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== Produzione ==

James M. Cain's novel Double Indemnity was serialized in Liberty magazine. Although Joseph Sistrom is listed as producer in various contemporary sources, the SAB at the AMPAS Library recorded that no producer was to be listed. Contemporary reviews suggested that author James M. Cain was inspired to write this story after the 1927 murder of Albert Snyder, who was murdered by his wife, Ruth Brown, a flapper, and her boyfriend, Henry Judd Gray, a married corset salesman. Mrs. Snyder took out a $100,000 life insurance policy on her husband in 1926, and after several failed attempts at killing him herself, she enlisted the assistance of Gray. A jury found Mrs. Snyder and Gray guilty of murder, and they were executed for their crimes in 1928 at Sing Sing Prison. Information in the MPAA/PCA Files at the AMPAS Library reveals the following about the production: Although it was not published until 1943, Cain's novel was first submitted to the PCA as a basis for a film production in 1935 by L. B. Mayer. In Oct 1935, PCA director Joseph I. Breen responded that "the story is in violation of the provisions of the Production Code" and was "almost certain to result in a picture which we would be compelled to reject." Among the story violations he cited were that "the leading characters are murderers who cheat the law and die at their own hands; the story deals improperly with an illicit and adulterous sex relationship; [and] the details of the vicious and cold-blooded murder are clearly shown." A copy of this letter was subsequently sent to Jack L. Warner at Warner Bros. and Columbia Pictures Corp. in 1935, and Paramount in Mar 1943. In Sep 1943, Breen wrote to Paramount that he had "read the part script, part outline treatment" and that it appeared to be acceptable. Among other things, Breen noted that in the opening sequences, the "bath towel must properly cover Phyllis, and should certainly go below her knees. There must be no unacceptable exposure," and that the "whole sequence of the detailed disposition of the corpse is unacceptable...as a too detailed exposition of crime...We strongly urge, therefore, that you fade out after they take the body from the car...." Scripts in the Paramount Script Collection at the AMPAS Library show that in Sep 1943, director Billy Wilder was considering using either the ending that is now seen in the final released print, or an ending in which "Walter Neff" is arrested and executed in a gas chamber. In a Dec 1943 letter to Paramount, Breen noted the following: "We have read the balance of the script...As we advised you before, this whole sequence in the death chamber seems very questionable in its present form. Specifically, the details of the execution...seem unduly gruesome from the standpoint of the Code, and also will certainly be deleted by censor boards...." Although the execution sequence was shot, it was cut after previews. According to modern sources, Billy Wilder chose to cut the execution scene over Raymond Chandler's protests as it did not conform with his vision of the film. The CBCS lists the following seven actors who appeared in the execution scene: Alan Bridge ( Execution chamber guard ), Edward Hearn ( Warden's secretary ), George Anderson ( Warden ), Boyd Irwin ( 1st doctor ), Lee Shumway ( Door guard ), George Melford ( 2d doctor ), William O'Leary ( Chaplain ). According to HR news items, Brian Donlevy was considered for the cast, and Susan Hayward and Mona Freeman were initially cast as "Lola." This film marked Byron Barr's feature film debut. (Barr should not be confused with actor Gig Young, who performed under his given name, Byron Barr, until 1942.) According to information in the Paramount Collection, this film was shot at the following locations in Los Angeles: 1825 North Kingsley Dr. for the exterior of "Walter Neff's" apartment; La Golondrina Café on Olvera Street; the basement garage of the El Royale apartment building on Rossmore Avenue; Jerry's Market at 5330 Melrose Ave., the intersections of Sunset Boulevard and Western Avenue, and Hollywood Boulevard and Western Avenue. A Sep 1943 HR news item noted that some night scenes were shot on ___location in Phoenix, AZ due to dim-out regulations in Los Angeles. Modern sources add the following about the production: Billy Wilder's longtime writing partner Charles Brackett refused to work on the screenplay for Double Indemnity due to the story's amoral content. Raymond Chandler was selected because his writing style had similarities to James M. Cain's writing. Wilder and Chandler's six-month partnership while working on the screenplay was turbulent. A Cain biography questions the extent of Wilder's contribution to the screenplay, and in a 1950 letter, Chandler acknowledged that "working with Billy Wilder...was an agonizing experience and has probably shortened my life, but I learned from it about as much about screen writing as I am capable of learning, which is not very much." A biography on Wilder quoted his response to Chandler's statement, in which he noted that "[Chandler] gave me more aggravation than any writer I ever worked with." Wilder also had difficulty getting an actor to play "Neff," as even Alan Ladd and George Raft, who regularly portrayed criminals, found the role too unsavory. Fred MacMurray initially resisted Wilder's attempts at casting him as "Neff," as his previous roles focused on romantic and comedic characters. MacMurray stated in later interviews that Wilder personally convinced him to play "Neff," just as he convinced him to play the adulterous cad "Sheldrake" in Wilder's 1960 film The Apartment. Stanwyck and MacMurray reprised their roles in the Lux Radio Theatre broadcast of Double Indemnity on 30 Oct 1950. Other films based on the same source are a 1954 NBC teleplay of the same title, and ABC-TV's 1973's made-for-television film. Although not based on the same source, the 1981 film Body Heat , directed by Lawrence Kasdan and starring Kathleen Turner and William Hurt, loosely resembles the storyline of Double Indemnity . A parody of Double Indemnity titled Big Trouble was released in 1985, and was directed by John Cassavetes and starred Peter Falk. Double Indemnity was ranked 29th on AFI's 2007 100 Years…100 Movies--10th Anniversary Edition list of the greatest American films, moving up from the 38th position it held on AFI's 1997 list.(catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/2201)

Nel film compaiono non accreditati Raymond Chandler (Man Reading Book Outside Keyes' Office), Edmund Cobb (Train Conductor), Teala Loring (Pacific All-Risk Telephone Operator), Sam McDaniel (Charlie - Garage Attendant).(imdb.cast)

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* Burbank, California (Burbank Southern Pacific Station [Glendale Station])

If you look at any lists of best film noirs you are likely to find that many people place Double Indemnity (1944) at the top. It's easy to see why. Billy Wilder's classic is dark, steamy and thrilling from beginning to end. Fred MacMurray, cast against type, gives a perfect performance as the insurance salesman who turns into a scheming killer. And not to be outdone, Barbara Stanwyck is one of the most seductive femme fatales to appear on screen. For me, an added point of interest is that so many of the scenes were shot on ___location around Los Angeles. Here are some of those dark and gritty locations as seen in the film and how they appear today. In the opening scene we see MacMurray racing through downtown Los Angeles on the way to his office building. In the first shot MacMurray drives down Fifth Street, passing the Biltmore Hotel and then crossing Olive Street. In the comparison below, you will notice that the Biltmore Hotel is still standing on the left side of the image. On the right side of the image all of the buildings have been replaced by modern glass buildings. In the next shot we see MacMurray's car whiz down Olive Street coming towards Fifth Street. One of the buildings we see is the Philharmonic Auditorium built in 1906. In 1938 the facade of the building was remodeled and given a more streamlined look. The building has since been demolished. Getting to the Dietrichson house can be a little tricky. To get to this home located near the top of the Hollywood Hills you must drive up a series of very narrow and winding streets. Some are one way only because the streets are so narrow. Once you get to the top you will have a beautiful view. Below is a screenshot of the view from the Hollywood Hills and a picture of the view today. Above is a screenshot of the Newman Drug Store. The building is still standing but the Newman Drug Store is long gone. When I rewatched this film I recognized the drug store from the book, The Story of Hollywood, which shows many Hollywood buildings as they used to be, as well as many buildings that no longer exist. This building is located at the Southwest corner of Hollywood Blvd and Western Avenue. One of the main points of action in the film takes place at the Glendale Station located at 400 W. Cerritos Ave, Glendale, CA. Below is the shot of the station in the film and how it appears today. It's here where MacMurray's and Stanwyck's characters dump the body of Mr. Dietrichson. August 7, 2013 - CORRECTION! - The Train Station is NOT the Glendale Station but the Burbank Station (now demolished). During the movie, Lola Dietrichson (Jean Heather) and MacMurray visit the famous Hollywood Bowl located at 2301 North Highland Avenue. Like in so many other movies, Heather and MacMurray don't go through the entrance, but instead climb up the back hill and watch from the top.(dearoldhollywood.blogspot.com/2009/05/double-indemnity-film-locations.html)

Production Dates: 27 September 1943 - 24 November 1943.(imdb.filming)

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When "Double Indemnity" was first published in 1935, offers of up to $25,000 were tendered, but nothing came of it at the time because the Hays Office considered the novel unsuitable for filming. James M. Cain was ultimately offered $15,000 by Paramount. He was to get half on signing and the other half if the script was approved by the Hays Office.(imdb.trivia)

The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, but lost out to La mia via (1944). Billy Wilder was so seriously annoyed at Leo McCarey's sweep that when McCarey's name was called for Best Director, Wilder stuck his foot out into the aisle, tripping McCarey up. Wilder would get his revenge the following year when Giorni perduti (1945) won four Oscars, while McCarey's Le campane di Santa Maria (1945) only picked up one.(imdb.trivia)

The character Walter Neff was originally named Walter Ness, but director/writer Billy Wilder found out that there was a man living in Beverly Hills named Walter Ness who was actually an insurance salesman. To avoid being sued for defamation of character, they changed the name. In the novel, his name is Walter Huff, and Dietrichson is Nirdlinger.(imdb.trivia)

The victim, Mr. Dietrichson, is an oil company executive. Screenplay writer Raymond Chandler was an oil company executive before he became a writer.(imdb.trivia)

Initially, Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler had intended to retain as much of the book's original dialogue as possible. It was Chandler who first realized that the dialogue from the novella would not translate well to the screen. Wilder disagreed and was annoyed that Chandler was not putting more of it into the script. To settle it, Wilder hired a couple of contract players from the studio to read passages of Cain's original dialogue aloud. To Wilder's astonishment, Chandler was right and, in the end, the movie's cynical and provocative dialogue was more Chandler and Wilder than it was Cain.(imdb.trivia)

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For Neff's office at Pacific All Risk, Billy Wilder and set designer Hal Pereira conspired to create a little in-house joke, typical of Wilder. In the opening scenes, as Walter Neff stumbles off the elevator on his way to his office to record his confession, the vast two-tiered office is empty and dark. With the camera following him, Neff lurches towards the balcony railing overlooking rows and rows of uniform corporate desks. Neff turns left, but the camera continues forward until it reaches the brink and stares down for an anxious moment into a colorless American business purgatory. Here, Pereira is said to have copied an existing office: the corporate headquarters of Paramount Pictures in New York City.(imdb.trivia)

In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked this as the #29 Greatest Movie of All Time.(imdb.trivia)

Billy Wilder's first thriller.(imdb.trivia)

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Raymond Chandler did a lot of fieldwork whilst working on the script and took large volumes of notes. By visiting various locations that figured into the film, he was able to bring a sense of realism about Los Angeles that seeped into the script. For example, he hung around Jerry's Market on Melrose Avenue in preparation for the scene where Phyllis and Walter would discreetly meet to plan the murder.(imdb.trivia)

The film is included on Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" list.(imdb.trivia)

Raymond Chandler was kept on a writer's retainer during the film's eight-week shooting period. This was a highly unusual occurrence for any writer at any studio at the time, signifying the high regard that Chandler was held in by Paramount and Billy Wilder.(imdb.trivia)

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The notable Broadway actor Tom Powers was invited to Hollywood for the role of Mr. Dietrichson. It was Powers' first film role since 1917 and his start to a "second film career" with many supporting roles until his death in 1955.(imdb.trivia)

Included among the American Film Institute's 1998 list of the Top 100 Greatest American Movies.(imdb.trivia)

About 16 minutes into this movie, Chandler is sitting outside an office as Fred MacMurray walks past. Chandler glances up at MacMurray from a paperback he is reading, a great clue of his identity.(imdb.trivia)

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Candidatura per il [[New York Film Critics Circle Award al miglior regista|miglior regista]] a Billy Wilder<br />

Candidatura per la [[New York Film Critics Circle Award alla miglior attrice protagonista|miglior attrice protagonista]] a Barbara Stanwyck

Double Indemnity was ranked 29th on AFI's 2007 100 Years…100 Movies--10th Anniversary Edition list of the greatest American films, moving up from the 38th position it held on AFI's 1997 list.(catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/2201)

In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked this as the #29 Greatest Movie of All Time.(imdb.trivia)

The film is included on Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" list.(imdb.trivia)

Included among the American Film Institute's 1998 list of the Top 100 Greatest American Movies.(imdb.trivia)

Ne 20017 è entrato nella Film Hall of Fame della Online Film & Television Association