Danger Signal (1945)

A very romantic murderer has plans to seduce, marry and kill a beautiful woman for her wealth, but finds her younger sister to be even better prey.

Director:

Robert Florey

Writers:

Adele Comandini (screenplay), C. Graham Baker (screenplay),

Stars:

Faye Emerson, Zachary Scott, Richard Erdman

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Faye Emerson	...	Hilda Fenchurch
Zachary Scott	...	Ronnie Mason
Richard Erdman	...	Bunkie Taylor (as Dick Erdman)
Rosemary DeCamp	...	Dr. Jane Silla
Bruce Bennett	...	Dr. Andrew Lang
Mona Freeman	...	Anne Fenchurch
John Ridgely	...	Thomas Turner
Mary Servoss	...	Mrs. Fenchurch
Joyce Compton	...	Kate
Virginia Sale	...	Mrs. Crockett

Storyline

Smooth-talker Ronnie Mason earns his living by murdering lonely women for their inheritances. On the run, Ronnie poses as a disabled war vet and takes a room at the Fenchurch home. He at first courts elder daughter Hilda, but changes his plans after meeting her younger, prettier--and richer--sister. Hilda discovers Ronnie's scheme, but can she act before her sister becomes his next victim?

---

Plot Keywords:

evil man

---

Taglines:

High Explosive! HANDS OFF! She loves hard...She hates hard...She lives hard! She's the danger dame the boys couldn't tame!

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 March 1947 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Delitti senza sangue

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Hilda Fenchurch: Funny how rich we are all, when we stop thinking about it : look at all that sky and ocean, that's ours too !

---

Connections

Referenced in Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows (2007)

---

Soundtracks

"It Had to Be You"
(uncredited)
Music by Isham Jones
Lyrics by Gus Kahn
Sung by Faye Emerson

User Reviews

Dark and delicious

This is a must for film noir fans, and it deserves to be better known. If it had more of an A-list cast, it would probably be considered a classic.

At the very beginning it resembles Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt." Zachary Scott plays a secretive writer on the run from the law, though for a while it's not clear whether he's really a criminal. Under an assumed name, he charms his way into a household of women.

From then on, the plot is original -- consistently clever but never confusing. Male treachery and female jealousy play their parts, and just when one character's motives become clear, you have to start wondering what another character is up to. If you guess how it all turns out, you're a psychic.

There is one little detail that's handled sloppily, but it comes early and is excusable. All in all, this is what a mystery should be.