A taut noir at 1.10-hour, HIGHWAY DRAGNET (1954) by Nathan Juran follows the travails of Richard Conte, a WW2 veteran who is on the run after he is falsely accused of a murder. During his escapade he hitches a ride with a fashion photographer (Joan Bennet) and her model (Wanda Hendrix), two women who add the requisite complications to the plot, till he is able to clear his name.
The screenplay was based on a story by U. S. Anderson and Roger Corman. This was Roger Corman’s first screen credit who also acted as the Associate Producer on this film. Corman sold the story to Allied Artistes at 3,500 dollars and joined the production as an unpaid worker. After the success of the film he became a full-time film producer, quitting his job at Dick Hyland Agency. He gradually became the greatest godfather of B-movies, giving breaks to the likes of Coppola and so many others.
Richard Conte who plays the lead is also known for playing Bazini in Godfather 1. HIGHWAY DRAGNET was shot in 10 days. You can find the film on youtube by clicking on the following link:
Ranjan Das is a Mumbai based filmmaker& faculty.