"Danger Signal" is a very good movie from Warner Brothers. However, here and there it has a few plot problems that prevent it from being even better.
When the film begins, a smooth man responds to a sign asking for a border. Ronnie (Zachary Scott) is extremely charming and ingratiating....and the woman of the house and her oldest daughter take to him. Soon, the daughter, Hilda (Faye Emerson), and Ronnie are dating.....and in no time they are engaged. However, oddly, Ronnie tells her to keep this a secret for now.
Soon the youngest daughter, Anne, arrives home. She's been ill and is recuperating...so she and Ronnie are both home together very often. After learning that Anne has an inheritance coming after she marries, suddenly Ronnie is making the moves on her.
When Hilda finds out, she isn't jealous but afraid, as she has come to realize that much of what Ronnie's told everyone about himself is a lie But Anne is so in love (and a tad stupid) that she won't believe Hilda. So, Hilda decides to take matters into her own hands and kill Ronnie! But how and when? And does she actually have the nerve?
The basic story is excellent, as is the acting (especially Zachary Scott who always plays sleazebags very well in movies). But a few times the plot lets you down. First, if Hilda has all these concerns AND finds a hidden gun among Ronnie's things, why not go to the police?! Second, she later comes up with a poisoning plan involving Botulism...which makes no sense in so many ways...especially when she tells Ronnie she's done this to him (he likely would have strangled or beaten her to death on the spot). Still, the basic story is good and the ending very gritty and exciting...and very realistic once they jettison the Botulism idea. Well worth seeing despite a few complaints.
When the film begins, a smooth man responds to a sign asking for a border. Ronnie (Zachary Scott) is extremely charming and ingratiating....and the woman of the house and her oldest daughter take to him. Soon, the daughter, Hilda (Faye Emerson), and Ronnie are dating.....and in no time they are engaged. However, oddly, Ronnie tells her to keep this a secret for now.
Soon the youngest daughter, Anne, arrives home. She's been ill and is recuperating...so she and Ronnie are both home together very often. After learning that Anne has an inheritance coming after she marries, suddenly Ronnie is making the moves on her.
When Hilda finds out, she isn't jealous but afraid, as she has come to realize that much of what Ronnie's told everyone about himself is a lie But Anne is so in love (and a tad stupid) that she won't believe Hilda. So, Hilda decides to take matters into her own hands and kill Ronnie! But how and when? And does she actually have the nerve?
The basic story is excellent, as is the acting (especially Zachary Scott who always plays sleazebags very well in movies). But a few times the plot lets you down. First, if Hilda has all these concerns AND finds a hidden gun among Ronnie's things, why not go to the police?! Second, she later comes up with a poisoning plan involving Botulism...which makes no sense in so many ways...especially when she tells Ronnie she's done this to him (he likely would have strangled or beaten her to death on the spot). Still, the basic story is good and the ending very gritty and exciting...and very realistic once they jettison the Botulism idea. Well worth seeing despite a few complaints.