Storm Warning (1951)

En route to a job, New York based model Marsha Mitchell decides to stop for less than 24 hours in the southern American town of Rock Point to visit her sister, Lucy Rice, who she has not ... See full summary »

Director:

Stuart Heisler

Writers:

Daniel Fuchs, Richard Brooks

Stars:

Ginger Rogers, Ronald Reagan, Doris Day

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ginger Rogers	...	Marsha Mitchell
Ronald Reagan	...	Burt Rainey
Doris Day	...	Lucy Rice
Steve Cochran	...	Hank Rice
Hugh Sanders	...	Charlie Barr
Lloyd Gough	...	Cliff Rummel
Raymond Greenleaf	...	Faulkner
Ned Glass	...	George Athens
Paul E. Burns	...	Frank Hauser, Baggage Man
Walter Baldwin	...	Coroner Bledsoe
Lynn Whitney	...	Cora Athens
Stuart Randall	...	Walt Walters
Sean McClory	...	Shore

Storyline

En route to a job, New York based model Marsha Mitchell decides to stop for less than 24 hours in the southern American town of Rock Point to visit her sister, Lucy Rice, who she has not seen in two years, and meet Lucy's husband, Hank Rice, for the first time. Upon arriving in Rock Point, Marsha witnesses a Ku Klux Klan slaying of who she would later learn is Walter Adams, an out of town reporter who was going to write an exposé on the Klan. Marsha even saw two of the men's faces after they removed their hoods, but they didn't see Marsha. Upon later arriving at Lucy's house, Marsha is shocked to see that Hank was one of the Klansmen committing the murder, he being a Klansman of which Lucy is unaware. Marsha decides to confront Hank and Lucy about what she saw. Meanwhile, county prosecutor Burt Rainey knows that the Klan committed the murder, everyone in town is aware that the Klan committed the murder, but Rainey knows that no one will come forward to implicate the Klan for what they...

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Plot Keywords:

murder | ku klux klan | district attorney | reporter | prosecutor | 

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Taglines:

Behind this burning cross...Behind the loopholes in the law...Behind their cowardly hoods...They hide a thousand vicious crimes!

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 February 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

Storm Center

Filming Locations:

Corona, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Doris Day's first non-singing role.

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Goofs

A character is murdered by the KKK after 10pm one evening. An autopsy is performed, witnesses interviewed and a coroner's inquest is held - all by the following afternoon, hardly twelve hours after crime was committed.

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Quotes

Burt Rainey: Just wearing that hood doesn't change your voice, Walker. Am I supposed to be afraid of you because your face is covered up? It'll take more than these sheets you're wearing to hide the fact that you're mean, frightened little people, or you wouldn't be here, desecrating the cross.

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Soundtracks

"It's a Great Feeling"
(uncredited)
Music by Jule Styne
Played at the recreation center after the verdict

User Reviews

An Overlooked Film Noir

This film holds up so very well even after fifty years. The searing indictment of smalltown xenophobia and the struggle for truth is the hallmark here. Reagan does well in the role, but Steve Cochran and especially Ginger Rogers really shine here. The closing seconds with the fleeing Klansmen and the crumbling fiery cross coupled with strong orchestral strings leaves a hard hitting message that resonates. This film belongs on DVD as a testament to the ongoing struggle against intolerance, ignorance, and the fear of those things that are different. 1951 - 2001, sadly the need for that continues.