''Million Dollar Weekend'' is a 1948 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, and starring,

Gene Raymond Gene Raymond (born Raymond Guion; August 13, 1908 – May 3, 1998) was an American film, television, and stage actor of the 1930s and 1940s. In addition to acting, Raymond was also a singer, composer, screenwriter, director, producer, and decorat ...

, based on his original story.

Plot

Stockbroker Nicholas Lawrence (

) has grown tired of his tedious life in Los Angeles and decides one day to escape, stealing cash and securities from his company worth about a million dollars. He buys a plane ticket to Shanghai via Honolulu. Cynthia Strong (

Osa Massen Osa Massen (born Aase Madsen Iversen, 13 January 1914 – 2 January 2006) was a Danish actress who became a successful movie actress in Hollywood. She became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1941. Background and early career Bo ...

, credited as Stephanie Paull) has just attended her husband's funeral service. After the ceremony, she goes straight to the airport and buys a ticket. As Cynthia leans back in her seat, she is caught by surprise when a man she knows named Alan Marker (

Francis Lederer Francis Lederer (November 6, 1899 Prague – May 25, 2000) was an Austro-Hungarian Empire-born American film and stage actor with a successful career, first in Europe, then in the United States. His original name was Franz (Czech František) Le ...

) comes up to her and claims he saw her murder her husband. Marker wants half the life insurance money to keep his mouth shut, but Cynthia denies His accusation. Marker tells her she has until one hour after the plane lands in Honolulu to decide if she will give him the money. Cynthia begs Nicholas, who is sitting close to her, for help, saying that the man she just talked to threatened her. Nicholas agrees to help, and pretends to be an acquaintance of Cynthia's when Marker comes back. Upon their arrival in Honolulu, it turns out they are all staying at the same hotel. Cynthia and Nicholas meet up again on the hotel terrace, while Marker sneaks into Nicholas' room and steals his briefcase. Cynthia and Nick talk about their respective attempts to flee from their lives. Soon, they are attracted to each other. Cynthia invites Nick to have dinner with her the next day. Nick has to catch his flight and must decline. When Nick returns to his room, he discovers someone has stolen his briefcase. He immediately suspects Cynthia and suspects she was working with Marker. Cynthia denies the accusation and helps Nick search for Marker, who is missing from the hotel. They eventually track him to the airport and also board his flight, which is ''en route'' to San Francisco. On the plane, Marker shows the other two that he has a gun and confesses to stealing the briefcase. As they arrive in San Francisco and prepare to de-plane, Marker sees to it that Nick is caught by the customs officers, who suspect he is carrying illegal plant life. During the commotion, Marker is able to leave the airplane before Nick and Cynthia. Nick and Cynthia soon get out of the airport and start looking for Marker in the city's hotels. Nick tells Cynthia about the money in his briefcase, and she tells him about the insurance money she got when her husband died. She suffered many years of abuse from her husband, and one evening after the two of them had dinner with Marker, her husband tried to rape her and when she pushed him away he accidentally fell off their terrace. Cynthia reveals that Marker tried to blackmail her and Nick believes every word she says. He claims to feel guilty about taking all his clients' money. They decide to return to Los Angeles and try to set things straight. They agree that if they manage to do so, they'll meet a month later in Honolulu. As Nick is sitting in the restaurant alone, a young woman comes in to buy a bottle of a certain Napoleon brandy, which happens to be exactly the brand that is Marker's favorite. Nick knows this, and tails the girl back to a boardinghouse, where he finds Marker. A fistfight ensues between Nick and Marker, but Nick wins and gets his briefcase back. He returns to Los Angeles. On Monday morning he is able to return the money to the company's safe before it would have been missed. A month later, Nick and Cynthia meet again in Honolulu, as agreed.

Cast

as Nicholas Lawrence *

as Cynthia Strong *

as Alan Marker *

Robert Warwick Robert Warwick (born Robert Taylor Bien, October 9, 1878 – June 6, 1964) was an American stage, film and television actor with over 200 film appearances. A matinee idol during the silent film era, he also prospered after the introduction ...

as Dave Dietrich * Patricia Shay as Sally * James Craven as Dr. George Strong *

Ken Christy Robert Kenneth Christy (November 23, 1894 – July 23, 1962) was an American television, film, and radio character actor. Early life Born Robert Kenneth Christy, he was the second of three children of Alice Christy and Olivier B. Christy. ...

as customs inspector * The Royal Hawaiian Serenaders as Themselves

Release

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia, the film was double billed with ''

Tokyo File 212 ''Tokyo File 212'' (Japanese: ) is a 1951 spy film directed by and . George Breakston wrote the film's script and co-produced it with Dorrell McGowan jointly under the banner of their newly formed Breakston–McGowan Productions and Japanese ...

''.

Soundtrack

*"My Destiny" (Written by

Dorothy Daniels Margaret Dorothy Louise Daniels (1 August 1916 – 27 June 1981) was a New Zealand ballet teacher and director. Early years She was born in Wellington, New Zealand, on 1 August 1916, the third of four children of Winifred Louise Smart and ...

and

Dorothy Roberts Dorothy E. Roberts (born March 8, 1956, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American sociologist, law professor, and social justice advocate. She is the Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor, George A. Weiss University Professor, and inaugural Raymond Pace ...

) *"Where Have You Been?" (Written by Dorothy Daniels and Dorothy Roberts) *"Heaven Is in My Blue Hawaii" (Written by Paul Koy)

External links

* * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Million Dollar Weekend 1948 films 1940s crime films 1948 drama films American crime thriller films American black-and-white films Eagle-Lion Films films Films set in Hawaii Films shot in Hawaii Films shot in San Francisco Films set in San Francisco 1940s English-language films 1940s American films