''The Night Runner'' is a 1957 American

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

film directed by

Abner Biberman Abner Warren Biberman (April 1, 1909 – June 20, 1977) was an American actor, director, and screenwriter. Early years Biberman was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, later moving to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He gained early acting experien ...

, produced by Albert J.Cohen and starring

Ray Danton Ray Danton (born Raymond Caplan; September 19, 1931 – February 11, 1992) was a radio, film, stage, and television actor, director, and producer whose most famous roles were in the screen biographies ''The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond'' (1960 ...

and

Colleen Miller Colleen Joy Miller (born November 10, 1932) is an American actress. She starred in several films, such as the Westerns '' Gunfight at Comanche Creek'' (1963) and '' Four Guns to the Border'' (1954). Early life The daughter of Elias and Lillian ...

. Its screenplay was written by

Gene Levitt Eugene Levitt (May 28, 1920 – November 15, 1999) was an American television writer, producer and director. Life and career Levitt was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Charles and Teresa Levitt. He had an older sister, Betty Ruth. His mot ...

. The story focuses on a released mental patient who falls in love but cannot control his violent urges.

Plot

Roy Turner, a mental patient with a violent past, is prematurely released from the mental ward because of overcrowding. The doctors tell him to avoid stressful situations. Realizing that he cannot handle the pressures of big-city life, he moves into a beachside motel in a small coastal town and falls in love with Susan Mayes, the daughter of the motel's owner. When her father discovers that Roy is a mental patient, he threatens to have him recommitted unless he leaves his daughter alone. Roy snaps, killing the man, and he and Susan flee down the beach. He tries to kill her by pushing her into the water but comes to his senses and rescues her. He then turns himself in.

Cast

as Roy Turner *

as Susan Mayes *

Merry Anders Merry Anders (born Mary Helen Anderson; May 22, 1934 – October 28, 2012) was an American actress and model who appeared in a number of television programs and films from the 1950s until her retirement from the screen in 1972. Early life Ander ...

as Amy Hansen *

Willis Bouchey Willis Ben Bouchey (May 24, 1907 – September 27, 1977) was an American character actor who appeared in almost 150 films and television shows. He was born in Vernon, Michigan, but raised by his mother and stepfather in Washington state. ...

as Loren Mayes * Harry Jackson as Hank Hanson * Roberto Anderson as Ed Wallace * Jess Inness as Miss Dodd *

Eddy Waller Edward Carlingford Waller (June 14, 1889 – August 20, 1977) was an American stage, film and television actor. Early years Born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, he was a son of the Rev. Thomas M. Waller, a Presbyterian minister, and Anna Tay ...

as Vernon * John Stephenson as Dr. Crawford * Alexander Campbell as Dr. Royce * Natalie Masters as Miss Lowell * Richard H. Cutting as Male Interviewer (as Richard Cutting) *

Steve Pendleton Steve Pendleton (September 16, 1908 – October 3, 1984) was an American film and television actor. He also went by Gaylord Pendleton as a Broadway performer. He was in more than 220 different films and television episodes. Pendleton appeare ...

as Captain Reynolds * Jack Lomas as Real Estate Man *

Bill Erwin William Lindsey Erwin (December 2, 1914 – December 29, 2010) was an American film, stage and television actor and cartoonist with over 250 television and film credits. A veteran character actor, he is widely known for his 1993 Emmy Award-nomi ...

as McDermott *

Alex Sharp Alexander Ian Sharp (born 2 February 1989) is an English actor. He is known for originating the role of Christopher Boone in the Broadway production of ''The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time''. After graduating from the Juilliard ...

as Deputy

References

External links

* * * * 1957 films 1957 crime drama films American crime drama films American black-and-white films Film noir Films directed by Abner Biberman 1950s English-language films 1950s American films {{1950s-crime-drama-film-stub

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links