Instead of an ordinary insurance salesman, mechanic or detective, Jeff Cameron (Mitchum) is a gifted surgeon, and his temptress, Margo Lannington (Faith Domergue), is not merely diabolical but certifiably, medically insane. Unfortunately, the deed is done before Mr. Lannington (Claude Rains) can share this crucial fact with his wife's would-be lover. The fugitive couple's turbulent rush to the Mexican border is complicated by outlandish twists of fate more reminiscent of a playful Hitchcock film than a gritty crime thriller. In one bit of inspired irony, the couple is taken into custody during their flight not because of the widespread APBs, but because Cameron doesn't have enough whiskers on his face (during a small town's "Pioneer Days" celebration). This spirit of orchestrated suspense is no doubt the contribution of screenwriter Charles Bennett, who also penned the scripts for Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), The Thirty-Nine Steps (1935) and Foreign Correspondent (1940).
Mitchum's trademark as an actor was his lazy nonchalance, maintaining an easy coolness even in the midst of emotional turmoil. In Where Danger Lives, this quality is played to a delicious extreme, as Dr. Cameron has a few too many Polynesian cocktails in one scene, takes a beating with a fireplace poker in another, and spends the remainder of the film growing increasingly weary. By film's end, Mitchum is audaciously performing his most dramatic scenes while lying semi-conscious on the floor (and clearly loving every minute of it).
Domergue did her best to fill the histrionic void as the manipulative, deranged Margo. The actress was the highly touted discovery of RKO head Howard Hughes, who had intended to debut her talents in an extravagant costume drama, Vendetta (1950). But as that film became plagued with complications and creative differences, Hughes wisely opted instead for Where Danger Lives, a film that was more modest in scale, but far superior in delivering the brand of romance and thrills that audiences of 1950 hungered for.
Director: John Farrow
Producer: Irwin Allen, Irving Cummings Jr.
Screenplay: Charles Bennett, Leo Rosen (story)
Cinematography: Nicholas Musuraca
Editor: Eda Warren
Art Direction: Ralph Berger, Albert S. D'Agostino
Music: Roy Webb
Cast: Robert Mitchum (Jeff Cameron), Faith Domergue (Margo Lannington), Claude Rains (Frederick Lannington), Maureen O'Sullivan (Julie), Charles Kemper (Police Chief)
BW-81m. Closed Captioning.
by Bret Wood
