''Trapped'' 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 ' ...

crime film 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 ...

directed by

Richard Fleischer Richard O. Fleischer (; December 8, 1916 – March 25, 2006) was an American film director whose career spanned more than four decades, beginning at the height of the Golden Age of Hollywood and lasting through the American New Wave. Though he ...

and starring

Lloyd Bridges Lloyd Vernet Bridges Jr. (January 15, 1913 – March 10, 1998) was an American film, stage and television actor who starred in a number of television series and appeared in more than 150 feature films. He was the father of four children, includi ...

Barbara Payton Barbara Lee Payton (born Barbara Lee Redfield; November 16, 1927 – May 8, 1967) was an American film actress best known for her stormy social life and battles with alcoholism and drug addiction. Her life has been the subject of several bo ...

, and

John Hoyt John Hoyt (born John McArthur Hoysradt; October 5, 1905 – September 15, 1991) was an American actor. He began his acting career on Broadway, later appearing in numerous films and television series. He is perhaps best known for his film and TV ...

. It was written by

George Zuckerman George Zuckerman (August 10, 1916 – September 30, 1996) was an American screenwriter and novelist. Zuckerman began his career writing short stories for ''Cosmopolitan'', ''Collier's Weekly'', and '' Esquire'' in the 1940s. He wrote the st ...

and

Earl Felton Earl Felton (1909–1972) was an American screenwriter. He was a regular collaborator with Richard Fleischer, who later wrote that "Earl was crippled from childhood with polio. He had no use of his legs, but he navigated beautifully with a crut ...

.. Like many semidocumentaries, the film begins with a voice over footage of the treasury department, telling the story of what the department does. Then it quickly begins the story once a woman tries to deposit a $20 bill at the bank that turns out to be phony.

Plot

The U.S. Treasury Department needs to locate the source of a high-grade counterfeit operation. A counterfeiter in prison, Tris Stewart (Lloyd Bridges), agrees to be released on early parole in a pretend jail break, remaining under supervision, in order that he may assist in locating the persons currently doing the forging and the plates which years ago belonged to him. Although soon Stewart betrays and escapes from the supervising agent, the secret service, anticipating his moves, has located in Los Angeles Stewart's girlfriend Laurie Fredericks and bugged her apartment. In addition, undercover agent John Downey alias Johnny Hackett has become a regular in the restaurant where Fredericks works, pretending to be a moderately wealthy shady character romantically pursuing her. Stewart arrives to move in with Fredericks and soon learns that his counterfeiting plates had been sold by his old partner, now a bankrupt drunk, to Jack Sylvester. Stewart visits Sylvester and asks to buy $250,000 worth of counterfeit $20 bills, which he figures would go a long way in Mexico. He needs to come up with $25,000 cash in exchange. After an aborted attempt to rob the restaurant where Fredericks works, Stewart turns to Hackett, offering to make him very rich if he will stake the money. After Sylvester meeting Hackett and a "trial run" exchange involving a box of plain paper, Stewart and Hackett wait for Sylvester to arrange the real transaction. But then Hackett's cover is blown when, in the restaurant, an old acquaintance recognizes his identity and Fredericks overhears the man discussing Hackett's resume. Upon finding out Hackett is a "cop", Stewart attempts to kill him but fails and lands back in custody. Given this, Hackett decides to push through the sale transaction quickly. He picks up Sylvester and the two set out for Sylvester's printing press location. Sylvester notices they are being tailed, and Hackett is forced to lose his backup agents who were tailing their car. At the location, a large box of bills is handed to Hackett and he must stall, waiting for his backup to locate them. But then Fredericks arrives with Sylvester's employee and Hackett's cover is blown again. Meanwhile, outside, a motorcycle officer identifies Hackett's car, and his call allows the agents to locate the warehouse. Inside, Sylvester for some reason shoots Fredericks rather than Hackett. Police and agents swarm in, upon which Sylvester flees. A long chase ensues within a nearby subway system, where Sylvester meets his end by electrocution. The case is marked "closed".

Restoration

The film was restored by the Film Noir Foundation,

UCLA Film and Television Archives The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Also a nonprofit exhibition venue, the archiv ...

with additional funding from

Hollywood Foreign Press Association The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) is a nonprofit organization of journalists and photographers who report on the Cinema of the United States, entertainment industry activity and interests in the United States for media (newspaper, ...

. A BluRay and DVD of the restored film was released in Dec 2019.

Cast

Barbara Payton-Lloyd Bridges in Trapped still

as Tris Stewart *

as Meg Dixon, alias Laurie Fredericks *

as Agent John Downey, alias Johnny Hackett * James Todd as Jack Sylvester *

Russ Conway Russ Conway, DSM (born Trevor Herbert Stanford; 2 September 1925 – 16 November 2000) was an English popular music pianist and composer. Conway had 20 piano instrumentals in the UK Singles Chart between 1957 and 1963, including two number one ...

as Chief Agent Gunby * Robert Karnes as Agent Fred Foreman * Douglas Spencer as Sam Hooker *

Lyle Latell Lyle Latell (born Lyle Zeiem; April 9, 1904 – October 24, 1967) was an American character actor. He was perhaps best known for playing Pat Patton in the ''Dick Tracy'' film series. Biography Latell was born Lyle Zeiem on April 1904 in ...

as Agent Curry

References

External links

* * * * *
HFPA-Funded Restoration Opens San Francisco’s Noir City Festival
{{Richard Fleischer 1949 films 1940s crime thriller films American crime thriller films American black-and-white films Eagle-Lion Films films 1940s English-language films Film noir Films directed by Richard Fleischer Films scored by Sol Kaplan 1940s American films

Plot

Restoration

Cast

See also

References

External links