The Get-Away (1941 film)

The Get-Away is a 1941 American crime drama film directed by Edward Buzzell and starring Robert Sterling, Charles Winninger and Donna Reed. Produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it is a remake of the 1935 film Public Hero No. 1.^[1] It has been listed as a precursor of film noir.^[2]

The Get-Away
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Edward Buzzell Richard Rosson
Written by	J. Walter Ruben Wells Root
Produced by	J. Walter Ruben
Starring	Robert Sterling Charles Winninger Donna Reed
Cinematography	Sidney Wagner
Edited by	James E. Newcom
Music by	Daniele Amfitheatrof
Production company	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributed by	Loew's Inc.
Release date	June 13, 1941 (1941-06-13)
Running time	89 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Synopsis

A federal agent goes undercover in a prison to infiltrate the circle of a criminal and gain information about him and his gang. He gains his confidence and the two take part of an escape together. On the outside they encounter the criminal's sister who naively sees her brother as a petty thief who can be reformed rather than the hardened murderer he really is.

Cast

Robert Sterling in The Get-Away

• Robert Sterling as Jeff Crane
• Charles Winninger as Doctor Josiah Glass
• Donna Reed as Maria Theresa 'Terry' O'Reilly
• Henry O'Neill as Warden Alcott
• Dan Dailey as Sonny 'Dinkie' Black
• Don Douglas as Jim Duff
• Ernest Whitman as 'Moose'
• Grant Withers as Parker
• Chester Gan as Sam
• Charles Wagenheim as Hutch
• Guy Kingsford as George
• Matty Fain as Bryan
• Clara Blandick as Mrs. Higgins
• Jack Luden as Agent Higgins
• Joe Yule as McMannis, a Bartender
• May McAvoy as Duff's Secretary
• Wade Boteler as Prison Yard Captain
• Veda Ann Borg as Black's Dance Hall Pickup

Reception

In a contemporary review for The New York Times, critic Bosley Crowther called the film "routine fiction in the cops-and-robbers vein" and "deadly dreary stuff, pounded out from a blueprint, and poorly, almost childishly, played."^[3]

References

1. "The Get-Away (1941) - Edward Buzzell, Edward N. Buzzell | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie".
2. Spicer p.401
3. Crowther, Bosley (1941-07-17). "The Screen: Rough Stuff". The New York Times. p. 23.

Bibliography

• Spicer, Andrew. Historical Dictionary of Film Noir. Scarecrow Press, 2010.

External links

• The Get-Away at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
• The Get-Away at IMDb
• The Get-Away at the TCM Movie Database