Main Cast: Dick Powell, Rhonda Fleming, Richard Erdman, William Conrad, Regis Toomey
Release Year: 1951
Country: US
Run Time: 80 minutes
Plot
Dick Powell stars in this suspenseful melodrama, directed by Robert Parrish. Rocky Mulloy (Powell) has recently returned from prison, after being pardoned from a life sentence when new evidence clears him from a robbery conviction. Delong (Richard Erdman), a crippled Marine veteran who concocted the new evidence that got Mulloy released, thinks that Mulloy will be so grateful that he will cooperate with him and share some of the $100,000 Mulloy supposedly has hidden somewhere from the robbery. But Mulloy has other ideas -- instead he wants the use his pardon as a chance to bring the real guilty parties involved in the crime to justice and to help out a needy friend who is still in the penitentiary. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
Review
Sometimes referred to as a film noir, Cry Danger doesn't really belong in that category; instead, it's more of a cime thriller with some noir overtones. While not a top notch picture, Danger is quite satisfying, a neat, tidy little film that accomplishes what it aims to do with a minimum of fuss and a decent amount of style. The set-up is familiar: innocent man released from prison seeks to clear his and his wrongly-accused friend's names rather than leave well enough alone. It's the kind of set-up that often evokes a harshly grand style, not over-the-top by nay means, but one in which every moment can be filled with meaning. Not so in Danger, because the lead character isn't really such a tough guy as all that. He's dead set on his mission, but he's also out to have some fun, to revisit an old flame and to find some way of achieving a normal life for himself. Indeed, you get the feeling that once he has cleared his name, this man will settle into a suburban tract house with a comfy wife and 2.2 children and a dog and live contentedly ever after -- not typical for a hero of this kind of film. This is both a plus and a minus, giving the character a different take but also working against the audience's belief in his determination. This is by no means the fault of actor Dick Powell, who does a superlative job in the role and carries the film squarely on his shoulders. He gets wonderful support from Richard Erdman and good support from Regis Toomey. Rhonda Fleming is not as strong as one might wish but is not damaging. Strong direction from Robert Parrish is a bonus. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Jean Porter - Darlene; Joan Banks - Alice Fletcher; Gloria Saunders - Cigarette Girl; Hy Averback - Bookie; Renny McEvoy - Taxi Driver; Lou Lubin - Hank; Benny Burt - Bartender; Jay Adler - Williams
Credit
Richard Day - Art Director, Jack E. Miller - Costume Designer, Lowell J. Farrell - First Assistant Director, Robert Parrish - Director, Bernard W. Burton - Editor, Paul Dunlap - Composer (Music Score), Emil Newman - Composer (Music Score), Hugo W. Friedhofer - Songwriter, Kiva Hoffman - Makeup, Joseph Biroc - Cinematographer, W.R. Frank - Producer, Sam Wiesenthal - Producer, Joseph Kish - Set Designer, William Lynch - Sound/Sound Designer, Jerry Cady - Screen Story, William Bowers - Screenwriter
Cry Danger is a 1951film noir thriller shot in twenty-two days in Los Angeles, including the Bunker Hill section of the city. The film was directed by Robert Parrish.[1]
Dick Powell plays bookie Rocky Mulloy, who was sentenced to life in prison for a robbery and murder that he didn't commit. He's released five years later when a witness appears and provides an alibi. Rocky then sets out to find who framed him, hoping that by uncovering the actual criminals, he'll be able to free his friend Danny Morgan, also accused of the same crime.
Most reviews for the film are positive. Time Out's film review says of Cry Danger: "...it's the kind of movie in which, told to expect someone extra for dinner, delicious Fleming smiles 'OK, I'll put more water in the soup'. With excellent support players like a young, thin (for him) William Conrad and Jay Adler, this is a fast, crisp and laconic delight."[2]
The staff at Variety magazine like the film and said, "All the ingredients for a suspenseful melodrama are contained in Cry Danger...Robert Parrish, erstwhile film editor, makes a strong directorial bow.[3]
