In this convoluted thriller, an unlucky wanderer falls for a woman whom he meets on the beach. She begs the drifter to murder her husband. The man refuses, but when the husband learns that he has been cuckolded, he fakes his own death in an attempt to frame his wife.
Director: Russell Birdwell.
Stars: Anne Baxter, Sterling Hayden, John Hoyt, Jesse White, Wally Cassell, Alex Gerry, Paul Picerni, Theodore Newton, Karolee Kelly, Tyler McVey, Lee Turnbull.
what a strange film. and i didn’t know WHO birdwell was. it should be good. why is it not? as much as i love him, i’m going to blame sterling a bit
Apparently, in his memoirs, Sterling Hayden mentioned that he thought The Come On was lousy. He can’t be blamed for being underwhelmed as he’s stuck with a role that requires him to be both resolute and flaky.
It’s Baxter’s show and she and Hoyt both enjoy themselves hugely. The double crosses pile up, but ultimately The Come On owes more to melodrama than noir.