Girl on the Run (1953 film)

Girl On The Run
Directed byArthur J. Beckhard
Joseph Lee
Written byArthur J. Beckhard
Cedric Worth
StarringRichard Coogan
Rosemary Pettit
Frank Albertson
Steve McQueen
Edited bySidney Katz
Milton Shifman
Production
company
Rose Tree Productions
Distributed byAstor Pictures
Release date
  • December 15, 1953 (1953-12-15)
Running time
64 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Girl On The Run is a 1953 ultra-low-budget independent production, the plot of which drops a standard crime melodrama into the noirish, tawdry world of a carnival burlesque show. According to filmographer Michael Pitts, "Released by Astor Pictures late in 1953, Girl on the Run was filmed as The Hidden Woman. A Rose Tree Production, it opens and closes with scenes of a hysterically laughing mechanical clown and all its action takes place during one night at a tatty carnival."[1]

The most notable cast member of Girl On The Run has one of the smallest roles: Steve McQueen, seen in the background of two scenes during his first known film role. The film also loosely inspired the hit 1971 Indian film Caravan, directed by Nasir Hussain and starring Asha Parekh.[2]

Plot

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Newspaper reporter, Bill Martin, is assigned to investigate a crime ring working out of a carnival. Martin's boss is killed and Martin is framed for the murder, while the victim's girlfriend Janet goes undercover as a burlesque dancer for Lil's carny revue while running from the gangster behind the scheme.

Cast

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Production

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Arthur J. Berkhard, co-writer and co-director of the film, had a background in theater, having staged 14 Broadway productions beginning with the hit play Another Language, written by Rose Franken, in 1932.[3] Girl on the Run would be his only film directorial credit.

References

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  1. ^ Michael R. Pitts, Astor Pictures: A Filmography and History of the Reissue King, 1933-1965 (MacFarland, 2019), 82-84. ISBN 9781476676494
  2. ^ Parekh, Asha; Mohamed, Khalid (2017). Asha Parekh: The Hit Girl. Om Books International. p. 120. ISBN 978-93-86316-98-1.
  3. ^ Brunelle, Kathleen. Cape Cod's Highfield and Tanglewood: A Tale of Two Cottages. Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press, 2012.
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