Jeopardy main backdrop
Jeopardy main poster

6.6/10 • 39

1953-03-301h 9m

CrimeDramaThriller

She did it... because her fear was greater than her shame!

A woman is kidnapped when she goes to get help for her husband who is trapped on a beach with the tide coming in to surely drown him.

Directors
John Sturges
Editors
Newell P. Kimlin

Top Billed Cast

View Credits
  1. Barbara Stanwyck

    Barbara Stanwyck

    Helen Stilwin

  2. Barry Sullivan

    Barry Sullivan

    Doug Stilwin

  3. Ralph Meeker

    Ralph Meeker

    Lawson the Fugitive

  4. Lee Aaker

    Lee Aaker

    Bobby Stilwin

  5. Rico Alaniz

    Rico Alaniz

    Officer at 1st Roadblock (uncredited)

  6. Salvador Baguez

    Salvador Baguez

    Officer at 1st Roadblock (uncredited)

  7. Bob Castro

    Bob Castro

    Police Machine Gunner (uncredited)

  8. Carlos Conde

    Carlos Conde

    Tijuana Vendor (uncredited)

  9. George L. Derrick

    George L. Derrick

    Gas Station Attendant (uncredited)

Reviews1

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John Chard Avatar

John Chard

Sep 30, 2017

7/10

Peligro! Jeopardy is directed by John Sturges and adapted to screenplay by Mel Dinelli from Maurice Zimm's radio play "A Question of Time". It stars Barbara Stanwyck, Barry Sullivan, Ralph Meeker and Lee Aaker. Music is by Dimitri Tiomkin and cinematography by Victor Milner. Running just shy of 70 minutes, Jeopardy is a classic lesson in how to garner great suspense from a small cast and set-up. Beginning with jaunty music and the scene setting of a family of three off for a vacation, it's all Americana bliss, but it's not long before fate deals the family some bad cards and we land firmly in thriller territory. The dialogue is safe and assured, with the stars turning in rich characterisations as written, particularly a wonderfully oily Meeker as the villain of the piece. Though very much plein air as a production, a claustrophobic and fraught air grips the play and drags the viewer in wholesale, a sense of cruel luck, danger and ironies hold things in a noir realm. While a turn of events in the narrative is deftly played, the sub-text shattering to the point we don't need to see it to feel it. Unfortunately some irritants stop it from hitting the top end of the scale. Daft ironies and highly improbable contrivances chip away at the pic's other strengths, one scene has the son (Aaker) trapped on a dilapidated pier, to which his dad calls out "stay right where you are", I mean really, what else was the lad going to do?! Some crude back projection work also dampens down some otherwise nice production touches (Calif locales just lovely), while the ending kinda dilutes a previous moral kicker. But irritants aside, this holds its head up high as a picture well worth investing time in. 7.5/10

Media

  • Jeopardy poster
  • Jeopardy poster
  • Jeopardy poster
  • Jeopardy poster
  • Jeopardy poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
race against timemexicoescaped convictfilm noiryoung boyfugitivemurdererfamily vacationfamily in perildesertrescue from drowningpolice pursuitsecluded beachvaliant wife