''Ransom!'' is a 1956 American

crime drama film Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as drama or gangster film, but al ...

about the

kidnapping Kidnapping or abduction is the unlawful abduction and confinement of a person against their will, and is a crime in many jurisdictions. Kidnapping may be accomplished by use of force or fear, or a victim may be enticed into confinement by frau ...

of the son of a wealthy couple. Written by

Richard Maibaum Richard Maibaum (May 26, 1909 – January 4, 1991) was an American screenwriter, film producer, and playwright, best known for his work on the James Bond films. He wrote 13 of the 16 Eon Productions Bond films produced between 1962 and 1989, be ...

and Cyril Hume, the film is based on a popular 1954 episode of ''

The United States Steel Hour ''The United States Steel Hour'' is an anthology series which brought hour-long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation (U.S. ...

'' titled " Fearful Decision" starring

Ralph Bellamy Ralph Rexford Bellamy (June 17, 1904 – November 29, 1991) was an American actor whose career spanned 65 years on stage, film, and television. During his career, he played leading roles as well as supporting roles, garnering acclaim and award ...

. Directed by stage and television veteran Alex Segal, the film stars

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006), known as Glenn Ford, was a Canadian-born American actor. He was most prominent during Classical Hollywood cinema, Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-office draws of th ...

, Donna Reed and

Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (February 11, 1926November 28, 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. He made his a ...

. The 1996 film ''

Ransom Ransom refers to the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release. It also refers to the sum of money paid by the other party to secure a captive's freedom. When ransom means "payment", the word ...

'', directed by

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American filmmaker and actor. Howard started his career as a child actor before transitioning to directing films. Over his six-decade career, Howard has received List of awards and nominations r ...

and starring

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Mel Gibson, multiple accolades, he is known for directing historical films as well for his act ...

, was loosely based on ''Ransom!''.

Plot

Young Andy Stannard is the son of wealthy executive father Dave Stannard and mother Edith. Andy's school principal calls to inform the Stannards that the family doctor's nurse has collected Andy from school with an infection. Dave contacts the doctor and is told that the doctor had not requested to retrieve Andy. Dave realizes that Andy has been kidnapped and calls the police. Police chief Jim Backett organizes a search and has an additional telephone line installed in the Stannards' house in order to keep the main line free should the kidnappers call with a ransom demand. Newspaper reporter Charlie Telfer enters the house and meets hostile resistance from Dave but is allowed to remain. When the principal of Andy's school arrives and demands not to be held responsible for Andy's abduction, Edith attacks her with a fire poker. The doctor sedates Edith, and she is asleep upstairs when the kidnapper finally calls. The kidnapper demands a $500,000 ransom and instructs Dave to signal his intention to pay by having a popular television host wear a white jacket on the next evening's broadcast. The police trace the phone call to a phone booth and arrive in time to find the kidnapper's cigarette still burning. With his brother and business partner Al, Dave collects the ransom money. Telfer explains that even if Dave pays the ransom, there is no guarantee that Andy will be returned alive, as he is evidence of the kidnapper's crime, and that Andy's fate will be the same regardless of what Dave decides to do. Backett expresses his wish that families would not pay ransoms, because assenting to kidnappers' demands encourages more kidnappings. The next day, instead of following the kidnapper's plan, Dave appears on the designated television show with the $500,000 spread on the table before him. He angrily announces that he will not pay the ransom but that it will be offered as a reward to anyone who captures the kidnapper if Andy is killed. Worried because it appears as though he had advised Dave to refuse the ransom, Backett requests a letter from Dave absolving him of any responsibility for the decision. When Edith discovers that Dave has refused to pay, she becomes furious and must be restrained before she is eventually removed from the house. The next day, Backett presents Dave with Andy's bloody T-shirt that had been discovered behind a seat in a stolen car. Convinced that his son is dead, Dave presses his lawyer to arrange a trust that will pay the ransom money as a bounty to anyone who locates the kidnapper. Dave retreats to the backyard and sits next to a fort that Andy had been building with his friends. He begins weeping but Andy suddenly appears and Dave is overjoyed. Andy tells him that the shirt was bloodied when he had bitten the kidnapper who had posed as a nurse. The family is reunited in an embrace as the butler thanks God.

Cast

as Dave Stannard * Donna Reed as Edith Stannard *

as Charlie Telfer * Juano Hernandez as Jesse Chapman * Robert Keith as Police Chief Backett * Richard Gaines as Langly *

Mabel Albertson Mabel Ida Albertson (July 24, 1901 – September 28, 1982) was an American actress of television, stage, radio and film who portrayed Phyllis Stephens in the TV sitcom '' Bewitched''. She also appeared in TV's ''The Time Tunnel'' (S1:E30, "Town ...

as Mrs. Partridge *

Alexander Scourby Alexander Scourby (; November 13, 1913 – February 22, 1985) was an American film actor, film, television actor, television, and voice actor and narrator known for his deep and resonant voice and Northeastern elite accent, Mid-Atlantic acce ...

as Dr. Gorman * Bobby Clark as Andy Stannard * Ainslie Pryor as Al Stannard * Lori March as Elizabeth Stannard * Robert Burton as Sheriff Kessing *

Juanita Moore Juanita Moore (October 19, 1914 – January 1, 2014) was an American film, television, and stage actress. She was the fifth black actor to be nominated for an Academy Awards, Academy Award in any category, and the third in the Academy Award for ...

as Shirley Lorraine * Charles Herbert as Butchie Ritter * Ethan Laidlaw as Townsman (uncredited) *

Olan Soule Olan Soule (February 28, 1909 – February 1, 1994) was an American actor, who had professional credits in nearly 7,000 radio shows and commercials, appearances in 200 television series and television films, and in over 60 films. He was the ...

as Bank Clerk (uncredited)

Production

The film was based on a television play by Richard Maibaum and Cyril Hume which Maibaum called "probably the best thing Cyril and I ever did." They turned it into a stage play which was not produced, but the television play sold to MGM for $85,000. Maibaum and Hume wrote the script. Maibaum felt Glenn Ford "was not as effective as Ralph Bellamy had been on television" and Alex Segal's direction was not as effective because he directed it with too much intensity. "As a result, just when the story should have gripped you the most, the audience was emotionally depleted. Although I thought it was a good film, I wasn’t as fond of it as of the TV show."

Reception

According to MGM records, the film earned $1,224,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $948,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $336,000.

References

External links