Dick Powell and Rhonda Fleming “Cry Danger”

Cry Danger (1951) is an American film noir drama directed by Robert Parrish and starring Dick Powell, and Rhonda Fleming. The supporting cast includes Richard Erdman, William Conrad, Regis Toomey, and Jean Porter.

Rocky Mulloy (Powell) was sentenced to life in prison for a robbery and murder that he did not commit. He is released five years later when an “eyewitness,” a one-legged ex-Marine named Delong (Erdman) said he didn’t do it. The alibi by Delong is a fake one, but ever the opportunist, by freeing Rocky, he hopes to share in the missing $100,000 from the robbery. However, Rocky says he wasn’t involved with the robbery and is determined to find out who framed him and his friend Danny Morgan, whose wife Nancy (Fleming) was involved with Rocky before she married Danny. Nancy seems to want to start where they left off many years ago which makes Rocky uncomfortable and complicates his quest to clear himself and Danny.

Will Rocky uncover who framed him and will he be able to clear his name.

 

Robert Parrish (1916 – 195) was an American film director, film editor, and former child actor. As a child, Parrish appeared in many silent films, including the classic Sunrise: A Story of Two Humans. He transitioned to talking pictures including Anna Christie (1930) with Greta Garbo, The Big Trail (1930) with John Wayne, and Forbidden (1932) with Barbara Stanwyck. Parish, with John Ford’s encouragement,  began working behind the scenes as a film editor. He worked with Ford on Stagecoach (1939), Young Mr. Lincoln (1939), and The Grapes of Wrath. Parrish won an Academy Award (shared with Francis Lyon) for editing Body and Soul (1947). Cry Danger (1951) was Parrish’s first directorial effort. He went on the direct major stars like Jane Wyman, Charlton Heston, Rita Hayworth, Jack Lemmon, and Michael Cain.

Dick Powell (1904 - 1963) was an American actor, singer, producer, and director. He began his movie career in musicals and comedies but eventually toughened up his image in the mid-1940s where he became a popular star of films noir. He was the first actor to portray Philip Marlowe in Murder, My Sweet (1944). After appearing in his last film, Susan Slept Here, Powell started directing. In the 1950s he was one of the founders of Four Star Television along with Charles Boyer, David Niven, and Ida Lupino. Some popular films starring Powell include 42nd Street (1933), A Midsummer's Night Dream (1935), Christmas in July (1940), Pitfall (1948), and The Bad and the Beautiful (1952).

Rhonda Fleming (1923 – 2020) was an American actress and singer. Fleming was discovered walking to high school by agent Henry Willson. She was signed to a seven-year contract without a screen test, “it was a Cinderella story, but those things could happened in those days,” said Fleming. She had bit parts in Since You Went Away (1944) and When Strangers Marry (1944). Fleming had her first substantial role in Alfred Hitchcock’s Spellbound starring Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck. In 1949, Fleming won the female lead in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1949) co-starring Bing Crosby. In that film, she got to show off her singing ability. Also in 1949, she co-starred with Bob Hope in The Great Lover. Ten years later, she co-starred with Hope again in Alias Jesse James. After her film career slowed down, Fleming worked in television starting in the 1950s. She worked for several charities and established the Rhonda Fleming Mann Clinic for Women’s Comprehensive Care at the UCLA Medical Center.

Dick Powell and Rhonda Fleming

Cry Danger trivia

• Actress Jean Porter said that Dick Powell directed the film but gave the screen credit to Robert Parrish.
• This is Rhonda Fleming’s personal favorite of all her films.
• Fleming donated to restore the film by the Film Noir Foundation and UCLA’s Film and Television Archive.
• There is a credit for the song “Cry Danger” but no song by that name is heard in the film.
• $100,000 in 1946 (when the film took place) is equivalent to over one million dollars today.

 

Click HERE to watch the movie on YouTube.

 

Click HERE to join the discussion May 13, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

 

Discussion questions

1. How do you think this film compared with Pitfall?
2. Does this film fit with your idea of a “classic” film noir?
3. Film noir plots are notoriously complicated and hard to follow. Where you able to follow the plot of Cry Danger?
4. What did you think of Fleming’s performance? Was she a typical femme fatale?
5. Did this film surprise you in any way?

 

John Garfield and Lili Palmer in "Body and Soul"

Body and Soul (1947) is an American film noir set in the world of professional boxing directed by Robert Rossen and starring John Garfield and Lili Palmer. The supporting cast includes Hazel Brooks, Anne Revere, Canada Lee, and William Conrad. The black and white cinematography was by Academy Award winner James Wong Howe.

Garfield stars as Charlie Davis, a successful boxer who is surrounded by a group of men who may or may not have his best interests at heart. As his career progresses, Charlie's life becomes more and more complicated. When he falls in love with Peg Born (Palmer), Charlie isn't so sure about the decisions he's made about his life and career.

Robert Rossen (1908 - 1966) was an American screenwriter and director. He wrote screenplays while under contract to Warner Brothers. His first solo screenwriting credit was They Won't Forget (1937) which featured the film debut of Lana Turner. Rossen wrote or co-wrote the scripts for Dust Be My Destiny (1939), The Roaring Twenties (1939), and The Sea Wolf (1941). Rossen directed the Best Picture of 1949, All the King's Men. Rossen was nominated for Best Director but lost out to Joseph L.Mankiewicz. Rossen was a member of the Communist Party and was blacklisted in the 1950s. He eventually named names and his career was back on track. He directed The Hustler (1961) which was nominated for nine Academy Awards.

John Garfield (1913 - 1952) was an American actor who specialized in brooding, rebellious characters. Garfield was a popular stage actor with the Group Theater in New York when Hollywood came calling. Garfield's first film was Four Daughters (1938). The movie was a big success and Garfield's performance was praised. He received a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination for his role as troubled musician Mickey Borden. His success in his first film led to a long-term contract with Warner Brothers. Other films Garfield starred in include They Made Me a Criminal (1938), Juarez (1939), Castle on the Hudson (1940), Out of the Fog (1941), Destination Tokyo (1943), and The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), and Body and Soul (1947) for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Garfield had long-term heart problems. Against the advice of his doctor, he played tennis the day he passed away.

Lili Palmer (1914 - 1986) was a German actress who made her film debut in Crime Unlimited (1935) while under contract by Gaumont Film Company in Great Britain. In 1943, she married Rex Harrison. They had a son together named Carey. When Harrison went to Hollywood, Palmer followed him and made several popular movies including Cloak and Dagger (1946) co-starring Gary Cooper. Palmer split her time between the stage and film and continued acting up until the time of her death.

John Garfield and Lili Palmer

Body and Soul trivia

• Anne Revere who played Garfield's mother was only 10 years old than he was.
• The film is considered one of the greatest boxing films of all time.
• Many of the cast and crew became directors including William Conrad (Quinn), Joseph Pevney (Shorty), and Abraham Polonsky.
• Cinematographer James Wong Howe wore roller skates to get a more realistic feel while filming the fight scenes.

To watch the film on YouTube, click the link below.

To join the discussion on July 18, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you'll get an invitation and Zoom link to join the discussion.

Discussion questions:

1. How would you compare Garfield's performance in this film to Force of Evil?
2. Was Garfield believable as a boxer?
3. What did you think of Lili Palmer's performance?
4. Did Garfield and Lili Palmer make a believable couple? Was there chemistry between them?
5. The screenplay was by Abraham Polonsky, the man who wrote and directed Force of Evil. Did you see any similarities between the two films?
6. How did you react to Ben's (Lee) death?
7. Was the ending realistic?