. The screenplay was written by Roy Huggins, developed from a serial he wrote for The Saturday Evening Post. Arthur Kennedy, Kristine Miller, and Barry Kelley appear in support.

Originally released by United Artists in the summer of 1949, the film was reissued under the alternate title Killer Bait in 1955. It received mixed reviews from critics. The film was a box-office bomb, and its financial failure resulted in the film's producer, Hunt Stromberg, filing bankruptcy. In the years since its release, it has been noted for featuring one of Scott's strongest performances,^[3] and her character one of the most vicious femme fatales in film noir.^[4]

Too Late for Tears has long been in the public domain and available in varying cuts. In 2015, the UCLA Film and Television Archive and Film Noir Foundation undertook extensive restoration of the film, combining elements sourced from France with additional material from the surviving 35 mm and 16 mm prints. The restored version of the film was released in 2016 on Blu-ray by Flicker Alley in the United States, and Arrow Films in the United Kingdom. The film has developed a cult following in the years since its release.^[5]