Girl on the Run

GIRL ON THE RUN is actually a young couple on the lam from a phony murder rap who hide out in a two-bit carnival run by a cigar-chomping midget who looks a bit like Jack LaRue, she as a midway "chorine" and he as a boxing shill. The story takes place over the course of a night and I wasn't too sure what was going on other than the place being the nexus of local political corruption involving the murder of a "vice crusading" editor or somesuch. It's the kind of movie where the walls shake when a door slams but although it's far from THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH, it's not without its tawdry charms, especially the less-than-lovely kooch dancers who have no business being on stage (although Renee De Milo was oddly fascinating) and they're on stage often. The only cast members I recognized were Frank Albertson as a sideshow barker and an uncredited Steve McQueen in among the carnival "crowd". I'm predisposed to "carny noir" however threadbare it may be so you reely can't go by me.

Girl on the Run (1953)

** (out of 4)

A reporter (Richard Coogan) and his girlfriend (Rosemary Pettit) are on the run from the police and hide out at a carnival sideshow where they try to gather evidence to clear his name.

GIRL ON THE RUN is a fairly forgettable crime picture that has a rather routine and boring story that really doesn't do much or go anywhere. This film is sold as an adult noir but the crime elements just don't work well enough for it to be too successful. Where the film does succeed is with its atmosphere and setting. The circus setting is actually quite excellent and there's a nice atmosphere that really puts you in this circus. It will certainly remind you of FREAKS and other exploitation pictures from the 30s.

Another thing the film is known for is for the first screen appearance of Steve McQueen. Yes, the Steve McQueen who would go onto appear in THE BLOB, THE GREAT ESCAPE and THE GETAWAY. You can see him early in the picture looking very young with a funny haircut. The performances for the most part are okay as is the cinematography. GIRL ON THE RUN is a decent "C" film but it's too bad that the setting wasn't used for something better.

GIRL ON THE RUN takes place in a carnival, where the nightly burlesque show has been drawing too much attention from the police. This is bad for Bill Martin (Richard Coogan) who's on the lam due to a murder he didn't commit. Bill needs his girlfriend, Janet (Rosemary Pettit) to hide out at the carnival while he looks for the real killer.

Not surprisingly, Janet becomes a dancer in the burlesque show. She quickly trades in her conservative clothes for more interesting attire.

Uh oh!

Someone is snooping around looking for Bill and Janet! Can Bill uncover what's going on before being caught? Will Janet ever get her dance steps right?

With a midway full of fascinating characters, this movie is very enjoyable from start to finish. Of special interest are the hard-edged Lil (Edith King), Blake (Charles Bolender) the diminutive carnival owner, and the lovely tall-drink-of-water known as Gigi (Renee De Milo).

A good example of low-budget filmmaking done right.

P. S.- Watch for a very young Steve(n) McQueen in an uncredited role. He pops up a few times...

One of several worthy discoveries in Something Weird Video's "Weird Noir" set, and the most formally interesting of the bunch. "Girl on the Run" obeys the classical unities of action (one plot, which is all you have time for in 64 minutes), time (it all takes place in one evening), and place (it is set entirely inside a traveling carnival's grounds). The film is spatially fascinating: you really get a sense of how a carnival can pack a lot of activities into a smallish area, and how, out of direct sight of the public, the "inner world" of the carnival company can go on vigorously despite there being no apparent physical room for it. The sound design is dense and realistic and lends a high degree of verisimilitude to the film's texture.

"Girl on the Run" is bookended by an excellent night-time opening shot of the carnival and its Ferris wheel from a medium distance, very atmospheric, and a great closing shot of a laughing mechanical clown. Some thought went into the presentation here.

On the debit side, the acting is fairly ordinary, although protagonist Richard Coogan - television's first Captain Video - is certainly a handsome, energetic chap. The storyline is nothing special either. And yet the very standardness of these elements throws the more innovative aspects of the movie into higher relief, and the overall result is highly watchable.

I encourage any film history student or scholar looking for an offbeat candidate for detailed analysis to take a look at this movie; I think you might see rich possibilities in it.

Carny noir concerns 1950's vice rackets. The basic mystery is "Who killed George" but there are a lot of noir type character relationships intertwined in the story. It is tough and cheap, fitting to the 1950's carny world.

Rosemary Petit is svelte and effective and appears to be a legit b-film actress. On the opposite end of the film babe spectrum is French tart Renee De Milo who believe me still delivers plenty of va-voom to the screen after all these years. While by no means great, "Girl on the Run" is a hard boiled film that held my attention. Noir enthusiasts will need this in their collection.

Extras on the Alpha DVD include a goofy trailer for "The Girl in Gold Boots" which extols that "for Buzz, the answer was a gun!" and also some other cheesy stuff.