HOT SUMMER NIGHT

US, 1957, 86 minutes, Black and white.
Leslie Nielsen, Colleen Miller, Edward Andrews, Jay C. Flippen, James Best, Paul Richards, Robert J. Wilke, Claude Akins, Marianne Stewart.
Directed by David Friedkin.

Hot Summer Night is a surprisingly effective film from 1957, a B-budget drama, a programmer of the time. It stars Leslie Nielsen as a reporter who has been sacked from his Kansas City paper, travelling through the Ozarks with his new wife, Colleen Miller. There has been a brutal bank robbery and the gang is hidden near the town. He cuts short the honeymoon, tries to get an interview with the chief criminal. He gets the interview – but the tables are suddenly turned when one of the unimaginative underlings shoots him. The newspaperman is then held to ransom. Meanwhile, his wife seems to be in a daze, but eventually goes into action tracking down where her husband has been hidden and calling the police. There is a very stalward supporting cast, Edward Andrews as the sympathetic deputy, Jay C. Flippen as a worldly-wise bank robber, James Best as the young punkish robber, Robert Wilke very effective in the interview scene explaining his criminal role and Paul Richards as a very strange criminal, demented but not savvy. Claude Akins appears as the truck driver and Marianne Stewart has a good role as the bank robber’s girlfriend.

The film is interesting in terms of journalists, crimes, the decline of outback American towns, the town banding together to protect its celebrity, even though he is a criminal.

The film was directed by David Friedkin who had a prolific career in television – as did some of the cast, especially Paul Richards.

Leslie Nielsen had just appeared in Forbidden Planet – and there is not the least inkling of what he would do with his comic career in his later years.

1. A B-budget thriller? The situations, the characters, the crime, the violence? Dilemmas?

2. The brief running time, black and white photography, the atmosphere of the Ozarks town? The mountains? The musical score – and the jazz tones of the 50s?

3. The opening, the young man going to the banker’s house, reassuring his wife, going to the bank, the details of the robbery? The banker and the alarm, his being shot? The escape? The reputation of Tom Ellis and his gang? The newspaper articles? Their many robberies, going into hiding?

4. The focus on William Joel Partain? Travelling with his wife? Just married? The background of his being fired from the Kansas City paper? His getting an inkling that there was a story? His trying to persuade his wife, getting her to move out of the holiday house? Going to the hotel? Going to the bar? Trying to get information about Ruth Childers? Everybody clamming up? Kermit and his confrontation, pouring the been on Irene’s shoulder, the fight? The deputy coming to calm things down? His agreeing to show William where Ruth Childers lived? William and his discussions with his wife, her fears, her worrying about the future? His motivation, trying to get the story, sell it, get the money, get a house? Lou taking him to Ruth?

5. The meeting with Ruth Childers, his previous article, her gratitude for his telling her story, able to quote it to all her friends? Knowing that Tom Ellis liked publicity as well? The drink, the conversation? His going back to the hotel? Kermit coming to take him to Tom Ellis?

6. Irene, her fears? Her covering for her husband? The phone calls from the newspaper? Her anxiety?

7. William and his going to meet Tom Ellis? The introduction to the gang? Ellis and his interview, his explanations of himself, his life, the law, robberies, his gang? Oren and his being reliable, supportive? The Indian in the background? Elly, his being jittery, with the young girl? His puzzle about why Tom was giving the interview? The end of the interview, William preparing to go back? Elly suddenly shooting both Kermit and Tom Ellis? Disposing of the bodies?

8. The plan for the ransom? Oren using his brains? The Indian guarding William? Elly and his erratic behaviour? Oren taking the message to the newspaper? Its getting to the editor? His ringing the hotel? Checking with Irene?

9. The situation, Irene and the phone call, trying to get back to the editor? The paper, the letter in the paper, the sign that the money would be paid? The decision of the publisher?

10. Irene, her walking the street searching for help, asking people, the cleaning lady telling her, despite opposition, where Ruth Childers lived? The meeting with Ruth Childers, her drinking?

11. The man with the papers, Irene and her getting the lift? His suspicions? Her seeing Elly come out to get the paper, working out that this was where her husband was? Getting Lou to help, the police?

12. Inside the house, the Indian guarding William, the roll of coins, knocking the Indian out? The gun, Elly shooting Oren? The importance of the discussions with Oren, his clear-sighted knowledge of what was going to happen? William and his running wounded? Elly and his trying to shoot, the arrival of the police, his being killed? Irene and her coming to William’s aid?

13. The next morning, Lou talking about the dead town, the funeral, loyalties to Tom Ellis? Hoping that something new and good could come from this episode? William and Irene and their future?