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The tragedy of the beautiful Gail Russell is only compounded when one sees this celluloid disaster, because the only thing that makes it almost tolerable is the natural, easy, relaxed and totally believable Gail Russell. In this pic, her next to last one, she indicates that she had continued to mature as a skilled actress -- she is even able to utter these incredible moments of dialog with a lovely voice and convincing demeanor. Too bad that her superb work in 'The Tattered Dress' didn't get her an Oscar nomination as a Supporting character. If that film had been a little better and a little better received then Ms. Russell might have had a shot at a formidable and hopefully self-assured return. This enormously awful film about crop dusters is really about the ridiculous character portrayed by a swaggering, hip-swinging, silent movie vamping of Mari Blanchard, who was a pale imitation of Mamie Van Doren who was a pale imitation of Jayne Mansfield who was a pale imitation of MM. Veterans Jackie Coogan and John Ireland cannot do much with the asinine plot, although Coogan has a moment or two of something akin to professionalism. Robert Middleton is amazingly bad in his villainous role. The screenplay is one long horror, and the direction, to be kind, is so inept that the film would have been turned down by the Creeping Crud Film Festival!! But,despite Blanchard's incompetence and the lousy work of all the others, there is still the radiance of Gail Russell, turning in a performance where none would have seemed possible.

Noticeably lacking in things like a cohesive plot and logic this cheap programmer with an apparent budget of about fifty bucks is representative of what used to fill the bottom half of a double bill.

For such a short feature with the rather innocuous theme of a crop dusting business this has a remarkably high body count, some of those incidents happening without a sensible reason.

As for the performances, John Ireland is okay if unmemorable in the lead while Mari Blanchard is properly brazen as a tramp with a serious case of hot pants. Jackie Coogan, who gives the film's best performance and also has the part with the most depth-which isn't much but comparatively speaking there is at least some reasoning behind what he does.

The only other performer of note is Gail Russell nearing the end of her career. Once considered to have the potential to be a big star her insecurity led to an enormous drinking problem which wrecked her career. Her appearance is shocking-her beauty ruined by booze, she was only 34 when this was made and looks a rough 50. Ironically her one big speech is about how her character's husband has ruined his life though his addiction to alcohol, it's terribly sad if you know her back story. She would only make one film after this and literally drink herself to death within three years.

Not an awful film but not a very good one either. If you like 50's melodramas or any of the stars it's worth catching once but that will be enough.

Art work for cast cards was usually prepared and set before editing had been completed. This often resulted in the scenes for cast-credit players (as seen on the film) ending up on the cutting-room floor.

This film ( if anything with the name of Albert C. Gannaway attached to it can be called a film)is a prime example of missing faces/characters. Whitey Hughes, Bill Blatty, John Carpenter and Bill Coontz are all-credited on the film credits, but do not show up in the finished film. Or, at least, do not show up in the film as the characters credited. Hughes, Coontz and Carpenter are visible in the film, but only as uncredited stunt men, and not as the characters billed on the cast list.

The film itself is just a swipe from Paramount's "Wild Harvest" with crop-dusters and airplanes subbed for men-and-machine wheat harvesters.

Gannaway often made directors Robert Horner, Denver Dixon (Victor Adamson) and Ed Wood look like masters of the directing craft.

This film originally titled NO PLACE TO LAND opened on a double bill with an Ed Wood film. I cannot decide which was more ridiculous. This Republic "B" stars John Ireland, Gail Russell, Mari Blanchard and Jackie Coogan. I am sure none of the above would want it on his or her resume. Ireland walks through the film knowing what he got himself mixed up in. Mari Blanchard is totally ludicrous as the femme fatale wiggling her rear end for 77 minutes. The only person in the film who tries to say the lines with a straight face is the lovely Gail Russell. This was her next to last film before she died tragically from alcohol abuse. Sad to see her go out this way but she at least doesn't embarrass herself like the others do. Her beauty lives on in our memories from films like THE UNINVITED, ANGEL AND THE BADMAN and MOONRISE.

In 1958, Republic Studios announced that it was closing up shop after more than two decades. "No Place to Land" was among the final films released by Republic...and with films like this you can understand their decision to close. It's not exactly a terrible film...but certainly not the type to put the studio into the black.

Iris (Mari Blanchard) is a screwy mess of a woman (today she'd likely be seen as having a Borderline Personality). When she and Jonas (John Ireland) split up, she quickly marries Buck (Robert Middleton) on the rebound and yet immediately begins flirting with Jonas! Not surprisingly, this makes her short-tempered and occasionally psychotic husband fly off in a rage...and Iris seems to enjoy doing this, as she enjoys being a tramp. Clearly the lady loves excitement and living on the edge and she seems to be sleeping with everyone except Jonas and Buck! As for Jonas, he's no idiot and does his best to avoid Iris...but you get a strong impression that Iris isn't done trying to manipulate him and getting him to play her game.

In the meantime, Jonas and his partner, Swede (Jackie Coogan), try to find work. The problem is that Buck controls most of the nearby dusting and Iris' actions have seen to it that Buck keeps Jonas from working. The pair find work when they find a very drunk pilot and the drunk man's wife, Lynn (Gail Russell) convinces them to help them. What's next? See the film...or not.

This is a silly, lurid movie. It's not terrible, exactly, but doesn't have a lot of depth nor does it seem like the sort of must- see film that Republic really needed at the time. An interesting ending...but otherwise...meh.

By the way, at the beginning of the credits it says that this film is brought to you in 'Naturama'. I looked this up and apparently that was the name Republic gave to its widescreen process--much like Paramount's Vistavision.