WOMAN ON THE RUN

It would not have been false advertising to pitch the finale of WOMAN ON THE RUN (1950) as a roller coaster ride of thrills and suspense. That's because the climax of this little jewel of a film noir takes place at a creepy amusement park at night (and why is it that amusement parks are almost always creepier at night? ) with heroine Eleanor Johnson (Ann Sheridan, in her first film after buying out her contract at Warner Brothers), rides a rickety roller coaster while a killer menaces her husband on the pier below.

It's a crackerjack sequence aided tremendously by off kilter camera angles courtesy of cinematographer Hal Mohr and a crazy,  hurdy-gurdy score by Arthur Lange and Emil Newman. The action leading up the exciting finale isn't bad either, in fact, it's top notch. Everyman Frank Johnson (Ross Elliott) happens to witness a gangland shooting while out walking his dog one night. The killer fire a couple of shots at Frank before leaving the scene. The police, let by the doggedly determined Inspector Ferris (Robert Keith) are determined to have Frank testify but he disappears before then can take him in.

The cops turn to his estranged wife, Eleanor, who is one hard bitten, cynical and tough dame. She's quick with a one liner but there's little humor behind her delivery. She doesn't care about Frank and wants nothing to do with the case. But newspaper reporters Daniel Legget (Dennis O'Keefe), wins her over and offers a substantial cash payout if she'll help him find Frank and get an exclusive story for his tabloid rag. 

The two begin a manhunt through the streets of San Francisco, trailed by the police every step of the way. In the course of the search, Eleanor discovers that Frank still loves her and she him and she becomes determined to find him and make an attempt at reconciliation. The identity of the killer is revealed to the audience midway thorough the film but rather than detract from the narrative it only serves to heighten the suspense. 

Produced by Fidelity Pictures Corporation and released through Universal International, WOMAN ON THE RUN is better than it has to be in what could be viewed as a rather routine thriller. Director Norman Foster does a good jo with the material laid down in the script that he co-wrote with Alan Campbell. The cast is first rate and the on-location cinematography adds much to the proceedings. 

The standout in the cast is, of course, Sheridan. While under contract at Warner Brothers the studio promoted her as "The Oomph Girl", a decidedly sexist label that served to typecast the young beauty and limit to certain types of roles. In WOMAN ON THE RUN, she has a chance to show her dramatic abilities to good advantage. 

But there's no denying that she certainly was a very attractive woman.