Dangerous Mission (1954)

Today on the Classic Movie Review Podcast, we are taking on crime mystery Dangerous Mission (1954). iMDB.com list this as a Film-Noir [1], but it is very light on anything noir.

This movie is rated 5.8 on iMDB.com[2]. On rottentomatoes.com, it has a very low 20 percent audience approval[3]. Yes, this movie is really that bad. I like it because it is set in a National Park and I spent so much time with that agency.

New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther hated this film and said:

“Since our great national parks are open to virtually anyone who cares to visit them, there probably is no way of preventing their occasionally being exploited and abused. And that is most certainly what has happened to Glacier Park in the R.K.O. film, Dangerous Mission, which was plopped down flatly at the Holiday yesterday . . . a company of Hollywood people has the cheek to play a tale that hasn’t the vitality or intelligence of a good comic-strip episode. It is a miserably dull and mixed-up fable about a hunt for a missing witness to a crime, with Vincent Price eventually emerging as some sort of villain, which is obvious all along.” [4][5]

Yeah, he’s right.

Actors – Dangerous Mission (1954)

Returning

Victor Mature played Matt Hallett, a man that may be a killer. Mature was first covered in The Shanghai Gesture (1941).

Vincent Price played Paul Adams, a photographer, and everybody’s friend. This great horror actor was first covered in The Last Man on Earth (1964).

William Bendix played District Park Ranger, Joe Parker. Bendix was a fairly shining part of this film. Bendix was covered in Detective Story (1951).

Dennis Weaver played the role of Park Ranger Pruitt. He was only on screen for a bit. Weaver was covered in The Bridges of Toko-Ri (1954).

New

Piper Laurie played the role of witness Louise Graham. Laurie was born in Detroit in 1932. Laurie started acting on stage at 11, and by the time she was 18 she was in a long-term contract with Universal. She didn’t care for the roles she was given in films such as Francis Goes to the Races (1951), The Mississippi Gambler (1953), and Dangerous Mission (1954).

Laurie broke her contract and live in New York for a couple of years. She was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her work in The Hustler (1961). Surprisingly, she took 15-years off following The Hustler to work on making the world a better place.

She played Sissy Spacek’s mother in the horror film Carrie (1976). This movie scared the crap out of me. Laurie was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Laurie was again nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for the film Children of a Lesser God (1986).

Lately, she has played a bong-smoking granny in Hesher (2010) and a granny in White Boy Rick (2018), which is one of the saddest and most depressing movies ever. In 2011, she wrote her autobiography, “Learning to Live Out Loud.” She is still alive.

Story – Dangerous Mission (1954)

In a closed New York nightclub, a man named Battaglia is murdered by Johnny Yonkers (Kem Dibbs). The sound of high heels is heard. The unseen woman screams. Yonkers shoots at her but she escapes. Later, Johnny is out on bond, but he is claiming self-defense. The District Attorney believes there is a witness in hiding.

Yonkers tells an unseen man to go to where they think the witness is hiding, get friendly with her, and make sure her death looks like an accident.

Matt Hallett (Victor Mature) drives a rental car into Glacier National Park, Montana. When he is paying his entrance fees, the ranger notices he has a gun in his glove compartment. He calls it into his boss, Joe Parker (William Bendix). Parker grabs his gun and heads to the lodge. The other ranger in the office is Pruitt (Dennis Weaver).

Hallett asks for a single in the lodge, and amazingly they have one. Hallett stops by the newsstand where Paul Adams (Vincent Price) is begging Louise Graham (Piper Laurie) to attend a party with him. There is a beautiful native American girl Mary Tiller (Betta St. John) that works at the newsstand. She reminds Paul, who always carries a camera, that he promised to take a picture of her. Hallett tries to pick up Louise. Hallett then sends a telegram saying their friend is there and he will proceed as planned.

Hallett heads straight to the bar where Paul is drinking. They begin to talk when Ranger Parker comes in and asks Hallett to come outside. Parker asks about the gun, and Hallett shows him his New York permit.

That night the Barrett’s are hosting a western party for other guests of the park. Hallett comes to the party with Mary. Ranger Parker is at the party. The next day Mary is getting an award from her university. Parker tells that Mary’s father, Katoonai Tiller (Steve Darrell), is wanted for murder. Parker says the rangers have to do all kinds of jobs. Paul and Louise arrive.  Mary dances with everyone. Hallett goes after Louise. Louise has a funny reaction to the slow music. A folksy couple, Mr. and Mrs. Elster, are heehawing it up. They own a feed store.

Suddenly, some rumbling from an avalanche is heard. Stones begin crushing the house as everyone runs. They are all trapped in one room. Ranger Parker takes control. However, live wires are down and are on the verge of setting the house on fire. Former Marine Hallett dodges the sparks, climbs the power pole, and pulls the breaker.

The next day, Hallett comes to the lobby. A lot of native Americans are gathering for a ceremony. Paul has already made a date with Louise for the ceremony. Mary is off working with the tribe. Paul takes pictures and is having a grand time. Hallett arrives late. Paul gets a page from the hotel and has to leave Louise behind. Hallett moves in on Louise. Mary runs into Paul and asks for her picture. She is wearing a leather miniskirt. Paul says he can’t now, but he will call her later.

Hallett gets Louise over to the lake. He begins hinting about her and Paul. He asks why she is working so far from home. He tells her age and where she is from. He then asks about the music. He asks if it reminds her of something from a New York nightclub. She gets vertigo and when Hallett grabs her, she screams. Paul shows up and takes her back to the hotel. 

Ranger Parker thinks Mary’s award and presentation will be too much for her father to avoid. They plan to stake out the old schoolhouse. All the people from the lodge show up for Mary’s award. Katoonai Tiller watches the ceremony from a vent in the ceiling. Halfway through the speech, she sees her father and faints. She says some works in Blackfoot. Louise also sees her father. Katoonai remains in the attic until the rangers leave.

Mr. Elster comes into the bar and sits with Paul. Paul is in a funk. Elster gives Paul a fancy engraved pistol. Elster says this is a reminder. Then he says Johnny didn’t send him down her to romance an Indian girl. Elster tells Paul that if Johnny wants to kill one of the two, it will be Paul that dies.

Paul is definitely seeing Mary. Paul tries to force Louise into a date. Parker gets a radio call, and there is a fire burning. Louise agrees to go for a ride with Paul later.

Parker orders Hallett and Paul into the car to fight the fire. What is this, the National Park Service draft board? They suit the two civilians up in fire fighting gear and head out. They start cutting firebreaks, felling trees, and digging a trench. A burning tree falls, and Hallett, Paul, and another man get cutoff. Hallett is leading his crew and has to punch Paul to get him under control. After they are saved Parker says this firefighting qualifies them for a one-year job and a chance to take the civil service exam for a permanent ranger job.

Back at the hotel, Paul gets to Louise first. Hallett shows up but is called away. Elster is walking around, watching Paul. Paul convinces Louise that he has to talk to her about Mary. Louise leaves with Paul in his car.

Hallett shows Parker his New York City police badge and says he has to arrest Paul. In Paul’s car, the radio displays a Blue alert for Paul Adams, a New York killer, who has kidnapped Louise with an intent to kill her. He pulls a gun, and she jumps out of the moving car. Paul turns the car around and forces her to jump down the cliff. Louise has fallen to a safe place. She hides until Paul is gone and climbs back up to the road. In just a few minutes, a ranger car picks her up. Matt is sent to pick her up.

Mary is in her room, desperately calling for Paul. Finally, Paul shows up and tells her he is about to be arrested. He tells her he is completely innocent. He says he will take her back to New York. She just has to lead him out of the park by a secret route.

In the boat, Hallett tells Louise that she would have saved herself some trouble if she had just gone to the police. He tells her he is in love with her. Hallett finally realizes he needs to warn Mary that Paul is a killer.

A man comes into the lodge and tells that he saw a man ditch a car in the woods. Hallet, Louise, and the man all go to the abandoned car. Louise tells of an Indian trail that leads out of the park. The man agrees to call the rangers while Hallett and Louise take to the trail. Elster talks about what a nice guy Paul was before leaving the park.

Hallett and Louise struggle along the rough trail. Louise is doing it in a skirt and heels. Hallett goes forward at the Cave of the Wind. He is shot at. Louise sees that it is Katoonai. She yells to him that his daughter Mary is in real danger. Katoonai says the quickest way out of the park is across the glacier.

Mary is walking easy, and Paul is having a near-death experience. Mary took a wrong trail and they had to double back. They make it to the head of the canyon where the glacier is located. Katoonai leads the other two to the glacier. Because of the wrong turn, they catch up quickly.

Hallett shouts at Paul, and he and Mary take cover. Hallett has Louise shout out and Paul is shook. Katoonai uses his rifle to keep Adams and Mary pinned. Katoonai goes around to climb above while Hallett keeps firing with the rifle. Parker and two mounted rangers are near. Katoonai climb 25 feet over Paul and Mary. Paul hears him and shots, killing Katoonai who falls over 300 feet. Mary is knocked out trying to stop Paul from shooting her father.

Hallett climbs to where Paul is standing. Paul tries to shoot him, but his gun is empty. He kicks Hallett in the face, and he falls. Mary wakes, and Paul forces her onto the glacier. Louise gets a rope and her and Hallet both head onto the glacier. Louise, still in heels, keeps up with Hallett.

Mary gets into a struggle with Paul, and he loses his gun. Hallett draws a bead on him. Louise runs to Mary who has been knocked to the ground. Hallett’s steps into a hole and Paul attacks. While those two are fighting Louise grabs for the gun and falls into a crevasse. Paul falls into a much deeper crevasse. Hallett ropes down to Louise. Paul who is still alive, reaches for the engraved pistol he got from Elster and fires a shot at Hallett.

Hallett makes it to Louise and ropes her in. Paul fires at Hallett again, loosening a piece of ice. He fires a third time as Hallett climbs out. The fourth time he fires, the entire ice ledge holding Louise falls crushing Paul. Louise is okay because Hallett had her tied in. Parker and the other rangers arrive. Parker offers Hallett a job. Louise says she will marry Hallett.

I’ll be right back with conclusions and the World-Famous Short Summary following a word from our sponsors.

Summary – Dangerous Mission (1954)

This film was shot in 3D, explains why they showed scenes like avalanches and forest fires.[6]

A lot of the film was shot in Glacier National Park. This was the tenth National Park, and it was established in 1910. The hotel from the movie is now called Glacier Park Lodge.

The “…150 glaciers known to have existed in the park a hundred years earlier had greatly retreated, and in many cases disappeared altogether.”[7] However, the website covering this information has been scrubbed by order of the current US administration.[8]

World-Famous Short Summary – You knew Vincent Price was the bad guy

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Beware the moors

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[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046891/
[2] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046891/
[3] https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dangerous_mission
[4] https://www.nytimes.com/1954/03/06/archives/dangerous-mission-falters-at-holiday-theatre-and-alaska-seas-seeps.html
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangerous_Mission
[6] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046891/trivia
[7] http://www.nrmsc.usgs.gov/research/glacier_retreat.htm
[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacier_National_Park_(U.S.)#Glaciers