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What's After the Movie?
Crime thriller

Whirlpool (1950): Cast & Plot

Whirlpool (1950) movie poster

Whirlpool is a 1950 crime thriller directed by Otto Preminger, starring Richard Conte as Dr. William 'Bill' Sutton, Gene Tierney and José Ferrer. It runs 1 hour 38 minutes.

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Whirlpool (1950) movie poster
Released
Runtime
1h 38m (98 min)
Director
Otto Preminger
Genres
Crime , Thriller , Drama
Original language
English
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is Whirlpool About?

The premise of Whirlpool without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

She is the wife of a psychoanalyst who becomes the target of a deceitful self‑styled hypnotist after he discovers her habit of shoplifting. When a former patient of the charlatan, now under the care of the real doctor, is found murdered with her still at the scene, all evidence points to her, forcing her to confront the consequences of her night‑time actions tomorrow.

Whirlpool Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags
  • hypnotist
  • psychiatrist
  • kleptomaniac
  • alibi
  • deception
  • psychic
  • memory
  • murder
  • insomnia
  • astrology
  • false accusation
  • mind control
+38 more
  • investigation
  • based on novel
  • hypnotism
  • woman
  • preminger and tierney
  • hypnotized woman
  • wilshire store
  • woman fainting
  • caught shoplifting
  • cocktail party
  • mermaid pin
  • post hypnotic suggestion
  • based on a guy endore novel
  • woman strangled
  • home vault
  • voice recording
  • record
  • framed for murder
  • finger print match
  • unfinished hand written note
  • con man
  • martini
  • gun in glove compartment
  • held at gunpoint
  • keeping secrets
  • close up of eyes
  • trail of blood
  • fingerprints
  • fedora
  • tearing up a check
  • confession of a crime
  • trench coat
  • gun stuck in a coat pocket
  • hypnotized
  • painted portrait
  • woman in jail
  • bleeding to death
  • woman sits on a man's lap
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Cast & crew

Whirlpool Cast & Characters

Richard Conte leads the cast as Dr. William 'Bill' Sutton, with Gene Tierney as Ann Sutton and José Ferrer as David Korvo. Directed by Otto Preminger; 40 actors are credited in all.

Also Starring in Whirlpool

· 36 more
Show all 40 cast members
From the director

More from Otto Preminger

More films directed by Otto Preminger, best-rated first: Anatomy of a Murder, Bunny Lake Is Missing, The Man with the Golden Arm and Carmen Jones.

Full filmography
Plot

Whirlpool Plot Summary

What happens in Whirlpool from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

Ann Sutton, Gene Tierney, the wife of Richard Conte Dr. William Sutton, a successful psychoanalyst, is caught shoplifting in an upscale Los Angeles department store and loses consciousness when apprehended. She is saved from scandal by the smooth-talking hypnotist David Korvo, Jos Ferrer, who persuades the store officials to put the mermaid pin she stole on her credit account and not prosecute. Korvo pressures Ann into coming to lunch with him, and she is relieved when, instead of accepting the blackmail payment she thinks he is after, he tears up her check and the store record of her shoplifting, and promises to help her.

Full summary

The whole story of Whirlpool, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Videos

Whirlpool Trailers & Videos

The trailer of Whirlpool.

Whirlpool (1949)
Quiz

How Well Do You Know Whirlpool?

9 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 9

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered

What is the profession of Ann Sutton’s husband, Dr. William Sutton?

Cars

Cars in Whirlpool

4 cars on screen, including the 1949 Ford Custom and the 1946 Ford Super De Luxe.

  • 1949 Ford Custom in Whirlpool 1949 Ford Custom Minor role
  • 1946 Ford Super De Luxe in Whirlpool 1946 Ford Super De Luxe Minor role
  • 1946 Mercury Eight in Whirlpool 1946 Mercury Eight Minor role
  • 1937 Dodge Touring Sedan in Whirlpool 1937 Dodge Touring Sedan Background role
Details

Whirlpool Also Known As

11 alternative titles, including “Il segreto di una donna” and “Le mystérieux docteur Korvo”.

Also known as
  • Il segreto di una donna
  • Le mystérieux docteur Korvo
  • Vorágine
  • Örvény
  • A Ladra
  • Wir
  • Ο Γκρεμός
  • 旋涡
  • گرداب
  • 소용돌이
  • Damen bedyrar

Seen Whirlpool?

FAQ

Whirlpool FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date

Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of Whirlpool, each answered in a sentence.

How long is Whirlpool?

Whirlpool runs 1 hour 38 minutes (98 minutes).

When was Whirlpool released?

Whirlpool was released on January 13, 1950.

Who directed Whirlpool?

Whirlpool was directed by Otto Preminger.

More films by Otto Preminger

Who is in the cast of Whirlpool?

Whirlpool stars Richard Conte as Dr. William 'Bill' Sutton, Gene Tierney as Ann Sutton and José Ferrer as David Korvo, among 40 credited actors.

Does Whirlpool have a post-credit scene?

No. Whirlpool has no extra scene during or after the credits.

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