jacobs-greenwood Jim Molner (James Mason) owns an electronics store and was duped into making a couple of small detonators for Paul Hoplin (Rod Steiger), a former Army demolitions expert. Hoplin told Molner they were for the military, but filled them with an explosive element second only to plutonium and had them planted on an airplane by Eileen Kelly (Angie Dickinson).We find out these details, in part through the FBI's investigation after the plane makes an emergency landing and the bombs are neutralized. A call was made which tipped off the head of Twentieth Century Airlines before they were to explode. The FBI task force, headed by Frank Cole (Kenneth Tobey), quickly determines that the detonators were made by Molner, and suspects he is the one who is trying to extort $500,000 else he'll actually blow up a plane this time.However, Molner, his wife Joan (Inger Stevens), and their preschool daughter have been kidnapped by Hoplin and his associates which, in addition to Kelly, consists of Vince (Jack Klugman) and Steve (Neville Brand). They've taken the Molners to a secluded home in which Hoplin tells Molner that his wife will be the bag lady for the ransom else they'll kill his daughter. A game of chicken between the Molners and Hoplin changes the plan slightly; Molner is allowed to go with his daughter, Kelly & Vince to another location while his wife will stay with have to stay alone with Steve for some periods of time.It turns out Steve is somewhat unstable and was in prison for raping and/or killing a woman. This makes the moments when Steve is alone with Joan a little dicey. The first time it happens, Hoplin returns in time to prevent Joan from suffering Steve's previous victim's fate. Molner and his daughter are taken by Vince & Kelly to her penthouse apartment, where Kelly has promised to stick a shiv (a very sharp knife) through his daughter's belly if his wife is not successful.Joan is given a complex set of instructions to follow, the first of which are to go to the bank where the FBI task force has assembled to compile the money. She tells them about the kidnapping and, though they're not 100% sure that she's telling them the truth, they give her the money and send her on her way without tailing her. Her next instructions are designed to throw off anyone who may follow her. But if she doesn't arrive at the (now) third house where Hoplin and Steve are waiting by 1:30 PM, Vince & Kelly will get a call to dispose of Molner & his daughter. Of course, she makes an error, which after she corrects it puts her chances of getting to the house on time in jeopardy.Unfortunately, what was a fairly taught and interesting story turns into something with very little credibility at this point. If you thought the FBI's finding out that the original detonators were made by Molner was impossibly fast, "you ain't seen nothing' yet". Plus, Molner is left alone in the loft of Kelly's apartment, with his conveniently asleep daughter, and enough time and freedom of movement to figure out a plan of action (which in the end, didn't accomplish anything anyway). This is AFTER Hoplin already has the money, more alone time between Steve and Joan with improbable consequences, and yet another meaningless location change. I'm afraid my intelligence was insulted just a few two many times for me to recommend this film.

Ed-Shullivan This film is exactly why I like watching the classic 1950's black & white suspense films. From the beginning to the very end it is just bursting with suspense and the caliber of movie stars is top notch. Rod Steiger plays the mastermind psycho extortionist Paul Hoplin who convinces (rather easily) James Mason who plays TV repairman Jim Molner to develop a tiny bomb on the pretense that the TV repairman Jim could get a lucrative government contract to manufacture these tiny bombs. Instead Paul's going to use these tiny bombs to blow up planes in the air filled with passengers if his extortion demand for $500,000.00 is not met.TV repairman Jim has no choice to go along with this devious plan since Jim, his beautiful wife Joan played by Inger Stevens, and their innocent little daughter Patty (Terry Ann Moss) are being held not only as hostages until the ransom money is turned over but the plan is to pin the crime on the gullible bomb maker.Now the extortionist Paul (Rod Steiger) is assisted by a cast of three top notch actors played by Jack Klugman, Neville Brand and Paul's moll, a very young Angie Dickinson in holding the Molner family hostages. Neville Brand plays Steve, a nervous pill popping sexual predator who just can't wait to get his filthy hands on the hot looking momma Joan Molner when he is left alone to keep an eye on Joan. Jack Klugman plays Vince, the thug who isn't afraid to use either a knife or a gun to keep the Molner family obeying his commands. Angie Dickinson plays Eileen Kelly and within the first 30 minutes we find out she is the mastermind Paul's moll and a cool and calculating killer who wants that half a million dollars more than anything.As Paul maintains his cool throughout executing his carefully thought out extortion plan with the assistance of his three (3) partners in crime, father Jim Molner and hot looking momma Joan are independently trying to figure out a plan to save not only themselves but heir precious and innocent little daughter Patty. As all this is going on you have lead FBI agent Frank Cole (played by Kenneth Tobey) trying to figure out who are these criminals and is Jim Molner actually involved in the crime or a victim himself?Although this film is almost 60 years old, I am anticipating that the film may be released in the blu ray format that it so richly deserves to be maintained as a film classic.Footnote: It was a tragedy that TV and film star Inger Stevens had such personal demons that she struggled with short term affairs with many of her co-stars (including James Mason in Cry Terror!) which culminated in her tragic death at the very young age of 35 when she was in the prime of her life. Her acting skills are second to none and she certainly helped carry this film "Cry Terror!" to a high caliber suspense/thriller with an all star cast of co-stars.I give the film an 8 out of 10 rating.

blanche-2 "Cry Terror," from 1958 is not a big-budget film, but it holds the viewer throughout. It's the story of a man, James Mason, who is duped into making small bombs which he believes are for government use. Only later does he realize that he made them for a criminal who intends to extort money by placing them on airlines and threatening to detonate them if the money is not paid. He and his family are kidnapped, and his wife (Inger Stevens) is used to collect the money so it seems as if he is the actual guilty party.Rod Steiger is the bad guy, and Jack Klugman, Neville Brand, and the nearly unrecognizable Angie Dickinson make up his gang, each with their own part to play.Without giving anything away, the story is preposterous at times but always suspenseful and effective. Steiger is terrific as a dangerous man whose quiet orders belie a violent temperament. Dickinson is only 26 here and brunette but her sultry voice and gorgeous figure are the same. Brand does well as a scary psychotic, and Klugman is good as a man under Steiger's domination. Mason is appropriately harried.The workhorse role belongs to Inger Stevens, a natural beauty who rose to fame in the TV series "The Farmer's Daughter" and who took her own life, after several unsuccessful attempts, in 1970. In a way, one of her tries at suicide occurred during the filming of "Cry Terror" when she and Rod Steiger suffered carbon monoxide poisoning during a tunnel scene at the end of the film. She refused medical treatment, stating that she wanted to die. She gives an excellent performance in this movie, that of an hysterical, panicked, and ultimately nearly catatonic mother who fears for her husband and young daughter and her own assault by Brand. Unfortunately, due to the fact that Steiger and Mason are so underplayed, she comes off at times as overacting. She was, however, a wonderful and appealing actress who might have gone on to a much bigger career had she lived. She had it all - or so it seemed.This is a good movie loaded with the New York City atmosphere of the '50s, though in one scene, it looked as if Stevens was headed for Brooklyn using the Holland Tunnel. You'll never get there that way.

howdymax This is a really taught little thriller. I've heard it described as noir, but that isn't true. There is way too much daylight in this movie, but it doesn't in any way detract from the nail biting suspense. It's a somewhat convoluted plot about an evil psycho that lures an old army buddy into his plan to extort money from an airline by planting a bomb on one of their flights. I know that sounds like a tired plot, but this one has lots of twists. He gets the buddy to build the bomb by convincing him the Army is interested in it. He then kidnaps this guys family and forces the wife to pick up the ransom money! This is a fast paced movie and the tension just continues to build from beginning to end. There is also lots of stuff for the tech junkies.The cast is also top notch. Rod Steiger plays the diabolical psycho, assisted by his evil henchmen played by Neville Brand (what a surprise), Jack Klugman (as a shlub), and a delicious Angie Dickenson in her most delicious prime. Inger Stevens plays the terrified wife who always seems to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but the big surprise is the buddy played by James Mason, of all people. Character development abounds as this story progresses. Jack Klugman begins to break down when he realizes they will have to kill the kid. Rod Steiger begins to lose his cool as the plan unravels. Neville Brand becomes crazier and more menacing by the minute. The family, on the other hand, gets stronger and more resourceful as time goes by. They seem to be able to draw on an inner strength none of them knew they had. The motive for this madness is perfectly logical. They were willing to blow up an airplane for half a million dollars. In light of 9/11 we can almost look back in nostalgia at a motive that rational.1958 was a good year. This movie lets us look back on cars with tail fins, beer can openers, the West Side Highway, men who wore ties, and women who wore heels. It was also the tail end of an era where movies actually told a story - and this is a great one.