HIGHWAY DRAGNET (1954)

Any movie that ends with Film Noir icon Joan Bennett standing waist deep in the Salton Sea with her feet stuck in quicksand is, in my opinion, a true classic. By the time Miss Bennett found herself in this precarious situation, she was years away from the critically acclaimed films she made with Fritz Lang ( SCARLET STREET, THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW). A quickly made (in ten days), low budget crime drama may be considered a comedown for an actress of her stature. Nevertheless, she gives a strong performance, as does her co-star, Richard Conte, another veteran of the Film Noir universe (CALL NORTHSIDE 777, HOUSE OF STRANGERS).

The screenplay was based on a story by Roger Corman (his debut as a writer for the screen) entitled The House In The Sea. Conte plays ex-Marine Jim Henry who is in Las Vegas to visit an old friend. While having a drink in a casino, he has an altercation with an intoxicated model (Mary Beth Hughes in a very good performance). The following day she is found murdered and Jim is arrested. He manages to escape from the police and steal their car. Heading for California, he abandons the car and hitches a ride with a photographer (Bennett) and her model (Wanda Hendrix). The story follows their exploits on the road as the two women find out Jim is a fugitive and try to get away from him. While the young model becomes attracted to Jim, we find out that the photographer is hiding a desperate secret.

There may be more than a few holes in the plot, but they don't take away from the fun of watching this fast paced programmer. Much of the film was shot on location in the Coachella Valley of California and we get to see some familiar character actors along the way. Iris Adrian, the undisputed Queen of the Cinematic Wisecracking Dames, shows up as a waitress in a roadside diner. And stalwart Reed Hadley of TV's RACKET SQUAD is the police detective determined to bring Jim to justice.

HIGHWAY DRAGNET was directed by Nathan Juran, a former art director who won an Oscar for HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY. When he switched to directing, he brought some classic science fiction to the screen: THE DEADLY MANTIS, THE BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS, ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN. Now there is a legacy any director can be proud of.

Richard Conte is a fine actor, and always at his most sympathetic when playing men who are fighting against the system to prove their innocence, as he did in CALL NORTHSIDE 777. The only flaw in the film is the budding relationship between Jim and the model. Conte and Hendrix are let down by the script in this regard and are unable to achieve any believable chemistry between them. Fortunately, that is of no importance. What matters is Joan Bennett standing waist deep in the Salton Sea with her feet stuck in quicksand. This image alone makes watching HIGHWAY DRAGNET worthwhile.