Ransom! **** (1956, Glenn Ford, Donna Reed, Leslie Nielsen, Juano Hernandez, Robert Keith) – Classic Movie Review 8225

The tense 1956 film noir crime thriller Ransom! is an impressive showcase for Glenn Ford, who dominates it with his convincing performance as a nervy but determined dad whose son is kidnapped for ransom.

Despite its good supporting cast, director Alex Segal’s tense 1956 film noir crime thriller Ransom! ends up as an impressive showcase for Glenn Ford, who dominates nearly every one of its scenes with his convincing performance as a nervy but determined dad whose son is kidnapped for ransom.

Ford and Donna Reed star as a wealthy American couple, Dave and Edith Stannard, whose son Andy (Bobby Clark) is held to ransom for $500,000 (around $4,500,000 in 2019 money), leaving the parents sharply divided over whether to pay up or not. The father goes on to threaten the kidnappers on nation-wide television, alienating the distraught mother.

Segal directs this extremely tense thriller with a deft hand and, with a lovely sense of pacing, keeps building the suspense to a near-unbearable pitch.

Also in the cast are Leslie Nielsen in his feature film debut as newspaper reporter Charlie Telfer, Juano Hernandez as Uncle Jesse, Robert Keith as Police Chief Jim Backett, Alexander Scourby, Juanita Moore, Mabel Albertson, Richard Gaines, Ainslie Pryor as Dave’s brother Al Stannard, Lori March, Robert Burton, Mary Alan Hokanson and Robert Stevenson [aka Robert Forrest].

The excellently plotted and executed screenplay is by Richard Maibaum and Cyril Hume. It is based on their television play episode of The United States Steel Hour (1953) called Fearful Decision that aired live on 22 June 1954 and starred Ralph Bellamy.

Ransom! is directed by Alex Segal, runs 109 minutes, is made by MGM, is released by Loew’s Inc, is written by Cyril Hume and Richard Maibaum, based on the teleplay Fearful Decision by Cyril Hume and Richard Maibaum, is shot in black and white by Arthur E Arling, is produced by Nicholas Nayfack, and is scored by Jeff Alexander.

Release date: January 24, 1956.

Richard Maibaum recalled: ‘Although I thought it was a good film, I wasn’t as fond of it as of the TV show.’

It was remade by director Ron Howard as Ransom with Mel Gibson, Rene Russo, Brawley Nolte and Gary Sinise in 1996.

The cast are Glenn Ford as Dave Stannard, Donna Reed as Edith Stannard, Leslie Nielsen as Charlie Telfer, Juano Hernandez as Uncle Jesse Chapman, Robert Keith as Police Chief Backett, Richard Gaines as Langly, Mabel Albertson as Mrs Partridge, Alexander Scourby as Dr Gorman, Bobby Clark as Andy Stannard, Ainslie Pryor as Al Stannard, Lori March as Elizabeth Stannard, Robert Burton as Sheriff Kessing, Juanita Moore as Shirley Lorraine, Charles Herbert as Butchie Ritter, Ethan Laidlaw as Townsman, and Olan Soule as Bank Clerk.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8.225

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