''Nancy Steele Is Missing!'' is a 1937 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by George Marshall and

Otto Preminger Otto Ludwig Preminger ( ; ; 5 December 1905 – 23 April 1986) was an Austrian Americans, Austrian-American film and theatre director, film producer, and actor. He directed more than 35 feature films in a five-decade career after leaving the the ...

and starring Victor McLaglen, Walter Connolly and Peter Lorre. It was produced and distributed by

Twentieth Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

. The film's sets were designed by the British

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

Hans Peters. It has been described as a precursor to

film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

.Grant p.143-44

Plot

Danny O'Neill ( Victor McLaglen) works for munitions manufacturer Michael Steele ( Walter Connolly) in the days leading up to

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. O'Neill kidnaps Steele's infant daughter, hoping the drastic act will keep the country out of war. He leaves the baby with his sister and brother-in-law who believe the baby is his daughter. Soon after, O'Neill is arrested for a series of crimes and is sentenced to 20 years in prison. Once released, he returns to find the girl, now named Sheila, who believes O'Neill to be her father. O'Neill runs into Steele, who offers him a job on his estate. O'Neill has come to care for Sheila and decides to give up his criminal life in order to be a "father" to her. This plan is shattered when O'Neill's former cellmate Sturm ( Peter Lorre) shows up and, knowing the truth about the kidnapping, has plans to blackmail O'Neill

Cast

* Victor McLaglen as Dannie O'Neill * Walter Connolly as Michael Steele * Peter Lorre as Prof. Sturm * June Lang as Sheila O'Neill - aka Nancy Steele * Robert Kent as Jimmie Wilson * Shirley Deane as Nancy * John Carradine as Harry Wilkins *

Jane Darwell Jane Darwell (born Patti Woodard; October 15, 1879 – August 13, 1967) was an American actress of stage, film, and television. With appearances in more than 100 major movies spanning half a century, Darwell is perhaps best remembered for her p ...

as Mrs. Mary Flaherty * Frank Conroy as Dan Mallon *

Granville Bates Granville Bates (January 7, 1882 – July 8, 1940) was an American character actor and bit player, appearing in over ninety films. Biography Bates was born in Chicago in 1882 to Granville Bates, Sr., a developer and builder, and Adaline Bates ...

as Joseph F.X. Flaherty * George Taylor as Gus Crowder * Kane Richmond as Tom - Steele's Chauffeur * Margaret Fielding as Miss Hunt * DeWitt Jennings as Doctor on Farm * George Chandler as Counter Clerk * George Humbert as Giuseppe Spano * Edgar Dearing as Detective Flynn

References

Bibliography

* Grant, Kevin. ''Roots of Film Noir: Precursors from the Silent Era to the 1940s''. McFarland, 2022. * Thomas, Sarah. ''Peter Lorre: Face Maker: Constructing Stardom and Performance in Hollywood and Europe''. Berghahn Books, 2012.

External links

* 1937 films 1937 drama films American drama films Films directed by George Marshall Films scored by David Buttolph Films scored by Cyril J. Mockridge 20th Century Fox films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films {{1930s-drama-film-stub