I Wake Up Screaming (1941) starring Betty Grable, Victor Mature, Carole Landis. Directed by Bruce Humberstone. Screenplay by Dwight Taylor. Based on the novel I Wake Up Screaming by Steve Fisher (New York, 1941). Produced by Milton Sperling Run time: 82 minutes. Black and White. USA. Film Noir
In 1941, the first major studio film noir, The Maltese Falcon, was released, on October 3rd, followed later that same year by I Wake Up Screaming, released by 20th Century Fox, on November 14th. Filming took place between July 21, 1941 and late August with re-shoots on September 4, under the working title Hot Spot and was originally released under that title. However, fans of Betty Grable, the star and main attraction, were not expecting her in a mystery thriller. Retitled back to I Wake Up Screaming, the film did better and actually earned $574,100 profit on a budget of $462,500, taking in $1,491,500 at the box office.
