Exclusive“Dangerous Crossing” (1953): Suspicion, Isolation, and a Woman Alone at Sea

This chair, this chair, The sun's away, and the birds sing, The wind has dropped, and the sky's dimmed, So come summer has stopped, Summer has stopped, Rebecca, what are you doing? I'm getting ready to film the show, of course. Today? Well, yes, today is Wednesday, isn't it? No, Rebecca, this is Tuesday. No. No, no, it can't possibly be, because we had rehearsal yesterday, and those are always on Tuesdays. No, those are always on Mondays. You know that, Rebecca, they always have been. But, but, hold on a minute. Are you trying to gaslight me? That's it! We're going to talk about Gaslight, aren't we? Gaslight? What's that? You know, it's from 1944, and it has Ingrid Bergman and... Wait a minute, are you at it again? Only teasing. In fact, we're going to talk about a lesser-known gaslighting film, Dangerous Crossing. I'm Rebecca Brannan. I'm Tiffany Brannan. Welcome to Real Thoughts on Cinema. The term for trying to convince someone he's crazy, gaslighting, is actually taken from the 1944 film, Gaslight. That's true, but there are many other classic films which also feature gaslighting. Many movies from the 1940s and 50s, particularly suspenseful and mystery ones, feature protagonists who have to fight to prove their sanity against mounting evidence to the contrary. An excellent example of this is Dangerous Crossing from 1953. This movie is about a happy married couple who take an ocean voyage for their honeymoon. Shortly after sailing, however, beautiful young bride Ruth Bowman can't find her husband anywhere. First, he doesn't meet her at the bar, as he said he would. Then, when she begins consulting different staff members on the ship, she finds that no one has seen him, there's no record of him on the ship's passenger list, and even the room where they had previously checked in is now vacant. Rather than being in cabin B-16, where she vividly remembers being carried over the threshold just a few hours earlier, she finds that all her luggage is under her maiden name in cabin B-18. The young woman becomes frantic as she tries to prove that her husband, John Bowman, whom she only knew for four weeks before their marriage, does in fact exist and is on that boat. The only person who is really sympathetic to her struggles is the ship's surgeon, a very kindly doctor named Paul, who believes that somehow she isn't crazy. He encourages the captain to do more research to find out if perhaps her husband does exist. When she receives a mysterious phone call from her husband, Ruth is even more convinced that he's on the ship, but that they both are in danger. Whom can she trust? Her elusive but charming husband? Or this new friend, the sincere doctor? This film was made by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Joseph Newman and stars Jeanne Crane, Michael Rennie, and Carl Betz. This story was taken from a radio drama called Cabin B-13. It was first debuted in 1943 and was very successful. And it was a similar premise. There's this young bride who suddenly discovers that nobody has any record of her husband and she's trying to prove her sanity against mounting evidence. And the mysterious cabin, which suddenly is vacant for some reason, was Cabin B-13. Instead of B-16. Right. It's definitely not surprising that it was B-13 originally, a much scarier number. And this was a very successful radio drama, so it was performed a couple of times. First in 1943, then again in 1944. And it was the first radio drama used in a British program when they were trying to popularize American suspense dramas. And then in 1948, CBS picked it up to be an ongoing series by the name Cabin B-13. And it was actually a series of stories all about the different interesting incidents on an ocean voyage which a ship's surgeon encounters based on the character of Paul. That's really interesting. It's sort of like in the film, he talks about why he likes being a ship's doctor. So I think that's probably touching on that. Yeah, because you really think about it, there are a lot of interesting things that that ship's surgeon could observe. So that was interesting source material. And since it was a very successful work, it ended up being a well-regarded movie as well. This film is definitely not one that's really remembered, even though it does feature a couple of very big actors. Jeanne Crane and Michael Rennie are both very well-regarded classic actors. And this is really a standout performance for Jeanne Crane. It's really her picture. She's just at the center of it. It really is, yes. There's a lot of subtlety. And I think it's really interesting how it keeps you in doubt somewhat, but the audience still is sort of on her side more than the other characters are because you're starting to wonder about her. But there's this little detail that you know the stewardess saw her with her husband. Like, she's lying. So that kind of makes things like there's something kind of sinister going on here. And that's kind of what makes you continue to believe in her throughout the film. And I think that helps the audience really kind of be seeing it from her point of view. And there also are several usages of voiceover as a bit of a narration from her character. But it's not a standard narration. Right, because usually a narration will be in the past tense, talking about something that happened. But it's just telling you exactly what she's thinking at that moment. Right. The only time it is sort of more like a narration is when there's an overview of Paul giving her a tour of the ship. She's saying, I wasn't asking for myself, it was for John. So that one is interesting. It stands out as the other times it's just, like you said, a little moment looking into her thoughts. I think that gives us a little insight into the fact that it was a radio drama. Yeah, that's true. You would definitely do that to tell people what's happening on the radio when you couldn't see it. But if you saw all those events and you didn't have that, I think you'd wonder, oh, that's kind of a strange change of attitude from her. Yes. So you need that narration to keep understanding what's motivating her at all times. And I think it's very useful and it helps keep the narrative clear. It's interesting to compare this movie with the other film we've mentioned a few times, Gaslight, which you could say started the genre. It certainly coined that term, but the idea of this woman who people are trying to convince her that she's crazy. Right. It's similar in the fact that in both cases, it's sort of a lonely young woman who ends up marrying a charming young man whom she really hasn't known very long. That's true. Always a bit of a red flag. It's funny because so many classic films, I know people sometimes kind of make fun of this. It's like, you know, they meet, they fall in love and immediately get married. And usually it's great. And then every once in a while it's a movie like this, like maybe you should know somebody a little longer before you get married because every once in a while there's a real crazy person. She begins to realize she's entrusted her whole life to this man and she doesn't really know that much about him. And we don't know exactly what the situation is with him, with her, where he is, what happened. It's very mysterious. But some reasons why I think that I would recommend this film instead of Gaslight, nothing against Gaslight, but is that this is a modern film whereas Gaslight is a period piece. And it was made almost 10 years later. So in terms of a film that maybe would be appealing to people who aren't big classic film fans, it's interesting. And I think the 50s are more of a relatable decade. People know about that one a little more. It's more approachable. In terms of mystery, I think it really has some great mystery and suspense elements because an ocean voyage, what a perfect place for a mystery. Yes. And the ongoing, almost more important than the music. The music is very dramatic but there's also this fog horn constantly going because they're going through a lot of rough weather. Apparently the fog horn sounds 107 times in the film. Oh my goodness. And what's interesting is actual fog horns on an ocean liner of this type, they're automatically set to sound every 2 minutes. But on film, for dramatic purposes, they generally sound every 7 seconds. Which isn't accurate but it's very dramatic. The feeling of being contained, of being unable to escape, is often a very powerful idea that can be used as a concept in something that's a mystery, a suspense film. And the ocean voyage definitely gives that. And what I think is interesting about, if you consider these gaslighting films a genre, which I think you almost can because there are a lot of them, is that as opposed to other mystery or suspense films of the type, I feel like these ones especially have almost an element of horror. Yeah, they do. It's very frightening to witness this character starting, even if you as the artist are pretty sure she or he does know what he's talking about, to see the lead character starts to doubt his own sanity. Yes. And the way that they'll be like, this protagonist is like, I know that I'm right and everyone else is like, no, you're wrong. That's something that I think is often seen in horror films, especially ones that are more like psychological kind of horror. That's true. So this is sort of like a psychological drama because you do see that she has been a bit unbalanced. She was very disturbed by the death of her father. She was under the care of a doctor. And then meeting John Bowman kind of brought her back to life. And I think even though she's understandably very frightened and frantic in her situation, I think she starts to act kind of crazy a little sooner than someone who's a bit more emotionally stable in life. She's definitely a very emotional woman. There are several times where she starts speaking too loudly, almost shouting or crying. And then everybody stops and is staring at her. There's several times that happens in the movie. And there are always a few characters who keep turning up like this main second officer and this much divorced woman who's actually quite nice trying to befriend her. But the film does an excellent job of making you feel, as she does, like you can't really trust anyone. It's like, why is this person always here? You really don't know because there are many characters who keep popping up who seem sinister. And no spoilers, you have to wait until the end to find out how many characters are against her. Is anyone against her? Is it all in her mind? Who's good? Who's bad? That's the cleverness of this film. Even though, as the film goes on, you start to get the idea of where it's going, there's still a twist near the end which really blew me away the first time. So it's worth saving that for anyone who wants to watch this film because it's quite a shocker. Janie Crane was good at many genres. One of her earlier successful films was the musical State Fair. That's right. She did a lot of very pleasant romantic comedies. She also did some pretty intense dramas like Pinky, might be one of her most noteworthy and controversial films. Even controversial films, yeah. And in this film, she gets to do a little bit of, like you said, it's very dramatic, but she also has lighter, very pleasant, almost romantic comedy moments. Yes. Moments of great happiness. And of course, the other noteworthy actor is definitely Michael Rennie who plays the Doctor. He's a British actor best known for playing the alien in The Day the Earth Stood Still. That's right. And here, he's a much more worldly character. He's an unusual type, I would say, for, he's not just your standard leading man. Yeah. But it's appropriate because this character isn't your standard leading man and it doesn't even, there's a hint of romance, but obviously, she's married at the time, but they just, you see them forming this bond that she didn't really have a chance to form with her husband. She starts to realize, like, I don't really know him. We were going to get to know each other on this voyage, instead I find myself getting to know you. So it's an interesting sort of romance, but it's really more just he's this friend and almost, he's almost paternal toward her when he calls her young lady. So he's just the one who's really trying to look out for her. Even against mounting evidence that she's just kind of over mine. It's a very good role for him. I find him very endearing in this part, but very believable as a learned man, a doctor, very serious. And in the reasonably small, but very important part of The Husband, John Bowman is actor Carl Betz, best known for playing Donna Reed's husband in The Donna Reed Show. That's right. Very successful television show in the 50s and 60s. Yeah, he definitely, if you're a fan of television shows from that time period, you'll recognize him as Alex, who's a doctor in that. That's right. The glamour of the 1950s, especially in The Ocean Voyage, is captured on this film at the same time that it's suspenseful. You see the way they're dressing to go to dinner and the dances aboard the ship, the fun activities. And there are many movies from this time period which show the glamour of travel in the post-war years on Ocean Voyage. What's interesting, particularly, is how Ginny Crane's coats that she wears are very important because every time she's running out on deck and doing something crazy, she always takes the time to put on a fur coat or another sort of frock coat. Yes, she wears her very lush mink coat for most of the film and she also then has a really nice wool coat later. The first costume which we see Ginny Crane's character, Ruth, wearing at the beginning of the movie is a black dress with buttons up the front, nice black shoes, a three-strand pearl necklace, matching pearl earrings, and a pillbox hat with white gloves and, of course, her signature fur coat. We see her wearing this jewelry later in the film with other outfits, which is sort of a realistic representation of the fact that you can only bring so much when you're traveling. My outfit is inspired by the dress which Ruth hurriedly puts on after first receiving a phone call from her husband on the ship. It's a very simple wraparound dress in a similar style to this with simple black shoes and, of course, her large fur coat. Suspense and crime or mystery films have always been really popular. In fact, I'd say mystery goes back in popularity long before the film genre. Definitely. Plays, books, there's something about that spine-tingling feeling of suspense that's really appealing. And I think people who are fans of the genre now might be frustrated by the offerings given them by modern Hollywood. Nowadays, anything suspenseful is so, oftentimes, so gruesome. It's like really violent horror, crime, horrible stuff as opposed to, there used to be just suspense. It's intriguing. There are tingles up your spine. Even in movies which have murder in them or a lot of crime, which isn't this, but other movies, they're able to depict that without being gruesome. And the number one thing, I think, especially if you are going into a darker genre in the classic film era is it's so nice to see that they're not invasive. Yes. And anyone who watches modern movies a lot is going to know what I'm talking about because the music, the way it's filmed, and the way that they close it up, and then even just kind of the viewing experience. Now everything is so loud and kind of in your face. And they actually, in particularly horror soundtracks, they actually use a frequency in the soundtrack which medically makes your heart rate go faster. So these old classic mystery films are not like that at all. It's all done with the great acting and really brilliant cinematography. They use mirror angles really effectively and just things like that so you're witnessing it. You can really get into it but it doesn't just attack you. Yes. I think this is a movie which young ladies could appreciate because it really focuses on this interesting female character. People who are fans of radio dramas could definitely appreciate it. So I would say this is a recommendation for the first radio drama on film. Because I think it kept the nature of the radio drama while also being a really interesting movie. You're absolutely right about the voiceovers. I can see how that's the leftover influence of the radio. And even the fact that there aren't that many characters comparatively for being on the little ship. I also could see it working quite well as a stage play for that reason. Yes, yes it could. So it's an intriguing mysterious film and one which could be very relatable to modern audiences but also is a charming representation of that period which is delightfully not like a modern film. It's readily available actually it's available for free on YouTube in several very clear copies. So you can enjoy watching it there for no cost very easily and it's also available on DVD. From Hollywood's earliest years to today biopics are a very popular genre. Very seldom are they really true to life however. Join us next time as we talk about a film which took the name and many of the stories of a famous author of fairy tales and turned them into a delightful musical starring a great musical comedian from the classic era. Thank you for watching. Goodbye.