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

Abandoned (1949)

A gal goes searching for her missing sister and uncovers an illegal baby trade ring. This is unique subject matter for noir, at least I can't recall having seen it before. The film is slightly too light-hearted in tone for the topic, but it's otherwise a pretty good flick. The dialogue is snappy and witty, the story unfolds at a good clip, and the cinematography is quite strong, especially during the more suspenseful scenes. Dennis O'Keefe isn't the most compelling leading man but he has a good stack of noir credits (Raw Deal, T-Men, Woman on the Run) and a sharp line delivery. This is my first experience with Gale Storm, who didn't really impress me but was definitely at least okay. Raymond Burr makes a memorable appearance as the shady private detective. And who do you get when you need someone to beat up Burr? The even more menacing Mike Mazurki, naturally. The score is quite good, too. Unfortunately there's some incredibly unnecessary narration to point out the blatantly obvious, but it's a minor flaw in a solid film.