Out of the Storm (1948) - Turner Classic Movies

Out of the Storm


1h 1m 1948

Film Details

Genre
Crime
Release Date
Aug 25, 1948
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Republic Pictures Corp.
Distribution Company
Republic Pictures Corp.
Country
United States

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 1m

Synopsis

At the Sparton Shipyards in Springdale, payroll office employee Donald Lewis lunches with his fiancée, Ginny Powell, who works in the purchasing department. Although Ginny is anxious to marry right away, Don repeatedly uses his meager salary as an excuse to postpone the wedding. One day, shortly before the Christmas holidays, $125,000 in cash arrives at the payroll office, $100,000 of which is earmarked for the employees' Christmas bonuses. While Don puts the $100,000 into a shoe box and takes it into the supply room to begin stuffing envelopes, another employee, Al Weinstock, locks the remaining $25,000 in the office safe. When the office breaks for lunch later, the only ones left inside the office are Gus Clute, Don and Al. Suddenly, robbers burst in and shoot Gus. Although they escape with the $25,000 from the safe, they overlook the money still inside the supply room. Instead, they knock Al unconscious, and after they leave, Don grabs the shoe box and drops it into a trash bin outside the window. The boss, Mr. Evans, soon returns from lunch, and Don reports that the thieves escaped with the entire $125,000. Later that evening, Ginny accompanies Don as he returns to the shipyards with a music box and asks the guard for permission to repair it at the tool shop. Once inside the gate, Don rushes to the trash bin, but discovers that it has already been removed by the trash collector. Don finds the trash collector's truck, grabs the shoe box and stuffs it inside the music box. Meanwhile, Ginny, who has been waiting at the payroll office, overhears the investigators say that while fingerprints belonging to their prime suspect, Red Stubbins, were found inside the vault, none were found in the supply room. When a nervous Don confesses his crime to Ginny, they decide to take the music box to the home of his mother Martha. Meanwhile, insurance investigator R. J. Ramsey visits Red's sweetheart, Ginger Travers, who tells him that Red and his henchmen, Arty Sorenson and Cliff, got away with only $25,000. Feeling that an "insider" is involved, Ramsey decides to go undercover and pose as a new payroll office employee. On his first day, Ramsey invites himself along to lunch with Don and Ginny, and Ginny recognizes him as one of the investigators. Don begs her to quit her job and leave town with him, but she refuses, saying that it would only make them look more suspicious. After they apply for their marriage license, Don and Ginny visit the unsuspecting Martha, who tells Don that she took the music box to the jeweler, Mr. Winters, to be fixed. Don panics and rushes to Winters' shop to break in, and Red witnesses the crime from down the street. When Ramsey arrives at her house, Martha tells him that Don will return soon, and Ginny leaves to warn Don. Summoned by the alarm, the police soon arrive at the shop and, believing that the music box is his, allow Don to leave with it. After Red grabs the music box from him, Don draws his gun and kills him. Moments later, Ginny finds Don and convinces him to give himself up. Ramsey takes Don's confession and agrees to urge that all charges be dropped.

Film Details

Genre
Crime
Release Date
Aug 25, 1948
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Republic Pictures Corp.
Distribution Company
Republic Pictures Corp.
Country
United States

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 1m

Quotes

Trivia

Notes

Out of the Storm was a remake of a 1937 Republic film, The Wrong Road, which was also based on Gordon Rigby's original screen story. The earlier film was directed by James Cruze and starred Richard Cromwell and Helen Mack (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1931-40; F3.5211).