''Without Warning!'' 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 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

Arnold Laven Arnold Laven (February 3, 1922 – September 13, 2009) was an American film and television director and producer. He was one of the founders and principals of the American film and television production company Levy-Gardner-Laven. Laven was a ...

and starring Adam Williams,

Meg Randall Meg Randall (born Genevieve Roberts;''The Milwaukee Journal'', September 18, 1949, Jesse Daniels, Hollywood, "It Paid Her to Do Nothing", Milwaukee, WI, p. 5. August 1, 1926 – July 20, 2018) was an American film actress. She was active in moti ...

, and

Ed Binns Edward Binns (September 12, 1916 – December 4, 1990) was an American actor. He had a wide-spanning career in film and television, often portraying competent, hard working and purposeful characters in his various roles. He is best known for hi ...

. The film is shot in a

semidocumentary A semidocumentary is a form of book, film, or television program presenting a fictional story that incorporates many factual details or actual events, or which is presented in a manner similar to a documentary. Characteristics Stylistically, it ...

-style with police procedural voice-over narration in parts. ''Without Warning!'' was released commercially for the first time on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

in 2005. Previously, the film was considered lost and unavailable for viewings.

Plot

A quiet gardener living in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

picks up blond women and is murdering them with garden shears. The police attempt to track him down but the man continues to kill. The killer lives in a shack on a hill overlooking Los Angeles (

Chavez Ravine Chavez Ravine is a shallow L-shaped canyon in Los Angeles, California. It sits in a large promontory of hills north of downtown Los Angeles, next to Major League Baseball's Dodger Stadium. Chavez Ravine was named for Julian A. Chavez, Julian Cha ...

Cast

* Adam Williams as Carl Martin *

as Jane Saunders *

as Lt. Pete Hamilton *

Harlan Warde Harlan Warde (born Harlan Ward Lufkin; November 6, 1917 – March 13, 1980) was a character actor active in television and movies. Career Warde showed up in supporting roles as detectives, doctors, and ministers. Warde made five guest appearan ...

as Police Detective Sgt. Don Warde * John Maxwell as Fred Saunders *

Angela Stevens Angela Stevens (born Ann Evelyn Allen, May 8, 1925 – March 17, 2016) was an American film actress and singer. Biography Stevens was born in Eagle Rock, California. She appeared in several Three Stooges films, such as ''He Cooked His Goose'', ' ...

as Janet Collier (Blonde) * Byron Kane as Police Chemist Charlie Wilkins * Charles Tannen as Wolf * Marilee Phelps as Virginia * Robert Foulk as Wilson, Motel Manager * Connie Vera as Carmelita *

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 Dr. Werner, Police Psychiatrist * Lee Phelps as "Doc," the Police Coroner * Arthur Gardner (movie's co-producer) as Jackson, Rapid Transit Cab Co. Driver

Production

It was the first team from Laven, Gardner and Levy who met in the army. Sol Lesser liked the film and picked it up for distribution.

Release

Home media

''Without Warning!'' was released for the first time on

MPI Home Video MPI Media Group is an American producer, distributor and licensor of theatrical film and home entertainment. MPI's subsidiaries include MPI Pictures, MPI Home Video, Gorgon Video, and the horror film distributor Dark Sky Films. The company is l ...

on August 30, 2005.

Reception

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

'' rated the film two out of five stars, calling it "A capable first feature by the production team, with talented unknowns as actors".

References

External links

* * * * {{Arnold Laven 1952 films 1950s crime thriller films American black-and-white films American police detective films Film noir Films directed by Arnold Laven Films scored by Herschel Burke Gilbert Films set in Los Angeles United Artists films 1952 directorial debut films American crime thriller films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films Rediscovered American films 1950s rediscovered films