''The Threat'' is a 1949 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 ' ...

directed by

Felix E. Feist Felix Ellison Feist (; February 28, 1910 – September 2, 1965) was an American film and television director and writer born in New York City. He is probably best remembered for ''Deluge'' (1933), for writing and directing the film noirs ''The ...

and starring Michael O'Shea,

Virginia Grey Virginia Grey (March 22, 1917 – July 31, 2004) was an American actress who appeared in over 100 films and a number of radio and television shows from the 1930s to the early 1980s. Biography Grey was born on March 22, 1917, in Edendale, Calif ...

and

Charles McGraw Charles McGraw (born Charles Crisp Butters; May 10, 1914 – July 29, 1980) was an American stage, film and television actor whose career spanned more than three decades. Early life McGraw was born to Beatrice (née Crisp) and Francis P. B ...

Plot

Detective Ray Williams (Michael O'Shea) is recuperating from a broken rib as his wife Ann (Julie Bishop) tries to persuade him to get a desk job, especially with their new baby on the way. However, a call from the police inspector (Robert Shayne) informs him that homicidal criminal "Red" Kluger (whom Ray apprehended) has escaped from

Folsom Prison Folsom State Prison (FSP) is a California State Prison in Folsom, California, U.S., approximately northeast of the state capital of Sacramento. It is one of 34 adult institutions operated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabil ...

. As Ray is about to leave in his police car, he is kidnapped by Kluger (Charles McGraw) and his men. They also kidnap district attorney Barker MacDonald (Frank Conroy). Kluger has sworn that he would kill both men for sending him to prison. Lastly,

nightclub singer A nightclub act is a production, usually of nightclub music or comedy, designed for performance at a nightclub, a type of drinking establishment, by a nightclub performer such as a nightclub singer or nightclub dancer, whose performance may ...

Carol (Virginia Grey), who apparently ratted Kluger out, is kidnapped. However, she repeatedly denies being the rat and claims the rat was Tony, Kluger's partner. Kluger doesn't believe her; he has arranged for Tony to come up from Mexico City to the small desert town of Banning to give Red and his gang part of the proceeds from the robbery that Kluger went to prison for and provide them with a small plane to escape the country in. Kluger makes no secret of his plans to kill Ray and MacDonald once he's made a getaway. Kluger also takes another hostage, Joe Turner, the unsuspecting driver of a truck the gang hires to haul an unspecified load to Palm Springs. The load turns out to be a car containing Kluger, all of his gang except for one henchman (who rides up front with Joe to keep an eye on him), Carol, and the two kidnap victims. The gang successfully eludes the police roadblocks and make their way to a shack outside Banning, where they await Tony, handcuffing Ray and MacDonald in a back room. Joe tries to escape with a gun he had taken from the truck earlier, but Kluger convinces him to give up the gun by pointing out that the other henchmen will shoot him if he shoots Kluger, and then kills him once he is unarmed. By threatening to torture the older MacDonald, Kluger forces Ray to give the police a false lead on the radio to throw them off. Ray surreptitiously leaves a clue for his wife that he is in danger by asking the police radio man to tell his wife to give his regards to their unborn child, Dexter, which his wife finds suspicious due to Ray's previous statements that he'd name the newborn Dexter only if he had a gun to his back. As the henchmen drink beer and doze in the heat, Carol manages to slip the handcuff keys to Ray and MacDonald in the back room. Ray and MacDonald subdue and tie up the henchmen, then call out to Kluger to come get them. Kluger shoots through the door to the back room, spreading his bullets and hitting Ray in the leg. When Kluger hears Tony's plane overhead, he rushes outside to signal to it. Despite his wound, Ray climbs up into the rafters above the door to the back room, as MacDonald tries to bait Kluger to come to them. As Kluger approaches the door, Ray jumps Kluger, knocking Kluger's gun away. Kluger overpowers Ray and incapacitates him by smashing a chair over his head. Before Kluger can retrieve his gun and finish Ray off, Carol picks up the gun and shoots Kluger twice, killing him. Ray gets up and thanks her, saying that he will deal with Tony. The film ends with Ray talking with Ann about the naming of their kid, and she reveals that only one will be named Dexter – because they're having twins.

Cast

* Michael O'Shea as Detective Ray Williams *

as Carol *

as Arnold "Red" Kluger *

Julie Bishop Julie Isabel Bishop (born 17 July 1956) is an Australian former politician who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2018 and deputy leader of the Liberal Party from 2007 to 2018. She was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Curtin ...

as Ann Williams * Frank Conroy as District Attorney Barker MacDonald *

Robert Shayne Robert Shayne (born Robert Shaen Dawe, October 4, 1900 – November 29, 1992) was an American actor whose career lasted for over 60 years. He was best known for portraying Inspector Bill Henderson in the American television series '' Adven ...

as Inspector "Murph" Murphy * Anthony Caruso as Nick Damon * Don McGuire as Joe Turner * Frank Richards as Lefty * Michael McHale as Detective Jensen

Reception

When released ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' gave the film a positive review, writing, "...

he film is He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...

reasonably well written... ndCharles McGraw is first-rate as the gravel-voiced, square-jawed, ruthless gangster, while Michael O'Shea, Virginia Grey and Frank Conroy chip in with adequate portrayals of the cop, district attorney and gangster's moll. Crime, after all, does not pay, but Mr. McGraw can make it diverting."''The New York Times''
"Cops and Killers on Scene Again," film review, December 2, 1949. Last accessed: December 10, 2007.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Threat, The 1949 films 1940s crime thriller films American crime thriller films American black-and-white films Film noir Films directed by Felix E. Feist Films shot in California Films scored by Paul Sawtell 1940s English-language films 1940s American films