''On the Loose'' is a 1951 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. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Charles Lederer Charles Davies Lederer (December 31, 1910 – March 5, 1976) was an American screenwriter and film director. He was born into a theatrical family in New York, and after his parents divorced, was raised in California by his aunt, Marion Davies, ...

and written by Dale Eunson and Katherine Albert. The film stars Joan Evans,

Melvyn Douglas Melvyn Douglas (born Melvyn Edouard Hesselberg, April 5, 1901 – August 4, 1981) was an American actor. Douglas came to prominence in the 1930s as a suave leading man, perhaps best typified by his performance in the romantic comedy ''Ninotchka ...

Lynn Bari Lynn Bari (born Marjorie Schuyler Fisher, December 18, 1919 – November 20, 1989) was a film actress who specialized in playing sultry, statuesque man-killers in roughly 150 films for 20th Century Fox, from the early 1930s through the 1940s. ...

, Robert Arthur and

Hugh O'Brian Hugh O'Brian (born Hugh Charles Krampe; April 19, 1925 – September 5, 2016) was an American actor and humanitarian, best known for his starring roles in the ABC Western television series ''The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'' (1955–196 ...

. The film was released on September 28, 1951 by

RKO Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orphe ...

Plot

Just a teenager, Jill Bradley has become suicidal over recent events. Almost everything in her life has gone wrong since her birthday, which her parents all but ignored, going out for the evening and leaving her by herself with a cake. Alice and Frank Bradley continue to neglect their daughter. Alice scolds her for buying a new dress. Frank says she can keep it if she does household chores, then becomes furious after Jill sneaks out to see boyfriend Larry Lindsay and coming home late, smelling of liquor. Unjust rumors are spread about Jill's reputation and teachers treat her unfairly as well. Classmates refuse to come to her home when invited and one provokes a fight. Frank, called to the school, slaps Jill rather than trust her. Larry's influence is a factor in her life. After ordering them champagne in a restaurant by pretending it's for their parents, he gets her into more trouble, then breaks up with her. Frank tries to make amends to his daughter by taking her to a roadhouse and dancing together. Larry enters and wrongly assumes Frank is a date, insulting Jill as a girl of low morals. Frank strikes the boy and ends up under arrest for assault. In court, although her father has advised her to keep silent, Jill testifies as to why Frank did what he did. The court lets him go, he and Alice vow to become better parents, and when they throw Jill a party, all her old school friends are there.

Cast

* Joan Evans as Jill Bradley *

as Frank Bradley *

as Alice Bradley * Robert Arthur as Larry Lindsay *

as Dr. Phillips *Constance Hilton as Susan Tanner *

Mickey Kuhn Theodore Matthew Michael Kuhn Jr. (September 21, 1932 – November 20, 2022) was an American actor. He started his career as a child actor, active on-screen during the Golden Age of Hollywood from the 1930s until the early 1950s. He is noted for ...

as Bob Vance *

Susan Morrow Susan Morrow (born Jacqueline Ann Teresa Bernadette Immoor, May 25, 1932 – May 8, 1985) was an American actress. Early years Born as Jacqueline Ann Teresa Bernadette Immoor to Frederick W. Immoor and Katherine (Shea) Immoor, Susan Morrow was ...

as Catherine *Lillian Hamilton as Miss Druten

References

External links

* 1951 films American black-and-white films RKO Pictures films 1951 drama films American drama films Films directed by Charles Lederer Films scored by Leigh Harline 1950s English-language films 1950s American films {{1950s-drama-film-stub