Female Fugitive

Woman who's husband runs a successful trucking company, which seemingly is untouched by a recent rash of hijackings plaguing his competitors, ends up on the run when the police show up on her door looking for two hijackers. Fleeing with her husband and his men she must work to get herself out of murder rap caused by the death of an cop in a shoot out.

Good but not great B crime drama hits all of the typical notes as the woman rapidly finds that she is in way over her head and now must fight to keep herself out of jail. This is the sort of thing I used to stumble upon on late night TV and got hooked on, staying to the end, usually with out ever finding out what you saw. It the sort of thing that keeps you interested as to whats going to happen next (probably the highest recommendation I can give). The cast is very good, including a young Reed Hadley as a romantic possibility for our heroine. If there is anything that works against the films success its that the script, its a bit too melodramatic at times (The expectant wife of the shot officer) and when the film is done you really don't want to see it again (nor do you really remember the previous hour). Still its worth a shot if you're in the mood for a non taxing thriller.

Peggy and Jim seem to be a happily married young couple. However, Peggy doesn't realize that her husband is an evil sociopath...and leads a bloody truck hijacking ring. In fact, when the police catch up to Jim, Peggy has no idea that her hubby is a crook and all she knows is that armed men are approaching...and she helps Jim escape. However, soon after this she realizes what a scum-bag he is and she leaves him. Jim vows to get her back....or else. And the law assumes they are both evil criminals!

Peggy hides out as a cook for a nice artist (Reed Hadley). Very soon, he's smitten with her. She wants to reciprocate, as she is also very fond of him...and when Jim fakes his own death, she thinks she finally is rid of the guy. Imagine their surprise when Jim shows up!!

This is a very cheaply made film by a so-called 'Poverty Row' studio, Crescent. And, as such, I expected that the movie would be terrible....which it wasn't. Sure, some of the acting could have been better but overall the story worked and kept my interest. And, fortunately, Hadley was far less wooden that he was in 1950s TV.

Take a perfect wife, an imperfect husband, and throw in a bit of murder and you have Female Fugitive. Evelyn Venable is beautiful, intelligent, loving, and unfortunately for her, oblivious. Husband Craig Reynolds is a truck hijacker to whom murder is just part of the job. Not exactly a match made in heaven as Ms. Venable comes to realize after unwittingly helping her husband escape the law at the expense of an officer's life. Splitting from her husband and going on the lam (uh, the title anyone?), she ends up in the household of reclusive, troubled artist Reed Hadley.

No surprises in this movie as 58 minutes doesn't provide a lot of time to develop plot turns. Everyone does a serviceable job and director Nigh keeps things moving if for no other reason than to keep within budget. I guess filming 100+ of these low budget films ingrains that in you. And for those looking for something different, it's not often you have a female lead spout Nietzsche when attacked by the philosophy of Schopenhauer. Some fun lines, fast pacing, and Ms. Venable playing a damsel in distress that anyone would fall for make this a decent little vehicle.

Evelyn Venable is thrilled when husband Craig Reynolds brings hme a diamond bracelet for her. His trucking business must be doing well! No, it's not. That's just a sideline and a cover: his real business is hijacking trucks, as she finds out when a couple of henchmen show up after a gun fight with cops. Before she can get a handle on what's going on, she's driving the getaway car, with a police man killed. Being a decent person, Miss Venable leaves and gets a job cooking for artist Reed Hadley, enchanting him with her ham and eggs and discussions of Schopenhauer.

There's something at the heart of this script that I can't figure out. I think it's because at less than an hour, director William Nigh lacks the budget and inclination to dig it out; I suspect it's about true love having an aspect of intellectual respect. That's thoroughly undercut by Hadley telling Miss Venable, once he's aware of the situation "Don't worry your head about it." Leave the thinking to big, strong artists!

There's decent story here, and good performances, but little more, a potentially strong film reduced to melodramatic mush.