Suddenly **** (1954, Frank Sinatra, Sterling Hayden, James Gleason, Nancy Gates) – Classic Movie Review 9291

Director Lewis Allen’s 1954 black and white film noir crime thriller Suddenly stars Frank Sinatra follows his Oscar win in From Here to Eternity with another strong performance as John Baron, a psychotic hitman paid to kill the US President by a California small town called Suddenly.

John Baron (Sinatra) and his two gangster buddies hold Pop Benson (James Gleason) and his daughter-in-law Ellen Benson (Nancy Gates) hostage in a house on the top of a hill by the railway station planning to kill the President, while town lawman Sheriff Tod Shaw (Sterling Hayden) tries to save the day.

Perhaps Suddenly offers no surprises, but it is tense and credible, and Sinatra is good enough to flesh out an underwritten part as a snarling, cold-blooded mad-dog killer. Weirdly, eerily, the plot seems to predict President Kennedy’s assassination.

Also in the cast are Kim Charney, Christopher Dark, Paul Frees, Charles Smith, Willis Bouchey, James Lilburn, Ken Dibbs, Clark Howat, Paul Wexler, Dan White, Charles Wagenheim and John Bernardino.

Suddenly is directed by Lewis Allen, runs 77 minutes, is made by Libra Productions and Bassler Productions, is released by United Artists, is written by Richard Sale, is shot in black and white by Charles G Clarke, is produced by Robert Bassler, is scored by David Raksin and is designed by Frank Sylos.

It was shot in Santa Clarita, Newhall and Saugus, California; and in the studio at Goldwyn Studios, Culver City, California.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 9291

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