WOMAN ON THE RUN (1950)

Directed by Norman Foster with a coherent screenplay by Foster and Alan Campbell, along with sarcastically witty dialogue by Ross Hunter, this Universal Pictures release is a winner thanks to solid performances by the main cast. A more accurate title might have been, “Woman's Husband on The Run,” that being the character actually running throughout most of the film. The hugely respected, top-billed actress probably predestined the title. The limited budget is pretty well hidden, sending this film into the unknown B+ movie category.

Husband and enigmatic starving artist, Ross Elliot, is walking his dog late at night and witnesses, what he will soon learn, is a gangland murder. The gunman spots him and fires in Elliot’s direction with precise accuracy. However, in the dark, the murderer shoots Elliot’s backlit shadow in the head instead. That is Elliot’s good news. The bad news is he is now the prime witness to the murder. He bolts in fear, leaving the police, his wife, and his dog trying to locate him.

Robert Keith is the quintessential police detective in a trench coat and fedora topping off a face full of weary. Keith is frustrated with Ann Sheridan, as she seems unconcerned about her vanishing husband. He wants to provide protection for her husband but she is anything but helpful. They sarcastically exchange humorous lines back and forth. He is confounded that there is not a single photo of Elliot in Sheridan’s possession. Her husband being a painter, he asks if he ever did a self-portrait. Sheridan says no, he never liked himself that much. He returns later with more news, telling her he went to see her husband’s doctor. She asks, “Why, aren’t you feeling well?” His point is, her husband has a serious heart problem. A shocking detail of which she was unaware. Elliot now has two reasons to be found. How times have changed, Elliot's doctor is stumped by something called, hypertension.

Enter Dennis O’Keefe as a wisecracking newspaper reporter. O’Keefe was a pro at playing charmingly persistent characters. He wants to help Sheridan find her husband for an exclusive story. Their banter is fun and natural. After helping her evade a policewoman tailing her in a taxi, he treats Sheridan to breakfast where they serve the best waffles. “Butter in every little square,” he tells her. Perhaps the only flaw in the screenplay is a revealing detail during this scene that shifts the plot about fifteen minutes too soon. This revelation makes the middle section somewhat ponderous and less intriguing Through a series of obscure clues left by her husband she is able to piece them together and locate him. Her search reveals through the people who know her husband, that she means everything to him, ultimately solidifying their relationship.

A speeding roller coaster at night with screaming riders and laughing animatronic figures in carnival booths can be spooky enough. Often repeated in films. The climax of Sheridan's terrifying ride on the coaster, though done in a studio with a back screen, is a nail-biter thanks to excellent editing and Sheridan making it appear authentic. All the while, Keith has been gluing clues together and suspects the killer.