''Storm Fear'' is a 1955 American

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

directed by

Cornel Wilde Cornel Wilde (born Kornél Lajos Weisz; October 13, 1912 – October 16, 1989) was a Hungarian-American actor and filmmaker. Wilde's acting career began in 1935, when he made his debut on Broadway. In 1936 he began making small, uncredited ap ...

, starring himself,

Jean Wallace Jean Wallace (born Jean Walasek or Wallasek; October 12, 1923 – February 14, 1990) was an American television and film actress. Early life Wallace was born in Chicago, Illinois to John T. Walaszek and Mary A. Walaszek (''née'' Sharkey). ...

and

Dan Duryea Dan Duryea ( , January 23, 1907 – June 7, 1968) was an American actor in film, stage, and television. Known for portraying a vast range of character roles as a villain, he nonetheless had a long career in a wide variety of leading and secon ...

. It was Wilde's feature directorial debut.

Plot

After being badly wounded during a heist, bank robber Charlie Blake (Wilde) takes refuge in a remote New England farm house owned by his older brother Fred (Duryea), who lives there with wife Elizabeth and young son David. A weak and unhappy man, Fred reluctantly harbors the fugitive and his gang members, the brutal Benjie and their moll Edna. Time passes and Charlie's men are anxious to move on, but he needs rest to recover. He is also still in love with Fred's wife Elizabeth (Wallace), with whom he once had an affair. Elizabeth's hired hand Hank is in love with her as well. Fred must endure both situations, plus the taunting and physical abuse of Benjie. More trouble ensues when suspicions arise that Elizabeth's son was fathered by Charlie, not her husband. A heavy snow and his bullet wound delay Charlie's escape, but when Fred sneaks away to contact the police, David guides the gang members through the snowy terrain. Elizabeth is tied up and left behind. Edna breaks a leg in a fall and Charlie cruelly abandons her in the wilderness. Hank comes across Fred's frozen corpse. An argument breaks out between Charlie and Benjie along the way, resulting in David picking up a gun and killing Benjie with it. Charlie now has the robbery loot to himself, but Hank turns up and shoots him. Charlie dies without acknowledging for the boy whether he is his real father.

Cast

as Charlie Blake *

as Elizabeth Blake *

as Fred Blake *

Lee Grant Lee Grant (born Lyova Haskell Rosenthal; October 31, during the mid-1920s) is an American actress, documentarian, and director. She made her film debut in 1951 as a young shoplifter in William Wyler's '' Detective Story'', co-starring Kirk Doug ...

as Edna Rogers *

David Stollery David John Stollery, III (born January 18, 1941 in Los Angeles, California) is a former American child actor and, as an adult, an industrial designer. He appeared in numerous Disney movies and television programs in the 1950s. He is best known for ...

as David Blake *

Dennis Weaver William Dennis Weaver (June 4, 1924 – February 24, 2006) was an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild, best known for his work in television and films from the early 1950s until just before his death in 2006. Weave ...

as Hank *

Steven Hill Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...

as Benjie

Production

The film was based on a novel by Clinton Seeley which was published in November 1954. The ''New York Times'' called it "a pleasant discovery... a tale of terror presented with economy, insight and a surprising amount of technical skill." It was told through the first person of a 12 year old, Davie. Cornel Wilde bought the film rights in December 1954. Wilde had recently moved into producing, establishing his own company, Theodora, with his then-wife Jean Wallace. Their first film was ''

The Big Combo ''The Big Combo'' is a 1955 American film noir crime film directed by Joseph H. Lewis, written by Philip Yordan and photographed by cinematographer John Alton, with music by David Raksin. The film stars Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte and Brian Donlev ...

''. In January 1955 he hired

Horton Foote Albert Horton Foote Jr. (March 14, 1916March 4, 2009) was an American playwright and screenwriter. He received Academy Awards for his screenplays for the 1962 film ''To Kill a Mockingbird'', which was adapted from the 1960 novel of the same name ...

to write the script, and announced he wanted this to be Theodora's second film, putting others (''Curly'', ''Lord Byron'', ''Second Act Curtain'') on the back burner. Wilde, who had recently directed an episode of ''

General Electric Theatre ''General Electric Theater'' was an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations. Radio After an audition sho ...

'', decided to direct this. Steven Hill, a highly regarded Broadway actor, was cast in the film. Filming was meant to start April 15 in Sun Valley but Wilde found the date had to be brought forward to April 5 to get the snow topped mountains he wanted."I wasn't able to do the pre-camera rehearsals I had planned but everything worked out", said Wilde. "The weather was a big problem and we had to adjust our schedules to it, jumping from scenes requiring bright sunlight to moody stuff as the sun played hide and seek with the clouds."

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Storm Fear 1955 films 1955 crime films American black-and-white films American crime films Film noir Films about bank robbery Films based on American novels Films directed by Cornel Wilde Films scored by Elmer Bernstein Films set in New England Films shot in Idaho Films with screenplays by Horton Foote United Artists films 1955 directorial debut films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films

Plot

Cast

Production

See also

References

External links