''Man-Trap'' is a 1961 American
neo-noir
Neo-noir is a revival of film noir, a genre that had originally flourished during the post-World War II era in the United Statesroughly from 1940 to 1960. The French term, ''film noir'', translates literally to English as "black film", indicating ...
film about a
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
veteran who becomes involved in a scheme to steal $3.5 million from a
Central American
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Ce ...
dictator. The film was directed by
Edmond O'Brien
Eamon Joseph O'Brien (September 10, 1915 – May 9, 1985) was an American actor and film director. His career spanned almost 40 years, and he won one Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
O'Brien w ...
and stars
Jeffrey Hunter
Jeffrey Hunter (born Henry Herman McKinnies Jr.; November 25, 1926 – May 27, 1969) was an American film and television actor and producer known for his roles in films such as ''The Searchers'' and ''King of Kings (1961 film), King of Kin ...
,
David Janssen
David Janssen (born David Harold Meyer) (March 27, 1931February 13, 1980) was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Richard Kimble in the television series '' The Fugitive'' (1963–1967). Janssen also ...
and
Stella Stevens
Stella Stevens (born Estelle Eggleston; October 1, 1938) is a American former actress. She began her acting career in 1959 and starred in such popular films as '' Girls! Girls! Girls!'' (1962), '' The Nutty Professor'' (1963), ''The Courtship of ...
. The plot is based on the novel ''Soft Touch'' by
John D. MacDonald, which had previously been serialised in ''
Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan may refer to:
Food and drink
* Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo"
History
* Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953
Hotels and resorts
* Cosmopoli ...
'' magazine in March 1958 as "Taint of the Tiger".
Plot
Although injured in combat, Matt Jameson returns home from Korea safely and works in California as an engineer. He is unhappily married to Nina, an alcoholic, and is attracted to his boss's secretary, Liz Addams.
Vince Biskay, a friend from the Marines whose life Matt saved, turns up with a risky but tempting offer. He knows of a
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
n dictator whose shipment of $3.5 million in illegal weapons is being transported to the U.S. If they can intercept it, Matt and Vince could turn it in to law authorities and split the reward.
A gun battle erupts at the San Francisco airport, with the dictator's thugs trying to protect the loot. Vince is shot. Matt takes him and their stolen money home, where Vince recovers while a drunken Nina makes a pass at him.
Matt orders Vince to leave when he realizes that Vince intends to keep the money rather than returning it. Nina then has a fatal accident that a desperate Matt tries to cover up. He is found and beaten by the Central American thugs, looking for their money. Vince has the money but comes to an unhappy end of the road. Matt ends up with Liz, feeling lucky to get out of the dangerous situation alive.
Cast
*
Jeffrey Hunter
Jeffrey Hunter (born Henry Herman McKinnies Jr.; November 25, 1926 – May 27, 1969) was an American film and television actor and producer known for his roles in films such as ''The Searchers'' and ''King of Kings (1961 film), King of Kin ...
as Matt Jameson
*
David Janssen
David Janssen (born David Harold Meyer) (March 27, 1931February 13, 1980) was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Richard Kimble in the television series '' The Fugitive'' (1963–1967). Janssen also ...
as Vince Biskay
*
Stella Stevens
Stella Stevens (born Estelle Eggleston; October 1, 1938) is a American former actress. She began her acting career in 1959 and starred in such popular films as '' Girls! Girls! Girls!'' (1962), '' The Nutty Professor'' (1963), ''The Courtship of ...
as Nina Jameson
*
Elaine Devry
Elaine Devry (born Thelma Elaine Mahnken) is an American actress.
Early life
Devry was born Thelma Elaine Mahnken to Fred P. and Hortense Mahnken in Compton, California, where she was raised. Her brother, Jeff, was three years her senior. She b ...
as Liz Addams
*
Virginia Gregg
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
as Ruth
*
Dorothy Green as Vera Snavely
*
Hugh Sanders
Hugh Howard Sanders (March 13, 1911 – January 9, 1966) was an American actor, probably best known for playing the role of Dr. Reynolds in the movie ''To Kill a Mockingbird''.
Biography
Born in Illinois, Sanders graduated from Northwestern U ...
as E.J. Malden
*
Frank Albertson
Francis Healey Albertson (February 2, 1909 – February 29, 1964) was an American actor who had supporting roles in films such as ''It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946) and '' Psycho'' (1960).
Early life
Albertson was a native of Fergus Falls ...
as Paul Snavely
*
Arthur Batanides
Arthur Batanides (April 9, 1923 – January 10, 2000) was an American film and television actor, originally from Tacoma, Washington.
Biography and career
He became enamored with acting after performing stand-up routines in front of fellow GIs in ...
as Cortez
*
Perry Lopez
Perry Lopez (born Julio César Lopez; July 22, 1929 – February 14, 2008) was an American film and television actor. His acting career spanned 40 years.
Biography
Lopez was born in New York City of Puerto Rican descent. Lopez began his acti ...
as Puerco
*
Bernard Fein
Bernard Fein (November 13, 1926 – September 10, 1980) was an American actor, television producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for co-creating and associate producing the 1960s television sitcom ''Hogan's Heroes''; a show w ...
as Fat Man
*
Tol Avery
Taliaferro Ware "Tol" Avery (August 28, 1915 – August 27, 1973) was an American film and television character actor with more than a hundred screen appearances between 1950 and 1974.
Biography
Early in his career, Avery appeared as "Dennison ...
as Lt. Heisen
*
Bob Crane
Robert Edward Crane (July 13, 1928 – June 29, 1978) was an American actor, drummer, radio personality, and disc jockey known for starring in the CBS situation comedy ''Hogan's Heroes''.
Crane was a drummer from age 11, and he began his ente ...
as Ralph Turner
Production
The original title for the film was ''Hell Is for Heroes'', but actor
Steve McQueen
Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1 ...
demanded that
his own contemporaneous project, originally called ''Separation Hill'', be given that name. Edmond O'Brien was furious when studio executive
Martin Rackin
Martin Rackin (31 July 1918 – 15 April 1976) was an American writer and producer who was briefly head of production at Paramount Pictures from 1960–64. In the late 1950s he wrote and produced a series of films with actor Alan Ladd.
Ri ...
acceded to McQueen's dictate, but, as a leading man and up-and-coming star, McQueen had more clout than O'Brien.
Hunter made the film after ''
King of Kings
King of Kings; grc-gre, Βασιλεὺς Βασιλέων, Basileùs Basiléōn; hy, արքայից արքա, ark'ayits ark'a; sa, महाराजाधिराज, Mahārājadhirāja; ka, მეფეთ მეფე, ''Mepet mepe'' ...
''. He later wrote that the film was "experimental ... our script was not the finest by any means. It was the first time I had worked with an actor-director." He said that O'Brien "... being a very strong performer, interprets each character himself; and at times this can be very very helpful, and at other times it can be terribly frustrating, only because the actor likes to feel that he is an individual and not a parrot." However, Hunter thought that O'Brien was "... a good sport, he accepts suggestions, and I think he has all the makings of being a very fine director."
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, id=0055134, title=Man-Trap
1961 films
1961 crime drama films
American black-and-white films
American crime drama films
American heist films
American neo-noir films
Films based on short fiction
Films directed by Edmond O'Brien
Films scored by Leith Stevens
Films set in California
Films set in San Francisco
Films shot in San Francisco
Paramount Pictures films
1960s English-language films
1960s American films