Woman on the Run **** (1950, Ann Sheridan, Dennis O’Keefe, Robert Keith, Ross Elliott) – Classic Movie Review 7,736

Ann Sheridan and Dennis O’Keefe star in the strong and solid 1950 film noir thriller Woman on the Run, nicely filmed in black and white by cinematographer Hal Mohr on exciting San Francisco locations.

Co-writer/ director Norman Foster’s 1950 Woman on the Run is an exceptionally strong and solid low-budget film noir thriller, nicely filmed in black and white by cinematographer Hal Mohr on exciting San Francisco locations.

Ross Elliott plays artist Frank Johnson, who sees a mob murder and vanishes. Ann Sheridan stars as his wife Eleanor Johnson, who finds out that he has a heart disease and searches him out with the help of newsman Dan Legget (Dennis O’Keefe) and police investigator Inspector Ferris (Robert Keith) to try to reach him before the bad guys get to him.

Woman on the Run is a model B-movie, with a taut screenplay and suspenseful direction, as well as snappy playing, particularly from an unglamorous-looking Sheridan.

Also in the cast are Frank Jenks, John Qualen, J Farrell MacDonald, Tom Dillon [credited as Thomas P Dillon], Joan Shawlee (credited as Joan Fulton), Steven Geray, and Victor Sen Young.

There is an amusing bit of a title change from its source material. presumably to boost the star’s significance (or possibly ego). The screenplay is based on the April 1948 short story Man on the Run in American Magazine by Sylvia Tate.

Woman on the Run is directed by Norman Foster, runs 77 minutes, is made by Fidelity Pictures Corporation, released by Universal Pictures, is written by Norman Foster and Alan Campbell, based on the short story Man on the Run by Sylvia Tate, is shot in black and white by Hal Mohr, is produced by Howard Welsch and is scored by Arthur Lange and Emil Newman, with Art Direction by Boris Leven.

Future producer Ross Hunter is credited as dialogue director.

Filming began on 20 March 1950. It is filmed on location in San Francisco and Santa Monica in Los Angeles County. The final scene begins at San Francisco’s Playland at the Beach amusement park but the rollercoaster and the other scenes were filmed at Ocean Park Pier in Santa Monica.

The failure of the original copyright holder to renew copyright resulted in the film falling into public domain. But it was restored and preserved by the UCLA Film & Television Archive.

The cast are Ann Sheridan as Eleanor Johnson, Dennis O’Keefe as Daniel ‘Dan’ Legget, Robert Keith as Inspector Martin Ferris, John Qualen as Maibus, Frank Jenks as Detective Shaw, Ross Elliott as Frank Johnson, Jane Liddell as Messenger Girl, Joan Shawlee [Joan Fulton] as Tipsy Blonde in Bar, J Farrell MacDonald as Sea Captain, Steven Geray as Dr Hohler, Victor Sen Yung as Sam, Reiko Sato [Rako Sato] as Suzie, Syd Saylor as Sullivan, Milton Kibbee as man yelling from apartment house, Tom Dillon [Thomas P Dillon] as Joe Gordon, and Rembrandt the Dog.

Release date: November 29, 1950 (New York City).

Norman Foster (born Norman Foster Hoeffer; December 13, 1903 – July 7, 1976) directed many Charlie Chan and Mr Moto films, and projects for Orson Welles (the 1943 Journey into Fear) and Walt Disney (the 1955 Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier and the 1956 Davy Crockett and the River Pirates). He was married to Claudette Colbert and then Sally Blane, sister of Loretta Young.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7,736

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Dennis O’Keefe; (March 29, 1908 – August 31, 1968) was born Edward Vance Flanagan.