Abandoned (1949)

Newspaperman helps girl find her sister's illegitimate baby, gets mixed up in baby-adoption racket.

Director:

Joseph M. Newman

Writers:

Irwin Gielgud (original screenplay), William Bowers (additional dialogue)

Stars:

Dennis O'Keefe, Gale Storm, Marjorie Rambeau

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dennis O'Keefe	...	Mark Sitko
Gale Storm	...	Paula Considine
Marjorie Rambeau	...	Mrs. Leona Donner
Raymond Burr	...	Kerric
Will Kuluva	...	Little Guy Decola
Jeff Chandler	...	Chief MacRae
Meg Randall	...	Dottie Jensen
Jeanette Nolan	...	Major Ross
David Clarke	...	Harry, Mrs. Donner's Chauffeur
Mike Mazurki	...	Hoppe
Sid Tomack	...	Humes, missing persons office clerk
Ruth Sanderson	...	Mrs. Spence
William Frambes	...	Scoop, cub reporter (as William Page)
Perc Launders	...	Detective Dowd
Steve Darrell	...	Detective Brenn

Storyline

An expose of the baby-profiteering racket as told through the story of an unwed-mother. whose family and friends start an investigation as to the whereabouts of her baby. This leads to and through an organized gang led by a society matron. The girl is found dead and while it looks like a suicide, the girl's sister and a newspaper reporter think it is murder.

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Plot Keywords:

sister | racket | baby | murder | newspaper reporter | 

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Taglines:

No name for her baby... only a Price!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 November 1949 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Abandoned Woman

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

User Reviews

Babies for Sale

I had my doubts about bubbly ingénue Gale Storm (Paula) starring in a crime drama. But she's actually well cast and manages an appropriately restrained performance. Here she's the sister of a dead girl who's left a baby under mysterious circumstances. So Paula's investigating with help from brash newsman Sitko (O'Keefe). What they uncover is a ruthless ring that sells newborns and gets rid of mothers who complain.

Like many others of its time, the movie makes good use of LA locations, along with some effective noirish touches. However, these touches are not developed into a prevailing atmosphere, despite the presence of noir icon Raymond Burr (Kerric). Actually, it's hard to recognize Burr since he's either lurking in the shadows or peeking around corners. In my book, the best scene is when Kerric tangles with that other movie heavyweight Mike Mazurki (Hoppe). It's like King Kong taking on Godzilla. Also, the unexpected plot wrinkle with Kerric is a good one.

But my money's on Marjorie Rambeau (Donner). She's scarier than anyone else in a movie loaded with baddies. Too bad she doesn't have a face-off scene with that other formidable actress, Jeanette Nolan (Major Ross). Too bad also, that O'Keefe has drifted into obscurity. He was quite a good actor, at home in either comedy (Up in Mabel's Room {1945}) or drama. Here he's typically persuasive as an aggressive newshound.

All in all, the movie's a better than average crime drama, with a good cast, a crisp narrative, and a suspenseful climax. It's second-tier Universal coming up with better results than usual.