Split Second (1953 film)
 Theatrical release poster | ||
| Starring | Stephen McNally Alexis Smith Jan Sterling Keith Andes | |
| Directed by | Dick Powell | |
| Produced by | Edmund Grainger | |
| Editing by | Robert Ford | |
| Music by | Roy Webb | |
| Cinematography | Nicholas Musuraca | |
| Distributed by | RKO Pictures | |
| Released | May 2nd, 1953 | |
| Runtime | 85 minutes | |
| Country | United States | |
| language | English | |
Split Second was a 1953 American film noir thriller directed by Dick Powell about escaped convicts and their hostages holed up in a ghost town, unaware of the grave danger they are in. It features Stephen McNally, Alexis Smith, Jan Sterling, and Keith Andes
Plot
Sam Hurley (Stephen McNally) and Bart Moore (Paul Kelly) escape from prison, although Moore is seriously wounded in the breakout. They meet up with a confederate, a mute named "Dummy" (Frank de Kova), and hide out in a ghost town. Along the way, they pick up several hostages, Kay Garven (Alexis Smith) and her lover Arthur Ashton (Robert Paige), reporter Larry Fleming (Keith Andes), dancer Dorothy "Dottie" Vail (Jan Sterling), and the town's sole resident, Asa Tremaine (Arthur Hunnicutt). Sam calls Kay's husband Neal (Richard Egan), a doctor, and threatens to kill Kay if he does not come and help Bart.
Larry warns the gangsters that the government is going to conduct an atomic bomb test nearby the next morning, but Sam does not believe him. When Arthur causes trouble, Sam kills him without a qualm. To Kay's surprise, Neal still loves her enough to show up. He successfully operates on Bart but warns Sam that moving his friend too soon will kill him. When Sam finally realizes that Larry was telling the truth, he still waits as long as possible to give Bart time to recuperate.
Unknown to everyone, the test has been moved ahead an hour due to favorable weather conditions. When the five-minute warning sounds earlier than expected, Sam and Bart hurry to Neal's car, and a desperate Kay persuades Sam to take her along. Larry overpowers Dummy, but the others drive away. Asa leads Dottie, Larry, and Neal to safety in a nearby mine. Sam, Bart, and Kay are killed by the explosion, but the others emerge unharmed.
Critical responses
When the film was released, The New York Times film critic A.W. Weiler, while praising the cast, gave the film a mixed review, and at the same time encouraged first-time director Dick Powell. He wrote, "In making his directorial debut with Split Second, Dick Powell, fortunately, acquired a small but enthusiastic and competent cast, a fairly sturdy script and a contemporary peg on which to hang his melodrama, which turned up at the Criterion yesterday. Unfortunately, however, the pace at which this thriller moves is erratic and while its dénouement is spectacular it is hardly surprising. Split Second is a fairly taut adventure closely tied to the atomic age but it is rarely explosive ... Mr. Powell's initial directorial effort is not likely to startle the cinema world but it is a long step in the right direction."
More recently, film and DVD critic Jamie S. Rich, also gave the film a lukewarm review, writing, "The film doesn't have much tension, despite the inherent drama of the scenario. The main reason for this is Hurley. He isn't written as being all that menacing. He's more the know-it-all pessimist who sees through everyone else's charade, rather than the scary murderer who plays mind games with his victims. He stirs up the pot some, but the juiciest stuff emerges all on its own ... the bulk of Split Second is essentially unremarkable. It's a serviceable lower-tier movie that moves at an efficient pace and provides mild entertainment."
External links
A Personal Note from Robin
Split Second was released in 1953 at the height of "The Cold War" which made this film a VERY scary film.
Three years later Dick Powell was involved in the making of the film The Conqueror {1956) starring John Wayne. Powell died of cancer in 1963.
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In 1980, People magazine revealed some consequences of continental nuclear testing for American citizens. The magazine disclosed that of some 220 cast and crew who filmed a 1956 film, The Conqueror, (produced by Howard Hughes) on location near St. George, Utah, ninety-one had come down with cancer, with an unheard of 41 per cent morbidity rate. Of these, forty-six had died of cancer by 1980. Among the victims were John Wayne, Agnes Moorehead, Pedro Armendáriz, John Hoyt, Lee Van Cleef and Susan Hayward, the stars of the film. See also [ downwinders ] |
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