Drama

Thriller

Storm Warning

Warner Bros. Pictures

United States of America

English

Ginger Rogers

Ronald Reagan

Doris Day

Steve Cochran

Hugh Sanders

Lloyd Gough

Raymond Greenleaf

Ned Glass

Paul E. Burns

Walter Baldwin

Lynn Whitney

Stuart Randall

Sean McClory

Lillian Albertson

Janet Barrett

George Lloyd

John Alban

Fred Aldrich

Richard Anderson

Walter Bacon

Fern Barry

Paul Brinegar

Blondie Bronzell

Douglas Carter

Leo Cleary

Tom Coleman

Charles J. Conrad

Russell Custer

Ned Davenport

Sayre Dearing

Don Dillaway

Jimmy Dime

King Donovan

Mike Donovan

Joe Dougherty

Ross Elliott

Gene Evans

Norman Field

Pat Flaherty

Alex Gerry

Dabbs Greer

Robert Haines

Carl Harbaugh

Harry Harvey

Edward Hearn

Len Hendry

Mary Alan Hokanson

Lloyd Jenkins

Fred Kelsey

Paul Kruger

Mike Lally

David Le Grand

Frank Marlowe

Charles Marsh

Frank McCarroll

Michael McHale

David McMahon

Frank Mills

Howard M. Mitchell

Jack Mower

Sol Murgi

Joseph C. Narcisse

Robert A. O'Neil

Paul Panzer

Edward Peil Sr.

Charles Phillips

Bob Reeves

Grandon Rhodes

Lee Roberts

Dewey Robinson

Buddy Roosevelt

Edmon Ryan

Jeffrey Sayre

Bernard Sell

Charles Sherlock

Joe Smith

Cap Somers

Ray Spiker

Robert R. Stephenson

Brick Sullivan

Charles Sullivan

Maxie Thrower

Dale Van Sickel

Tommy Walker

Anthony Warde

Duke Watson

Charles Watts

Tom Wells

Bill Welsh

Chalky Williams

Robert B. Williams

Jack Wise

Allen Wood

Daniel Fuchs

Carl E. Guthrie

Daniele Amfitheatrof

Jerry Wald

Stuart Heisler

Richard Brooks

Clarence Kolster

G.W. Berntsen

Perc Westmore

Leo K. Kuter

Ray Heindorf

Milo Anderson

Leslie G. Hewitt

Maurice De Packh

The KKK took my baby away, they took her away, away from me.

Storm Warning is directed by Stuart Heisler and written by Richard Brooks and Daniel Fuchs. It stars Ginger Rogers, Ronald Reagan, Doris Day and Steve Cochran. Music is by Daniele Amfitheatrof and cinematography by Carl E. Guthrie.

Stopping over to see her sister in Rockpoint, model Marsha Mitchell (Rogers) witness the Ku Klux Klan committing a murder and sees two of the perpetrators with their hoods off. Upon arriving at her sister's house, she is stunned to find that the beau of Lucy's (day) life is one of the killers! Should she do what is morally right? What District Attorney Burt Rainey (Reagan) wants her to do? Or should she think of her sister and keep Hank Rice (Cochran) out of prison?

Lets get the big complaint out the way first. What has been written before is true, the issue of race hatred and the KKK is not dealt with, this really does soft soap that particular issue in favour of a more - less - controversial angle. Film does still portray them as cowardly murderous thugs hiding behind hoods, even portraying them as dimwits following one almighty Grand Wizard (or is it Dragon?) who is more concerned about cash than colour of skin, but trivialisation of a hot topic occurs.

We are the law here. The judges and jury!

So, accepting it on its own "non social issue message" terms, then it's a thoroughly engrossing piece of film noir styled melodrama. Thematic noir staples are within, with bigotry, fate, family dysfunction and a woman in peril scenario (the fox in the hen house situation is super) all bubbling away under the moral obligation surface. Laid over the top is no short amount of atmospheric style, as Heisler (Among the Living/The Glass Key) and Guthrie (Backfire/Caged) produce dank shadowed streets, misty jails and a big court room segment bathed in slatted shadows befitting the moral discord filtering around the room.

Don't give me that Halloween routine.

Heisler proves to have a good eye for imagery as well as technical nous, such as snaps of child Klan members or the symbolic falling of a burning cross. He also marshals his cast very well. Don't believe any review that says Rogers is miscast, she simply isn't, she's feisty, sexy and strong, yet vulnerable as well, she's perfect for the role that was originally intended for Bacall who bailed out. And with Day exuding a confused innocence that hits the right notes, Heisler's reputation as a great director of actresses holds weight here. Reagan and Cochran are fine, with Cochran veering away from his normal cool, calculated persona to offer up a characterisation we rarely saw from him.

It misses a trick to really strike a dagger in the KKK scheme of things, and yes some of it feels like lower grade Tenessee Williams. However, the makers turn this Southern town into a diseased noir landscape, where the story is paced and performed with skill, and it all builds moodily to a truly great finale. Well worth seeking out. 8/10

The KKK took my baby away, they took her away, away from me. 

Storm Warning is directed by Stuart Heisler and written by Richard Brooks and Daniel Fuchs. It stars Ginger Rogers, Ronald Reagan, Doris Day and Steve Cochran. Music is by Daniele Amfitheatrof and cinematography by Carl E. Guthrie. 

Stopping over to see her sister in Rockpoint, model Marsha Mitchell (Rogers) witnesses the Ku Klux Klan committing a murder and sees two of the perpetrators with their hoods off. Upon arriving at her sister's house, she is stunned to find that the beau of Lucy's (Day) life is one of the killers! Should she do what is morally right? What District Attorney Burt Rainey (Reagan) wants her to do? Or should she think of her sister and keep Hank Rice (Cochran) out of prison? 

Lets get the big complaint out the way first. What has been written before is true, the issue of race hatred and the KKK is not dealt with, this really does soft soap that particular issue in favour of a more - less - controversial angle. Film does still portray them as cowardly murderous thugs hiding behind hoods, even portraying them as dimwits following one almighty Grand Wizard (or is it Dragon?) who is more concerned about cash than colour of skin, but trivialisation of a hot topic occurs. 

We are the law here. The judges and jury! 

So, accepting it on its own "non social issue message" terms, then it's a thoroughly engrossing piece of film noir styled melodrama. Thematic noir staples are within, with bigotry, fate, family dysfunction and a woman in peril scenario (the fox in the hen house situation is super) all bubbling away under the moral obligation surface. Laid over the top is no short amount of atmospheric style, as Heisler (Among the Living/The Glass Key) and Guthrie (Backfire/Caged) produce dank shadowed streets, misty jails and a big court room segment bathed in slatted shadows befitting the moral discord filtering around the room. 

Don't give me that Halloween routine. 

Heisler proves to have a good eye for imagery as well as technical nous, such as snaps of child Klan members or the symbolic falling of a burning cross. He also marshals his cast very well. Don't believe any review that says Rogers is miscast, she simply isn't, she's feisty, sexy and strong, yet vulnerable as well, she's perfect for the role that was originally intended for Bacall who bailed out. And with Day exuding a confused innocence that hits the right notes, Heisler's reputation as a great director of actresses holds weight here. Reagan and Cochran are fine, with Cochran veering away from his normal cool, calculated persona to offer up a characterisation we rarely saw from him. 

It misses a trick to really strike a dagger in the KKK scheme of things, and yes some of it feels like lower grade Tennessee Williams. However, the makers turn this Southern town into a diseased noir landscape, where the story is paced and performed with skill, and it all builds moodily to a truly great finale. Well worth seeking out. 8/10

Storm Warning - Trailer

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Storm Warning

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Cast

Ginger Rogers

Ronald Reagan

Doris Day

Steve Cochran

Hugh Sanders

Lloyd Gough

Raymond Greenleaf

Ned Glass

Paul E. Burns

Walter Baldwin

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