Appointment with Danger (1950)

★ 5.6 1h 29m IMDb

Al Goddard, a detective who works for the United States Postal Inspection Service, is assigned to arrest two criminals who've allegedly murdered a U.S. postal detective.

Appointment with Danger

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Cast

Alan Ladd
Alan Ladd as Al Goddard Died 1964 · Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American actor and producer known for his cool, understated screen presence and his defining roles in 1940s and 1950s film noir and We...
Phyllis Calvert
Phyllis Calvert as Sister Augustine Died 2002 · Chelsea, London, England, UK Phyllis Calvert (18 February 1915 – 8 October 2002) was an English film, stage and television actress. Born Phyllis Hannah Bickle in Chelsea, she trained at the Margaret Morris School of Dancing and...
Paul Stewart
Paul Stewart as Earl Boettiger Died 1986 · New York City, New York, USA Paul Stewart (March 13, 1908 – February 17, 1986) was an American character actor known for his tough, guttural voice. He frequently portrayed villains and mobsters throughout his lengthy career. Bor...
Jan Sterling
Jan Sterling as Dodie Died 2004 · New York City, New York, USA Jan Sterling (born Jane Sterling Adriance; April 3, 1921 – March 26, 2004) was an American actress. At her most active in films during the 1950s, she received a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting...
Jack Webb
Jack Webb as Joe Regas Died 1982 · Santa Monica, California, USA John Randolph 'Jack' Webb (also known by the pen name John Randolph; April 2, 1920 – December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, director, and screenwriter, who is most famous for h...
Stacy Harris
Stacy Harris as Paul Ferrar Died 1973 · Big Timber, Quebec, Canada From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Stacy Harris (July 26, 1918 – March 13, 1973) was a Canadian-born actor with hundreds of film and television appearances. His name is often found spelled Stacey...

Audience Reviews

John Chard 6.5/10 Feb 23, 2014
Police Seek Nun As Witness In Downtown Slaying!

Appointment with Danger is directed by Lewis Allen and written by Richard L. Breen and Warren Duff. It stars Alan Ladd, Phyllis Calvert, Paul Stewart, Jan Sterling, Jack Webb, Stacy Harris and Harry Morgan. Music is by Victor Young and cinematography by John F. Seitz.

Al Goddard (Ladd) is a U.S. Postal Inspector sent to investigate the grim murder of one of his colleagues. There's a witness to locate and possibly protect, a nun, Sister Augustine (Calvert), and soon enough Al has to go undercover as a crook to infiltrate the gang responsible for the murder. Not only that, but they plan to steal one million dollars being transported by the U.S.P.S., clearly Al has a lot on his plate.

Alan Ladd's last film noir (though it barely qualifies as such) is good entertainment that relies on hardboiled speak more than it does action or mystery. A great opening involving the murder is kind of a false dawn, in that the mood and visual strengths on show here are rarely reproduced during rest of pic. However, that is a small complaint in truth because it's so much fun to be around Ladd's Al Goddard.

We quickly learn that he is basically a great cop but not much of a human being, since we know who did the murder from the off, we have to rely on Goddard's undercover operation for our suspense quota, which comes in spades. Goddard is constantly at threat of being exposed, he has to consistently think on his feet, have a quip or yarn to spin to deflect suspicion, so this keeps things spicy in the story.

The strand involving Calvert's nun is a weak one, it's clearly a narrative device to smooth out Goddard's rough edges, but it never really works and that the writers turn her into a dumb ass late in the play is annoying. Another irritant is that Sterling (wasted) as Paul Stewart's (good villain value as usual) moll really doesn't impact on proceedings, she wanders in and out of the film promising to be a femme fatale, but it never happens and after playing out as a weak red herring she exits with a whimper.

Some smart location work is on show, with the backdrop of pool halls and cheap hotels utilised to good effect by Allen and Seitz, and a couple of scenes really sock the jaw; literally in one case! But it never rises above being a routine cops and robbers based homage to the U.S.P.S. Inspectors. Thankfully Ladd is on form and delivers the best parts of the screenplay with a steely cold sharpness that positively tickles the fancy of noir lovers. 6.5/10

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