I wonder if anyone can identify the saddest film I've ever seen - it was on TV when I was a kid - I've never been able to find the title by putting in keywords on Google, IMDB etc. Pretty sure it was American, pre-60s and may have been a totally obscure B film, but it certainly packed a punch emotionally. The gist of the story was that a happy family man goes to a big city on business, gets mugged by some bad types and loses his memory from concussion, thus becoming a homeless tramp - the real tear-jerker scene was at the end, when he happened to find himself outside the old family home (probably all lit up on Christmas Eve for maximum effect), but just walked by on his lonely way.
I don't know. But the ending sounds too downbeat for a 1950s movie. He still hasn't recovered his memory when the movie ends? I wonder if this could have been for television, either a half hour or hour anthology series. But I have no idea what series it would be.
I seem to remember something similar to that!...But I think that it was an Edward G Robinson film!....But I cant remember the name of it though!
name='AJC']I seem to remember something similar to that!...But I think that it was an Edward G Robinson film!....But I cant remember the name of it though!
I think you're thinking of Scarlet Street, which has Robinson homeless at the end, but the story doesn't involve amnesia.
Thanks for your responses, guys...definitely not Scarlet Street, I've seen that in recent years.
What about The Way of All Flesh (1940)?
Synopsis:
In 1925, in Linzua, Pennsylvania, Hungarian immigrant Paul Kriza makes an honest living as a bank cashier, content to support his devoted wife Anna and four children on a meager salary. Paul's boss, Franz Henzel, sends him to New York to deliver $100,000 cash to client Sandor Nemzetti. Varno, a spy in Henzel's bank, has notified crook Reginald L. Morten of Paul's arrival at the Hotel Empress. When Nemzetti is delayed, Morten's moll, Mary Brown, poses as a journalist and seduces Paul into drinking until he passes out. Upon awakening the next morning, Paul realizes that he has been robbed and accuses Mary, but she pretends not to know him. Morten's men then knock him out and put him on the railroad tracks. While one of them picks his pockets, Paul wakes and defends himself, and the thug is killed by an oncoming train. The police find Paul's inscribed watch on the tracks and assume that the mutilated corpse is Paul, and the papers report that a cashier died a hero's death while defending his trust. Although Paul recognizes his picture in the paper, no one believes that he is Paul Kriza because Mary had him shave off his beard, and his badly beaten body makes him look like a hobo. Suffering from psychological devastation and partial amnesia, Paul wanders the streets of New York for years, unsure of who he is. Meanwhile, his son Paul, Jr. grows up and becomes a world-class violinist. When Paul, Jr. makes his New York debut, his father is in the audience and cries when he plays his father's favorite piece for his encore. Paul, Jr. returns home to Linzau for Christmas and his father follows. He watches as his family visits his grave, then follows them home and peers in the window as they sing Christmas carols. When a policeman tries to arrest him, Paul, Jr. and Anna invite the stranger inside, but he declines and walks away into the snowy night.
Totally tear-jerking I think.
Has to be that- it's remake of a lost Emil Jannings film
My old reference books for movies available on television don't list it. Very obscure movie.
Must be it. I can't imagine another movie with a plot similar to that. Ironically, one of the IMDb user reviews says if it starred Edward G Robinson it would be better known.
name='CaptainWaggett']Has to be that
I have looked for that for years. I didn't realize it was a lost film. That's a shame.
By Jove, you've got it! Well done, many thanks. Must have a look for a DVD now!name='h.carter']What about The Way of All Flesh (1940)?
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P.S. Having now read the Users Comments on IMDB, it looks as if it's totally unavailable.
"It is the greatest tear-jerker of all time. A book by Priscella Presley noted that Elvis liked the movie so much, he purchased the rights to it."
For what I would think is a pretty obscure movie, people keep asking about this one. I never heard of it until it was mentioned here, but within the last month two people have been looking for it (I answered it both times because it was here, I never saw it). And the previous poster is wrong. The movie is out there as a DVD from different sources.
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