Businessman Gerald Axton goes to his ranch to rest, having had a near-heart-attack due to business worries. But while there (with his female assistant who makes his heart flutter as much as ... Read allBusinessman Gerald Axton goes to his ranch to rest, having had a near-heart-attack due to business worries. But while there (with his female assistant who makes his heart flutter as much as his business worries), a pair of escaped criminals crashes the party, as well as a plane l... Read allBusinessman Gerald Axton goes to his ranch to rest, having had a near-heart-attack due to business worries. But while there (with his female assistant who makes his heart flutter as much as his business worries), a pair of escaped criminals crashes the party, as well as a plane load of passengers who literally crash in. Coincidentally, the plane was carrying the state... Read all
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Airport Radio Operator
- (uncredited)
- Rudd's Editor
- (uncredited)
- Police Radio Operator
- (uncredited)
- Western Union Operator
- (uncredited)
- Mr. Baxter
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
What an interesting movie. Completely far-fetched and melodramatic but fascinating nonetheless. It's helped by a great cast and ample doses of humor, intentional and unintentional. In addition to those I mentioned above, J. Carrol Naish also appears briefly as a handyman, using his trademark "is it Italian or is it Spanish" accent. Definitely an unknown treat for classic movie fans so check it out.
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Semi-rip of The Petrified Forest has a plane full of people crash landing on the field of a man (Lionel Atwill) being held captive by a couple robbers. There are a few good laughs here but the direction is so strange that it's hard to really get caught up in the film. There's very little suspense in the movie but there are a couple nice laughs, which help the movie move along. Wallace Ford playing the tough guy was a bit hard to believe and led to several unintentional laughs. J. Carroll Naish and Irene Harvey turn in good performances as does Atwill.
It's a little like "The Petrified Forest." That holds up pretty well but is very stagy. And it's a little like "Key Largo," which no one is going to fault.
Lionel Atwill is a manipulator who tries to have the husband of a woman he's attracted to crash his plane. At the same time, he will be taking care of an ex-girlfriend, an actress he has ostensibly sent to Hollywood in that same plane. Her boyfriend, Louis Hayward, a fading movie star, is also on the plane, as is the governor of the state. Atwill has it in for him.
The plane crashes at his house in the country, where he is ostensibly taking in the eponymous rest.
Add t to this mix a reporter who wants the story. (A rather pudgy looking Stuart Erwin is good in this role.) And a Bonnie and Clyde duo on the lam. Their names are Jack and Judy. Or, their name (as they were originally a vaudeville team) IS Jack and Judy.
All this, as well as a couple minor players, in one house! This doesn't come across as a formulaic programmer. It has plenty of tension. The only aspect that bothered me was Jack's slang: Over and over, instead of saying "OK," he says "Oke." Slang can really date a movie. But this one holds up very well indeed, in spite of that one small annoyance.
Did you know
- TriviaThe radio at Axton's ranch is an extremely rare 1935 Zenith model 1000Z "Stratosphere". Only 350 were made and it was priced at $750 ($16,600 in 2023). It used 25 vacuum tubes and its cabinet is made of inlaid walnut, elm and laurel woods. It had a then cutting-edge automatic volume control. In 2023 these radios, completely restored, can fetch over $50,000. It is the "holy grail" for radio collectors and museums.
- Quotes
Oscar 'Chubby' Rudd: Two years ago you were so conservative, you buttoned your underwear up the sides; now when you go past, people think it's the fire department out on a picnic!
- SoundtracksI've Got a Feelin' You're Foolin'
(uncredited)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics (unused) by Arthur Freed
Played on piano at the ranch by Wallace Ford
- How long is Absolute Quiet?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Silêncio Absoluto
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 10 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1