''This Woman Is Dangerous'' is a 1952 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 ' ...

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...

starring

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion pict ...

David Brian Brian James Davis (August 5, 1914 – July 15, 1993), better known as David Brian, was an American actor. He is best known for his role in ''Intruder in the Dust'' (1949), for which he received critical acclaim and a Golden Globe nomination. ...

, and

Dennis Morgan Dennis Morgan (born Earl Stanley Morner, December 20, 1908 – September 7, 1994) was an American actor-singer. He used the acting pseudonym Richard Stanley before adopting the name under which he gained his greatest fame. According to one obi ...

in a story about a gun moll's romances with two different men. The screenplay by

Geoffrey Homes Daniel Mainwaring (February 27, 1902 – January 31, 1977) was an American novelist and screenwriter. Biography A native of Oakland, California, Mainwaring began his professional career as a journalist for the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' and enjoy ...

and

George Worthing Yates George Worthing Yates (14 August 1901 in New York City – 6 June 1975 in Sonoma, California, Sonoma) was an American screenwriter and author. His early work was on Serial (film), serials shown in cinemas; he later progressed to feature films, ...

was based on a story by Bernard Girard. The film was 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 produced by

Robert Sisk Robert Sisk (March 20, 1903 – February 25, 1964) was an American film producer. Sources differ as to his birthplace, with some indicating Maryland and others specifying the unincorporated village of Pokeshaw in the Canadian province of New Bru ...

Cast

as Elizabeth 'Beth' Austin *

as Dr. Ben Halleck *

as Matt Jackson * Mari Aldon as Ann Jackson * Richard Webb as Franklin * Philip Carey as Will Jackson * Ian MacDonald as Joe Grossland * Katherine Warren as Admitting Nurse *

George Chandler George Chandler (June 30, 1898 – June 10, 1985) was an American actor who starred in over 140 feature films, usually in smaller supporting roles, and he is perhaps best known for playing the character of Uncle Petrie Martin on the televi ...

as Dr. Ryan * Sherry Jackson as Susan Halleck

Production

Since the script of a gangster who saw the light had become trite by the 1950s, some sources suggest that studio head

Jack L. Warner Jack Leonard Warner (born Jacob Warner; August 2, 1892 – September 9, 1978) was a Canadian-American film executive, who was the president and driving force behind the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. Warner's career spanned some ...

offered Crawford the role hoping the expensive star would turn it down so he could put her on suspension. That could also be the reason he offered the eye surgeon's role to Dennis Morgan, whose box-office appeal had diminished since

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. To Warner's surprise, both stars accepted the film. Crawford later instructed her agents to negotiate an end to her contract at

, and she went on to make the independently produced hit ''

Sudden Fear ''Sudden Fear'' is a 1952 American film noir thriller film directed by David Miller, and starring Joan Crawford and Jack Palance in a tale about a successful woman who marries a murderous man. The screenplay by Lenore J. Coffee and Robert Smit ...

'', which earned the actress her third Academy Award nomination."This Woman is Dangerous"
''

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasti ...

''. Retrieved January 28, 2014.

Reception

Bosley Crowther in ''The New York Times'' called the film "junk", and

Otis Guernsey Jr. Otis Love Guernsey Jr. (August 9, 1918 – May 2, 2001) was an American journalist, writer, and editor of books about theatre. He was a former arts editor of the '' New York Herald Tribune'' and edited 36 volumes of the ''Best Plays'' series (form ...

of the ''New York Herald Tribune'' described it as "a long, windy, tiresome story."

DVD release

''This Woman Is Dangerous'' was released on Region 1 DVD on March 23, 2009 (Crawford's birthday) from the online Warner Bros. Archive Collection.

Radio adaptation

''This Woman Is Dangerous'' was presented on '' Lux Radio Theatre'' on March 16, 1953. The one-hour adaptation starred Virginia Mayo, with Morgan reprising his role from the film.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:This Woman Is Dangerous 1952 films 1952 crime drama films American black-and-white films Films directed by Felix E. Feist Films scored by David Buttolph American crime drama films Warner Bros. films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films Films about disability