Woman on the Run

source: Woman on the Run

Had a chance to watch WOMAN ON THE RUN the other night and found it an odd, but at times enjoyable noir. Ann Sheridan plays the title role and the first thing you notice about this movie is that it is chock full of the snappy, sassy dialog that films like this are all about. Much of that great dialog provided by Sheridan. She plays the wife of an innocent bystander(Ross Elliott) who witnesses a murder while out walking the dog but rather then help the cops and become a possible target for the killer, he flees. This backfires of course, because not only do the cops want him but also, the killer. Sheridan teams with reporter Danny Leggett, the always terrific Dennis O'Keefe, to try and find her husband before the killer and the cops do. To make matters worse, Sheridan finds out, because she was never told, that her husband suffers from a heart condition that requires medication, which he is out of. The film builds to a bizarre climax with an interesting plot twist that for me, saved the film. I say saved because even though the plot sounds pretty interesting and the characters and performers are excellent, the film is a bit too talky and slow paced at times but it does pick up towards the conclusion. Director Norman Foster does a pretty good job using San Francisco locales and creating the right amount of darkness and shadows for the night scenes. The climax at an amusement park is quite bizarre and put me in mind of an episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE entitled PERCHANCE TO DREAM. I think I should mention the fine performance also of Robert Keith as the police Inspector who heads the case. An interesting, if at times slow film that comes through at the end.

This has nice atmosphere, a good performance by Ann Baxter, and a decent plot. It reminded me a little of the movie "Charade" with mistaken identity and betrayal of trust. What's a little hard to swallow is how the characters keep their initial motivations, even in the wake of new knowledge that should cause change. The suspense builds nicely and Baxter's sparring with the police is quite delightful. There are a lot of Noir elements, shadows, skulking in corners, nice photography, plenty of suspense. I thought it was a pretty good film. The scene at the amusement park is a staple of some Noir and it works very well.

Frank Johnson (Ross Elliot) is out walking his dog when he witnesses a murder. He is also shot at so when the police have got his particulars he disappears. They visit his apartment and meet his wife Eleanor (the lovely Ann Sheridan). She seems unconcerned with his movements - the police (and Eleanor) come to the conclusion that he has run off from a difficult marriage. So starts this cracking good film - part action, part noir, all excellent. Robert Keith plays the quirky Inspector Ferris, who takes a shine to Eleanor's dog "Rembrandt" - "we figured if we couldn't own one - this was the next best thing". Eleanor is assisted by Dan Leggett (Dennis O'Keefe) a likable reporter who has been promised a scoop if he helps her find her husband. When you discover who the killer is - and you do early on, the excitement never lets up. There is a game of cat and mouse being played as the killer strikes again, when a young dancer recognizes him from a drawing. Ann Sheridan is just terrific as the ambiguous Eleanor, who, as the film progresses, realizes what she and her husband have together. The deeper she delves into his life - the more she realizes that other people find him a warm, expansive person. Strangers know him better than she does. The climax is set at a fun park (like "Strangers on a Train"). When she is forced to ride the roller coaster for a second time, you are just as frantic as she is - it is nailbiting stuff!!! J. Farrell MacDonald makes an appearance as an old ferry boat captain.

When artist Frank Johnson innocently witnesses a murder, he hides out of fear that the murderer will try to kill him, too. Actually filmed on the spot in a 1950 San Francisco against fascinating locations at Playland on the Beach (which provides a great backdrop for the stomach-churning noirish climax), Chinatown and Telegraph Hill, Woman on the Run is an outstanding film noir which not only presents more than one startling plot surprise during the course of its short running time but a gallery of realistically bizarre characters, not the least of which is the unwilling-to-get-involved witness (a hunch that turns out to be absolutely spot on) and his equally hesitant, off-beat, half-estranged wife, brilliantly portrayed by Ann Sheridan. Co-stars O'Keefe and Keith also contribute gripping performances. In all, Woman on the Run shapes up as one of Norman Foster's best films (yet it's not even mentioned in the Fox documentary on his life and career included in The Mysterious Mr Moto DVD). The climax is worthy of Orson Welles. My only quarrels with Run are that the actual denouement is staged off-camera, and that you really have to view the movie twice to take in all the clever dialogue and deft scenic effects.

Say, this was one clever little flick. What grabbed me was how elements of the picture fell into place while thinking about certain scenes after it was over. Like the sketch of the murderer and Susie's apparent suicide - geez, that hit me over the head later rather than sooner, as the movie's pacing managed to distract me when those crucial events took place. I also found it slick the way the Hart and Winston mannequin display led to an analysis of the two Eleanor's, highlighting the dilemma faced by Ann Sheridan's character as she wrestled with her feelings about a missing husband and their dissolving marriage. The one thing that could have been handled better though was the revelation of Leggett (Dennis O'Keefe) as Danny Boy. It occurs too early in the story, probably about mid way in with that suspenseful 'Uh-Oh' music that portends certain doom. Wouldn't it have been something if Eleanor learned of Danny Boy's name in connection with the city's criminal enterprise? Then, while they're on the roller coaster ride, Leggett reveals himself - 'You can call me Danny Boy'! That would have been perfect, adding a twist of suspense that was diluted somewhat by the way it was actually handled. Ann Sheridan is probably my favorite actress of the era, but this film offered a side I hadn't seen before. I'm more familiar with the wise cracking Laury Ferguson of "Angels With Dirty Faces", or saucy waitress Cassie Hartley from "They Drive By Night". Here she makes with the snappy dialog, but it's subdued and somber, tailored to the circumstances of a husband who's witnessed a murder and might be using that as an excuse to ditch his wife. In that respect, the movie's title might have been better served by calling it "Man On The Run", but then it wouldn't have been Sheridan's picture, which it most definitely was. Ross Elliott portrayed the 'missing' Frank Johnson; funny how his character managed to pervade every scene even though he was almost never around till the finale. Robert Keith turned in a capable performance as the police inspector on the murder/missing husband case. But gee, it seemed a bit too ironic that his character's name would be Ferris in a story that winds up in an amusement park. I managed to pick this movie up as part of a four DVD/sixteen movie collection from Mill Creek Entertainment as part of their 'Gangsters' set. Most, probably all of the flicks in the set are ones you never heard of, I certainly hadn't. Which made it a whole lot more satisfying to come away with a gem like this one in the mix, even if there was a clunker or two to sit through along the way.

This neat little thriller from 1950 is all the more interesting since Ann Sheridan is the woman in the title. Miss Sheridan is most convincing as she searches for her husband who witnessed a gangland murder and must find him before the underworld does. There are many tense moments along the way especially when she ends up riding on a roller coaster. Good support from Dennis O'Keefe, Robert Keith and Ross Elliott plus a good screenplay help this film rise above B status.

Norman Foster did a fine job of directing Ann Sheridan and Dennis O'Keefe in "Woman on the Run," a 1950 film, somewhat low budget. Sheridan by this time was around 34 years old, and the cutoff for women in those days was 30. Soon she would be turning to television. In the story, Frank Johnson (Ross Elliott) is out walking his dog Rembrandt when he witnesses a gangland hit. He goes on the run as the police desperately look for him, since he's their sole witness. They question his wife Eleanor (Sheridan) who has no idea where he is, and, since the marriage is on the rocks, she thinks he wants to get away from her as well. The police, headed by an Inspector Ferris (Robert Keith), starts following her, and she is bothered by a newspaperman, Danny (O'Keefe). She throws her hat in with him and the two work together to find Frank. Frank has left Eleanor some clues, and it's in those clues that Eleanor realizes one thing - Frank loves her, and if she can find him, she will try to make the marriage work. Very good noir, with the earthy Sheridan in fine form, with her dry delivery. O'Keefe was always a solid leading man, and he does a good job here. Always nice to see Victor Sen Yung, and you will recognize many television people who are in the film. Eleanor and Danny go all over San Francisco, which is fun to see in its post-war state. And the roller-coaster scenes are fabulous and tense. Good movie; see it if you can.

***SLIGHT SPOILERS*** I'm not prone to exaggeration and yes, I am an avid Ann Sheridan fan. Saying that, I thought this movie to be a real delight. It wasn't long and it kept my attention from beginning to end. Ms. Sheridan gives a memorable portrayal of the wife of a man that's hiding out because he's witnessed a murder and the murderer tried to take a shot a him. Ms. Sheridan is desperate to find her husband before the police and she teams with a reporter that claims he wants the scoop on the story and is willing to pay the couple that have been down on their luck. She and the reporter are close on the scent of her ailing husband, but not until the last few nerve wrecking moments does Ms. Sheridan discover that her side-kick/reporter is in fact the man that's looking to bump her husband off. There's a fabulous and memorable roller coaster scene. I highly recommend this film and most of Ann Sheridan's work.

While out late one night walking his dog, Frank Johnson finds himself in the unwanted situation of being a witness to a murder, the killer sees Frank and fires two shots but misses. The police arrive and inform Frank that as he can identify the killer he has to be taken in protective custody, as the man killed was also a witness in a case against a big mob boss and he will surely be the next target. However, fearful for his life Frank goes on the run. His wife Eleanor (Ann Sheridan) soon finds out that he husband is not the person she had been bored with, but an intelligent, talented and witty man that many people like for many reasons, believing her marriage was in permanent decline, she suddenly remembers why she loved him in the first place and sets out to find him with the help of a a very eager local reporter Danny Leggett (Dennis O'Keeffe) intent on a big story that might just save his own career. The search is made all the more frantic when Eleanor discovers Frank had been hiding a heart defect from her and that the police have ordered all pharmacies not to give out his required drug without their say so. Woman on the Run completes my viewing of Antonius Block's Top 100 Noir list and its a good one to finish with, it starts quite slowly but ups the tension with each passing minute,as the police and the killer also join the chase. O'Keeffe and Sheridan are both excellent in their respective roles and for such a low budget film, there is some very fine camera-work, in particular the scenes in the amusement park at the finish. The only thing that irked me just a little was the identity of the killer was given away too soon, albeit a nice twist, but then at a brisk 77 mins, I can't really have too much to complain about. I watched the Alpha Video disc and being a fan of Foster's work I would certainly be interested in seeing a better print of this film.