Episode 379 -On Dangerous Ground

Guest Host James Lott Jr  talks On Dangerous Ground (1951), directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Robert Ryan and Ida Lupino:Release year: 1951. Runtime: 82 minutes. Genre: Film noir / crime drama. ✅ Critical & Audience ReceptionOn Rotten Tomatoes, it has a Tomatometer rating of 89% (based on 19 Critics).On Metacritic, its score is listed as “Generally Favorable” with a score of 78. The film is appreciated for its striking visuals, contrasting urban and snowy rural settings, and its score by Bernard Herrmann. 📌 Notable Production & Artistic DetailsProduced by John Houseman for RKO Radio Pictures. Screenplay by A. I. Bezzerides (based on the novel Mad with Much Heart by Gerald Butler). Music composition by Bernard Herrmann, known for his evocative style that enhances the film’s emotional tone. Cinematography by George E. Diskant. 🧮 Additional NotesThe film’s structure: It begins in a gritty urban setting and transitions into a snowy countryside — a rare shift in classic noir for that era. Though well-regarded now, contemporary reception was mixed; for example, critic Bosley Crowther of the New York Times gave it a less favorable review upon release.