Dead Reckoning (1947 film)

Dead Reckoning is a 1947 American film noir starring Humphrey Bogart and Lizabeth Scott. Directed by John Cromwell, it was written by Steve Fisher and Oliver H.P. Garrett, based on a story by Gerald Drayson Adams and Sidney Biddell, adapted by Allen Rivkin. It follows a war hero, Warren Murdock (Bogart), who begins investigating the death of his best friend and fellow soldier, Johnny Drake (Prince). The investigation leads Murdock to his friend's lover, a mysterious woman whose husband Drake was accused of murdering.

The film was originally intended to star Rita Hayworth in Scott's role as a followup to Columbia Pictures's successful Gilda (1946), but she refused the role over a contract dispute. Instead, Scott was loaned out from her contract with Paramount Pictures to team with Bogart, who himself was loaned out for the project by Warner Bros. Filming took place in the summer of 1946, largely on Columbia soundstages in Los Angeles, with location shoots occurring in St. Petersburg, Florida; Biloxi, Mississippi; Philadelphia, and New York City.

Dead Reckoning was first released theatrically in San Francisco on New Year's Eve 1946, expanding to a wide theatrical release in January 1947. The film received mixed reviews at the time of its release.