Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Kiss Me Deadly

  • 19551955
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 46m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
20K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
10,786
197
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Watch Trailer
Play trailer2:15
2 Videos
99+ Photos
CrimeFilm-NoirMystery
A doomed female hitchhiker pulls Mike Hammer into a deadly whirlpool of intrigue, revolving around a mysterious "great whatsit".A doomed female hitchhiker pulls Mike Hammer into a deadly whirlpool of intrigue, revolving around a mysterious "great whatsit".A doomed female hitchhiker pulls Mike Hammer into a deadly whirlpool of intrigue, revolving around a mysterious "great whatsit".
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
20K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
10,786
197
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Robert Aldrich
    • Writers
      • Mickey Spillane(novel "Kiss Me, Deadly")
      • A.I. Bezzerides(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Ralph Meeker
      • Albert Dekker
      • Paul Stewart
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Robert Aldrich
    • Writers
      • Mickey Spillane(novel "Kiss Me, Deadly")
      • A.I. Bezzerides(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Ralph Meeker
      • Albert Dekker
      • Paul Stewart
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 214User reviews
    • 128Critic reviews
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 1 nomination

    Videos2

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:15
    Trailer
    Cowboys! Detectives! Giant Bugs! B-Movie History!
    Clip 5:23
    Cowboys! Detectives! Giant Bugs! B-Movie History!

    Photos124

    Ralph Meeker in Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
    Maxine Cooper and Ralph Meeker in Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
    Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
    Albert Dekker in Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
    Gaby Rodgers in Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
    Albert Dekker and Gaby Rodgers in Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
    Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
    Wesley Addy and Bing Russell in Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
    Wesley Addy and Ralph Meeker in Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
    Leonard Mudie in Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
    Ralph Meeker and Leonard Mudie in Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
    Ralph Meeker in Kiss Me Deadly (1955)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ralph Meeker
    Ralph Meeker
    • Mike Hammer
    Albert Dekker
    Albert Dekker
    • Dr. G.E. Soberin
    Paul Stewart
    Paul Stewart
    • Carl Evello
    Juano Hernandez
    Juano Hernandez
    • Eddie Yeager
    Wesley Addy
    Wesley Addy
    • Lt. Pat Murphy
    Marian Carr
    Marian Carr
    • Friday
    • (as Marion Carr)
    Marjorie Bennett
    Marjorie Bennett
    • Manager
    Mort Marshall
    Mort Marshall
    • Ray Diker
    Fortunio Bonanova
    Fortunio Bonanova
    • Carmen Trivago
    Strother Martin
    Strother Martin
    • Harvey Wallace
    Mady Comfort
    Mady Comfort
    • Nightclub Singer
    • (as Madi Comfort)
    James McCallion
    James McCallion
    • Horace
    Robert Cornthwaite
    Robert Cornthwaite
    • FBI Agent
    Silvio Minciotti
    • Mover
    Nick Dennis
    Nick Dennis
    • Nick Va Va Voom
    Ben Morris
    • Radio Announcer
    Jack Elam
    Jack Elam
    • Charlie Max
    Paul Richards
    Paul Richards
    • Attacker
    • Director
      • Robert Aldrich
    • Writers
      • Mickey Spillane(novel "Kiss Me, Deadly")
      • A.I. Bezzerides(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Detour
    7.3
    Detour
    The Big Heat
    7.9
    The Big Heat
    Murder, My Sweet
    7.5
    Murder, My Sweet
    The Killers
    7.8
    The Killers
    Gun Crazy
    7.6
    Gun Crazy
    Pickup on South Street
    7.6
    Pickup on South Street
    The Asphalt Jungle
    7.8
    The Asphalt Jungle
    Night and the City
    7.9
    Night and the City
    Out of the Past
    8.0
    Out of the Past
    In a Lonely Place
    7.9
    In a Lonely Place
    Criss Cross
    7.4
    Criss Cross
    Laura
    7.9
    Laura

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The first of three Robert Aldrich-directed films which begin with someone crying over the credits.
    • Goofs
      (at around 1h 10 mins) The singer is shown standing with both hands on the microphone stand. When Hammer is sitting at the bar, during the same song, the singer is shown in a reflection playing a piano and not singing, though she is still heard singing.
    • Quotes

      Mike Hammer: You're never around when I need you.

      Velda: You never need me when I'm around.

    • Crazy credits
      The opening credits scroll down instead of the usual up, resulting in needing to read them bottom to top.
    • Alternate versions
      Until 1997, all known copies in circulation of "Kiss Me Deadly" ended rather abruptly: the wounded Mike Hammer stumbling through the beach house looking for his partner Velda, and then there's a couple of brief shots of the house exploding and burning, with "The End" superimposed on the final shot. The music is cut off instead of fading out, and the screen turns black; it looks like Mike and Velda died in the blaze.
    • Connections
      Edited into American Cinema: Film Noir (1995)
    • Soundtracks
      Rather Have the Blues
      Sung by Nat 'King' Cole

      Written by Frank De Vol (uncredited)

      [Played on the car radio during the opening title card and credits]

    User reviews214

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    The quest for the great whatsit
    First-rate Mickey Spillane adaptation, easily the best film version of any of his novels that I've seen. Private eye Mike Hammer (Ralph Meeker) investigates the reasons behind the death of a hitchhiker (Cloris Leachman in her film debut). It's a gritty, tough, violent noir with some good dialogue and morally grey (at best) characters. Meeker's the perfect Hammer. Albert Dekker has a small but important part. The rest of the cast is good except for Nick Dennis, who goes full Eli Wallach in his role as Hammer's mechanic friend. Robert Aldrich directs with style. The ending is pretty cool, but it's definitely one of those "love it or hate it" things. It's certainly memorable, which I think most of us can agree is part of what makes any film great.
    helpful•15
    4
    • utgard14
    • Jul 17, 2017

    FAQ4

    • Why are there two different endings?
    • Which one is the original ending?
    • What is the European ending?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 28, 1955 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Italian
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • Mickey Spillane's Kiss Me Deadly
    • Filming locations
      • Clay Street, Bunker Hill, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Parklane Pictures Inc.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $410,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $726,000
    • Gross worldwide
      • $952,000
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 46 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Kiss Me Deadly (1955) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    New & Upcoming Superhero Movies and Series
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    Fall TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list
    View image
    Photos
    These Stars Are on the Rise
    See the gallery

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Back to top
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more access
    Sign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.