Woman on the Run (1950)

Frank Johnson flees police after becoming an eyewitness to murder. He is pursued around scenic San Francisco by his wife, a reporter, the police, and... the real murderer.

Director:

Norman Foster

Writers:

Alan Campbell (screenplay), Norman Foster (screenplay),

Stars:

Ann Sheridan, Dennis O'Keefe, Robert Keith

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ann Sheridan	...	Eleanor Johnson
Dennis O'Keefe	...	Dan Legget
Robert Keith	...	Inspector Martin Ferris
John Qualen	...	Maibus
Frank Jenks	...	Detective Homer Shaw
Ross Elliott	...	Frank Johnson
Jane Liddell	...	Messenger Girl
Joan Shawlee	...	Blonde (as Joan Fulton)
J. Farrell MacDonald	...	Sea Captain
Steven Geray	...	Dr. Arthur Hohler
Victor Sen Yung	...	Sammy Chung
Reiko Sato	...	Suzie (as Rako Sato)
Syd Saylor	...	Sullivan
Tom Dillon	...	Joe Gordon (as Thomas P. Dillon)

Storyline

Frank Johnson (Ross Elliott), sole witness to a gangland murder, goes into hiding and is trailed by Police Inspector Ferris (Robert Keith), on the theory that Frank is trying to escape from possible retaliation. Frank's wife, Eleanor (Ann Sheridan), suspects he is actually running away from their unsuccessful marriage. Aided by a newspaperman, Danny Leggett (Dennis O'Keefe), Eleanor sets out to locate her husband. The killer is also looking for him, and keeps close tabs on Eleanor.

---

Plot Keywords:

murder | police inspector | murderer | piano player | b movie | 

---

Genres:

Film-Noir | Crime | Drama

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 November 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Einer weiß zuviel

Filming Locations:

720 Grant Street - rear entrance - San Francisco, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fidelity Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The failure of the original copyright holder to renew the film's copyright resulted in it falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of the film. Therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market are either severely (and usually badly) edited and/or of extremely poor quality, having been duped from second- or third-generation (or more) copies of the film.

---

Quotes

Eleanor Johnson: [In the dark shadows of roller coaster on the deserted beach at night] I don't like this place.
Danny Leggett: It's a good spot. I used to come here with my girl when I was a kid. It's more frightening than romantic. It's the way love is when you're young... life is when you're older.

---

Connections

References The Big Lift (1950)

User Reviews

Excellent film noir with a hard-as-nails performance by Ann Sheridan

WOMAN ON THE RUN is an infinitely better and more rewarding movie experience now than when it was released in 1950. Saw it back then when I was a child and the only thing I remembered was the terrifically-exciting roller coaster sequence. Seeing it again on DVD makes me appreciate everything about it, a film noir classic. To make such a no-nonsense, concise and plausible crime thriller with a sensational finale today certainly seems to be asking for the impossible. Ann Sheridan, of a certain age, never sexier and looking like a million dollars, dominates the screen, as usual. She can do anything, but overact. She's the real thing. Scenes in this movie bear comparison to Orson Welles' TOUCH OF EVIL and Alfred Hitchcock'S STRANGERS ON A TRAIN. This is a gem - hard-boiled, splendidly-acted, written and photographed.