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Movie Source: Internet Archive (archive.org)
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Money Madness

1948

A murderous bank robber (Hugh Beaumont) on the run from the law hides out in a small town, where he gets a job as a cab driver. He meets a young girl (Frances Rafferty) who is caring for her ill but wealthy aunt. He courts her and they eventually marry. She soon discovers exactly who he is, and finds herself enmeshed in a scheme involving murder and loot from a bank robbery.


Money Madness is a 1948 American film noir thriller directed by Sam Newfield, and featuring Hugh Beaumont and Frances Rafferty.<>.</>

Plot

Steve Clark (Hugh Beaumont) is on a Los Angeles-bound bus and gets off in a small town on the way. He first hides a large amount of cash he had been carrying in his suitcase. Then he gets a job, which leads him to a chance encounter with Julie Saunders (Frances Rafferty), a local woman in her 20s. Julie lives with an elderly, bitter aunt who makes her life miserable. Clark, with his charm and original outlook on life, instantly becomes a ray of sunlight for her, and they quickly marry.
However, Clark soon admits to her that the marriage is part of a plan he has crafted. This plan will help him Money laundering a large amount of ill-gotten cash—but it also involves murder and will make Julie an accessory to it, against her will.

Cast

  • Hugh Beaumont as Steve Clark
  • Frances Rafferty as Julie
  • Harlan Warde as Donald
  • Cecil Weston as Cora
  • Ida Moore as Mrs. Ferguson
  • Danny Morton as Rogers
  • Joel Friedkin as Mr. Wagner
  • Lane Chandler as Policeman

Reception

=Critical response=

Film critic Dennis Schwartz, while giving the film a mixed review, liked the feature, writing, "A low-grade film noir that has its chilling moments. It opens with Julie Saunders (Frances Rafferty) sentenced to a prison term of ten years for being an accomplice to murder. A flashback is used to show how a sweet girl like Julie could have gotten into such deep trouble ... Beaumont went on to be Ward Cleaver in television's Leave It to Beaver, but here he's great to watch as a sleazeball and sicko killer. It's film where it takes a suspension of belief to get through all the problems built into the implausible plot, but nevertheless the film has a certain insanity kicking in that somehow works to give it an edge."


Category:1948 films
Category:American films
Category:American mystery films
Category:Black-and-white films
Category:English-language films
Category:Film noir
Category:Films directed by Sam Newfield
3.80
Sigmund Neufeld

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