Dangerous Crossing
Encyclopedia
Dangerous Crossing is a 1953 Black & white noir
ish, mystery
film, directed by Joseph M. Newman
and starring Jeanne Crain
and Michael Rennie
, based on a the 1943 play Cabin B-13 by John Dickson Carr
.
) joyously starts a honeymoon cruise to Europe with her husband John (Carl Betz
), only to have him go missing shortly after they check into their room on board. Compounding her confusion, Ruth first finds herself locked out of the cabin she and John entered upon boarding the ship, then learns that she is registered solo under her maiden name in a nearby cabin, and that none of the crew members who could have seen her husband on the ship remember seeing him. These include the ship's purser, (Gayne Whitman
), stewardess Anna Quinn (Mary Anderston), and Second Officer Jim Logan (Max Showalter
). The crew's records and recollections are then confirmed when only Ruth's luggage is found in the cabin indicated in the passenger list.
Ruth's fear and confusion are first heightened by a mysterious phone call to her room from John later that evening. Later, other interactions with passengers and crew heighten her paranoia regarding a plot that John hinted about in the mysterious phone call. These include the ship's Doctor Manning (Michael Rennie
), fellow passenger Kay Prentiss (Marjorie Hoshelle), an elderly man with a limp and cane, the Second Officer Logan, and stewardess Quinn. Believing that no-one on board will help her find John, Ruth undertakes several searches of the ship, first by herself later night, and then the next day also under the guise of a tour of ship by Doctor Manning.
Because Ruth's emotional state could lead to trouble on the ship, Doctor Manning has been ordered by the ship's Captain Peters (Willis Bouchey
) to watch over her. Doctor Manning first tries to convince Ruth that she is likely confused by informing her that a search of the ship failed to locate her husband. Next, after finding her wandering the passenger decks in a state of distress, he strengthens his entreaties that she is imagining things, and eventually convinces Ruth to take a sedative to help her sleep. The following day, Doctor Manning keeps a close watch on Ruth, first after being warned by the captain to control the situation, and then to forestall the captain confining her to her cabin because the captain fears she might commit suicide.
During the day spent together, Doctor Manning's belief that she is imagining things evolves into believing that aspects of her story are true. A comment from Kay Prentiss about Ruth's behavior when the ship was casting off leads him to believe that Ruth might be married but her husband remained ashore. Later, when he confronts her with a report from authorities on back on shore denying any record of Ruth's marriage, Ruth's discussion with him about her family situation convinces him that someone may be scheming to acquire her late father's fortune. Compounding the situation are the mutually attractive feelings Ruth and the Doctor Manning are experiencing and starting to share with each other. These feelings are put aside by Doctor Manning when he learns from Ruth the details of her family situation that explain why the shore report contradicted her claim of being married and that Ruth has an angry envious half-uncle who vowed to reclaim his portion of the family fortune. After this discussion, Ruth calms down and expresses comfort because of Doctor Manning's attention to her situation.
Meanwhile, Ruth has experiences that heighten her fear and confusion. Interspersed in time spent with Doctor Manning, she is visited with offers of help by the other passengers and crew members she had met earlier. Also, John fails to call her back at the time he had promised the previous night in the mysterious phone call. The audience, however, learns that Ruth's feelings of paranoia are not unfounded. After visiting Ruth to supposedly turn down her bed for the night, Quinn makes a phone call to an unknown person conveying that the person's plan is working because "everybody thinks [Ruth is] crazy." When Doctor Manning visits Third Officer Barlowe, who had taken ill at the beginning of the trip and assigned to his quarters until he recovers, the audience learns that Barlowe and John are the same person.
The run-up to the story's climax begins with Ruth receiving a second phone call from John much later on the second night, in which he tells her to meet him up on deck by the lifeboats. Ruth finds John, but when the doctor approaches them, John runs away into the foggy night telling her to meet him at the same spot at a later time that night. Believing that danger is imminent, Ruth runs away, first calling out for John on deck, then taking refuge in the ship's ballroom while a dinner ball is going on. With assistance from other crew members, Ruth is caught by the doctor and locked in her cabin for the remainder of the trip.
The climax begins with Quinn arranging for Ruth to escape her cabin so that she can meet up with John on the lifeboat deck. When Ruth meets John, she learns that he was responsible for all of her confusion as he tells her of his nearly completed plot to pass off her death as a suicide. Before John can throw her overboard, Doctor Manning intercedes and starts fighting with him. In the struggle, John gets pulled overboard to his death by the line of a tackle
he had tried to use as a weapon against Doctor Manning.
The story's resolution is quick. Grief-stricken Ruth is easily comforted by Doctor Manning's overtures of what the future has in store for her. Barlowe and Quinn's plot to kill Ruth for her money is then intimated when the captain visits her to apologize for doubting her earlier. First, her marriage to John is confirmed by her marriage certificate that was found in a search of Barlowe's quarters. Second, Quinn, apparently distraught from earlier seeing John/Jack Barlowe fall overboard, fully confesses to her part in John's plans to stage Ruth's suicide. Ruth and Doctor Manning then wish each other goodnight, each glowing with the unspoken prospect of what could develop between them on the remainder of the cruise.
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
ish, mystery
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
film, directed by Joseph M. Newman
Joseph M. Newman
Joseph M. Newman was an American film director most famous for his 1955 film This Island Earth. His credits include episodes of The Twilight Zone and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour....
and starring Jeanne Crain
Jeanne Crain
Jeanne Elizabeth Crain was an American actress.-Early life:Crain was born in Barstow, California, to George A. Crain, a school teacher, and Loretta Carr; she was of Irish heritage on her mother's side, and of English and distant French descent on her father's...
and Michael Rennie
Michael Rennie
Michael Rennie was an English film, television, and stage actor, perhaps best known for his starring role as the space visitor Klaatu in the 1951 classic science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still. However, he appeared in over 50 other films since 1936, many with Jean Simmons and other...
, based on a the 1943 play Cabin B-13 by John Dickson Carr
John Dickson Carr
John Dickson Carr was an American author of detective stories, who also published under the pen names Carter Dickson, Carr Dickson and Roger Fairbairn....
.
Plot synopsis
Attractive newlywed Ruth Stanton/Bowman (Jeanne CrainJeanne Crain
Jeanne Elizabeth Crain was an American actress.-Early life:Crain was born in Barstow, California, to George A. Crain, a school teacher, and Loretta Carr; she was of Irish heritage on her mother's side, and of English and distant French descent on her father's...
) joyously starts a honeymoon cruise to Europe with her husband John (Carl Betz
Carl Betz
Carl Betz was an American film and television actor. A native of Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Betz participated in childhood theatricals and later worked in summer stock. He graduated from Mount Lebanon High School in 1939 and then served in the military...
), only to have him go missing shortly after they check into their room on board. Compounding her confusion, Ruth first finds herself locked out of the cabin she and John entered upon boarding the ship, then learns that she is registered solo under her maiden name in a nearby cabin, and that none of the crew members who could have seen her husband on the ship remember seeing him. These include the ship's purser, (Gayne Whitman
Gayne Whitman
Albert Gayne Whitman was an American radio and film actor. He appeared in 213 films between 1904 and 1957.He was born in Chicago, Illinois...
), stewardess Anna Quinn (Mary Anderston), and Second Officer Jim Logan (Max Showalter
Max Showalter
Max Showalter was an American film, television, and stage actor, as well as a composer, pianist, and singer. One of Showalter's most memorable roles was as Jean Peters' character's husband in the 1953 film Niagara...
). The crew's records and recollections are then confirmed when only Ruth's luggage is found in the cabin indicated in the passenger list.
Ruth's fear and confusion are first heightened by a mysterious phone call to her room from John later that evening. Later, other interactions with passengers and crew heighten her paranoia regarding a plot that John hinted about in the mysterious phone call. These include the ship's Doctor Manning (Michael Rennie
Michael Rennie
Michael Rennie was an English film, television, and stage actor, perhaps best known for his starring role as the space visitor Klaatu in the 1951 classic science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still. However, he appeared in over 50 other films since 1936, many with Jean Simmons and other...
), fellow passenger Kay Prentiss (Marjorie Hoshelle), an elderly man with a limp and cane, the Second Officer Logan, and stewardess Quinn. Believing that no-one on board will help her find John, Ruth undertakes several searches of the ship, first by herself later night, and then the next day also under the guise of a tour of ship by Doctor Manning.
Because Ruth's emotional state could lead to trouble on the ship, Doctor Manning has been ordered by the ship's Captain Peters (Willis Bouchey
Willis Bouchey
Willis Ben Bouchey was an American character actor who appeared in almost 150 films and television shows. He was born in Vernon, Michigan, but reared by his mother and stepfather in Washington State....
) to watch over her. Doctor Manning first tries to convince Ruth that she is likely confused by informing her that a search of the ship failed to locate her husband. Next, after finding her wandering the passenger decks in a state of distress, he strengthens his entreaties that she is imagining things, and eventually convinces Ruth to take a sedative to help her sleep. The following day, Doctor Manning keeps a close watch on Ruth, first after being warned by the captain to control the situation, and then to forestall the captain confining her to her cabin because the captain fears she might commit suicide.
During the day spent together, Doctor Manning's belief that she is imagining things evolves into believing that aspects of her story are true. A comment from Kay Prentiss about Ruth's behavior when the ship was casting off leads him to believe that Ruth might be married but her husband remained ashore. Later, when he confronts her with a report from authorities on back on shore denying any record of Ruth's marriage, Ruth's discussion with him about her family situation convinces him that someone may be scheming to acquire her late father's fortune. Compounding the situation are the mutually attractive feelings Ruth and the Doctor Manning are experiencing and starting to share with each other. These feelings are put aside by Doctor Manning when he learns from Ruth the details of her family situation that explain why the shore report contradicted her claim of being married and that Ruth has an angry envious half-uncle who vowed to reclaim his portion of the family fortune. After this discussion, Ruth calms down and expresses comfort because of Doctor Manning's attention to her situation.
Meanwhile, Ruth has experiences that heighten her fear and confusion. Interspersed in time spent with Doctor Manning, she is visited with offers of help by the other passengers and crew members she had met earlier. Also, John fails to call her back at the time he had promised the previous night in the mysterious phone call. The audience, however, learns that Ruth's feelings of paranoia are not unfounded. After visiting Ruth to supposedly turn down her bed for the night, Quinn makes a phone call to an unknown person conveying that the person's plan is working because "everybody thinks [Ruth is] crazy." When Doctor Manning visits Third Officer Barlowe, who had taken ill at the beginning of the trip and assigned to his quarters until he recovers, the audience learns that Barlowe and John are the same person.
The run-up to the story's climax begins with Ruth receiving a second phone call from John much later on the second night, in which he tells her to meet him up on deck by the lifeboats. Ruth finds John, but when the doctor approaches them, John runs away into the foggy night telling her to meet him at the same spot at a later time that night. Believing that danger is imminent, Ruth runs away, first calling out for John on deck, then taking refuge in the ship's ballroom while a dinner ball is going on. With assistance from other crew members, Ruth is caught by the doctor and locked in her cabin for the remainder of the trip.
The climax begins with Quinn arranging for Ruth to escape her cabin so that she can meet up with John on the lifeboat deck. When Ruth meets John, she learns that he was responsible for all of her confusion as he tells her of his nearly completed plot to pass off her death as a suicide. Before John can throw her overboard, Doctor Manning intercedes and starts fighting with him. In the struggle, John gets pulled overboard to his death by the line of a tackle
Block and tackle
A block and tackle is a system of two or more pulleys with a rope or cable threaded between them, usually used to lift or pull heavy loads.The pulleys are assembled together to form blocks so that one is fixed and one moves with the load...
he had tried to use as a weapon against Doctor Manning.
The story's resolution is quick. Grief-stricken Ruth is easily comforted by Doctor Manning's overtures of what the future has in store for her. Barlowe and Quinn's plot to kill Ruth for her money is then intimated when the captain visits her to apologize for doubting her earlier. First, her marriage to John is confirmed by her marriage certificate that was found in a search of Barlowe's quarters. Second, Quinn, apparently distraught from earlier seeing John/Jack Barlowe fall overboard, fully confesses to her part in John's plans to stage Ruth's suicide. Ruth and Doctor Manning then wish each other goodnight, each glowing with the unspoken prospect of what could develop between them on the remainder of the cruise.
Cast
- Jeanne CrainJeanne CrainJeanne Elizabeth Crain was an American actress.-Early life:Crain was born in Barstow, California, to George A. Crain, a school teacher, and Loretta Carr; she was of Irish heritage on her mother's side, and of English and distant French descent on her father's...
as Ruth Stanton Bowman - Michael RennieMichael RennieMichael Rennie was an English film, television, and stage actor, perhaps best known for his starring role as the space visitor Klaatu in the 1951 classic science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still. However, he appeared in over 50 other films since 1936, many with Jean Simmons and other...
as Dr. Paul Manning - Max ShowalterMax ShowalterMax Showalter was an American film, television, and stage actor, as well as a composer, pianist, and singer. One of Showalter's most memorable roles was as Jean Peters' character's husband in the 1953 film Niagara...
as Jim Logan (as Casey Adams) - Carl BetzCarl BetzCarl Betz was an American film and television actor. A native of Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Betz participated in childhood theatricals and later worked in summer stock. He graduated from Mount Lebanon High School in 1939 and then served in the military...
as John Bowman - Mary Anderson as Anna Quinn
- Marjorie Hoshelle as Kay Prentiss
- Willis BoucheyWillis BoucheyWillis Ben Bouchey was an American character actor who appeared in almost 150 films and television shows. He was born in Vernon, Michigan, but reared by his mother and stepfather in Washington State....
as Capt. Peters - Yvonne Peattie as Miss Bridges
- Stanley AndrewsStanley AndrewsStanley Andrews was an American actor perhaps best known as the voice of Daddy Warbucks on the radio program Little Orphan Annie and later as "The Old Ranger", the host of Death Valley Days.-Early life:...
as Ship's Pilot (uncredited) - Madge BlakeMadge BlakeMadge Blake was an American character actress best remembered for her role as Aunt Harriet Cooper on ABC's Batman TV series of the 1960s.-Early life:...
as Bit Role (uncredited) - Harry CarterHarry CarterHarry Carter was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in 84 films between 1914 and 1933.He was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and died in Los Angeles, California.-Selected filmography:...
as Harry, Ship Pool Attendant (uncredited) - Bess FlowersBess FlowersBess Flowers was an American actress. By some counts considered the most prolific actress in the history of Hollywood, she was known as "The Queen of the Hollywood Extras," appearing in over 700 movies in her 41 year career....
as Ship's Passenger (uncredited) - Anthony Jochim as Steward (uncredited)
- Kenner G. Kemp as Ship Passenger (uncredited)
- Mike Lally as Ship Deck Extra / Ship Ballroom Attendant (uncredited)
- Karl Ludwig Lindt as Foreigner (uncredited)
- Adrienne Marden as Operator (uncredited)
- Harold Miller as Ship Passenger (uncredited)
- Forbes Murray as Ship Passenger (uncredited)
- Harry Seymour as Bar Steward (uncredited)
- Charles TannenCharles TannenCharles David Tannen was an American actor. He appeared in over 200 movies, including Jesse James and The Return of Frank James and some TV-series, such as The Rifleman. His father, Julius Tannen and his brother, William Tannen were both actors. -References:...
as Steward (uncredited) - William Tannen as Ship's Officer (uncredited)
- Gayne WhitmanGayne WhitmanAlbert Gayne Whitman was an American radio and film actor. He appeared in 213 films between 1904 and 1957.He was born in Chicago, Illinois...
as Purser (uncredited)