''Risky Business'' is a 1939 film directed by

Arthur Lubin Arthur Lubin (July 25, 1898 – May 11, 1995) was an American film director and producer who directed several ''Abbott & Costello'' films, '' Phantom of the Opera'' (1943), the '' Francis the Talking Mule'' series and created the talking-horse TV ...

and starring

George Murphy George Lloyd Murphy (July 4, 1902 – May 3, 1992) was an American dancer, actor, and politician. Murphy was a song-and-dance leading man in many big-budget Hollywood musicals from 1930 to 1952. He was the president of the Screen Actors Guild fro ...

and Dorothea Kent.

Plot

Radio commentator Dan Clifford takes desperate chances to save the life of a young girl, Norma Jameson, who has been kidnapped.

Cast

as Dan Clifford * Dorothea Kent as Mary Dexter *

Eduardo Ciannelli Eduardo Ciannelli (30 August 1888 – 8 October 1969), was an Italian baritone and character actor with a long career in American films, mostly playing gangsters and criminals. He was sometimes credited as Edward Ciannelli. Early life Ciannelli ...

as Philip Decarno *

Leon Ames Leon Ames (born Harry L. Wycoff;U.S. Federal Census for 1910 for Fowler, Center Township, Benton County, State of Indiana, access via Ancestry.com January 20, 1902 – October 12, 1993) was an American film and television actor. He is best rememb ...

as Hinge Jackson *

El Brendel Elmer Goodfellow "El" Brendel (March 25, 1890 – April 9, 1964) was an American vaudeville comedian turned movie star, best remembered for his dialect routine as a Swedish immigrant. His biggest role was as "Single-0" in the sci-fi musical ' ...

as Axel * John Wray as Silas *Arthur Loft as Captain Wallace *Frances Robinson as Norma Jameson *Pierre Watkin as Abernathy *Grant Richards as Jack Norman *Charles Trowbridge as Henry Jameson *Mary Forbes as Mrs. Jameson

Production

The film was based on a story by William McGuire, ''

Okay America ''Okay, America!'' is a 1932 American Pre-Code film, about a gossip columnist's rise to fame, based closely on the real life of Walter Winchell. Cast * Lew Ayres as Larry Wayne * Maureen O'Sullivan as Sheila Barton * Louis Calhern as Mileaway ...

'', which had been filmed in 1932. Arthur Lubin was attached to the project on 20 January 1939. George Murphy occasionally worked for Universal under one picture arrangements. Filming started January 30, 1939.

Reception

The ''New York Times'' said the film was not interesting and was "a risky entertainment." The ''Los Angeles Times'' said it had an "ingenious" story and "unusually good acting and direction."Ingenious Film Shown Los Angeles Times 8 Mar 1939: A10

References

External links

Risky Business
at Letterbox DVD
''Risky Business''
at

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

''Risky Business''
at

TCMDB Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of A ...

Risky Business
at BFI
Review of film
at Variety 1939 films 1939 crime drama films American crime drama films Films directed by Arthur Lubin American black-and-white films Universal Pictures films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films {{1930s-crime-drama-film-stub