Desperate Search

Last updated
Desperate Search
Desperate Search Poster.jpg
Directed by Joseph H. Lewis
Screenplay by Walter Doniger
Based onDesperate Search
1952 novel
by Arthur Mayse
Produced by Matthew Rapf
Starring Howard Keel
Jane Greer
Patricia Medina
Keenan Wynn
Robert Burton
Cinematography Harold Lipstein
Edited by Joseph Dervin
Music by Rudolph G. Kopp
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • 1952 (1952)
Running time
71 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$520,000 [1]
Box office$707,000 [1]

Desperate Search is a 1952 American adventure film directed by Joseph H. Lewis from a novel by Arthur Mayse. It stars Howard Keel, Jane Greer, Patricia Medina and Keenan Wynn in a drama revolving around two lost children in the Canadian north. [2]

Contents

Plot

After taking off from Vancouver, a Canadian Western Airways Douglas DC-3 airliner catches on fire and crashes in the Canadian north. On board are two young children, Don (Lee Aaker) and Janet Heldon (Linda Lowell), ultimately the only survivors.

Their father, pilot Vince Heldon (Howard Keel) and his wife Julie (Jane Greer) join forces with the family friend, bush pilot "Brandy" (Keenan Wynn) and Nora Stead (Patricia Medina), the children's mother (from an earlier, but unsuccessful marriage) to mount a desperate aerial search before incoming bad weather arrives.

Tensions mount as the children face the danger of exposure and a mountain lion that begins to track them while the searchers themselves are in conflict as the hotshot pilot Stead creates problems with her constant efforts to take over the search.

A final effort sees a reconciliation and a successful rescue in the nick of time.

Cast

Production

Aerial sequences in Desperate Search mainly used models. Screen shot Desperate Search.png
Aerial sequences in Desperate Search mainly used models.

As an example of MGM's effort to create a streamlined, low-budget drama, the action in Desperate Search was pared down to the essential dramatic elements of a search for downed children. Although authentic "props" were used, including the fictional Canadian Western Airways Douglas DC-3, most of the aerial scenes were stock footage. The use of an aircraft painted as "CF-HGO" allowed the studio to merge aerial footage of the prototype Noorduyn Norseman which first flew on November 14, 1935, and was subsequently hired by Warner Brothers in the summer of 1941 for the filming of Captains of the Clouds in the North Bay area of Ontario and carried the temporary registration, "CF-HGO" during the filming.

Although the director, Joseph H. Lewis was offered the opportunity to do location shooting, almost all of the film takes place on MGM's back lot. Selected scenes of the earlier Captains of the Clouds film are used, matching the action shot on the studio stage. [Note 1]

Reception

Variety called Desperate Search "strictly a routine offering" but praised Lewis's directing skill, which "hammers home as much tension and suspense as possible." A later-day review similarly noted the taut story and excellent portrayals by the leads but also described the child actors as being the key to film, with Lee Aaker's acting a stand-out while Linda Lowell "gives a one-note performance which consists mostly of screaming at the top of her lungs." [3]

According to MGM's records the film earned $465,000 in the US and Canada and $242,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $88,000. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard Keel</span> American actor and singer (1919–2004)

Harold Clifford Keel, professionally Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer known for his rich bass-baritone singing voice. He starred in a number of MGM musicals in the 1950s and in the television series Dallas from 1981 to 1991.

<i>Song of the Thin Man</i> 1947 film by Edward Buzzell

Song of the Thin Man is a 1947 American murder mystery-comedy film directed by Edward Buzzell. The sixth and final film in MGM's Thin Man series, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, characters created by Dashiell Hammett. Nick Jr. is played by Dean Stockwell. Phillip Reed, Keenan Wynn, Gloria Grahame, and Jayne Meadows are featured in this story set in the world of nightclub musicians.

The year of 1942 in film involved some significant events, in particular the release of a film consistently rated as one of the greatest of all time, Casablanca.

<i>Burkes Law</i> (1963 TV series) American television series

Burke's Law is an American detective series that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1966. The show starred Gene Barry as millionaire captain of Los Angeles Police homicide division Amos Burke, who is chauffeured around to solve crimes in his 1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II complete with an early car phone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keenan Wynn</span> American actor (1916–1986)

Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn was an American character actor. His expressive face was his stock-in-trade; though he rarely carried the lead role, he had prominent billing in most of his film and television roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Van Johnson</span> American actor (1916–2008)

Charles Van Dell Johnson was an American actor and dancer. He had a prolific career in film, television, theatre and radio, which spanned over 50 years, from 1940 to 1992. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II, known for his upbeat and "all-American" screen persona, often playing young military servicemen, or in musicals.

<i>Climax!</i> American anthology TV series

Climax! is an American television anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was hosted by William Lundigan and later co-hosted by Mary Costa. It was one of the few CBS programs of that era to be broadcast in color, using the massive TK-40A color cameras pioneered and manufactured by RCA, and used primarily by CBS's rival network, NBC. Many of the episodes were performed and broadcast live, but, although the series was transmitted in color, only black-and-white kinescope copies of some episodes survive to the present day. The series finished at #22 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1955–1956 season and #26 for 1956–1957.

<i>Battle Circus</i> (film) 1953 film by Richard Brooks

Battle Circus is a 1953 American war film directed by Richard Brooks, who also co-wrote the screenplay with married writing duo Laura Kerr and Allen Rivkin. The movie stars Humphrey Bogart and June Allyson, and costars Keenan Wynn and Robert Keith.

<i>Thats Entertainment, Part II</i> 1976 film directedby Gene Kelly

That's Entertainment, Part II is a 1976 American compilation film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and a sequel to That's Entertainment! (1974). Like the previous film, That's Entertainment, Part II was a retrospective of famous films released by MGM from the 1930s to the 1950s. Some posters for the film use Part 2 rather than Part II in the title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Aaker</span> American actor (1943–2021)

Lee William Aaker was an American child actor, producer, carpenter, and ski instructor known for his appearance as Rusty of "B-Company" in the 1950s television program The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. He was the final surviving cast member of the series. In 1952, Lee Aaker appeared in Desperate Search with Howard Keel and Keenan Wynn.

<i>A Guy Named Joe</i> 1943 American film directed by Victor Fleming

A Guy Named Joe is a 1943 American supernatural romantic drama film directed by Victor Fleming. The film was produced by Everett Riskin and stars Spencer Tracy, Irene Dunne and Van Johnson. The screenplay, written by Dalton Trumbo and Frederick Hazlitt Brennan, was adapted from a story by Chandler Sprague and David Boehm, for which they were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Story.

<i>Captains of the Clouds</i> 1942 film by Michael Curtiz

Captains of the Clouds is a 1942 American war film in Technicolor, directed by Michael Curtiz and starring James Cagney. It was produced by William Cagney, with Hal B. Wallis as executive producer. The screenplay was written by Arthur T. Horman, Richard Macaulay, and Norman Reilly Raine, based on a story by Horman and Roland Gillett. The cinematography was by Wilfred M. Cline and Sol Polito and was notable in that it was the first feature-length Hollywood production filmed entirely in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricia Medina</span> British actress (1919–2012)

Patricia Paz Maria Medina was a British actress. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the films Phantom of the Rue Morgue (1954) and Mr. Arkadin (1955).

<i>The Three Musketeers</i> (1948 film) 1948 film by George Sidney

The Three Musketeers is a 1948 film directed by George Sidney, written by Robert Ardrey, and starring Gene Kelly and Lana Turner. It is a Technicolor adventure film adaptation of the classic 1844 novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas.

<i>Somewhere Ill Find You</i> 1942 film by Wesley Ruggles

Somewhere I'll Find You is a 1942 film directed by Wesley Ruggles and starring Clark Gable and Lana Turner, released by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer. The film took almost two years to complete and was the last film Gable starred in before he enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces for World War II. His next film was the post-war Adventure (1945).

<i>The Quest</i> (1976 TV series) 1976 American TV series or program

The Quest is an American Western television series which aired on NBC from September to December 1976. The series stars Kurt Russell and Tim Matheson. The pilot episode aired as a television movie on May 13, 1976.

<i>Three Guys Named Mike</i> 1951 film by Charles Walters

Three Guys Named Mike is a 1951 American romantic comedy film directed by Charles Walters and starring Jane Wyman, Van Johnson, Howard Keel, and Barry Sullivan. It was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

<i>Fortunes of Captain Blood</i> 1950 film by Gordon Douglas

Fortunes of Captain Blood is a 1950 pirate film directed by Gordon Douglas. Based on the famous Captain Blood depicted in the original 1922 novel and subsequent collections of stories written by Rafael Sabatini, Fortunes was produced by Columbia Pictures as yet another remake about the notorious swashbuckler.

<i>Men of the Fighting Lady</i> 1954 film by Andrew Marton

Men of the Fighting Lady is a 1954 American war drama film directed by Andrew Marton and starring Van Johnson, Walter Pidgeon, Louis Calhern and Keenan Wynn. The screenplay was written by U.S. Navy Commander Harry A. Burns, who had written a Saturday Evening Post article, "The Case of the Blinded Pilot", an account of a U.S. Navy pilot in the Korean War, who saves a blinded Navy pilot by talking him down to a successful landing. Men of the Fighting Lady was also inspired by another Saturday Evening Post article, "The Forgotten Heroes of Korea" by James A. Michener. The original music score was composed by Miklós Rózsa. It is also known as Panther Squadron. It is not to be confused with the 1944 documentary The Fighting Lady, which was mainly filmed aboard the USS Yorktown (CV-10).

<i>Flight Command</i> 1940 American film

Flight Command is a 1940 American U.S. Navy film from MGM, produced by Frank Borzage and directed by J. Walter Ruben and Frank Borzage (uncredited), starring Robert Taylor, Ruth Hussey, and Walter Pidgeon. It has the distinction of often being credited as the first Hollywood film glorifying the American military to be released after the outbreak of World War II in Europe, a year before the U.S. entered the conflict.

References

Notes

  1. Although using Canadian aircraft, the film use of "N-series" registration numbers refers to American aircraft.

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 "The Eddie Mannix Ledger". Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study (Los Angeles).
  2. "Credits: Desperate Search (1952)." IMDb. Retrieved: September 2, 2011.
  3. Bjerke, Laura. "Tonight's movie: Desperate Search (1952)." Laura's Miscellaneous Musings, March 16, 2011. Retrieved: September 2, 2011.

Bibliography

  • Mauro, Rudy. "Captains of the Clouds: Filming the Bush Flying Sequences of Canada's First Air Epic." Journal of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society, Vol. 29, No. 3, Fall 1991.
  • Mauro, Rudy. "Captains of the Clouds: A Postscript." Journal of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society, Vol. 33, No. 1, Spring 1995.
  • Medina Cotten, Patricia. Laid Back in Hollywood: Remembering. Los Angeles: Belle Publishing, 1998. ISBN   978-0-9649635-2-8.