Money Madness
| Money Madness | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Sam Newfield |
| Produced by | Sigmund Neufeld |
| Screenplay by | Al Martin |
| Story by | Al Martin |
| Starring |
Hugh Beaumont Frances Rafferty |
| Music by | Leo Erdody |
| Cinematography | Jack Greenhalgh |
| Edited by | Holbrook N. Todd |
Production company |
Sigmund Neufeld Productions |
| Distributed by | Film Classics |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 73 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Money Madness is a 1948 American film noir thriller directed by Sam Newfield, and featuring Hugh Beaumont and Frances Rafferty.[1]
Plot
Steve Clark (Hugh Beaumont) is on a Los Angeles-bound bus and gets off in a small town on the way. He first hides a large amount of cash he had been carrying in his suitcase. Then he gets a job, which leads him to a chance encounter with Julie Saunders (Frances Rafferty), a local woman in her 20s. Julie lives with an elderly, bitter aunt who makes her life miserable. Clark, with his charm and original outlook on life, instantly becomes a ray of sunlight for her, and they quickly marry.
However, Clark soon admits to her that the marriage is part of a plan he has crafted. This plan will help him launder a large amount of ill-gotten cash—but it also involves murder and will make Julie an accessory to it, against her will.
Cast
- Hugh Beaumont as Steve Clark
- Frances Rafferty as Julie
- Harlan Warde as Donald
- Cecil Weston as Cora
- Ida Moore as Mrs. Ferguson
- Danny Morton as Rogers
- Joel Friedkin as Mr. Wagner
- Lane Chandler as Policeman
Reception
Critical response
Film critic Dennis Schwartz, while giving the film a mixed review, liked the feature, writing, "A low-grade film noir that has its chilling moments. It opens with Julie Saunders (Frances Rafferty) sentenced to a prison term of ten years for being an accomplice to murder. A flashback is used to show how a sweet girl like Julie could have gotten into such deep trouble ... Beaumont went on to be Ward Cleaver in television's Leave It to Beaver, but here he's great to watch as a sleazeball and sicko killer. It's film where it takes a suspension of belief to get through all the problems built into the implausible plot, but nevertheless the film has a certain insanity kicking in that somehow works to give it an edge."[2]
References
- ↑ Money Madness at the American Film Institute Catalog.
- ↑ Schwartz, Dennis. Ozus' World Movie Reviews, film review, April 17, 2005. Accessed: July 11, 2013.
External links
- Money Madness at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Money Madness at the Internet Movie Database
- Money Madnes at AllMovie
- Money Madnes at the TCM Movie Database
- Money Madness is available for free download at the Internet Archive
- Money Madness complete film on YouTube (public domain)
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