It is difficult to find fault with any part of "Woman on the Run." It is an excellent film noir thriller. The identity of the killer is given away much too soon, changing the film from a suspenseful mystery to one of just suspense. The title is misleading, since the one on the run is not the woman, Eleanor Johnson (Ann Sheridan at her best), but her husband, Frank (Ross Elliott). The director/writer, Norman Foster, purposely did this to indicate that Eleanor was in a sense running too, not just to find her husband and save him from possible death, but to find the lost love they once shared.
Frank witnessed a mob hit, telling the police that he could easily identify the hit-man. Before the police have a chance to place him and his wife in protective custody, he "takes a powder." Once the wife is interrogated it becomes obvious that the two were in the midst of a breakup. Frank is a starving artist who has a temporary job making and displaying mannequins. Eleanor has grown tired of their precarious existence. She indicates to Inspector Martin Ferris (Robert Keith) that she is glad her husband is gone and refuses to assist in finding him. Then she takes a powder with the help of an inquiring reporter, Danny Leggett (Dennis O'Keefe), who convinces her that he wants to scoop the story. The two surreptitiously team up to find Frank. Also involved in the manhunt is the fugitive couple's dog, Rembrandt. "It's the nearest we could get to owning one," Eleanor quips. There are important clues given near the beginning when Eleanor is being questioned; so listen carefully.
Norman Foster, who cut his teeth on Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto films, deserves most of the credit for the success of this picture. The script he helped write is filled with witty, clever dialog. The story with an ending reminiscent of Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train," not released until the following year, beams with excitement and adventure, especially in the amusement park wrap-up. Foster as director keeps the movie moving at a fast pace with the talky parts worked in with the action; so the viewer never becomes bored.
Foster's cinematographer, Hal Mohr, makes the most of the San Francisco locale, with delicious black and white photography of the Bay area. Hopefully a pristine print will surface on DVD. This picture deserves better treatment than it has thus far received.
Frank witnessed a mob hit, telling the police that he could easily identify the hit-man. Before the police have a chance to place him and his wife in protective custody, he "takes a powder." Once the wife is interrogated it becomes obvious that the two were in the midst of a breakup. Frank is a starving artist who has a temporary job making and displaying mannequins. Eleanor has grown tired of their precarious existence. She indicates to Inspector Martin Ferris (Robert Keith) that she is glad her husband is gone and refuses to assist in finding him. Then she takes a powder with the help of an inquiring reporter, Danny Leggett (Dennis O'Keefe), who convinces her that he wants to scoop the story. The two surreptitiously team up to find Frank. Also involved in the manhunt is the fugitive couple's dog, Rembrandt. "It's the nearest we could get to owning one," Eleanor quips. There are important clues given near the beginning when Eleanor is being questioned; so listen carefully.
Norman Foster, who cut his teeth on Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto films, deserves most of the credit for the success of this picture. The script he helped write is filled with witty, clever dialog. The story with an ending reminiscent of Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train," not released until the following year, beams with excitement and adventure, especially in the amusement park wrap-up. Foster as director keeps the movie moving at a fast pace with the talky parts worked in with the action; so the viewer never becomes bored.
Foster's cinematographer, Hal Mohr, makes the most of the San Francisco locale, with delicious black and white photography of the Bay area. Hopefully a pristine print will surface on DVD. This picture deserves better treatment than it has thus far received.