Einer weiß zuviel

There's LOTS of snappy dialog in this film, all of it involving Ann Sheriden, & much of it involving Dennis O'Keefe as Danny Leggett or Robert Keith as Inspector Ferris. There are very few Film Noirs with a female lead, & this is one of them. Sheriden does a terrific job as the wife of a man on the run from the police & the mob. Is Ann faithful or faithless? Where's her husband? Does she care? These are some of the questions raised in the film. Lots of shadows, much of it filmed at night, but there are some sunny scenes. Look for #2 Son as one of the Chinese dancers. The dialog was so tart that it reminded me of `The Big Sleep,' & that's saying a lot. One big difference between that film & this, is that this film is a lot more easy to comprehend. I actually knew who they were talking about when they referred to `Susie' or `Ferris,' maybe because the number of characters in this movie were few, & their roles were very well defined. Exciting, suspenseful, good sense of humor, very well acted & directed. Too bad it's hard to find on video & it's never shown on TV. I rate it 9/10.

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.

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.

Lots of imaginative touches in this suspenseful noir. Catch the midget in the phone booth, the mannequins from heck, or the camera that pulls away from the climax. Director Foster sure didn't treat this as just another programmer. For that matter, neither did the producers who popped for atmospheric San Francisco locations plus an A-list cast. All in all, there would appear to be a backstory to this unusual production.

So who's going to help poor Sheridan now that a killer is searching for her estranged husband. Not the cops, since Keith is too ornery to sense her need. But then she comes across as a pretty tough cookie (as only Sheridan can) herself. And what about reporter O"Keefe. Is he really a help or just in it for himself. At first I thought the plot was a whodunit, but then it turns into a moody nail-biter, along the lines of urban classic DOA (1950). And what about those great SF locations that lend genuine atmosphere. Cameraman Hal Mohr does an expert job complementing the story with many of SF's exotic settings. In fact, the acting and production values manage to keep attention away from plot developments that at times are a stretch.

I guess my only real reservation is with the camera pull-away at the climax. It's imaginative and heightens suspense, but also dilutes the outcome that we never get to see. Still, however you take that, the movie itself remains an exotic slice of b&w, and a tribute especially to its director and cameraman.

(In passing-- why the title 'Woman' On The Run when it seems it's really a man.)

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.