The Trap (1959)

Lawyer Ralph Anderson arrives in Tula, an amazingly remote town in the desert, as reluctant emissary of mob chief Victor Massonetti, who wants the airstrip clear for his unofficial exit ... See full summary »

Director:

Norman Panama

Writers:

Richard Alan Simmons, Norman Panama

Stars:

Richard Widmark, Lee J. Cobb, Tina Louise

2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Richard Widmark	...	Ralph Anderson
Lee J. Cobb	...	Victor Massonetti
Tina Louise	...	Linda Anderson
Earl Holliman	...	Tippy Anderson
Carl Benton Reid	...	Sheriff Lloyd Anderson
Lorne Greene	...	Davis
Peter Baldwin	...	Mellon
Chuck Wassil	...	First Fake Policeman
Richard Shannon	...	Len Karger
Carl Milletaire	...	Eddie

Storyline

Lawyer Ralph Anderson arrives in Tula, an amazingly remote town in the desert, as reluctant emissary of mob chief Victor Massonetti, who wants the airstrip clear for his unofficial exit from the country. Ralph's arrival has a profound effect on his estranged father, the sheriff; his brother Tip, an alcoholic deputy; and his ex-sweetheart Linda, now married to Tip. Tension builds as a small army of gangsters takes over the town. Then the situation abruptly changes...

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Plot Keywords:

gangster | neo noir

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 August 1959 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Die Falle von Tula

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Heath Productions, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In addition to this film, Richard Widmark and Earl Holliman also played siblings in the 1954 western "Broken Lance".

User Reviews

Okay Actioner

Prodigal son (Widmark) must get top gangster (Cobb) across desert to justice despite opposition from gang and family rivalries.

Pretty good suspenser if you can get past that over-long, over-done early scene where Widmark and Louise make moon-calf eyes at each other. After that the narrative settles into a decent contest of wits. One thing for sure—they didn't have to build many sets. There's a huge swath of desolate California desert the cars get to roll across, while I'm thirsty just watching this.

There're maybe more family convolutions than the story needs. I expect much of that is to build up Tina Louise's part. And what a dish she is, several years before Gilligan's Island. I will say they wisely de-glamorized her for the rustic part here. It's a good cast, though the 46-year old Widmark is a little long-in-the-tooth for his role; plus, the great Lee J. Cobb has less to do than I would expect.

Nonetheless, the premise plays out nicely in the abandoned diner and in that final twist that I didn't see coming. There's nothing special here, just an entertaining 90-minutes with a good cast and a big part of California that sure ain't Hollywood.