Jeopardy

Based on a radio play by Maurice Zimm, this was expanded to make a tight little thriller by Mel Dinelli that is a good example of how to make a melodrama without wasting one frame of film. Stanwyck is married to Sullivan. Their son is Aaker, and the three are off on a short holiday down the California coast and into Baja, Mexico. They discover a charming but empty fishing village and decide to camp overnight. Aaker is a bold little lad and goes out on a decrepit pier. Sullivan, seeking to rescue him, gets caught in the rotting timbers, and there doesn't seem to be a way for him to get out. This happens at low tide, and Stanwyck realizes that she must get him out be...