Customer Reviews

Appointment With Danger

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Appointment with Danger" begins like a typical post-war propaganda film in the guise of a thriller. A voiceover narration sings the praises of a law enforcement agency. In this case, we learn how big and efficient the US Postal Service is thanks to the dedication of "a great army of men and women". We're introduced to "the nation's oldest police force": postal inspectors. Then we're whisked to Gary, Indiana where a postal inspector by the name of Henry Gruber has been murdered. The introduction would lead the audience to believe this is going to be a police procedural, but it's not. It sticks to narrative mode for the rest of the film. Another postal inspector, Al Goddard (Alan Ladd), has been sent to track down the nun, Sister Augustine (Phyllis Calvert), who saw Gruber's killers. Goddard is a hardened, cynical man who goes undercover to catch the murderers as they heist a mail truck carrying $1 million.

It's classified as "film noir", but "Appointment with Danger" is only superficially so. Al Goddard has lots of great, hardboiled lines. He doesn't get on well with people and trusts no one. "One way or another, everybody you meet is a pitch artist," he says. There are a couple of brutal scenes. And Goddard's ability to make the suspects think he's even more crooked than they are introduces an aspect of identity confusion. But Goddard is never confused or conflicted. "Appointment with Danger" doesn't take place in the noir universe. Nevertheless, Goddard's hard-boiled persona is a lot of fun, as is the film's conspicuous attempt to cast Ladd as a tough-guy sex symbol -love the shirtless squash game between Goddard and violent conspirator Joe Regas (Jack Webb). Regas' persistent paranoia about the nun is a disaster waiting to happen.

Sister Augustine, who thinks Goddard could be a nice man with a little practice, is too angelic in contrast to the cynical cop and cold-blooded criminals. Earl Boettiger (Paul Stewart), a hotelier who masterminds the heist seems almost too level-headed for the part. Between him, the too-precious nun, and Goddard's aloofness, the film has a flat tone that keeps it just shy of completely engaging the audience. Earl's mistress Dodie (Jan Sterling) is a counterpoint to that tone. She's not in many scenes, but she produces a terrific combination of vulnerability, resignation, and realpolitik when she confronts Goddard. "Appointment with Danger" could have been better if it had been willing to explore its character's bizarre behavior a little more, but it's still entertaining. The print on the Olive Films 2010 DVD is pretty good but no bonus features or subtitles.

A good movie. If you like Alan Ladd, you will like this movie.
It is not as good as, This Gun for Hire or The Blue Dahlia, but a good four star movie.
The picture quality is very good.
Postal Inspector (Alan Ladd) is assigned to investigate the murder of a fellow officer.
It is strange to see, Jack Webb and Harry Morgan as criminals after seeing them in the 1960's Dragnet.
Recommended.

Paramount Pictures presents "APPOINTMENT WITH DANGER" (1951) (89 min/B&W) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) -- Starring Alan Ladd, Phyllis Calvert, Paul Stewart, Jan Sterling, Jack Webb & Harry Morgan

Directed by Lewis Allen

Relentless postal inspector Al Goddard is sent to Gary, Indiana, when another officer is murdered. He must find the nun who witnessed the murder, then infiltrate the gang by convincing them he is a postal inspector gone bad. This is a great Alan Ladd crime drama with interesting support from Jack Webb & Harry Morgan as the villains!

Jack Webb and Harry Morgan (Sgt. Joe Friday and Officer Bill Gannon in a future life) are members of the gang. Webb's character is particularly vicious, and he kills Morgan with a pair of bronze baby shoes!

Appointment with Danger is a fast moving, entertaining, punch in the gut of a movie. In spite of its obscurity Appointment is a crime film of the first order. It's a textbook example of the visual aspects of the noir style.

BIOS:
1. Lewis Allen [Director]
Date of Birth: 25 December 1905 - Oakengates, Telford, Shropshire, UK
Date of Death: 3 May 2000, Santa Monica, California

2. Alan Ladd
Date of Birth: 3 September 1913 - Hot Springs, Arkansas
Date of Death: 29 January 1964 - Palm Springs, California

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 4 Stars
Performance: 4 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 4 Stars
Overall: 4 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 89 min on DVD ~ Paramount Pictures ~ (07/27/2010)

"Appointment with Danger," released in 1951, showcased a small group of federal law enforcement officers, Postal Inspectors. Alan Ladd starred, but fans of police dramas will enjoy seeing Jack Webb and Harry Morgan performing together, prefiguring their partnership on the TV series "Dragnet," but with an unexpected role reversal. In this film noir, the two are the criminals.

As the U.S. Postal Service faces bankruptcy, the introductory scenes that show the U.S. Postal Service of 1950 are absorbing. Because nabbing the bad guys depends on the testimony of a nun, there are scenes of churches and convents that open a window of memory on the pre-Vatican II Catholic church. The respect given to Catholic sisters at that time comes through nicely in the film.

This is a relatively quiet crime film with a heist subplot, but without any car chase, exploding vehicles, or ghastly crime. How satisfying!

-30-

This 1950 film noir stars Alan Ladd, Phyllis Calvert, and Paul Stewart. The plot is pretty hokey and the first few minutes of the film seem like an infomercial for the U.S. Post Office, but this film gets very entertaining very fast.

Two thugs murder a U.S. Postal Inspector and then dump his body. A nun (Calvert) inadvertently sees the thugs. Al Goddard (Ladd), another U.S. Postal Inspector, investigates the murder by first locating the nun. After he finds her, he tracks down one of the killers and subsequently infiltrates the killers' gang.

There is plenty of snappy dialogue and a lot of funny lines. Goddard is a hard and determined man and is accused by a fellow officer of being inhuman and without feelings. The fellow officer says to Goddard, "You don't know what a love affair is." Goddard replies, "It's what goes on between a man and a .45 that won't jam."

Ironically, this film stars Jack Webb and Harry Morgan as the killers. Just two years later, Webb would begin starring on television as Detective Joe Friday on Dragnet. And in the late 1960s, Webb would team with Morgan again when Dragnet returned to television - and they dressed in just the same style as they did in the 1950 film.

I saw this film for the first time last summer and I liked it so much that I saw it again this winter. If you like old movies, this is a good one, and if you don't, you may like it anyhow.

An end of the scale Hollywood film noir that was a typical 50s response to television's impact & tighter productions. A pre-Dragnet style film that happens to have two future Dragnet actors in its cast: Jack Webb & Harry Morgan - now we know where Webb got the idea. Ladd is as good as always playing a tough guy with a soft streak; I don't know why more Ladd films are not available on DVD, he was an outstanding hero figure for the 40s & 50s without ever being abusive to women, unlike others like Cagney, Bogart and Robinson. Phyllis Calvert is super in a very pre-"Indiscreet" role.

Having driven through Gary, Indiana on my way to Michigan several times, it is every bit as industrial and gritty looking as it looked over 50 years ago when this movie was filmed. If this movie was not filmed in Indiana, I would be surprised. The overhead bridges, metal and industrial areas look so authentic in the outdoor scenes, I don't know how the filmmakers would have re-created this on a soundstage back in Hollywood. The scenery is urban and cinematically fascinating -- well worth your time to give this movie a look.

Alan Ladd is perfect as the tough guy who is trying to fight crime. And, Jack Webb as an unlikeable character gives the movie some sparkle. I thoroughly enjoyed this new DVD release tremendously. MASH fans will recognize a young Harry Morgan in the supporting cast.

Only got this DVD as many of the exteriors were shot in my home areas. I don't remember the actual filming, but my older relatives did see the movie being made. Not many films ever made in this part of the country (north west Indiana) so I mainly got the DVD for "sentimental" reasons. Not one of Alan Ladd's best but interesting to see Henry Morgan and Jack Webb in the supporting cast.

This is a good, well filmed thriller about investigators of the Postal Service. What attracted me the most were the scenes filmed on location in Gary, Indiana. I learned about this town and its actual state from Larry Cohen's Original Gangstas. Some of the locations I could revisit in this movie, specially the railroad station.
Appointment With Danger also includes a very suspenseful, extremely well filmed heist scene in Gary.

This 1951 "noir" (?) starring Alan Ladd was nothing more than a 1930s style crime drama starring George Raft right down to the boring monotone voice.
The movie started with this voiceover glorification of the Postal service employees and inspectors to the point of silliness, then typical hero (Ladd) infiltrating the bad guys and saving the day.
The one bright point was seeing Jack Webb & Henry Morgan driving around in a car together just like Dragnet.