Product Details

• Actors: Stephen McNally, Alexis Smith, Jan Sterling, Keith Andes, Arthur Hunnicutt
• Directors: Dick Powell
• Format: NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: RKO
• DVD Release Date: April 21, 2010
• Run Time: 85 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B003IKND0S
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #173,080 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Studio: Warner Bros. Digital Dist Release Date: 06/21/2011

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Split Second (1953) ... Stephen McNally ... Dick Powell (Director) (2010)", February 1, 2011

By 

J. Lovins "Mr. Jim" (Missouri-USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Split Second (DVD)

RKO Radio Pictures presents "SPLIT SECOND" (1953) (85 min/B&W) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) -- Starring Stephen McNally, Alexis Smith, Jan Sterling, Keith Andes, Arthur Hunnicutt, Paul Kelly & Richard Egan -- Directed by Dick Powell

Actor Dick Powell made an impressive film debut with the taut atomic-age suspensor Split Second --- Convicts Stephen McNally, Paul Kelly and Frank DeKova escape to a ghost town in the Nevada desert --- Only it isn't exactly a ghost town, but a "dummy village" constructed for the purpose of A-bomb testing --- The criminals hold several hostages, including reporter Keith Andes, nightclub singer Jan Sterling, selfish socialite Alexis Smith, her doctor-husband Richard Egan and her newest boyfriend Robert Paige --- Andes suspects that the deserted town is at Ground Zero of the latest bomb test, but he can't convince the convicts until it's almost too late --- The best and most horrifying sequence occurs near the end, when the criminals, accompanied by the duplicitous Ms. Smith, discover that they're driving towards the A-bomb target instead of away from it.

Novelist Irving Wallace collaborated on the script of Split Second with Chester Erskine and William Bowers.

This started out as a "B-Film" that rates the "A Plus Film Noir" for rating, showing what could be done with the right chemistry of the director, cast and producer -- What more can an avid noir film collector ask for.

BIOS:
1. Dick Powell [Director]
Date of Birth: 14 November 1904, Mountain View, Arkansas
Date of Death: 2 January 1963, West Los Angeles, California

2. Stephen McNally
Date of Birth: 29 July 1913 - New York City, New York
Date of Death: 4 June 1994 - Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 5 Stars
Performance: 5 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 5 Stars
Overall: 5 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 85 min on DVD ~ RKO Radiio Pictures ~ (04/21/2010)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful old movie, September 23, 2010

By 

Doug Danzeisen "frankfan42" (Dayton, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Split Second (DVD)

I highly recomend this movie to anyone who likes real suspense. Good action, plot development and wonderful direction by Dick Powell. This movie is proof positive that you don't need constant action to maintain tension, an unforgivable deadline with an atomic bomb is a great substitute.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, December 30, 2011

By 

Douglas Dillenberger "Doug" (Bellingham WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Split Second (DVD)

The movie itself is well done and well made. But in two tries I was unable to get a disk that played on our DVD player! We have never had a problem with any other DVD, other than once or twice an unexpected spot of digital breakup, which AMAZON replaced for us at no charge. Glitches happen. But we ordered this disk twice and both times it appeared what we were sent had never been recorded: it was blank. Therefore, I don't recommend this. The movie is good but I'll wait until it comes out from another vendor to buy the disk.