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5 Steps to Danger

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5 Steps to Danger
Theatrical release poster
Directed byHenry S. Kesler
Screenplay byHenry S. Kesler
Story byDonald Hamilton
Turnley Walker
Based onThe Steel Mirror (novel)
by Donald Hamilton
Produced byHenry S. Kesler
StarringRuth Roman
Sterling Hayden
CinematographyKenneth Peach
Edited byAaron Stell
Music byPaul Sawtell
Bert Shefter
Color processBlack and white
Production
companies
Henry S. Kesler Productions
Grand Productions
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release date
  • January 30, 1957 (1957-01-30) (New York City)
Running time
80 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

5 Steps to Danger is a 1957 American film noir crime film directed, produced, and co–written by Henry S. Kesler.[1][2] It stars Ruth Roman[3] and Sterling Hayden,[4] with a cast that also included Werner Klemperer,[5][6] Richard Gaines,[7] Charles Davis, Jeanne Cooper, and Peter Hansen.[8][9] 5 Steps to Danger was based on the novel The Steel Mirror by Donald Hamilton.[10][11]

Plot

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John Emmett, an American everyman, is on a fishing and hunting trip when his car breaks down. He is offered a ride by a stranger, Ann Nicholson, who is driving to Santa Fe. She asks him to take turns behind the wheel.

During a stopover a woman identifying herself as a nurse takes John aside in a diner and says she has been following them because Ann is an escaped mental patient of a Dr. Frederick Simmons. And although he is not sure what to believe, John begins to doubt Ann when two policemen attempt to arrest them, claiming to be investigating a murder in Los Angeles.

John and Ann slip away. He demands the truth, whereupon Ann says she is an ex-German citizen who stumbled upon a government plot and is in possession of valuable scientific transcripts embedded on a small cosmetic mirror. In order to prevent Simmons from having Ann committed to a mental institution against her will, John asks Ann to marry him, while also declaring his love for her. They wed in a small town and then continue their journey to find the scientist who wrote the transcripts. The chase ends in a confrontation between Simmons, who is actually a Soviet spy, and his accomplices versus FBI and CIA agents, who verify Ann's story. Ann and John enjoy their honeymoon on the fishing trip John had originally planned.

Cast

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Reception

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Critical response

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The New York Times wrote that the film was "a rather lax and familiar melodrama about Communist espionage in this country, offers two real jolts. The climax, and this may be an unfair revelation, has a known subversive given some leeway inside a vital guided missile plant. Secondly, the place seems about as inaccessible as a drive-in restaurant. [...] The responsibility, or irresponsibility, must be shouldered by Henry S. Kesler, who handled the screenwriting, the directing and producing, and none of it very well."[4]

Release

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5 Steps to Danger was released in theatres on January 30, 1957.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Goble 1999, p. 204.
  2. ^ "5 Steps to Danger". Turner Classic Movies. Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System (Time Warner). Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  3. ^ "Ruth Roman". NNDB. United States: Soylent Communications. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c "Palace Offers 'Five Steps to Danger'". The New York Times. New York City. January 31, 1957. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  5. ^ "Werner Klemperer". NNDB. United States: Soylent Communications. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  6. ^ Royce, Brenda Scott (1998). Hogan's Heroes : Behind the Scenes at Stalag 13! (1st ed.). Milwaukee: Renaissance Books. ISBN 978-1580630313.
  7. ^ "Richard Gaines". NNDB. United States: Soylent Communications. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  8. ^ "Peter Hansen". Film Reference Library. Toronto: TIFF Bell Lightbox. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  9. ^ "Peter Hansen". NNDB. United States: Soylent Communications. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  10. ^ Hamilton, Donald (1948). The Steel Mirror. New York City: Rinehart & Company. ASIN B0007F31CC.
  11. ^ Pryor, Thomas M. (January 28, 1957). "6 FILMS PLANNED BY AM-PAR CORP.: $3,000,000 Will Be Invested in Medium-Budget Movies During Next Half Year Of Local Origin". The New York Times. New York City. p. 18. Retrieved June 1, 2013.

Sources

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