Hideout

Surprisingly good programmer from Republic. Sly old Arthur (Collins) and two confederates steal expensive necklace from wealthy old lady, after which Arthur double-crosses the two, and turns into respectable philanthropist in little town of Hilltop. Meanwhile, Arthur has sent ahead the lovely Hannah (Gray) to check out the law in Hilltop. There she apparently strikes up a romance with City Attorney Browning (Bridges). Surprisingly, hero Browning appears no match for the wily unscrupulous Arthur. Needless to say, complications ensue.

Good script, with interesting characters, noirish atmosphere, and several minor twists. The statuesque Lorna Gray really registers as a treacherous spider woman, while a restrained Lloyd Bridges shows grit as the struggling young attorney. And for fans of Parry Mason, versatile old Ray Collins shows he's not only a sly cop, but an even slyer criminal mastermind. Add a solid supporting cast, and you've got a result that surpasses its lower-end budget. But, please, don't hire the high school horn trio anytime soon

I really liked the casting of Ray Collins in this little B-movie. While he usually played affable sorts of fellows in movies and as a regular on "Perry Mason", here he plays against type--a real scum-bag. It turns out he's the brains of a ring of jewel thieves--and he has no loyalty to anyone but himself. After pulling a big heist, he and his 'associates' relocate to a small town in Iowa to wait until the heat subsides. Once there, one of the gang, is a pretty lady (Lorna Gray) and she soon begins kissing up to the town prosecutor--an idealistic young man (Lloyd Bridges). Bridges, at least at first, seems a bit naive--and you can't help but feel sorry for the guy. But through the course of investigating a murder (that turns out to be linked to Collins' gang), he shows he's pretty bright for a small town guy--and he's assisted with a strange but highly entertaining and sassy new secretary (Sheila Ryan). But, not realizing that Gray is part of the gang, she follows along--misdirecting Bridges and even stealing evidence to help her cohorts.

All in all, this is a pretty good B-movie--entertaining and engaging. It's nice to see Bridges in a very good early starring role and as I said above, Collins is excellent as a real creep. Will it change your life or is it a must-see? Nah...but considering it has modest pretenses and keeps your interest, it's worth seeing--particularly if you love Bs or film noir.

Notorious jewel thief Arthur Burdett (Ray Collins) relocates from Chicago to the idyllic small town of Hilltop, Iowa after being betrayed by his fellow crooks. Changing his name to Phillip J. Fogarty, he settles in as a model citizen.

Enter attorney George Browning (Lloyd Bridges), whose only ambition is to be the next mayor of Hilltop. One night, George discovers a dead body in some bushes and sets out to solve the crime himself.

Things get complicated when George confides in his girlfriend (Lorna Gray), who happens to know a lot more than George about the crime and the one responsible for it.

HIDEOUT is an excellent crime thriller with an outstanding performance from Bridges. For a small-town lawyer, he comes across like Sam Spade merged with Elliot Ness!

Very enjoyable...