Deadline at Dawn

This strikingly stylized psychological thriller boasts a remarkable pedigree: written by Clifford Odets, based on a novel by noir icon Cornell Woolrich, and lensed by famed cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca, it was the only film helmed by legendary stage director (and Group Theatre cofounder) Harold Clurman. Bill Williams stars as Alex, a sailor whose troubles begin when he wakes up with only dim memories of where or what he was drinking the night before and discovers a mysterious $1,400 in his pocket. Susan Hayward makes an impression in one of the first of the tough-girl roles that would become her specialty.