Woman on the Run (1950)

Director:

Norman Foster

Writers:

Sylvia Tate (story)
Alan Campbell (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

29 November 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Film-Noir | Crime | Drama

Plot:

Frank Johnson flees police after becoming an eyewitness to murder. He is pursued around scenic San Francisco by his wife, a reporter, the police, and... the real murderer.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Police Inspector | Murderer | Police Detective | Roller Coaster

Cast

Ann Sheridan	...	Eleanor Johnson
Dennis O'Keefe	...	Daniel 'Danny' or 'Dannyboy' Leggett
Robert Keith	...	Inspector Martin Ferris
Ross Elliott	...	Frank Johnson
Frank Jenks	...	Detective Homer Shaw
John Qualen	...	Mailbus
J. Farrell MacDonald	...	Sea Captain
Joan Shawlee	...	Blonde (as Joan Fulton)
Steven Geray	...	Dr. Arthur Hohler
Reiko Sato	...	Susie
Jane Liddell	...	Police Woman Following Eleanor
Victor Sen Yung	...	Sammy Chung

Runtime:

77 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

West Germany:16 (nf) | USA:Approved (PCA #14689) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Carmel Amusement Park, Carmel, California, USA

Company:

Fidelity Pictures Corporation

Quotes:

Eleanor Johnson: [In the dark shadows of roller coaster on the deserted beach at night] I don't like this place.
Danny Leggett: It's a good spot. I used to come here with my girl when I was a kid. It's more frightening than romantic. It's the way love is when you're young... life is when you're older.

Unforgettable scenes plus San Francisco locations

Woman on the Run has some wonderful scenes. Ann Sheridan plays a disenchanted wife whose husband was a witness to a gangland killing (while walking his little dog). Realising that he is in great danger the man goes into hiding (without the dog). Right from the beginning the noirish drama is mixed with hilarious humor. The police officers who come to the Sheridan character's house after the incident are cheeky and mean to the extreme. The woman who for some reason is treated like a suspect even has to open all her kitchen cupboards (I won't tell you what's in it, it's very telling and absolutely funny). Many aspects of the script do not stand up to logic. But, well, it is "only a movie" and therefore it does not matter at all – quite on the contrary in fact.

Alfred Hitchcock must have run this one in his screening room more than once. The finale in a funfair has a strong resemblance with the one in his Strangers on a Train, released one year later. It has an astonishingly well done nightly rollercoaster scene. Furthermore there is some very good location shooting on the streets of San Francisco. I can highly recommend this well fotographed and directed movie with good performances, especially by Ann Sheridan.