The film was adapted by Martin Goldsmith and Martin Mooney (uncredited) from Goldsmith’s novel of the same name and was directed by Edgar G. Ulmer. The 68-minute film was released by the Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC), one of the so-called “poverty row” film studios in mid-twentieth century Hollywood.

Although made on a small budget with bare sets and straightforward camera work, Detour has gathered much praise through the years and is held in high regard. In 1992, Detour was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

The film has fallen into the public domain and is freely available from online sources. There are also many DVD editions.

Edgar G. Ulmer [Public domain]

Info

Movie info:

Detour

Directed by Edgar G Ulmer

Produced by Leon Fromkess

Screenplay by Martin Goldsmith

Based on the 1939 novel Detour: An Extraordinary Tale by Martin Goldsmith

Starring Tom Neal, Ann Savage, Claudia Drake, Edmund MacDonald

Narrated by Tom Neal

Music by Leo Erdody

Cinematography Benjamin H. Kline

Edited by George McGuire

Distributed by Producers Releasing Corporation

Release dates November 30, 1945

Running time 68 minutes

Country United States

Language English