One of several worthy discoveries in Something Weird Video's "Weird Noir" set, and the most formally interesting of the bunch. "Girl on the Run" obeys the classical unities of action (one plot, which is all you have time for in 64 minutes), time (it all takes place in one evening), and place (it is set entirely inside a traveling carnival's grounds).
This film beautifully points up the great difficulty there is in justly evaluating films in peripheral categories which have rather different values and value from mainstream films. All reviewers are unanimous that it is an excellent film and I am not going to disagree with the, It is a first-rate film in a fourth-rate category - the lowly "low budget" "B" film.
Girl on the Run (1953) ** (out of 4) A reporter (Richard Coogan) and his girlfriend (Rosemary Pettit) are on the run from the police and hide out at a carnival sideshow where they try to gather evidence to clear his name.GIRL ON THE RUN is a fairly forgettable crime picture that has a rather routine and boring story that really doesn't do much or go anywhere.
"Girl on the Run" is an exploitation film. And, as an exploitation film, it's cheap and tries very hard to titillate.
GIRL ON THE RUN - 1953This one is a rather entertaining low, low rent programmer that needs to be seen to be believed. Reporter Richard Coogan and his girl, Rosemary Pettit, are a couple on the run from the law.
A third string "C" Film Noir that actually may be the best of the Carney based Film Noir. As much as I like Nightmare Alley (1947), this carnival film never leaves the midway much like Todd Browning's Freaks (1932).
Never heard of the directing duo, but they certainly owe a debt to Fritz Lang and Wiemar cinema in general. With an nod to Tod Browning for ambience.
Contrary to the technical specs listed in IMDb and a contributor's review assertion, GIRL ON THE RUN is a typical shot-on-video, not film, short feature. Its formulaic, haphazard construction does not deter star Kim Carson from delivering an entertaining and arousing title performance.
GIRL ON THE RUN is an indie crime thriller from 1953, set in and around a burlesque theatre full of the usual dancing girls wearing very little. The surprise here is that this is quite good for an independent film, with a snapping pacing and brief running time that means as a film it never outstays its welcome.
