Helen tells the fugitive she will do anything to save her husband's life. This is when they were in the vacant garage hiding from the police. He begins kissing her and she resists, at first. The scene changes and we don't know how the kissing episode concluded. Any ideas?
shareI believe that the implication at the end of the film is that she was willing to compromise herself to save her husband, and in the end, the fugitive Lawson is redeemed by the fact that he would not allow her to do it.
I prefer to believe the second poster,s interpretation. I realize the guy hadn't had a woman in quite some time but Stanwyck was so butch at that point, prison sex would see more appealing.
shareHilarious take on it!
I've always felt that way about Stanwyck and her characters. "Not that there's anything wrong with that." - Seinfeld
You have to remember that, because of the production code around in the 1950s, they weren't allowed to show anything. The most that they could do was hint. The fact that the scene ends while he is forcefully kissing her is a big hint that she let him have sex with her. An even bigger hint is that he actually saved her husband. While it's necessarily ambiguous, I thought that it was pretty clear given the restrictions.
shareI agree. I didn't think there was any doubt about it, given the way films of that period found ways of suggesting what they weren't allowed to show. My problem with this one is that it starts off as a cute family travelogue and takes ages to get down to business. The fact that there was a killer on the loose should have been suggested within five minutes of the start.
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I know you wrote about this over a year ago, dp, but I just saw this film last night, so I am disagreeing now.
As to what the characters did "romantically" it seemed abundantly clear to me that she planned to go off with the convict AFTER rescuing her husband, just as she stated after they finally did this--right before the police were coming. THAT is when she promised to do anything with him. Before he was rescued, they did not take time for sex.
You also wrote about this beginning as a "cute family travelogue." Does the word "jeopardy" mean nothing to you other than a game show? While I didn't know about the escapee, I had no doubt this was a serious drama right from the beginning. What was interesting was wondering what was going to happen.
"The fact that there was a killer on the loose should have been suggested within five minutes of the start".
They were stopped and questioned by the police in a rather urgent manner within six minutes of the start. Should be enough of a hint that there's trouble and the family's gonna run into it.
"facts are stupid things" Ronald Reagan
Folks, the answer to this question is all in the tag lines for the posters:
"I'll do anything...to save my husband!"
A WOMAN IN "JEOPARDY" (original print ad - all caps)
She did it... and no woman in the world would blame her! (US half-sheet, three-sheet)
She did it ... because her fear was greater than her shame !
She did it and it was the best he ever had, He was a changed man.
shareShe did it... and no woman in the world would blame her! (US half-sheet, three-sheet)
She did it ... because her fear was greater than her shame !
I would in a heart beat!!
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