He Ran All the Way *** (1951, John Garfield, Shelley Winters, Wallace Ford, Selena Royle, Gladys George, Bobby Hyatt, Norman Lloyd) – Classic Movie Review 7,988

The 1951 film noir crime thriller He Ran all the Way stars John Garfield in his final film, Shelley Winters, Wallace Ford, Selena Royle and Gladys George.

Director John Berry’s 1951 American film noir crime thriller He Ran all the Way is based on the novel by Sam Ross and stars John Garfield, Shelley Winters, Wallace Ford, Selena Royle and Gladys George, along with Bobby Hyatt [Robert Hyatt] and Norman Lloyd.

After a payroll heist, the law is chasing petty thief and cop killer Nick Robey (John Garfield), who meets factory worker Peggy Dobbs (Shelley Winters) when he goes undercover in a swim pool, and hides in her family home. The parents (Wallace Ford, Selena Royle) and little brother (Bobby Hyatt) are Garfield’s hostages.

The movie is too static and over-emphatic, but the acting and some of the directing (the hold-up, the climax) are fairly classy and impressive, as is the noir cinematography by James Wong Howe. Gladys George and Norman Lloyd are outstanding in brief roles as Garfield’s mom and his heist criminal partner, Al Molin.

Also in the cast are Keith Hetherington, Clancy Cooper, Vici Raaf, Robert Karnes, Jimmy Ames, Ralph Brooks, Dale Van Sickel, Lucille Sewall, Cameron Grant, Mark Lowell, John Morgan, Renny McEvoy and James Magill.

It is produced independently by Roberts Pictures, named after Garfield’s manager and business partner, Bob Roberts, and financed by Garfield.

He Ran all the Way is directed by John Berry, runs 78 minutes, is made by Roberts Pictures Inc, is released by United Artists, is written by Dalton Trumbo and Hugo Butler, based on the novel by Sam Ross, is shot in black and white by James Wong Howe, is produced by Bob Roberts, John Garfield (uncredited) and Paul Trivers (associate producer), is scored by Franz Waxman and is designed by Harry Horner.

The real-life long shadow of Fifties political oppression hangs over the film. It is Garfield’s last film; he was dead from a heart attack the next year, aged 39. Garfield, writers Dalton Trumbo and Hugo Butler (it was credited as written by Guy Endore), and director Berry were blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Berry, blacklisted after being named as a member of the Communist Party by Hollywood 10 member Edward Dmytryk, went into exile in France and finally returned home in the Seventies, while Dymytrk was allowed to resume his Hollywood career.

Technically, Garfield’s was ‘greylisted’ after being accused of involvement with the Communist Party USA. He testified before the HUAC on 23 April 1951, two months before He Ran All the Way opened on 19 June 1951. He repudiated communism, denied party membership and said he did not know any members of the Communist Party.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7,988

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