Michael O'Keefe This crime drama directed by Phil Karlson has elements of comedy. Street-smart Sherry Conley(Ginger Rogers)is a gangster's moll that makes the best of being put in a tight spot. U.S. District Attorney Hallett(Edward G. Robinson)has Miss Conley temporarily released from prison to get some testimony for the upcoming trial of her boyfriend Ben Costain(Lorne Greene). Sherry finds herself put up in a swanky hotel with room service and Hallett tries to pressure her for just a bit of information, but she has smart quips and a healthy appetite. The D.A. has a cynical Detective Striker(Brian Keith)pull guard duty as Miss Conley has a few attempts on her life. Striker is so attentive, Sherry is smitten.Rounding out the cast of this Columbia Pictures Film-Noir: Peter Leeds, Katherine Anderson, Doye O'Dell and Lucy Marlow.

seymourblack-1 "Tight Spot" is a crime drama about the events that take place during the period in which a district attorney tries to persuade a female convict to testify against a ruthless gangster in a deportation case. The woman's life is constantly under threat and the attorney is desperate or her to co-operate because, if she doesn't, he knows he won't be able to do anything else to curtail the activities of the notorious mobster.Lloyd Hallett (Edward G Robinson) is the D.A. who arranges for Sherry Conley (Ginger Rogers) to be removed from prison and transferred to a heavily guarded hotel room where Detective Lieutenant Vince Striker (Brian Keith) takes charge of ensuring that she remains alive long enough to be able to testify in the case against Ben Costain (Lorne Greene).Sherry had been on Costain's yacht with her friend Pete Tonelli (Alfred Linder) somewhere in the West Indies when another foreign gangster that Costain had illegally brought into the U.S. was also on board. Costain had been very smart in ensuring that he couldn't be directly linked to any of his various crimes and so the opportunity to get him deported for breaching the terms under which he was allowed into the country, was the best option open to Hallett. Sherry, however, isn't open to persuasion and her decision not to cooperate is reinforced when she learns that Tonelli had been gunned down by Costain's men after he'd agreed to testify.During her time in the hotel room, Sherry survives a couple of attempts on her life and also enjoys ordering expensive food as well as flirting with Striker who's also attracted to her. The extremely determined Lloyd Hallett attempts to get Sherry to change her mind by conscripting the assistance of her sister but this approach also fails badly. Will the offer of having her sentence commuted finally be enough to induce Sherry to testify or will some other development be critical in enabling Hallett to achieve his objective? "Tight Spot" was based on the play "Dead Pigeon" by Leonard Kantor and looks stagy as most of the action takes place in one location (the hotel room). The advantage of this type of presentation, however, is that it emphasises very naturally, how trapped Sherry remains even when she's out of prison and makes her situation seem even more dangerous because she can neither avoid the attentions of those who want to kill her or escape from her surrogate prison cell.The best feature of this movie is the quality of its cast who through their performances elevate a rather ordinary story into something more entertaining than it would otherwise have been. Ginger Rogers is very brash and loud-mouthed as the ex-model and gangster's moll who fell foul of the law through being a "chump" and Edward G Robinson has a great on-screen presence. Lorne Greene looks very imposing and dynamic in his role and Brian Keith does a great job as Striker, who is cynical, corrupt and conflicted and eminently more interesting than any of the other characters. When he starts to unravel, the torment that he goes through is palpable.Although it's not one of the best movies of its kind, "Tight Spot" is still very enjoyable, primarily because of its talented cast.

MartinHafer This is one of the best roles in the latter portion of Ginger Rogers' career. She is an incredibly earthy and entertaining bad girl--complete with a nice accent and a lot of sass. While a somewhat similar role was given to her a decade earlier with "Roxy Hart", this film was pretty awful and lacked any sense of believability. In "Tight Spot", however, she gives a first-rate performance in a film where I expected very little.The film begins with Rogers being taken from her comfy prison cell and she's whisked away to a hotel room. This is because the prosecutor (Edward G. Robinson) is intent on convincing her to testify against a gangster (Lorne Greene). However, she has no intention on making a deal with anyone, as she knows if she testifies she's a dead woman.Assisting Robinson in this is a matron (who you see very little of) and a detective (Brian Keith). Keith seems to have contempt for her and doesn't hide it. However, Robinson treats her like a lady and hopes this will loosen her resolve. A bit later in the film, however, there's an interesting twist, as Keith and Rogers seem to be developing some chemistry. Just at that interesting moment, an assassin is spotted at the window--many floors from the street below. The assassin begins shooting wildly--hitting the matron and Rogers. Rogers miraculously escapes but is even more determined not to testify. What happens next was really exciting and quite a twist. However, I'll say more, as I don't want to ruin the film for you.Overall, this is a very well written noir-like film. Tough dialog and some nice surprises make this one worth seeing--with nice performances all around. A nice little surprise of a film.

blanche-2 Ginger Rogers is in a "Tight Spot" in this 1955 film directed by Phil Karlsen and also starring Edward G. Robinson, Brian Keith and Lorne Greene. Rogers plays Sherry Conley, in prison for harboring a fugitive. When the big witness against a mobster (Greene) is killed, she's asked to be a witness against him so that he can be deported. She realizes the danger, but stalls in making her decision because she's in a hotel and can order room service and take private showers. Also, one of her guards, Vince (Keith) is attractive and there appears to be a chemistry there. After a couple of murder attempts, she wants to go back to prison."Tight Spot" isn't exactly an "A" movie; it's more like a B+ - it's filmed in black and white and fits into the noir genre. However, it's based on a play, and it's obvious - the scenes aren't opened up at all, and there's a ton of dialogue. It doesn't appear that Karlsen directed either Rogers or Eve McVeagh very well. Both actresses approach their roles as if they're doing them for stage; the effect is over the top.Ginger Rogers was a wonderful actress and a very versatile one. Like all female film stars, the roles became a little less interesting after she turned 30 and all but disappeared when she turned 40. She's 44 here, playing someone younger, and she is very effective if a little overdone in parts. Robinson is great as usual, and a young Keith gives a relaxed performance. Greene was cast as a villain often until he played Pa Cartwright. At the age of 45 when the show started, he was 13 years older than Adam Cartwright (Pernell Roberts). After that, he played fathers, and producers didn't care whose father -Ava Gardner's, for instance, in Earthquake. He was seven years older than Ava. He does a good job here in a fairly one-dimensional role.All in all, okay.