Repeat Performance

Repeat Performance
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Alfred L. Werker
Screenplay by	Walter Bullock
Based on	Repeat Performance 1942 novel by William O'Farrell
Produced by	Aubrey Schenck
Starring	Louis Hayward Joan Leslie Tom Conway
Cinematography	L. William O'Connell
Edited by	Louis Sackin
Music by	George Antheil
Color process	Black and white
Production company	Bryan For Productions
Distributed by	Eagle-Lion Films
Release date	May 22, 1947 (1947-05-22)
Running time	92 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$600,000[1] or $1.3 million[2]

Repeat Performance is a 1947 American film noir (with fantasy elements) starring Louis Hayward and Joan Leslie. The film was released by Eagle-Lion Films, directed by Alfred L. Werker, and produced by Aubrey Schenck.

Plot[]

On New Year's Eve 1946, a woman is standing over her dead husband with a gun in her hand. She panics and goes to two friends for help. While seeking help from the friends at a pair of parties, she wishes that she could live 1946 all over again.

Magically, on the way to see the trusted producer John Friday for advice, she tells the poet William Williams about her desire for a re-do exactly at the strike of midnight on New Year's. Her wish is granted and she is transported back to the beginning of 1946 with her husband alive. She attempts to relive the year without making the mistakes she and her friends made throughout the year, but certain events repeat themselves, including Williams being committed to a psychiatric institution. Nonetheless, Sheila is left to question whether there really is such a thing as fate or not.

The story climaxes again on New Year's Eve, when through Sheila's interferences over the year, her husband, a sloppy alcoholic hopelessly devoted to Paula Costello, a now-disinterested fellow playwright, becomes convinced that his spouse is trying to destroy him. He violently confronts her. This time, her friend William, who believes in Sheila's foresight, shoots her husband with her gun.

Cast[]

• Louis Hayward as Barney Page
• Joan Leslie as Sheila Page
• Virginia Field as Paula Costello
• Tom Conway as John Friday
• Richard Basehart as William Williams
• Natalie Schafer as Eloise Shaw
• Benay Venuta as Bess Michaels
• Ilka Grüning as Mattle
• John Ireland as Narrator (uncredited)
• Eric Wilton as Reveler (uncredited)

Production[]

The film changed the original story where the girl was the villain because it was felt Joan Leslie could not play a villain.^[1] Also, in the book by William O'Farrell, the Richard Basehart character called William Williams was a cross dressing poet.^[3]

Restoration[]

The film was restored after a screening in 2007 featuring a guest appearance by cast member Joan Leslie resulted in the discovery that a 35mm print had badly decomposed. The Film Noir Foundation, UCLA and others then followed up with restoration of the film, now available on Blu Ray.^[4]

Remake[]

This film was remade as the television film Turn Back the Clock (1989) directed by Larry Elikann. It featured Connie Sellecca, David Dukes, Jere Burns, Wendy Kilbourne and original cast member Joan Leslie.

See also[]

• List of films featuring time loops

References[]

External links[]

• Repeat Performance at IMDb
• Repeat Performance at the TCM Movie Database
• Repeat Performance at AllMovie
• Repeat Performance at the American Film Institute Catalog
• Turner Classic Movie's "Noir Alley" with host Eddie Muller on "Repeat Performance" (1947) https://www.tcm.com/video/1558166/noir-alley-eddie-muller-on-repeat-performance-1947