Nightmare Alley (1947 film)

Nightmare Alley
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Edmund Goulding
Screenplay by	Jules Furthman
Based on	Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham
Produced by	George Jessel
Starring	Tyrone Power Joan Blondell Coleen Gray Helen Walker
Cinematography	Lee Garmes
Edited by	Barbara McLean
Music by	Cyril J. Mockridge
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date	October 9, 1947 (1947-10-09) (New York City)[1]
Running time	111 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Nightmare Alley is a 1947 American film noir directed by Edmund Goulding from a screenplay by Jules Furthman.^[2] Based on William Lindsay Gresham's 1946 novel of the same name, it stars Tyrone Power, with Joan Blondell, Coleen Gray, and Helen Walker in supporting roles. Power, wishing to expand beyond the romantic and swashbuckler roles that brought him to fame, requested 20th Century Fox's studio chief Darryl F. Zanuck to buy the rights to the novel so he could star as the unsavory lead^[3] "The Great Stanton", a scheming carnival barker.

The film premiered in the United States on October 9, 1947, then went into wide release on October 28, 1947, later having six more European releases between November 1947 to May 1954.

As noted on the DVD commentary track by Alain Silver and James Ursini, Nightmare Alley was somewhat unusual among film noir in having top stars, production staff and a relatively large budget. The film was not a financial success upon its original release but has since found acclaim and is regarded as a classic.