This Woman Is Dangerous
This Woman Is Dangerous is a 1952 American film noir crime drama by Warner Bros. starring Joan Crawford, David Brian, and Dennis Morgan in a story about a gun moll's romances with two different men. The screenplay by Geoffrey Homes and George Worthing Yates was based on a story by Bernard Girard. The film was directed by Felix E. Feist and produced by Robert Sisk.
| This Woman Is Dangerous | |
|---|---|
 Original theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Felix E. Feist |
| Produced by | Robert Sisk |
| Written by | Story: Bernard Girard Screenplay: Geoffrey Homes George Worthing Yates |
| Starring | Joan Crawford Dennis Morgan David Brian |
| Music by | David Buttolph |
| Cinematography | Ted McCord |
| Edited by | James C. Moore |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
Beth Austin (Joan Crawford) is the leader of a hold-up gang and the mistress of its most cold-blooded killer Matt Jackson (David Brian). In New Orleans, the group robs a casino by impersonating police officers. After taking in a haul of $90,000 ($853,244 in 2019 dollars),[1] she tells Matt that she has suffered from failing eyesight and needs to travel to an eye clinic in Indiana to have an advanced operation. While initially mad that she is leaving the group, he promises to lie low until she returns.
At the hospital, Beth and her eye surgeon Ben Halleck (Dennis Morgan) fall in love. Meanwhile, Jackson becomes suspicious of his mistress' lengthy recovery period and sends a private investigator to snoop. Beth breaks off her relationship with the doctor, hoping to dissuade Jackson from committing any harm against him. Jackson travels to the hospital planning to wipe out the man who has displaced him in Beth's affections, but the FBI shoots and kills Matt. Beth is promised leniency, and looks forward to a life with the doctor after a short prison sentence.
Cast
- Joan Crawford as Elizabeth 'Beth' Austin
- Dennis Morgan as Dr. Ben Halleck
- David Brian as Matt Jackson
- Richard Webb as James A. Franklin
- Mari Aldon as Ann Jackson
- Philip Carey as Will Jackson
- Ian MacDonald as Joe Grossland, Private Eye
- Katherine Warren as Mrs. Millican, Dr. Halleck's Nurse
- George Chandler as Dr. Bill Ryan
Production
Because the script of a gangster who saw the light had become trite by the 1950s, some sources suggest that studio head Jack L. Warner offered Crawford the role hoping the expensive star would turn it down so he could put her on suspension. That could also be the reason he offered the eye surgeon's role to Dennis Morgan, whose box-office appeal had diminished since World War II. To Warner's surprise, both stars accepted the film. Crawford later instructed her agents to negotiate an end to her contract at Warner Bros., and she went on to make the independently produced hit Sudden Fear.[2]
Reception
Bosley Crowther in the New York Times called the film "junk", and Otis Guernsey, Jr. of the New York Herald Tribune described it as "a long, windy, tiresome story."[3]
DVD release
This Woman Is Dangerous was released on Region 1 DVD on March 23, 2009 (Crawford's birthday) from the online Warner Bros. Archive Collection.
Radio adaptation
This Woman Is Dangerous was presented on Lux Radio Theatre on March 16, 1953. The one-hour adaptation starred Virginia Mayo, with Morgan reprising his role from the film.[4]
References
- "CPI Inflation Calculator". www.bls.gov.
- "This Woman is Dangerous". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
- Quirk, Lawrence J. The Films of Joan Crawford. The Citadel Press, 1968.
- Kirby, Walter (March 15, 1953). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. p. 46. Retrieved June 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
