IMDb RATING
7.0/10
2.4K
YOUR RATING
After the child of wealthy parents gets abducted, the police and a member of the press intervene to assist the parents in their search but end up complicating their impending decisions.After the child of wealthy parents gets abducted, the police and a member of the press intervene to assist the parents in their search but end up complicating their impending decisions.After the child of wealthy parents gets abducted, the police and a member of the press intervene to assist the parents in their search but end up complicating their impending decisions.
Robert Stevenson
- Fred Benson
- (as Robert Forrest)
Peter Adams
- George Portalis
- (uncredited)
Don Anderson
- Townsman in Crowd
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFilm debuts of Leslie Nielsen and Lori March.
- GoofsMrs. Stannard waits for her husband to return from work and son from school by playing the piano near the front window. She hears a vehicle in the drive and lifts her left wrist to look at her watch; however, the music from the piano continues with the part for both hands.
- Quotes
David G. Stannard: [home from work 2 hours early, getting intimate with his wife] Now I see why the unemployed have so many children.
- Alternate versionsThere is an alternate colorized version.
- ConnectionsFeatured in MGM Parade: Episode #1.18 (1956)
Featured review
It's too bad life can't imitate art more often
While I enjoyed the Mel Gibson remake of this picture and was pleased to see him in a serious role where he could display his acting chops, I thought the whole idea was a little divorced from reality, although it made perfect sense at that time as it must have seemed forty years earlier. The notion of a kidnapping victim's family refusing to pay any ransom and using it instead as a tool to convince the perpetrators to turn the boy loose sounds logical enough, but in real life such an act would bring such universal condemnation upon the father in a real-life scenario that no one has ever considered doing it for real. Part of the reason is that so few children are snatched for money, but usually for other more nefarious reasons by mentally warped individuals who generally work alone and don't confide their plans to friends and associates, making such threats to kidnappers at best useless or at worst counterproductive. Because the villain was evident in the Ron Howard remake, the story had to take a turn whereby the father would have to confront the kidnapper one on one. In this original, the snatchers are virtually unseen, so all the drama rests with the victimized family and how they interact with those who come to their aid or to view the spectacle. As such, it gives the principals, Ford and Reed, the chance to emote and they perform very well. Donna Reed was an unusually gifted actress as her Oscar win and Emmy nominations attest and Glenn Ford was an underrated actor in his day, probably best known by younger generations as Superman's adopting father in the final stages of his career. Sad to say, there's very little suspense in the narrative, and one wonders how great directors like Hitchcock, Zinneman or Kazan might have turned this into a great film. If you've only seen the newer version of the two films, take the time to watch the original. Some of the acting is exceptionally good, and it's mostly a well-crafted film. If nothing else, it's interesting to see how different generations of filmmakers can put totally differing spins on essentially the same story. Dale Roloff
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Fearful Decision
- Filming locations
- Westwood, Los Angeles, California, USA(2 motocycle cops shown after Dave calls the police chief - note Westwood Village and Bullock's Dept. store in the background)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,003,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 49 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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