Without Warning!

1952 film by Arnold Laven

This article is about the 1952 film. For other uses, see Without Warning (disambiguation).

This article is missing information about the film's production, and theatrical release. Please expand the article to include this information. Further details may exist on the talk page. (August 2019)

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Without Warning!

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Arnold Laven
Screenplay by| William Raynor
Story by| William Raynor
Produced by| Arthur Gardner
Jules V. Levy
Starring| Adam Williams
Meg Randall
Ed Binns
Narrated by| Gene Wood
Cinematography| Joseph F. Biroc
Edited by| Arthur H. Nadel
Music by| Herschel Burke Gilbert

Production
company

Allart Productions

Distributed by| United Artists

Release date

* May 8, 1952 (1952-05-08) (United States)

Running time

| 77 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English
Budget| less than $100,000[1]

Without Warning! is a 1952 American film noir crime film directed by Arnold Laven and starring Adam Williams, Meg Randall, and Ed Binns. The film is shot in a semidocumentary style with police procedural voice-over narration in parts. Without Warning! was first released commercially on DVD in 2005. Initially, it was considered lost and unavailable for viewing.

## Plot

[edit]

Carl Martin resides in Los Angeles, California. He makes his living tending gardens. He also murders young blondes with a pair of shears. Despite police efforts, Martin continues waging his killing spree. Detective Lieutenant Pete Hamilton is assigned the case, assisted by Sergeant Don Ward. They thumb through official files, putting together a list of recent unsolved cases. The victims were all blonde women. They met their deaths around the end of various months. Since it is now the end of the next month, the detectives anticipate another killing. And they are correct. But this time, the elusive murderer is identified by multiple witnesses, including two motorcycle officers. Yet they remember very little regarding the suspect's physical appearance. One officer was knocked out from behind; the other was wounded while chasing the fleeing suspect.

Afterwards, Martin returns to his residence, a shack on a hill overlooking Chavez Ravine. He feels lucky that the police know little about his identity. In the days that come, it will take the death of one additional woman plus the manhandling of another before Hamilton and Ward are able to nail Martin.

## Cast

[edit]

* Adam Williams as Carl Martin
* Meg Randall as Jane Saunders
* Ed Binns as Lt. Pete Hamilton
* Harlan Warde as Police Detective Sgt. Don Warde
* John Maxwell as Fred Saunders
* Angela Stevens as Janet Collier (Blonde)[2]
* Byron Kane as Police Chemist Charlie Wilkins
* Charles Tannen as Wolf
* Marilee Phelps as Virginia
* Robert Foulk as Wilson, Motel Manager
* Connie Vera as Carmelita
* Robert Shayne as Dr. Werner, Police Psychiatrist
* Lee Phelps as "Doc," the Police Coroner
* Arthur Gardner (movie's co-producer) as Jackson, Rapid Transit Cab Co. Driver[2][3]

## Production

[edit]

The film marked the team's first collaboration, consisting of Laven, Gardner, and Levy, who met in the army. Sol Lesser liked the film and picked it up for distribution.[1]

## Release

[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2019)

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### Home media

[edit]

Without Warning! was released for the first time on DVD by MPI Home Video on August 30, 2005.[4]

## Reception

[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2019)

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TV Guide rated the film two out of five stars, calling it "A capable first feature by the production team, with talented unknowns as actors".[5]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Looking at Hollywood: Story of Boer Trek Will Be Filmed in Africa Hopper, Hedda. Chicago Daily Tribune 6 May 1952: b4.
2. ^ a b Without Warning! (DVD). Levy-Gardner-Levan Productions, Inc.: Dark Sky Films. 2005.
3. ^ "TCM: Without Warning!". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
4. ^ "Without Warning (1952) - Arnold Laven". Allmovie.com. Allmovie. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
5. ^ "Without Warning - Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings". TV Guide.com. TV Guide Staff. Retrieved 12 August 2019.

## External links

[edit]

* Without Warning! at IMDb
* Without Warning! at Rotten Tomatoes
* Without Warning! at the TCM Movie Database

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Arnold Laven

* Without Warning! (1952)
* Vice Squad (1953)
* Down Three Dark Streets (1954)
* The Rack (1956)
* The Monster That Challenged the World (1957)
* Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (1957)
* Anna Lucasta (1958)
* Geronimo (1962)
* The Glory Guys (1965)
* Rough Night in Jericho (1967)
* Sam Whiskey (1969)

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