Girl on the Run

Richard Coogan ('The Californians') stars as Bill Martin, an ace reporter who's framed for the murder of his editor. He takes it on the lam with his devoted girlfriend Janet (Rosemary Pettit, in one of only five credits for her), and they hide out in a traveling carnival. There, he finds work as a pugilist and she learns how to do some exotic dancing. All the while, they have to prove that criminal big shot Clay Reeves (Harry Bannister, "The Girl of the Golden West") is the one responsible for the killing.

"Girl on the Run" is zippy, engaging Carny-Noir, shot through with plenty of seedy carnival atmosphere, and featuring enough padding to give us a real assortment of the sights and sounds of this place. It comes complete with typically stark photography for the genre (done by Victor Lukens), and an amusing script by Cedric Worth and co-director Arthur J. Beckhard. Some of the dialogue is pretty entertaining, and quick pacing results in a tidy little movie that runs just a little over 65 minutes. There's enough footage of sexy dancing girls to entice viewers, as well as the sight of Coogan in the boxing ring.

The characters are at least reasonably interesting, with Bannister making for an effective heavy. Coogan is a likeable hero, Pettit an appealing heroine, and Edith King ('The Phil Silvers Show') provides solid support as the matronly Lil, but the show is often stolen by the diminutive Charles Bolender ("Dark Intruder") as carny boss Mr. Blake. Star stripper Gigi is played by Renee De Milo, whose dancing is so good it's likely this was really what she did for a living (this was her only acting credit).

However, as most people will tell you, the real curiosity value is in spotting a very young Steve McQueen, as an extra at the carnival. It was the future stars' big screen debut, and he's not too hard to spot (pay close attention to the opening several minutes).

Seven out of 10.

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.

Never heard of the directing duo, but they certainly owe a debt to Fritz Lang and Wiemar cinema in general. With an nod to Tod Browning for ambience.

Best viewed as a gestalt. Ignore such conventions as plot, acting and dialogue. The reward is in the esthetic. The evocative cinematography in particular. Cf, the mechanical clown that opens and closes the film. A stunning and memorable image.

Great little sleazy noir murder mystery at a burlesque (tame)show on the midway. A pulp story brought to life! But watch for Steve McQueen as a background extra in a couple of scenes! Must be his first part.

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.