''The Rabbit Trap'' is a 1959 American drama film directed by

Philip Leacock Philip David Charles Leacock (8 October 1917 – 14 July 1990) was an English television and film director and producer. His brother was documentary filmmaker Richard Leacock. Career Born in London, England, Leacock spent his childhood in the C ...

based on a 1955 ''

Goodyear Television Playhouse ''Goodyear Television Playhouse'' is an American anthology series that was telecast live on NBC from 1951 to 1957 during the first Golden Age of Television. Sponsored by Goodyear, Goodyear alternated sponsorship with Philco, and the ''Philco Tel ...

teleplay A teleplay is a screenplay or script used in the production of a scripted television program or series. In general usage, the term is most commonly seen in reference to a standalone production, such as a television film, a television play, or an ...

JP Miller JP may refer to: Arts and media * ''JP'' (album), 2001, by American singer Jesse Powell * ''Jp'' (magazine), an American Jeep magazine * ''Jönköpings-Posten'', a Swedish newspaper * Judas Priest, an English heavy metal band * ''Jurassic Park ...

''The Rabbit Trap''
at TCM Monthly

Plot

Since leaving the army ten years ago, Eddie has been working hard without any promotion, never missing a day of work and having only three weeks holiday in his ten years with his construction firm. The day after, Eddie and his wife Abby and son Duncan are granted a two-week holiday. They spend it in a mountain cabin. On the first day, Eddie and Duncan place a rabbit trap out in the countryside for the sheer joy of feeding and releasing him. Eddie is called back to work the next day, leading to arguments with Abby who insists that Eddie should remain on holiday. Eddie fears being left behind in promotion if he endangers his reputation for reliability. Upon returning home, Duncan realizes they left the trap set and a rabbit could be trapped inside. Duncan breaks his

piggy bank Piggy bank (sometimes penny bank or money box) is the traditional name of a coin container normally used by children. The piggy bank is known to collectors as a "still bank" as opposed to the "mechanical banks" popular in the early 20th century ...

and returns to the mountains by himself to save the rabbit and tries to take the bus to Deep Springs to save the rabbit. In the midst of this, his Dad gets a promotion and Judy kisses the owner of the construction firm and gives her one-week notice. Eddie decided that it is more important to bring his son back to check the rabbit trap than his promotion and quits.

Cast

Ernest Borgnine Ernest Borgnine (; born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular perfor ...

: Eddie Colt * David Brian: Everett Spellman *

Bethel Leslie Jane Bethel Leslie (August 3, 1929 – November 28, 1999) was an American actress and screenwriter. In her career spanning half a century, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Laurel Award in 1964, a Tony Award in 1986, and a Cable ...

: Abby Colt * Kevin Corcoran: Duncan Colt *

June Blair Margaret June Blair (October 20, 1932 – December 4, 2022) was an American model and actress. She was best known for being ''Playboy'' magazine's Playmate of the Month for its January 1957 issue and for being part of the TV series ''The Adventu ...

: Judy Colt *

Christopher Dark Christopher Dark (born Alfred Francis DeLeo, April 21, 1920 – October 10, 1971) was an American actor. He graduated from Cornell University and did post graduate work at Columbia University. He served as an army medic in the Philippine ...

: Gerry *

Jeanette Nolan Jeanette Nolan (December 30, 1911 – June 5, 1998) was an American actress. Nominated for four Emmy Awards, she had roles in the television series '' The Virginian'' (1962–1971) and ''Dirty Sally'' (1974), and in films such as ''Macbeth'' ...

: Mrs. Colt *

Russell Collins Russell Collins (born Russell Henry Collins, October 11, 1897 – November 14, 1965) was an American actor whose 43-year career included hundreds of performances on stage, in feature films, and on television. Early life Born in 1897 in Indiana ...

: Hughie Colt *

Don Rickles Donald Jay Rickles (May 8, 1926 – April 6, 2017) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He became known primarily for his insult comedy. His film roles include ''Run Silent, Run Deep'' (1958) with Clark Gable, Carl Reiner's '' Enter La ...

: Mike O'Halloran

References

External links

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''The Rabbit Trap''
at

TCMDB Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of Atl ...

''The Rabbit Trap''
at New York Times 1959 drama films 1959 films American black-and-white films American drama films Films based on television plays Films directed by Philip Leacock Films produced by Burt Lancaster Films produced by James Hill Films produced by Harold Hecht Films produced by Harry Kleiner Films scored by Jack Marshall Films set in California Norma Productions films United Artists films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films {{1950s-drama-film-stub