Where Danger Lives 1950 - 7 Reasons It’s An Awful Robert Mitchum Film Noir
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Where Danger Lives 1950 - 7 Reasons It’s An Awful Robert Mitchum Film Noir falls flat for these seven reasons. We’re here to rescue you from an hour and half of eye-rolling agony!
The bad guy is the best character in the film
The injury the main character sustains doesn’t feel realistic
The femme fatale character falls flat
The plot doesn’t feel realistic
Suspects for a murder case were hunted like terrorists
The good girl is even worse than the femme fatale
No chemistry between the main character and the femme fatale
This b film noir has got a stellar cast that includes Robert Mitchum as the lovestruck Dr Jeff Cameron, Faith Domergue as the femme fatale, and Claude Rains as the embittered husband.
The opening scenes of Where Danger Lives 1950 are reminiscent of a modern day hospital sitcom, replete with gleaming hospital corridors, beautiful staff and interoffice (I mean inter-hospital) romance.
Save your time, and instead use that precious time to enjoy a classic Robert Mitchum film noir, such as Out of the Past.
Yes, we took one for the team on this one, and watched it, so that you don’t have to!
This post is all about Where Danger Lives 1950 and the 7 Reasons It’s an Awful Robert Mitchum Film Noir.
Where Danger Lives 1950 Plot Summary
Before getting into the seven reasons why Where Danger Lives is a rotten film noir, let’s set the context for what the story is about.
Returning to the hospital sitcom setting... (do any of these pictures remind anyone of covid masks?)
Although the handsome Dr Jeff Cameron (Robert Mitchum) is dating his lovely fellow hospital nurse, Julie, as soon as an emergency case involving a beautiful suicidal woman is wheeled in, he’s immediately intrigued.
The unconscious patient is Margo (Faith Domergue), and with a single glance, Jeff is smitten.
An unknown male escort brought her to the hospital and will not give his name.
The hospital discovers the day after that the woman had also provided a fake name and address when leaving.
Dr. Jeff then receives a note from Margo designating a time and place to meet.
As soon as Jeff spots Margo, he pulls her into his arms for a passionate kiss…yes, somehow they’re immediately head over heels in love! 🙄
However, before they can enjoy dinner together, she suddenly and urgently has to leave for her “father.”
Jeff is upset and continues to drink and then, thoroughly wasted, he follows her home, where he discovers that her overbearing “father” is actually her husband, Mr. Lannington (Claude Rains).
Hurt and angry, Jeff storms out of the mansion, until he hears screaming. He rushes back to discover Margo bleeding and sobbing hysterically, claiming her husband ripped her earring out in jealous rage.
A fight ensues and Mr. Lannington, the husband, grabs a fireplace poker and begins to beat Jeff repeatedly over the head.
Jeff outmaneuvers the husband, who ends up unconscious, and then stumbles into the next room to try to gain consciousness from drinking too much and being bludgeoned over the head.
When Jeff returns a few minutes later, the husband is dead, and Margo impresses on him the urgency to flee immediately to Mexico, to avoid being framed for murder.
The rest of the film Jeff and Margo are on the run, and she’s extremely emotional and hysterical. The audience soon discovers she was was under the care of a psychiatrist for mental issues.
Meanwhile, Jeff is struggling to stay awake, since he is fighting a deadly concussion from his fight with Margo’s husband, and only has a handful of hours before he’ll be paralyzed.
As the film progresses, Margo’s emotions continue to spiral out of control, and the effects of Jeff’s concussion escalate; he cannot think clearly, see clearly, and his limbs are beginning to go numb.
They also do a hasty wedding to avoid suspicion at one of their stops along the route to Mexico, but there’s no honeymoon, since she’s crazy--literally--and he’s losing grip with reality as a result of his concussion, and also beginning to suspect her.
Spoiler alert! Near the end of the film, as they are very near the border, they break up, since the paralysis from his concussion is affecting his legs, and he also discovered that she killed her husband by suffocation.
Jeff then passes out and she grabs a pillow to give him the same pillow suffocation treatment she’d recently given to her late husband…does this mean she’s a double “black widow”?
In the final climactic scene, somehow Jeff survived her attempted murder, and he stumbles after her, trying to stop her from crossing the border.
Jeff is barely able to walk, due to the paralysis from his concussion. Margo pulls a gun and begins shooting, so the cops then unpack a round of bullets on her; she then confesses everything in front of the policeman, bragging about killing her husband, as she didn’t want pity from anyone.
Conveniently for Jeff, her confession exonerates him from the murder.
The film closes out with Jeff lying in a hospital bed recovering from his concussion, ordering a white rose for his girlfriend nurse, Julie, who is stupid enough to receives him back with open arms.
As if that summary wasn’t enough to convince you, let’s have some fun and talk about the seven reasons why Where Danger Lives is a rotten film noir.
Reason #1: Where Danger Lives 1950 - Why It’s An Awful Robert Mitchum Film Noir: The bad guy is the best character in the film
The “bad guy”, Margo’s husband (Claude Rains) is the best actor from the Where Danger Lives cast, making the most believable character, even though he is in the film for less than five minutes!
His five minute claim-to-fame involve him censuring Jeff for falling in love with his crazy wife, Margo, and his fit of rage where he beats Jeff repeatedly over the head with a fireplace poker.
(Hummm… Maybe he should be seeing his wife’s psychiatrist for anger issues?). Jeff then overpowers him and knocks him out, and he is then smothered to death by his wife, Margo, while Jeff is in the other room.
That ends his five minutes of fame and the most realistic character in this film noir.
Yeah, it’s a bad sign if the bad guy with the bit part is the only good character in the film!
Reason #2: Where Danger Lives 1950 - Why It’s An Awful Robert Mitchum Film Noir: The injury the main character sustains doesn’t feel realistic
Remember Margo’s husband, Mr. Lannington, bludgeoned Jeff repeatedly over the head at the opening of the film?
Well, this sets the stage for him battling a brain concussion throughout the movie, with the following effects of his injury blown so out of proportions, they aren’t believable.
The entire film builds up around his injury, where he eventually becomes paralyzed from his brain injury.
We’re not brain experts, but wouldn’t a more plausible storyline include issues with memory and balance? They make it a critical part of the storyline that he can’t think clearly so he doesn’t realize that she’s insane.
Maybe he should get his head examined too, since he obviously wasn’t thinking clearly when he fell head over heels for an unconscious suicidal patient, when he was already in a happy relationship with his fellow nurse.
Wow. Time to make another batch of popcorn and find something stronger to drink! 🍿
Reason #3: Where Danger Lives 1950 - Why It’s An Awful Robert Mitchum Film Noir: The femme fatale character falls flat
Margo fails miserably at being a convincing femme fatale.
Usually in film noirs, the femme fatale character is a mysterious, beautiful woman who lures the main character into a comprising situation.
In a film noir, the femme fatale should be mysterious, beautiful and lure the good guy into a compromising situation. However, Margo is such a hysterical and emotional wreck throughout the film, that she comes across more as a crazed rabbit rather than a sexy confident villainess.
Is it just me, or are you also irritated with her emotional colorless character and wonder at how the good Doctor Jeff could fall for such a manipulative performance?
How could a true femme fatale not hold it together for more than two minutes in an entire movie?
Reason #4: Where Danger Lives 1950 - Why It’s An Awful Robert Mitchum Film Noir: The plot has holes
The reason for the entire plot (critical escape out of the states) is weak and has major holes.
The reason Jeff must escape across the border into Mexico for a new life is because he may be implicated in Margo’s husband’s death.
Jeff believes this will be so scandalous that he will never have the opportunity to practice as a doctor again.
Again, seriously? Any medical exam would clearly support Jeff’s claims of being beaten over the head and substantiate a plea of self defense.
He should’ve waited around for an investigation and then saved himself the trouble of being on the run with a psycho murderer.
Reason #5: Where Danger Lives 1950 - Why It’s An Awful Robert Mitchum Film Noir: Suspects for a murder case are hunted like terrorists
The largescale publicity surrounding the husband’s death and the extent of the news coverage and dragnet search across America was completely out of proportion for a possible murder suspect.
The checkpoints and press coverage was more on par with that for a terrorist or criminal mob leader on the run (like Al Capone) vs a possible suspect in a homicide.
The story unfolds as if the entire world knows of the murder and is trying to catch the culprits who perpetuated it? Again, it is not believable! Jeff and Margo were possible suspects in a homicide, nothing more.
Reason #6: Where Danger Lives 1950 - Why It’s An Awful Robert Mitchum Film Noir: The good girl is even worse than the femme fatale
This one might be controversial, which makes it all the more fun, but we’re just not fans of Jeff’s goody two-shoes girlfriend nurse, Julie.
She’s all smiles and sunshine with no sparkle and wit.
Not only that, but why would she so willingly take Jeff back, without at least investigating why he fled across the country with another woman, who he also married on the way?
Is she that desperate for a man in her life (or that crazy in love with him) that his chasing other women holds no consequence?
What if this is a pattern where the pretty little nurse is always available on the side, but he then gets his kicks out of his escapades with alluring femme fatales?
The film concludes with Jeff confidently ordering a white rose for his girlfriend, Julie, where she happily takes him back.
Here’s a fun trivia freebie for you! The actress Maureen O'Sullivan (Julie) was married to the film’s director, John Farrow, and they had seven children together!
Reason #7: Where Danger Lives 1950 - Why It’s An Awful Robert Mitchum Film Noir: No chemistry between the main character and the femme fatale
The supposedly “steamy” romance between the femme fatale and Dr. Jeff is decidedly dry.
He first attends to her while she’s unconscious in the hospital, has a bit of conversation with her the next day, then meets her at the nightclub for their first date, already being passionately in love with her.
The “fell in love at first glance” feeling just doesn’t come across on screen.
I’m down to believe in “love at first sight” as quick as the next person, but it’s simply not believable in this movie, as there’s not enough time for them to fall for each other.
Also, even though Jeff is fleeing the country with his beautiful femme fatale, they spend more time fighting than getting along. Again, not believable for a couple that supposedly fell for each other with in a whirlwind romance!
This post was all about Where Danger Lives 1950 and the 7 Reasons Why It’s An Awful Robert Mitchum Film Noir.
What are your thoughts? Do you agree that Where Danger Lives 1950 was a lousy film noir?
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