Cry Danger

I was at my dad's last weekend, so it's time for old movies! Cry Danger is about Rocky Malloy (Dick Powell), who was imprisoned for his role as driver in a heist of 100 grand. He gets early release because a man named Delong (Richard Erdman) comes forward and says they were fishing that day. It took him a few years to come forward, because he was off losing his leg in the war.

One issue, Malloy has never met Delong before in his life. Delong figures if he does Malloy a solid, he'll get a cut of the money Malloy must know the location of. Although it's interesting that DeLong never tries to accompany Malloy as he tracks down the guy in charge of the heist (played by William Conrad). There's also a cop dogging Malloy's heels, certain he'll be led to the money as well.

The most enjoyable part of the movie is Erdman, who plays Delong as an endlessly sarcastic alcoholic. The kind of guy who keeps trying to make time with a lady who keeps trying to pick his pocket. Who, when she observes it's early in the day for drinking replies, 'When you drink as much as I do, you have to start early.'

There's one other amusing part, when it seems like Malloy's starting to get his money, and Conrad's actually trying to set him up with the hot money. But he goes about it with a plot involving a fixed horse race, and mysteriously vanishing back rooms and cigarette girls. So Malloy ends up yelling to the cop, "I swear the room was right here!"

There's a whole subplot involving Rhonda Fleming, who was dating one of Malloy's friends (also imprisoned after the heist), but who is clearly hung up on Malloy. It ends up being relevant to the plot, but it's mostly hanging in the background because even if Malloy's aware of the attraction, he's trying very hard not to make time with his buddy's gal.