Key Witness (1947 film)
Key Witness is a 1947 American film noir crime film directed by D. Ross Lederman and starring John Beal, Trudy Marshall and Jimmy Lloyd.[1]
| Key Witness | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | D. Ross Lederman |
| Produced by | Rudolph C. Flothow |
| Screenplay by | Edward Bock |
| Story by | J. Donald Wilson |
| Starring | John Beal Trudy Marshall Jimmy Lloyd |
| Cinematography | Philip Tannura |
| Edited by | Dwight Caldwell |
Production company | Columbia Pictures |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 67 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
A man runs away to avoid suspicion of murder and ends up in more trouble.
Cast
- John Beal as Milton Higby
- Trudy Marshall as Marge Andrews
- Jimmy Lloyd as Larry Summers
- Helen Mowery as Sally Guthrie
- Wilton Graff as Albert Loring
- Barbara Read as Martha Higby
- Charles Trowbridge as John Ballin
- Harry Hayden as Custer Bidwell
Reception
Critical response
When the film was released in 1947, critic Bosley Crowther, was sly in his negative review, "The moral of Key Witness, which came to the Rialto yesterday, it says, is that 'no man can escape trouble by trying to run away from it.' This wisdom is demonstrated in the adventures of a desperate young man who attempts to get out of one involvement by changing his identity—and runs into others thereby ... There might also be drawn this moral from the evidence presented here: you can't often be sure of entertainment from that which is claimed to be."[2]
References
- Key Witness at the American Film Institute Catalog.
- Crowther, Bosley. The New York Times, film review, July 30, 1947. Accessed: August 12, 2013.
External links
- Key Witness at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Key Witness on IMDb
- Key Witness at AllMovie
- Key Witness information site and DVD review at DVD Beaver (includes images)
- Key Witness titles and film scene on YouTube