Appointment with Danger
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''Appointment with Danger'' is a 1950 American
crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...
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 Lewis Allen and written by
Richard L. Breen Richard L. Breen (June 26, 1918 – February 1, 1967) was a Hollywood screenwriter and director. Biography Breen was born in Chicago of Irish Catholic extraction. He began as a freelance radio writer. After a stint in the U.S. Navy during World ...
and
Warren Duff Warren Duff (May 17, 1904 – August 5, 1973) was a film and television writer and producer. As a writer, Duff wrote for films including, ''Fashions of 1934'', ''Angels with Dirty Faces'' (1938), ''Experiment Perilous'' (1944), '' Step Liv ...
. The drama features
Alan Ladd Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American actor and film producer. Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in films noir and Westerns. He was often paired with Veronica Lake ...
,
Phyllis Calvert Phyllis Hannah Murray-Hill (née Bickle; 18 February 1915 – 8 October 2002), known professionally as Phyllis Calvert, was an English film, stage and television actress. She was one of the leading stars of the Gainsborough melodramas of the 19 ...
and Paul Stewart, among others.


Plot

At the Hotel Compton in
Gary, Indiana Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city has been historically dominated by major industrial activity and is home to U.S. Steel's Gary Works, the largest steel mill complex in North America. Gary is located along the ...
, U.S. postal inspector Harry Gruber is murdered by two men, Joe Regas and George Soderquist. They dump the body in La Porte during a rainstorm, but just then a nun, Sister Augustine, passes near them. Soderquist tries to distract her by helping unfurl her umbrella and pretending Gruber is drunk, but she reports the incident. Postal inspector Al Goddard is assigned to the case. He traces Sister Augustine to a convent in
Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...
, and recites to her a quotation from
Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Reformation, Protestant Refo ...
about personal responsibility. She then agrees to go to the police station, where she identifies Soderquist from a
mug book A mug shot or mugshot (an informal term for police photograph or booking photograph) is a photographic portrait of a person from the shoulders up, typically taken after a person is arrested. The original purpose of the mug shot was to allow law e ...
, and then to Gary in the hope of identifying him there in person. She will stay at a convent there until she is needed to testify in court. Soderquist is seen by Goddard and Sister Augustine with another gang member, Paul Ferrar, but gets away. Meanwhile, Regas, whom Mary does not recognize, sees her and telephones Earl Boettiger, the head of the gang and owner of the Hotel Compton, warning him to hide Soderquist. Later, when Soderquist rejects an order to leave town, they kill him. Goddard realizes that as Soderquist has not left town, the gang must still be planning something. He talks to the Gary postmaster, who suggests a likely target for theft: a money shipment that arrives regularly in Gary by train but must change to another train, involving a seven-minute truck ride between stations. Gruber had asked him about the truck's drivers, one of whom recently declined a chance at a higher-paying job; it is Ferrar, and Goddard recognizes him from before. Goddard, posing as a corrupt inspector, pressures Ferrar to meet the head of the gang. He then asks Boettiger to join the gang, promising to be a more reliable inside man than is Ferrar. The plan is indeed to steal the money shipment, expected to be worth $1 million. Meanwhile, Regas is still worried about Sister Augustine and tries unsuccessfully to stage a fatal accident for her. When Boettiger makes a last-minute change to the plan, Goddard has no choice but to phone the police from the gang's hotel suite. He is heard by Boettiger's mistress, hotel employee Dodie, but she protects him because she does not want to be an accessory to his murder. She "reports" the planned crime to him in order to stay on the right side of the law, and says she is leaving town at once. The robbery does not go as smoothly as hoped, because Regas neglects his part in the preparations to take Sister Augustine prisoner. When the gang meets, she blurts Goddard's name, revealing his deception. He pleads for them not to kill her, then buys time by starting a fight. As police arrive, a shootout ensues in an industrial district, ending in the death of all the gang members.


Cast

*
Alan Ladd Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American actor and film producer. Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in films noir and Westerns. He was often paired with Veronica Lake ...
as Al Goddard *
Phyllis Calvert Phyllis Hannah Murray-Hill (née Bickle; 18 February 1915 – 8 October 2002), known professionally as Phyllis Calvert, was an English film, stage and television actress. She was one of the leading stars of the Gainsborough melodramas of the 19 ...
as Sister Augustine * Paul Stewart as Earl Boettiger *
Jan Sterling Jan Sterling (born Jane Sterling Adriance; April 3, 1921 – March 26, 2004) was an American film, television and stage actress. At her most active in films during the 1950s (immediately prior to which she had joined the Actors Studio), Sterlin ...
as Dodie *
Jack Webb John Randolph Webb (April 2, 1920 – December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, Television director, director, and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Joe Friday, Sgt. Joe Friday in the Dragnet (franchise) ...
as Joe Regas *
Stacy Harris Stacy Harris (July 26, 1918 – March 13, 1973) was an American actor with hundreds of film and television appearances. His name is sometimes found misspelled Stacey Harris. Early years Harris was an Army pilot whose leg was injured in a ...
as Paul Ferrar *
Harry Morgan Harry Morgan (born Harry Bratsberg; April 10, 1915 – December 7, 2011) was an American actor and director whose television and film career spanned six decades. Morgan's major roles included Pete Porter in both ''December Bride'' (1954–1959 ...
as George Soderquist (credited as Henry Morgan) * David Bauer as David Goodman (as David Wolfe) *
Dan Riss Frederic Daniel Riss (March 22, 1910 – August 28, 1970) was an American actor who had a career from 1949 to 1965. Filmography References External links * 1910 births 1970 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male f ...
as Maury Ahearn *
Geraldine Wall Geraldine Wall (June 24, 1907 – June 22, 1970) was an American actress who had numerous stage, film and television credits. Her career involved mainly character roles but encompassed a wide range of different acting parts. Early life Wall wa ...
as Mother Ambrose * George J. Lewis as Leo Cronin * Paul Lees as Gene Gunner


Background

The film was announced in July 1948 as ''Postal Inspector''. It was always envisioned as a vehicle for Alan Ladd.
Ardel Wray Ardel Wray ( Mockbee; October 28, 1907 – October 14, 1983) was an American screenwriter and story editor, best known for her work on Val Lewton's classic horror films in the 1940s. Her screenplay credits from that era include ''I Walked with ...
and Robert L. Richards wrote the script, and the film was meant to follow ''
Chicago Deadline ''Chicago Deadline'' is a 1949 American film noir crime film directed by Lewis Allen and starring Alan Ladd and Donna Reed. It was remade as '' Fame Is the Name of the Game'' (1966). Plot Chicago newspaper reporter Ed Adams is in a boardi ...
''. However, production was pushed back to allow Ladd to make '' Captain Carey, U.S.A.'' The film's title was changed to ''Dead Letter''.
William Keighley William Jackson Keighley (August 4, 1889 – June 24, 1984) was an American stage actor and Hollywood film director. Career After graduating from the Ludlum School of Dramatic Art, Keighley began acting at the age of 23. By the 1910s and 1920 ...
was originally announced as director, then he was replaced by Lewis Allen.
Phyllis Calvert Phyllis Hannah Murray-Hill (née Bickle; 18 February 1915 – 8 October 2002), known professionally as Phyllis Calvert, was an English film, stage and television actress. She was one of the leading stars of the Gainsborough melodramas of the 19 ...
was signed in April 1949. According to Calvert, the studio did not believe that she would accept the part, as she had turned down several previous film offers. After six weeks of script rewrites, filming began on June 16, 1949. The title was changed again to ''United States Mail''. The film features both
Jack Webb John Randolph Webb (April 2, 1920 – December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, Television director, director, and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Joe Friday, Sgt. Joe Friday in the Dragnet (franchise) ...
and
Harry Morgan Harry Morgan (born Harry Bratsberg; April 10, 1915 – December 7, 2011) was an American actor and director whose television and film career spanned six decades. Morgan's major roles included Pete Porter in both ''December Bride'' (1954–1959 ...
as villains; both would later work on the '' Dragnet'' television show as Los Angeles police detectives. The film's co-writer
Richard L. Breen Richard L. Breen (June 26, 1918 – February 1, 1967) was a Hollywood screenwriter and director. Biography Breen was born in Chicago of Irish Catholic extraction. He began as a freelance radio writer. After a stint in the U.S. Navy during World ...
had previously worked with Webb on the radio series ''
Pat Novak for Hire ''Pat Novak, for Hire'' is an old-time radio detective drama series which aired from 1946 to 1947 as a West Coast regional (produced at KGO in San Francisco) program and in 1949 as a nationwide program for ABC. The regional version originally st ...
'', and would write at least three scripts for ''Dragnet'', including the 1954 theatrical film and the 1966 TV-movie pilot for the revival series.


Reception

The film was not released in the U.S. until 1951, when it was retitled ''Appointment with Danger''. It had been released in the U.K. almost a year earlier. The movie was nominated for the
Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...
for best mystery film of the year by the
Mystery Writers of America Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is an organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City. The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday. It presents the Edgar Award ...
, but lost to '' Five Fingers''.


Critical response

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...
, film critic for ''
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 ...
'', liked the film, especially the screenplay. He wrote, " 's fairly obvious that it's all familiar stuff to our hero, for he evinces as much emotion over these muscular goings-on as a postal clerk counting air mail stamps. But he is fortunate in having a vehicle, which is basically a cops-and-robbers tale, tautly written by scenarists Richard Breen and Warren Duff, who also have injected humor in the modern idiom into their dialogue. And he is fortunate too in having the support of principals who handle these lines and roles as to the manner born. As a result, ''Appointment With Danger'' lives up to its title as Ladd, checking on the murder of another postal inspector in Gary, Ind., finds a visiting nun who saw the criminals." ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' gave the film a positive review, writing, "Ladd is right at home as the tightlipped, tough inspector assigned to the case. There is a neat contrasting byplay in the nun character done by Phyllis Calvert as co-star, which adds an offbeat note to the meller plot."''Variety''
Film review, May 10, 1951. Last accessed: December 28, 2007.


References


External links

* * *
''Appointment with Danger''
informational site at DVD Talk

at Noir of the Week
''Appointment with Danger''
film clip at
Veoh Veoh () is an American video-sharing website, launched in March 2006. It was originally launched as a virtual television network application, and then became a video-sharing website in March 2006. During the mid-2000s, it was one of the largest ...
* (Jack Webb & Harry Morgan) {{Lewis Allen 1950 films 1950 crime drama films American black-and-white films American heist films 1950s English-language films Film noir Films scored by Victor Young Films directed by Lewis Allen Paramount Pictures films American crime drama films Films shot in Indiana Films shot in Chicago Films about the United States Postal Service 1950s American films