DramaRomanceThriller

Caught

- THE STORY OF A DESPERATE GIRL!

Wide-eyed and poor young Leonora weds an obsessive millionaire named Ohlrig, but the marriage is loveless. Even worse, Ohlrig seems to have manic, violent tendencies. Eventually, young Leonora escapes her unhappy life and begins working with New York City doctor Larry Quinada, who she soon falls for. Unfortunately, Ohlrig refuses to grant his wife a divorce, and things get even darker for Leonora when she realizes she's pregnant with his child.

Release Date : 1949-02-17

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Metro-Goldwyn-MayerEnterprise Productions

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles : The Luckiest Girl in the WorldTake All of MeThe Best Things in Life Are FreeWild Calendar

Cast

Character Name : Larry Quinada

Original Name : James Mason

Gender : Male

Character Name : Leonora Eames

Original Name : Barbara Bel Geddes

Gender : Female

Character Name : Smith Ohlrig

Original Name : Robert Ryan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Hoffman

Original Name : Frank Ferguson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Franzi Kartos

Original Name : Curt Bois

Gender : Male

Character Name : Maxine

Original Name : Ruth Brady

Gender : Female

Character Name : Dorothy Dale

Original Name : Natalie Schafer

Gender : Female

Character Name : Psychiatrist

Original Name : Art Smith

Gender : Male

Character Name : Store customer in flowered hat (uncredited)

Original Name : Barbara Billingsley

Gender : Female

Character Name : Miss Chambers (uncredited)

Original Name : Sonia Darrin

Gender : Female

Character Name : Kevin (uncredited)

Original Name : Jimmy Hawkins

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Rudecki (uncredited)

Original Name : Bernadene Hayes

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mrs. Fuller (uncredited)

Original Name : Pamela Mason

Gender : Female

Character Name : Shopper (uncredited)

Original Name : Harold Miller

Gender : Male

Character Name : Businessman (uncredited)

Original Name : Bert Stevens

Gender : Male

Character Name : Projectionist (uncredited)

Original Name : Max Wagner

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cafe Customer (uncredited)

Original Name : Leon Alton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Man in Store (uncredited)

Original Name : Frank Baker

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cafe Customer (uncredited)

Original Name : Phil Bloom

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cafe Customer (uncredited)

Original Name : Willie Bloom

Gender : Male

Character Name : Businessman (uncredited)

Original Name : Ralph Brooks

Gender : Male

Character Name : Servant (uncredited)

Original Name : Wheaton Chambers

Gender : Male

Character Name : Wealthy Shopper (uncredited)

Original Name : Dorothy Christy

Gender : Female

Character Name : Cafe Customer (uncredited)

Original Name : Charles Fogel

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cafe Customer (uncredited)

Original Name : Kay Garrett

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gentry (uncredited)

Original Name : Wilton Graff

Gender : Male

Character Name : Grandmother Rudetzki (uncredited)

Original Name : Ilka Grüning

Gender : Female

Character Name : Butler (uncredited)

Original Name : Robert Haynes

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lushola (uncredited)

Original Name : Virginia Hunter

Gender : Female

Character Name : Little Boy (uncredited)

Original Name : Robert Hyatt

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Rudetzki (uncredited)

Original Name : Manfred Inger

Gender : Male

Character Name : Businessman (uncredited)

Original Name : Mike Lally

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cafe Customer (uncredited)

Original Name : Wilbur Mack

Gender : Male

Character Name : Man in Store (uncredited)

Original Name : Merrill McCormick

Gender : Male

Character Name : Kevin's Mother (uncredited)

Original Name : Frances Morris

Gender : Female

Character Name : Miss Murray (uncredited)

Original Name : Ann Morrison

Gender : Male

Character Name : Man in Store (uncredited)

Original Name : Paul Power

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lorraine (uncredited)

Original Name : Vicki Raw Stiener

Gender : Male

Reviews

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

Look at me! Look at what you bought! Caught is directed by Max Ophüls and adapted to screenplay by Arthur Laurents from the novel Wild Calendar written by Libbie Block. It stars Barbara Bel Geddes, Robert Ryan, James Mason, Frank Ferguson and Curt Bois. Music is by Frederick Hollander and cinematography by Lee Garmes. Seeking to make a comfy nest by marrying a rich man, Leonora Eames (Geddes) snags more than she bargained for when Smith Ohlrig (Ryan) becomes the man of her life. And then circumstance brings Doctor Larry Quinada (Mason) in to her life and things will never be the same again... Psychological swirls ago go in this fine piece of work. Story was changed somewhat by Ophüls after he was brought in as a last directing throw of the dice. Softening the harsh edges of Leonora's original persona on the page, he brings about a sort of piggy in the middle scenario. On one side she has a tyrant control freak of a husband, on the other she has a good honest gentleman doctor keen to impart his love to her life. It sounds an easy choice to make, but circumstance, the vagaries of noirish fate - of life affirming decisions, doesn't make this a straight forward narrative piece. Smith Ohlrig is based on Howard Hughes, who surprisingly didn't kick up too much of a fuss once the word got out. This is one troubled character, mean and controlling, superbly portrayed by a chilling Robert Ryan, it's just a pity there isn't time in the piece for more of Ryan's forceful nastiness. The best scenes feature Ryan, the shamble of the marriage is adroitly filmed by Ophüls around the gloomy Ohlrig mansion, with reverse shots, perception tinkerings and isolated shadow play emphasising the relationship from hell - the impact of Lee Garmes' (Nightmare Alley) photography and the art direction of Frank Paul Sylos (The Great Flamarion) also not to be under estimated. Leonora is a well written character, it would have been easy to have her as weak willed and spineless, but there's a strong feminist bent afforded her by the makers, giving her some guts and intelligence to off set the desperate situation she will find herself in later in the play. Geddes ticks all the right boxes for the emotional requirements of the role, never over doing the histrionics. Mason saunters into the pic with a grace and elegance that made the American market sit up and take notice, a class act and he fits the role perfectly. Ophüls steers this one admirably throughout, arriving at a culminating finale that's guaranteed to make you have conflicting feelings. 8/10

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2022-07-09

The charming Barbara Bel Geddes is "Leonora", an ambitious young girl who meets gazillionaire Robert Ryan ("Smith Ohlrig") and after a whirlwind romance, becomes his wife. Snag is, that isn't all it is cracked up to be. He is a control-freak who wants her to look the part, but to be little else. Ennui sets in, and after he humiliates her for one last time before a group of his minions, she leaves him to get an ordinary job. Despite having virtually no qualifications, she ends up working for doctor "Quinada" (James Mason) with whom she gradually falls in love. Not content with losing his trophy, however, "Smith" lures her back home with promises that he will change and though she becomes pregnant, she quickly realises that nothing is improved - only now, she has a much more complicated choice to make. I think Ryan stole this for me, he plays the power-hungry husband really well, making particularly effective use of his props (some pool balls and a pin machine) during his couple of intense scenes with the increasingly independently minded "Leonora". It's a bit melodramatic at times, never my favourite - but at its best Ryan's sadism and Mason's optimism make for some interesting character clashes that I rather enjoyed watching. It doesn't so much end, as turn a page - and that works quite well, too.