Woman on the Run (1950)

Ann Sheridan stars in this independent feature released by Universal Pictures about a wife searching for a missing husband. Ross Elliott is the husband who is an artist and had the misfortune of seeing a contract killing go down and the killer took a shot or two at Elliott and the dog he was walking.Sheridan's a cynical sort who thinks hubby is just running out on her. But homicide cops Robert Keith and Frank Jenks know otherwise. But Sheridan does decide to help breezy Dennis O'Keefe who identifies himself as a reporter when O'Keefe offers her money if she helps locate him.The title is of course a misnomer, Sheridan isn't running she's chasing her fleeing hubby who is fleeing in the wrong direction as it turns out.The film has some nice snappy dialog, it's a throwback to some of the films Sheridan did back in her Oomph Girl days at Warner Brothers in the 30s.What really makes this film work especially in the climax scene at an amusement park in the San Francisco area is the offbeat casting of one of the principal players. Some nice scenic location shooting in the San Francisco area helps as well.It's B picture shot on a shoestring budget, but it holds up pretty good.

Fabulous forgotten Noir produced by Ann Sheridan who quit from Warner after released that didn't has no future there,this independent movie is marvelous and is about marriage relationship,in the curse of the movie is clearly placed the damages between the couple,the plot is clever to explore this matter...the movie like another noir is pretty interesting but the subliminal messages is quite fantastic....Ann Sheridan in this time was no longer a young pretty lady...but still a good actress as show in the picture with acid words when she was questioned by Inspector Ferris,another pleasant acting is Dennis o' Keefe as Dan Legget a newspaper reporter who is actually the Killer!!!More... the movie gave to us a nice view of many San Francisco's spots in those time...A real Gem to be discover for those love cinema!!!Resume:First watch: 2017 / Hoe many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 8.5

A guy is out walking his dog one evening when he witnesses a homicide in "Journey into Fear" director Norman Foster's atmospheric, above-average, crime thriller "Woman on the Run," starring Ann Sheridan, Dennis O'Keefe, and Robert Keith. Ostensibly, Foster and "A Star Is Born" scenarist Alan Campbell have adapted Shirley Tate's 1948 short story published in a contemporary magazine. Instead of sticking with Tate's title "Man on the Run," the filmmakers changed it to "Woman on the Run." Predictably, Sheridan spends most of the film's 77 minutes on the run herself as Eleanor Johnson who is pursuing her husband around San Francisco with an inquisitive newspaper reporter (Dennis O'Keefe of "Raw Deal") in tow. Journalist Dan Legget assures Eleanor that he is only looking for a scoop. Meantime, we don't see much of Eleanor's husband Frank (Ross Elliot of "Kelly's Heroes") who does a good job of making himself elusive. Meantime, Inspector Ferris (Robert Keith of "The Line-Up") and his colleagues maintain surveillance on Eleanor who is reluctant to share information with them about her husband. Suffice to say that everything turns out for the good by fade-out, but "Woman on the Run" boasts a supreme sized surprise that discriminating spectators will figure out before the characters in the story notice it. Indeed, I am reluctant to expose this surprise because it makes the movie worth-watching. Nevertheless, Foster and "Captain Blood" lenser Hal Mohr take us on a tour of the City by the Bay that only San Francisco residents may truly appreciate. "One Touch of Venus" editor Otto Ludwig deserves kudos--as does Mohr--for careening depiction of a roller-coaster ride that Eleanor embarks on at an amusement park in the climactic scene that brings all the principals together and ties things up rather neatly. Sheridan is perfectly cast as the faithful wife. Dennis O'Keefe shows a different side of himself as he accompanies Sheridan on their quest to find her spouse. "Woman on the Run" qualifies as a concise, well-made, crime thriller.

As another user here said, seeing that this film was in the public domain for anyone to sell or distribute made me assume that perhaps it would be a film that wasn't even seen as worthy of the cost of the stamp to renew the copyright. I was pleasantly surprised to see that actually, while not brilliant, it was actually quite enjoyable in how it moved. The plot sees a normal guy (Frank) out for a walk when he witnesses a murder and, although shot at himself, he is not hit. The police interview him as a witness but it quickly becomes clear to Frank that he was very lucky not to be killed himself and will clearly be a target again. As a result he goes missing and soon his wife (Eleanor) is looking for him, believing that he is actually running away from their difficult relationship. With journalist Danny Leggett alongside her looking for a scoop, she sets off to find him herself.The story unfolds as a reasonably engaging thriller with solid development. I enjoyed the relationship between Leggett and Eleanor as it skirts on the sort of playfulness that you tend to get with male/female partnerships in these sort of films but yet at the same time as more going on as Eleanor is open about her relationship. As others have said here, there is a twist at the end and it probably works much better if you don't know it is coming, because if you do then you are pretty much looking for it (which is why I think telling people there is a twist is a sort of spoiler in and of itself). Anyway, it is not too hard to guess but it is still quite nice when it comes.Although the film opens with Elliott, he is absent from most of the film and never really made an impact on me. Sheridan is great though with her turn and she works very well with O'Keefe. The direction from Foster is good at making an atmosphere without overdoing it in the process. Generally the film delivers well and has a nice tough edge mixed with playfulness which teases the viewer in quite a satisfying way.