No Questions Asked
| No Questions Asked | |
|---|---|
|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Harold F. Kress |
| Produced by | Nicholas Nayfack |
| Screenplay by | Sidney Sheldon |
| Story by | Berne Giler |
| Starring |
Barry Sullivan Arlene Dahl George Murphy Jean Hagen |
| Music by | Leith Stevens |
| Cinematography | Harold Lipstein |
| Edited by | Joseph Dervin |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $742,000[1] |
| Box office | $656,000[1] |
No Questions Asked is a 1951 American crime film noir directed by Harold F. Kress, and starring Barry Sullivan, Arlene Dahl, George Murphy and Jean Hagen.[2]
Plot
In order to please a greedy woman, a lawyer decides to handle negotiations between criminals and insurance companies who are willing to buy back stolen merchandize.
Cast
- Barry Sullivan as Steve Keiver
- Arlene Dahl as Ellen Sayburn Jessman
- George Murphy as Police Insp. Matt Duggan
- Jean Hagen as Joan Brenson
- Richard Anderson as Detective Walter O'Bannion
- Moroni Olsen as Henry Manston
- Danny Dayton as Harry Dycker (as Dan Dayton)
- Dick Simmons as Gordon N. Jessman
- Howard Petrie as Franko
- William Phipps as Roger
- William Reynolds as Floyd
- Mauritz Hugo as Marty Callbert
- Mari Blanchard as Natalie
- Robert Sheppard as Detective Eddie
- Michael Dugan as Detective Howard
- Howland Chamberlain as Beebe
- Richard Bartlett as Betz
- Robert Osterloh as Owney
Reception
According to MGM records the film earned $483,000 in the US and Canada and $173,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $377,000.[1]
Critical response
The film staff at the New York Times gave the film a tepid review, "Barry Sullivan gives the role of the money-hungry lawyer a solid but uninspired reading. Jean Hagen is quite attractive and credible as the girl he finally comes to love, while Arlene Dahl is merely attractive as the double-crossing charmer he yearns for before he sees the light. Standard, come to think of it, is as nice a word as any for No Questions Asked."[3]
Critic Craig Butler liked the film and wrote, "A tasty little 'B' level noir thriller, No Questions Asked is the kind of neat little film that, despite its flaws, exerts a hold on the viewer. Sidney Sheldon's screenplay starts out with a slam-bang opening, leading into a flashback that captivates for a good while before losing its way a bit in the middle and then getting back on track in time for a good, solid climax."[4]
Dennis Schwartz called the film, "An efficiently done film noir about an insurance fraud resulting in a double-cross ..." And added, "It was strictly a B movie with an ordinary and predictable story, and with below average acting. If you ask no questions about it, it is mildly enjoyable. Otherwise the film never quite faces up to the moral implications of Sullivan and his cabbie friend, as they do business with criminals while thinking they are not doing anything wrong. When Sullivan gets his comeuppance, it's done in a breezy style that is not all that convincing. The screenwriter was Sidney Sheldon, who by the 1970s was to go on to bigger and better things in the mystery genre."[5]
The film currently has no Rotten Tomatoes approval rating, but has a Want-To-See score of 25%.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
- ↑ No Questions Asked at the American Film Institute Catalog.
- ↑ The New York Times. Staff film review, August 10, 1951. Accessed: July 30, 2013.
- ↑ Butler, Craig. Allmovie by Rovi, film review, no date. Accessed: July 30, 2013.
- ↑ Schwartz, Dennis. Ozus' World Movie Reviews, October 30, 2001. Accessed: July 30, 2013.