Cry Danger (1951)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Robert Parrish

Writers:

Jerome Cady (story)
William Bowers (screenplay)

Release Date:

21 February 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Drama

Tagline:

Powell's on the Prowl!

Plot:

Ex-con Rocky Mulloy seeks the real culprit in the crime he was framed for, in a night world of deceptive dames and double crosses.

Plot Keywords:

Testimony | Apartment | Trailer Trash | Murder Victim | Investigation

Cast

Dick Powell	...	'Rocky' Mulloy
Rhonda Fleming	...	Nancy Morgan
Richard Erdman	...	Delong
William Conrad	...	Louie Castro
Regis Toomey	...	Detective Lt. Gus Cobb
Jean Porter	...	Darlene LaVonne
Jay Adler	...	Williams, Trailer Park Manager
Joan Banks	...	Alice Fletcher
Gloria Saunders	...	Cigarette Clerk
Hy Averback	...	Harry, Bookie (as Hy Averbach)
Renny McEvoy	...	Taxi Driver
Lou Lubin	...	Hank
Benny Burt	...	Jed Russell, Los Amigos Bartender

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #14738) | Sweden:15 | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Olympic Productions Inc.

Trivia:

In an interview with Tom Weaver, Jean Porter said the film was "directed by Dick Powell, and he wasn't given director credit. Dick gave Robert Parrish the director's credit, but Dick did all the directing."

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: As Rocky drives away after dropping Nancy off at work, the cameraman and camera are reflected in the car's rear window glass.

Quotes:

Delong: Occasionally I always drink too much.

Soundtrack:

Cry Danger

The real noir Los Angeles

This film was shot on location in and around the Bunker Hill area of Los Angeles in the 1950's. The seedy trailer park, the crummy cocktail bars, and the Union Station (built in 1939) are the backdrop for a much better than average tale of revenge. Dick Powell gets off a train at the Union Station after spending 5 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. He is met by a cop (Regis Toomey) that thinks he not only did the crime, but that he has stashed the loot. Also on the welcoming committee is Richard Erdman as an alcoholic former Marine that provided Powell with an alibi that got him out of prison. Rhonda Fleming plays the wife of a pal of Powell's that remains in prison for the crime. Powell intends to prove not only his innocence, but that of his buddy.

Add to the mix William Conrad as a bad guy with his own agenda and you have a better than average noir. The dialog between Powell and Erdman is dark and funny at the same time. The cinematography captures a part of Los Angeles that fell under the urban renewal wrecking ball that ripped the soul out of this part of the city. Not the greatest film noir ever made, but one of my favorites. Why isn't this film out on DVD?