Who payed the critics

Brilliant and touching

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

GIRL ON THE RUN is an indie crime thriller from 1953, set in and around a burlesque theatre full of the usual dancing girls wearing very little. The surprise here is that this is quite good for an independent film, with a snapping pacing and brief running time that means as a film it never outstays its welcome. Once racy, today tame, this features a murder followed by a police investigation of sorts. It's that simple, but there are some atmospheric moments, and you get a real sense of the time and setting. Plus, you can try to spot Steve McQueen, appearing as an extra at the outset of his career.

A third string "C" Film Noir that actually may be the best of the Carney based Film Noir. As much as I like Nightmare Alley (1947), this carnival film never leaves the midway much like Todd Browning's Freaks (1932). It's a great capture of the gritty atmosphere of a traveling carnival of tent and plywood, lit by strings of bare light bulbs. Victor Lukens cinematographer, creates a gritty claustrophobic carny setting, with convoluted passageways between tents, the midway, plywood arcades, cramped backstage warrens, along with trailers, and other equipment. Most of the cast are playing carnies, Charles Bolender shines as the Carney Boss Blake, a cigar chomping little person who runs the show. Bolender deploys great ways of evening the keel whenever he has to deal with other people often ending up higher and looking down on them. Veteran actor Frank Albertson (Mantrap, Nightfall, Physco, Shed No Tears, They Mane Me A Killer, It's A Wonderful Life) plays the local cop Hank on carnival duty. Harry Banister a early TV vet plays the local corrupt politician Reeves. Veteran TV Western Actor Richard Coogan (Vice Raid) is Bill Martin, a falsely accused of murder reporter who takes refuge at the carnival. Rosemary Pettit (Walk East On Beacon) plays Janet his girl who gives off a Gene Tierney vibe. She is forced to hide out with a chorus of carnival strippers, the de-facto "Girl On The Run" mothered by veteran early TV actress Edith King (Calcutta). Pettit is great as the good girl who has to be a quick study learning how to jiggle along with the rest of the strippers. Rounding out the rest of the cast John Krollers and other un-credited actors play carnival barkers, you can see a bit of Phil Silvers, or Bud Abbott in the parts, for all I know I wouldn't be surprised if they were real carnival barkers. A shout out to Renee de Milo (her only credit) where ever she may be, she plays the headliner stripper Gigi. She does a complete dance and is so good at it that I suspect that she was an actual carnival stripper. She does her act without removing her bikini type costume but she's got the moves down that you can easily imagine what she'd display. Check out Carnival Strippers - Early Years (1971-1978) by Susan Meiselas for a reference work. The film also has an early Steve McQueen as an extra. The score is carnival music inter-spaced with jazz for the dance routines. This low budget Noir delivers, I go as high as a 6.5-7/10. If it did have A list actors for the two lovers, and say Bud Abbott or Phil Silvers as the barkers it could have been an 8/10.

You've heard of "The Young and the Restless" and its follow-up, "The Bold and the Beautiful". There have been movies like "The Proud and the Profaine" and "Rich, Young and Pretty". Now meet the carny girls of this second rate traveling tent show. They could be called "The Fat and the Frisky". These porky hoochy-cooch dancers look like they haven't seen a vegetable in years, living off of cotton candy and fried dough with cinnamon on top. So when "Girl on the Run" (Rosemary Pettit) joins their line-up while hiding from the cops, it is obvious just from her petite figure that she isn't one of them. Even headliner Gigi (Renee De Milo) seems to have forgotten that dancing requires exercise. But I digress.That was my first of many laughs at this Z- programmer, certainly not worthy of any big city release, and possibly too trashy for the sticks. Pettit and her reporter boyfriend (Richard Coogan) are on the run from the police after he has been wrongfully accused of murdering his boss. A mysterious man named Clay Reeves (Harry Bannister) is stalking them, and his motives seem definitely suspicious. The fun starts in the carny girls trailer when Pettit is rescued by the blowzy Edith King who gets some really fascinating film noir lines, telling someone aiding her after being shot, "I was used as target practice", and later on, "I made friends with a bullet". She is definitely the scene-stealer in this movie, sort of a 50's Marie Dressler with a bit of Thelma Ritter thrown in. The scenes between her and "little person" boss Charles Bolender (who actually seems six feet tall while running the carny) are truly touching.For a film with a $1.95 budget, it really is inventive in many aspects, and while it isn't up there with the legendary film noirs, it is almost equivalent to low-budget classics like "Detour" and "Decoy" which have become cult classics. There are certainly many moments that are extremely laughable, but in retrospect, I have to say I thoroughly had a good time watching it. I just can't raise its rating that I gave based on the fact that it is low-budget trash, more pulp novel than film noir, and seems to have been inspired by pulp noir book covers.

One of several worthy discoveries in Something Weird Video's "Weird Noir" set, and the most formally interesting of the bunch. "Girl on the Run" obeys the classical unities of action (one plot, which is all you have time for in 64 minutes), time (it all takes place in one evening), and place (it is set entirely inside a traveling carnival's grounds). The film is spatially fascinating: you really get a sense of how a carnival can pack a lot of activities into a smallish area, and how, out of direct sight of the public, the "inner world" of the carnival company can go on vigorously despite there being no apparent physical room for it. The sound design is dense and realistic and lends a high degree of verisimilitude to the film's texture. "Girl on the Run" is bookended by an excellent night-time opening shot of the carnival and its Ferris wheel from a medium distance, very atmospheric, and a great closing shot of a laughing mechanical clown. Some thought went into the presentation here.On the debit side, the acting is fairly ordinary, although protagonist Richard Coogan - television's first Captain Video - is certainly a handsome, energetic chap. The storyline is nothing special either. And yet the very standardness of these elements throws the more innovative aspects of the movie into higher relief, and the overall result is highly watchable.I encourage any film history student or scholar looking for an offbeat candidate for detailed analysis to take a look at this movie; I think you might see rich possibilities in it.