''Step by Step'' is a 1946 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

Phil Rosen Philip E. Rosen (May 8, 1888 – October 22, 1951) was an American film director and cinematographer. He directed more than 140 films between 1915 and 1949. He was born in Marienburg, German Empire (now, Malbork, Poland), grew up in Ma ...

, written by

Stuart Palmer Stuart Palmer (June 21, 1905 – February 4, 1968) was a mystery novel writer and screenwriter best known for his character Hildegarde Withers. He also wrote under the names Theodore Orchards

, and starring

Lawrence Tierney Lawrence James Tierney (March 15, 1919 – February 26, 2002) was an American film and television actor who is best known for his many screen portrayals of mobsters and tough guys in a career that spanned over 50 years. His roles mirrored his ...

Anne Jeffreys Anne Jeffreys (born Annie Jeffreys Carmichael; January 26, 1923 – September 27, 2017) was an American actress and singer. She was noted as the female lead in the 1950s TV series '' Topper''. Career Jeffreys was born Annie Jeffreys Carmichae ...

Lowell Gilmore Lowell Gilmore (20 December 1906 – 31 January 1960) was an American stage, film and television actor. Life and career Lowell Gilmore first worked as a stage manager on the 1929 Broadway play ''The First Mrs. Fraser'', but got his chance as a ...

Myrna Dell Myrna Dell (born Marilyn Adele Dunlap; March 5, 1924 – February 11, 2011) was an American actress, model, and writer who appeared in numerous motion pictures and television programs over four decades. A Hollywood glamour girl in the early pa ...

Harry Harvey, Sr. Harry William Harvey Sr. (January 10, 1901 – November 27, 1985) was an American actor of theatre, film, and television. He was the father of actor, script supervisor, and director Harry William Harvey Jr. He is best known for his perform ...

and

Addison Richards Addison Whittaker Richards, Jr. (October 20, 1902 – March 22, 1964) was an American actor of film and television. Richards appeared in more than three hundred films between 1933 and his death. Biography A native of Zanesville, Ohio, Richa ...

. It was released on August 30, 1946, 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

A secretary, Evelyn Smith, lands a job working for Remmy, a Senator. One day while swimming, she encounters Johnny Christopher, a passerby who stopped to admire her. Johnny just returned from active duty in the Pacific during WWII. He and his war dog, Bazuka, flirt with Evelyn who smiles and then returns to Remmy's home. Johnny locks himself out of his car, so on foot (and in his bathing suit) he makes his way to Remmy's nearby home. A strange woman answers the door and claims to be Evelyn, confusing Johnny. The more he snoops around, the more he is convinced that something is wrong, but the police refuse to believe him. Johnny sneaks back into Remmy's home, donning clothes he finds laying around. Enemy agents have tied up Remmy, the real Evelyn and the senator's chauffeur. They are searching for a list in the Senator's possession, but Johnny accidentally ends up with possession of it due to his new wardrobe. The chauffeur is shot, the Senator is unconscious and a government operative, James Blackton is dead. The chauffeur escapes and brings in the police and the coroner. The Senator comes around and the police are sure it is an inside job, with Evelyn and Johnny as the prime suspects. Fleeing for their lives, Evelyn and Johnny end up at a motel run by Capt. Caleb Simpson and gain his trust. Unbeknownst to them, the enemy agents are also staying at the motel. Evelyn and Johnny track down the chauffeur and try to get information about the list from him. The chauffeur is about to spill the beans when the enemy agents shoot him through the open window. The enemy agents make a quick get-away, and Capt. Simpson helps Evelyn and Johnny escape from the police. The enemy agents connect Johnny, Bazuka and the borrowed clothes. The spies decide the list must be in the jacket and then discover Evelyn and Johnny's hiding place at the motel. Johnny tells them he disposed of the jacket in the sea. The enemy agents knock out Johnny and Evelyn. After finding the jacket in the back of Johnny's car, and the list in the jacket pocket, the enemy agents plan to dispose of Evelyn and Johnny. They drive off with Johnny in the trunk and Evelyn wrapped up in the back seat. The police arrive and search the motel. They find a letter Johnny was writing to the Senator. After getting stopped at a police barricade, they are recognized and escape after shooting a police officer. Johnny tries to signal with the tail lights in Morse code. The enemy agents plan to scuttle a boat with Evelyn and Johnny aboard. While in the boathouse, Johnny breaks loose and fights with the two male enemy agents and Evelyn takes care of the female agent. Capt. Caleb arrives with the police to place the enemy agents under arrest. Evelyn and Johnny marry with Bazuka and Capt. Caleb in tow.

Cast

as Johnny Christopher *

as Evelyn Smith *

as Von Dorn *

as Gretchen *

as Senator Remmy *

as James Blackton * Ray Walker as Agent Jorgensen * Jason Robards, Sr. as Bruckner *

George Cleveland George Alan Cleveland (September 17, 1885 – July 15, 1957) was a Canadian film actor. He appeared in more than 180 films between 1930 and 1954. Career Cleveland was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. His first appearance on the stag ...

as Captain Caleb Simpson

References

External links

* {{Phil Rosen 1946 films American black-and-white films RKO Pictures films Films directed by Phil Rosen 1946 drama films American drama films Films scored by Paul Sawtell 1940s English-language films 1940s American films